Some random photos
Just because I left Shanghai didn't mean I stopped seeing fun, amusing things. Herewith, a sampling.
Line dancing

The Chinese love their outdoor group exercises. It makes sense; for one, outdoor socializing is a big part of the culture, and for two, the government is big on encouraging people to get exercise. So why not combine them?
In the early mornings, it's usually some form of tai chi. There's your standard breathing/slow-movement form, your fan-dancing form, and who knows what other kinds; I'm not usually up and out of the house early enough to catch it. I found on this trip that group dancing is also a big phenomenon, one out of which I got a big kick. In Lijiang, we went to a park that features, in addition to some postcard-worthy settings, a building from the Ming Dynasty. And there, right in front of the 500-year-old hall, was a morning dance-exercise class, complete with blaring pop music and bopping seniors. Each song brought a new dance, and both songs and dances were way better than the Electric Slide. Sadly, the class ended just as we were leaving the building, so we didn't get to participate.
Circle dancing

This was more of a social gathering than an exercise class, held evenings in Shangri-La's old town, but operated on the same principle -- play some loud music, have a critical mass of hard-core dancers, and others will show up and join in. Here, the hard-core folks are the old-timers in traditional dress (see the woman on the far right, in black skirt and pink hat) who start things off, while the younger folks trail in behind them. Unlike with the line dancing, where you can stay more or less in the same place, the traditional bent of these dances keeps you moving around a circle, so as the crowd grows, you get more and more concentric circles. A few of us joined in after watching for a while and tried to follow along. Some dances were more fun than others, but man, picking up a new one every four minutes is hard for a brain on vacation.
Longhorn, shmonghorn

A yak-horn store, I believe in Lijiang. If only I still knew someone who owned a pickup truck...
Scenic park #1

One of the things I really like about China is the huge, beautiful parks. Don't get me wrong, not every park is large and gorgeous, but a substantial number of them are, and they actually get used. What amazes me, aside from the size, is the number of features that regularly appear at these parks -- lakes, ponds, or streams; bridges; gazebos; walking paths; statues; flower gardens; nice landscaping; open paved and shaded areas for walking or with benches and tables for board games; fields for ball games or kite-flying, etc. Those are just the common features.

This park also had an amusement-park area, although I didn't go check it out. The water area in the photo above opens out to a huge (300 sq km) lake. In fact, I took a picture of the park map, so why don't I just show you that as well? For context, here's how to find the bridge in the photo: see the rightmost body of water, closest to the pink area at far right (I believe that's the amusement park, by the way)? OK, now see the line of trees forming what would be the SE border of that portion of water (if the map were facing north)? This bridge is the small extension of that line of trees. Yep, big park. Verrrry big park.
Scenic park #2

Another public park (the same one with the line dancing, actually -- it's a large park). Apparently a lot of people take wedding photos here. Can't imagine why.
Oops!

Look, it's Bicycle Kick Zone! No, no... Moses Doing Backflips! Um.... OK, I'm out.
What I want to know is why they changed the direction of the head when they redid the sign -- would it really have been more confusing?
Wait... a... second...

These statues are located on a bench near a restaurant in Dali. I only had a glimpse of them as we pulled into the restaurant, but thought they were funny. When we came out, they had company, which made it even better.