A strange evening doing dancing for tiktok in Fanjingshan Park.

I had finished my work for the conference, I'd been indoors too long, so I went for a walk.  I greeted a few friends on the way and walked past the beef noodle bar.  Just as I was passing came the now familiar "meiguoren" call.  It means American and everyone expects every foreigner to be that.  "Bu shi meiguoren shi yinguoren" (I am not American I'm English).  A father and mother and their two small sons stopped and stared.  I went over and said a few words.  They must have been 'out-of-towners' as they understood my Mandarin!  They asked if they could take a few photos with their sons.  Of course!

I asked them if they had eaten.  They said they had not.  Then there was obviously a misunderstanding and we said goodbye.  I think they thought I was trying to cadge a free dinner from them!  I wandered back to the noodle shop and ate some noodles and went for a walk.
Just as I was passing the Fengqi Hotel, a huge building with golden windows, restaurant boss lady texted me.  Did I want to come for a walk with her and her friends?  Why not!  Five minutes later I was in the car with her and three of her lady friends, all giggling away in the back of the car, cackling away in Chinese!  All I managed to understand was "He does not understand, does he?"... I didn't! ...but I had a fair idea!

 They drove to Fanjingshan Park.  There seems to be more than one Fanjingshan Park!  Anyway , we got there and no sooner there than they started dancing and photographing each other and making videos with an app called Tiktok.  It's a video sharing app that adds music and special overlay effects.  They encouraged me to join in.  I did.  A bit reluctantly at first.  It's always a bit awkward with restaurant boss lady, because she doesn't understand a word I say, literally.  She speaks the local dialect or accent, I'm not sure not sure which, and I just can't make myself understood at all.  So I was wandering around, a bit like a lemon not really knowing what was happening!   I'll include a few photos here, and maybe a video, neither of which can express how awkward and embarrassed I was feeling most of the time!  I need to lighten up a bit!

I do apologise for this video, not only does it make me look fat, probably because I am, but maybe it shows a little of my embarrassment!  I kind of got into the spirit of it at the end, but this sort of behaviour whilst not batting an eyelid in China would certainly cause a few 'raised eyebrows' back home.

Anyhow, they drove me home and mentioned something about tomorrow.  Oh dear!  I climbed through the rubble and into my flat.  Next door’s renovations renovations seemed to have past their apex, but it's China, nobody's bothered to clear up!