By Barry van Wyk

On a late winter’s day, we ventured out for a look at Houhai. With a light breeze and a bit of sunshine, the scene was dominated by numerous figures dragging themselves over the ice on sleighs, rather too slow for my liking, while others were walking around casually or window shopping on the pathways surrounding the frozen lake. It seemed like a beautiful winter’s day.

With the spring festival still ongoing, the festive atmosphere was marked by the incessant pops and bangs of fireworks. This is no problem to admire for a distance, yet while standing on the edge of the lake, someone lobbed a firecracker to burst right next to us with a loud crash. Our ears ringed with the explosion and our nostrils filled with the familiar smell of the explosion – it seemed we had nearly died on the edge of the lake.

Shaking off this rude shock, we just continued to take in the whole scene: innumerable figures meandering on the frozen lake, the never-ending fireworks which nearly caused us bodily harm, the crowds mulling round the shops and restaurants – all a pleasant scene at Houhai.

The lake was awash with a sea of colours as ice-skating was obviously why many had come to Houhai on this day. From individuals pulling themselves on the ice to whole families inching forward in tandem, the lake was covered from side to side and there was hardly enough space for anyone to move much faster than a snail’s pace. Yet this didn’t seem to deter anyone from having a joyful day on the frozen lake.

Strolling down the far end of the lake was just as pleasant, passing through more crowds, some couples walking hand in hand, some playing with their kids. We stopped for a cup of coffee at a restaurant, before moving on until we eventually reached Beihai just as the sun was going down. We took a few snaps of the impressive scenery and reflected on what was a pleasant day of rather nice weather. Yet just as the temperature was dropping again, we thought it better to end the day on a high note and head for home – ending a nice (though slightly dangerous) day at Houhai.

After studying economic history in the UK, Barry van Wyk came to China in 2006 to study Chinese, and started working as a consultant in Beijing in 2008, where he is also the editor of a business magazine and a blog on China sourcing.