I went into this trip with absolutely no expectations. All I knew was that I wanted to go to China - anywhere in China - and so I picked the first city I could think of. When I began planning my trip, I realised that if it was iconic cultural monuments that I wished to see (and photograph), then I ought to have picked Beijing instead. With a fairly empty itinerary, I was simply curious to find out what simply being there would feel like.

Although refraining from over-planning a trip was a matter of necessity and is my rule of thumb when traveling with someone else, my flexible schedule proved to be a blessing when I was met with the incredible hospitality of Grace’s parents and their friends. In truth, I was apprehensive that it would be a little awkward seeing as I was the only “outsider” present, but it never felt that way. How could it, when 侯叔叔 kept introducing us to random people (anyone who would listen, really) as his nieces?

Looking back at these photos, I’ve realised that it wasn’t the food, the sights, or shopping that I remember the most. It was the people. From my travel companion and our lovely hosts, to the many friendly and hilarious taxi drivers, shopkeepers, and waiters I met along the way. (Not forgetting the poor 13-year-old kids who were in the horror escape room with us.) Above all, I remember most clearly their generosity of spirit and the warmth I felt from those interactions. There is something so quintessentially Chinese about the care that was extended to us. Warm and illuminating, I can’t help but think that familial ties and friendship must mean something different to them there than they do to us here - that sense of connectivity and kinship now a relic of the past, diluted by the demands of this modern world.

In many ways, these cities reminded me of home. It wasn’t just the fact that the architecture and infrastructure of one metropolitan city typically echoes another’s, or that there was a Raffles City owned by CapitaLand in both Shanghai and Chongqing too. It was because - as I discovered - much like Singapore, they are the kinds of places where you get what you give. The further you stray from the beaten path and the harder you look, the more you’re going to find. Often, the joy is in that search.