It was always an overly ambitious trip.
Fourteen days. Six cities. Four families. Two major birthdays. One couple who had no idea what was coming for them.
It was not a holiday in any way, shape or form, but I am really proud of the photos I took here. Usually with international travel I am inspired to write openly and quickly, but these moments have taken me months to process. These are not photos or words to romanticise about.
This was Michelle and I's turbulent trip to China in November last year.
After landing in Guangzhou 广州 (often referred to as Canton) on late Friday evening, we are on a plane pre-dawn Saturday straight to Yiwu 义乌, the industrial smallgoods capital of the world, before heading to Michelle's father's hometown Dongyang 东阳.
We meet Michelle's cousin (second oldest so he is known as Erge) 二哥, who drove us back just over an hour to arrive at her grandmother and uncle's homes, which sits side by side and share a giant balcony.
In a flash, we're seated in the living room with her extended family's glaring eyes on us, while they share unsolicited comments about our appearance, particularly about how tanned and tired we look. I sit and nod until we all start eating sugar cane sticks and sunflower seeds.
The unfamiliar sweetness and crunch from these snacks are a welcome distraction from the overwhelming feeling of meeting a typical Chinese extended family.
We spend a few minutes with Michelle's grandma, who only speaks Dongyang dialect and is hard of hearing, but her laughter and zest towards Michelle and meeting me were reassuring.
After an afternoon nap, I snap some family photos of them, and we head to the cemetery where her late grandpa is buried. At the cemetery we burned incense, paper money and left gifts while engaging in a one-sided conversation with him.
And then we visit to the family farm. It's tucked away ten minutes down the road in a parcel of land between neighbourhoods. There are geese, flying chickens (yes, flying!), duck, fish and an orchard of various trees.
As the sun starts to set, I realise that I am surrounded by a view of wealthy middle-class China that I have never seen. The houses are three/four storey mansions, most driveways have a BMW or an expensive-looking Mercedes Benz made cheaply in Beijing, and families share hectares of land together.
In the evening, we are treated to a Zhejiang-cuisine feast, featuring lots of sweet potato, stews and greens, starting a trend of eating and drinking way too much food and alcohol throughout the two weeks. I am too embarassed/worried about being disrespectful to take any photos.
The next day is a blur. Michelle's Aunty made a delicious vegie noodle soup, and also bought me a Zhejiang staple breakfast food called Maijiao 麦饺. They are like larger dumplings with starchier fillings, and are pan-fried and delicious. I could eat them every day.
Afterwards we stop by various relative's houses before Michelle's Dad's 60th birthday celebrations. Held in a grand room inside a fancy restaurant, it was a grand feast with 40-50 people seated around the table. An unlimited supply of aged Moutai 茅台 starts immediately flowing. Moutai is the quintessential, national Chinese liquor. It is fragrant, stings your throat, and is fatally strong.
As the meal continues, relatives take rounds dedicating a shot of Moutai to Michelle's Dad for his birthday, and then to the various members of the extended family to say thanks and express good wishes.
Three hours later when everyone is well and truly inebriated, we sing "Happy Birthday", and it is time to say farewell to all of her extended family. I drunkenly take a few snaps, before going to lie in bed. There is a seven hour train to catch in the morning.
I hope you are all safe and are self-isolating from the dangers of COVID-19. The silver lining to staying in is forced time to prioritise writing and photography.
I'll finally be uploading photos from late-2019, including my entire China trip, which I hope is a refreshing take on China and something not COVID-19 related for you to consume. I might turn this into a dedicated zine or series to publish elsewhere.
Stay connected to your friends, family and anyone you know who is immunocompromised. Don't hoard groceries.
Sending love,
Thomas
© 2026 Thomas Feng
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