I originally wanted to experience a winter in Guangzhou that was different from the north, but unexpectedly, I encountered a cold front. The temperature was higher, but it wasn't much different from the sub-zero weather in Tianjin.
The day before arriving in Guangzhou, I passed through Nanchang and stayed near the Nanchang station. By the time I got to the hotel, it was already midnight. I tried a dish of amaranth and cured meat at a nearby restaurant; the meat was fatty but not too greasy, and the vegetables were very fresh, but nothing else stood out. It was my first time seeing the method of serving tea with a plastic basin, and I only realized later that it was for rinsing cups and pouring water. The window in my room faced a overpass, and since I still had work to handle, I was feeling restless. The chair at my work desk was originally facing inward, but I specifically moved it to the other side of the table so I could see outside, which resulted in this photo.
The most delightful surprises are the ones you least expect. The next morning, when I opened the curtains, everything was covered in white. I didn't expect to welcome the biggest snowfall in Nanchang in 20 years like this. The snowflakes were as big as goose feathers and looked beautiful. In the morning, many people were taking photos with the snow at the hotel entrance, but it also brought quite a bit of trouble. I had specifically changed into mesh sneakers for the southern weather, but they were struggling with the current road conditions. Sure enough, my shoes ended up wet all day.
After finishing my work, I headed to Guangzhou in the afternoon. The driver said they had sprinkled salt on the roads, and there wasn't much snow on the ground. By the time I arrived at Nanchang West Station, it was already afternoon, and the station was packed with people. The large screen for train schedules was mostly showing delays. The good news was that my train was only delayed. Watching the anxious passengers, I felt a bit ashamed yet relieved. On the train, I encountered a mother and son arguing with the conductor. Essentially, they missed their connecting train because of the delay. They asked who would be responsible for their accommodation and other losses that night. Naturally, the conductor couldn't take responsibility, and after explaining that it was an act of God, it was still ineffective, so they had to bring in the train manager as a savior.
Due to the train delay, I arrived in Guangzhou late at night, with a chilly wind and light rain. My down jacket was definitely necessary. There were no chain hotels near the South Station, so I found a guesthouse that stood out in the photos on the platform and walked there, only to find it didn't meet my expectations. By this time, my stomach was growling, and luckily there were quite a few restaurants around. I saw a Chaozhou restaurant and ordered frog porridge and stir-fried seasonal vegetables. I didn't expect the frog to be different from what I imagined, but the meat was tender, a bit salty, but it highlighted the freshness.
The next morning, due to having been caught in the rain without an umbrella the night before, I bought an umbrella at a convenience store. The metro station was about 100 meters away, and that was the only stretch this umbrella served.
I had several memorable lunches. I finally got to try my "farm chicken," which was a method I hadn't seen before, roughly equivalent to the "hand-cut chicken" in Tianjin-style hot pot, but the seasoning was replaced with more southern flavors. It should also taste good with sesame sauce. The advantage of this method is that the meat is extremely tender, but the only downside is that it's not very easy to chew. Later, I had a similar experience in Shandong when I tried Chongqing hot pot, where the chicken was directly added, but that chicken was too processed, soft and mushy, losing its chicken flavor. Another time, I had claypot rice made in a rice cooker, which might be authentic, but it lacked vegetable garnishes, and having one pot per person was a bit too much. The other meals I had were rather unremarkable, all tasting the same nationally, possibly due to personal choices, which didn't align with the common impression of Guangzhou's food being very sweet.
There were too many things to handle. When outdoors, I was basically switching between various modes of transportation in Guangzhou, and aside from walking, I was mostly underground. I only caught a glimpse of the Pearl River at my accommodation, and later I learned that the place I stayed was only a street away from the small white building where Mr. Lu Xun lived.
During this trip to Guangzhou, due to the rare drop in temperature, I didn't get to experience the freshness that came from the temperature difference. Upon reflection, if I had to find a slight difference between Guangzhou and other cities I had visited before, it seemed to be just the three-language announcements in the metro.