Is that a male lion?

This weekend, we got to spend a bunch of time with some native Chinese and it was great to ask them questions about life in China, Chinese traditions and how they view the world. Some of the kids were really excited to talk to us about our lives, about how they view China's future and explain how many people in China view some of the extremely touchy subjects that we in Canada often hear about. In any case, it was great to hear what they had to say, and to find out more about China. Tianjin is also a pretty typical Chinese city: dirty, lively, smoggy, bustling, vaguely industrial, decrepit and sparkling new. Visiting with the ultimate team gave us a chance to explore a Chinese city with twenty guides who had no problem explaining things to us as we walked along.

This one is a girl Lion because there is a baby under her foot!

The one with the ball under its foot is a male lion... apparently the ball is not symbolic of the obvious. There is a story that goes along with the lion statues... we are endeavouring to figure out what the heck it is. Our guides couldn't remember it.

Outdoor piping in Tianjin

The crazyness that is Chinese urban planning.

There were signs everywhere in Tianjin that warned drivers about the dangers of smoking while driving, talking on cellphones, driving sleepy etc. Any guesses as to what this one is?