Madame Tussauds Wuhan

I started this blog post last Friday but abandoned it in favour of fighting to get a taxi for a ride across the city to meet a friend (she offered to buy me spicy duck neck (周黑鸭) and I just can't say no to that).

spicy duck neck (周黑鸭)

I'm slowly getting used to China's zero planning and 100% spontaneity policy. It's not easy but if you want to live in China without completely losing your mind, I suggest you learn how to be really flexible and accept last minute changes. Be prepared for everything and expect nothing.

But back to what I actually wanted to talk about: Madame Tussauds. 


The last time I visited Madame Tussauds was during a two week holiday in the UK sometime back in 2007. I was travelling with a friend and by the time we got to London I was as sick as a dog with a nasty throat infection. Still Madame Tussauds was a must and since we were clever enough to get priority tickets, braving the crazy queue wasn't too bad. That was until we got inside and the pushing and shoving started because there were way too many people and too little time and space to really appreciate all the wax figures. Also, having absolutely no voice is very annoying.

While in Hong Kong last year, I briefly contemplated visiting the wax museum there but when my friend inquired whether they have a statue of Wang Leehom and they told us that they didn't, I choose to do something else.

Wuhan's Madame Tussauds opened at the end of September, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival and it is located on Wuhan's 汉街 (Han Jie).

A traditional Chinese arch at the "entrance" to Wuhan's 汉街

汉街 in the evening. Loads of lights, pretty decorations, chatter and (this is unusual for China) not too many people which means you actually have space

汉街 is a great shopping street with a distinctly European style look but plenty of Chinese characteristics such as the arch at the entrance, the art displays along the street and also one or two "old" wooden gates with traditional Chinese writing and paintings. Usually the place isn't too busy and there are many shops and restaurants to check out. When you get to the end of the street and you still don't have enough, there's always the big Wanda Plaza, a massive shopping centre with many floors, even more shops, restaurants, a cinema and other attractions. In short, you won't get bored but your bank account might suffer seriously.

I'd read about Madame Tussaud's opening a museum in Wuhan online before moving to Wuhan and secretly decided to go there sometime. When I did finally get to Wuhan I forgot all about it until I, by chance, ended up on 汉街 with some friends. I saw the posters and advertisements, remembered that I'd planned to go and vowed to find some time for a trip to the wax museum. Of course, I forgot all about it some five minutes later until earlier this month when my friend and I went to 汉街 for some shopping and dinner. We didn't actually do any shopping, instead we strolled through the museum, a last minute, unplanned decision, looking at all the wax figures and taking pictures. It was actually possible to stroll through the museum because there weren't all that many people there. Even though the museum isn't yet as big as the one in London or in other places, it's great fun. A relaxed atmosphere and plenty of celebrities to pose with.

The tickets are quite pricey, as you can see from the below table we paid 135 RMB each, well I did because I decided to treat my friend. She took forever to decide whether she wanted to go inside or not, so I took matters into my own hands.

Ticket Type	Walk-Up Price
Adults	135 RMB
Students (full time, undergraduate or below)	90 RMB
Children (0.8m to 1.3m tall)	90 RMB
Seniors (age 65+)	100 RMB

If you know how to use 美团 (a must have app if you live in China), you can get the tickets slightly cheaper but that requires checking the app and planning when to go.

Striking a pose with the King of Pop, Mr MJ

I didn't feel like posing with the queen but I've always wanted to sit on a throne and feel like a princess for two minutes.

Even wax-Rihanna looks h.o.t.

Jay Chou felt rather indifferent about posing for a photo with me, he preferred to sulk.

My friend with the lovely Audrey Hepburn

Even Albert Einstein is taller than me.

Kobe Bryant and I are battling it out for the ball.

Another, more artsy photo of my pose with the King of Pop

Every girl needs some arm candy...

One pretty lady dreaming about breakfast at Tiffany's and one cheeky gal dreaming about her handsome fish.

I decided to be Jackie Chan's plus one.

In hope to make the fish jealous, I posed with a lot of man and one smoking hot woman.

Playing the piano, or trying to look as convincing as possible.

More arm candy...

Wax or no wax this is still the splitting image of George Clooney and I've always wanted to cosy up with the handsome devil!

 

My friend told me that this gorgeous lady is famous in China and I feel like I should remember her name but I really don't. To my shame I haven't got the foggiest idea who she is and what she's famous for.

Time Flies

Just a little over three months ago I packed up the last of my belongings and took a bus to Dublin airport, ready to leave the country on a one way ticket to China to start a new life.

When I first got to Wuhan it was hot, really freaking hot. I'm talking 40 degrees Celsius hot. Now it's cold, rainy and wet. Instead of wearing sunglasses and a flowing summer dress I'm wrapped up in a couple of layers of clothing. I'm wearing my gorgeous new coat inside because my writing desk is out on the balcony (I can't call it sun room any more, it's too cold for that) and it's cold. Strangely enough it feels like it's colder inside my apartment then outside. This I don't quite understand but I guess it's Chinese logic.

My gorgeous new coat.

I've no regrets though. I don't miss Ireland one bit. That part of my life is over and I have no intention of going back there. I have a new life here and I like it a lot. I'm happy here. Things aren't always super easy, but I love a good challenge, even if it's a little frustrating at times. Also, I truly love my job, even though it can be quite tiring and also a little frustrating at times. Watching my students improve day by day or come out of their shell more and more is the most rewarding stuff.

One of my colleagues posing with the lyrics to Shane Filan's song "Baby, Let's Dance". Sadly she left the school but while she was there she was super helpful, super sweet and super fun to work with.

For Single's Day (November 11th) I prepared a little speed dating event, only the purpose was not to actually date but to talk to people. I gave each pair about three to four minutes and whenever the time was up I collectively got glares from everyone for interrupting their conversation. They can be a bit shy when speaking to me but last night they didn't use a single word of Chinese. A couple of new students joined and it was the perfect chance for them to get to know some of the older students and make new friends. Win/win for everyone.

The students are happily chatting to each other, means I get to observe and drink some hot water. My throat likes this a lot.

Even my fish has started to speak more English. He's still a joker though and whenever I ask him what his name is he likes to reply "I don't know" so I've started calling him just that. These are our silly moments and lately we have plenty of those. Just the other day I pointed out to him that our friends still walk hand in hand after three years of marriage and that I think it's super sweet. He promptly took his hand out of his jeans pocket, grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. Yes, aww.

A slightly embarrassed fish is enjoying a kiss from his gal. Yes, it's really that easy to make a man happy.

Like I already mentioned in my last post, I've been having a blast with friends, I just haven't had the time to sit down and write about it. Today it's raining and since my friend and colleague snatched my umbrella from me last night, I'm not going out again until she comes to meet me. If I do my fish will have a field day telling me off for being so irresponsible. He's busy at the moment but he has a knack for finding things out...or maybe it's just the fact that I unintentionally tell him things. Our conversation will go like this:

Me: So I went to the bank this morning to sort out some stuff...

Fish: In the rain? Didn't you tell me that your colleague borrowed your umbrella last night?

Me: Erm... (nervous laugh)

Fish: Going out on the rain is not healthy, you'll catch a cold. (stern, reprimanding, fatherly glare)

Me: Erm... I'm sorry.

I swear, that man has a knack for remembering things. Then again, it's actually what makes him special. He knows that I like to listen to his favourite music when he's driving, so he never deletes the songs from his USB, just adds new ones. He also remembers what I can and can't eat and that I love eating spicy food, fish and tofu. He knows I like my hot water and tea and always makes sure I have some. Occasionally he also buys my favourite tea, just because he knows it will make me happy. Of course, every time he does that I tell him not to waste money but he politely ignores that and boy am I happy that he does. He knows I don't feel comfortable with the crazy Chinese driving so he doesn't do it and he knows that I like my hugs and cuddles. I honestly can't ask for more. Maybe a little more of his time...he's just too busy lately. It's for a very good reason though. More about that later...

This morning the security guard responsible for my apartment building told me off twice for going out with an umbrella, I'm not looking forward to a third time. 

Anywho, enough of that. I want to show you some pictures of my recent escapades.

Gorgeous flowers at 首义汇 (Shou Yi Hui). 首义汇 is dedicated to the 1911 Wuchang Uprising and the place is near the Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼 / Huang He Lou).

A gorgeous park with lovely displays of flowers, true works of art. On this picture I'm posing with my sister (my friend's wife).

I didn't know my friend snapped this photo, I was busy posing for his wife. Behind me is a gorgeous display of flowers and green bushes with little ponds and fountains.

A gorgeous flower tree.

A got a sudden, unyielding craving for some stinky tofu (臭豆腐 / Chou Dou Fu) so we went to get some. Six kuai can get you a bowl of happiness.

Striking another Chinese style pose, much to the amusement of all the visitors around me.

Beautifully sculptured bushes and flowery trees. Amidst it all a small pond and a water fountain.

My sister posing with a chicken...or is it supposed to be a Phoenix? We weren't sure. It sure as hell looks a lot like a chicken.

"Modelling" my handbag for the fun of it. It cracked my sister up.

A little bit of peace in the middle of a hectic city. I love Wuchang, it's the best place in Wuhan. It's buzzing with people, students, food, fun, places to shop, whatever your heart desires really.

Figures of Chinese kids playing in what I suppose is meant to be a kindergarten of some kind.

The sign behind me states that the flower sculptures behind me were put together and donated by Tianmen City. My fish was born there and also grew up there.

A little bridge for people to walk on and take pictures amidst the colourful flower displays.

Ladies' afternoon.

A perfect snapshot.

I just had to pose with the chicken / Phoenix mutant.

I have more to share but for now, that is it. So instead of bombarding you with a second set of photos, here's something much better, a sweet moment with my gorgeous fish, who was very possessive of both me and the tangerine in his hand. In return I decided to be very possessive of his leg. It's a game of give and take...

Last but not least, here's what I call pure, blissful happiness: Sitting beside my fish.

1, 2, 3... Action, Let's Go: Halloween Party Review

With all the things I've been up to in the last few days I've enough material to fill three or four blog posts. I've a bunch of pictures to share with you, so instead of using a lot of grand words I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.

Let's start with the Halloween party my school threw for all our students, then we shall move on to another blog post about a lovely day out with friends and last but not least let's finish things with an unplanned evening of fun because let's face it, these kind of evenings are the best kind of evenings.

Also all good things come in sets of three and what with it being my day off I have enough time to write and post loads of lovely pictures.

My school throws a Halloween party for our students every year and judging by the pictures I've seen from last year's party it seemed like everyone had a blast. This year's party was however a lot more fun. We had more decorations, more costumes, more students and a lot of fun games. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and we even extended the party because we didn't want to rush things. We wanted to let everyone enjoy the games and treats and boy they did. Some of the students really lid up. Some needed some more encouragement but they were game and didn't just sit in the corner refusing to participate. 

My fellow teacher snapped some pretty brilliant videos of all the different games we planned and none of the students were spoilsports. Everyone participated and even our student consultants and local teachers joined into the games. Granted, I actually needed to drag them to the social area but once there they threw caution into the wind and joined into the games. When it came to organising the party and decorating our social area and the rest of the school everyone pulled their weight. It's astonishing how willing my male students are to help me when I give them a gentle shove towards the social area and tell them I need a helping hand with arranging the tables and chairs.

Enough of the words though, here are some pictures for you. They'll do the talking.

I have to add one thing though. Even though our centre is the head centre, in the sense that the HR staff and all all the other behind-the-scenes-people are located at our centre, it's just like a big family. We joke and laugh, scare each other, tease the students, and chase each other down the corridors. If you need help with something you just need to ask, you can always find someone who has five minutes.

I speak a lot of Chinese with the staff but they always try to improve their English and most of them are really thankful when you correct them. My students know better than to try and speak Chinese in school or class with me though. It doesn't get them anywhere because I will pretend to be deaf. After school they do try and that's when I give in. I could tell you stories about what happens on the elevator ride from the 35th floor down to the ground floor...

Sometimes when you're teaching students, who only just started learning English, throwing in the one or other Chinese word will help them along much faster. It also boosts their confidence. I do not let my students use the phone or dictionary in class as I'm their go-to-person, so some students feel a little bit worried that they won't be able to follow. They are slowly realising that my rules are not all that bad though. One of my students can barely introduce herself in English but she always joins my social classes because she likes a challenge (apparently she also likes me!). As a teacher this makes me happy, she's trying and there's nothing more I could ask for. I always tell my students to just try, that's more than enough.

I also tend to sneak up on my students when they are sitting around, chatting away in Chinese, and reprimand them for it. Lately I've started threatening extra home work. So far they think I'm joking but they know I can be pretty serious if they push me too far. I do take away their phones when they play with them in class and occasionally I also place them somewhere high up where the students can't reach them. Works like a treat.

Like I said, we're just a big family really.

Here are two of our local teachers and two students, all dressed up to join the Halloween party.

Our marketing manager stole my hat and posed with our head receptionist, the little pumpkin. Both ladies are really lovely, sweet and super helpful.

  

One of my students dressed up in a scary surgeon's costume and I chased him down to pose with me. He's a lovely and cheeky guy. Great fun and always available for a laugh.

    

I post with our head receptionist at the entrance to the school until the girl in charge of online marketing came along to post all the pictures on our school's official Sina Weibo account. Here's to my 15 minutes of fame.

  

More pumpkins and the school's resident black widow.

Posing with some of my lovely students.

"Pass the ball, don't use our hands." Is what we told our students. We had three teams (eight students/employees each) competing against each other, the fastest team took 15 seconds to pass the ball from the first student to the last student. This game was met with much laughter and the students were very competitive.

  

"Paint the balloon, don't pierce it." Two of my students practically begged me into joining their team. Sadly we didn't win, let's blame it on the fact that I'm totally artistically challenged. Drawing anything is totally not my forte. My students did the drawing but we didn't really have enough time to transform the balloon into a proper pumpkin with a ghost shape cut into it. Still it was fun. Our team was the only team who managed not to pierce their balloon, all the other teams used two or three balloons to complete the challenge.

  

More friendly black widow/witch and pumpkin love.

Two of my students trying to pass the ball from one person to the next without dropping it.

More pass the ball action...

One of our local tutors, she drew the amazing make-up around her eyes herself. It looked super amazing. I couldn't do that, then again I really am artistically challenged. Drawing/painting is not my cup of tea, never has been and never will be.

  

Our lovely receptionist pumpkins Tina and Lucy posing at their desks.

The witches of Salem. ;-) I roped one of our local teachers and one of our local tutors into posing with me. We will start to film the first season of the Chinese remake of Charmed pretty soon.

  

One of our local teachers who dressed up as Cleopatra. Sadly Halloween was her last working day which is sad because she's a really lovely girl.

I don't really remember when this photo was taken, I had a camera in my face every other minute but that's okay. The students are usually too shy to ask for a photo with the foreign teacher so they use a party as an excuse. Whatever makes them happy.

  

Our online marketing gal in charge of our Sina Weibo account. Lovely girl.

One of our receptionists, who had to act as a waitress and serve the drinks, and her boyfriend. Sadly she also celebrated her last day, she's going back to school. I'm not a fan of people leaving, especially when they're fun to be around.

After the party I was on a bit of a high, it was an absolute blast. This just goes to show that you don't always need to go for dinner and then go to KTV to have a good time. A good party with some well-prepared party games (kudos go entirely to my colleague who is American and knows what he's doing) and a few snacks and drinks is just as much fun, if not more.