I finally figured out why I like local music festivals so much

Once in a while there will be a local music festival. There was one in December.  

The bands are always so-so and nowadays there's no  camping because da  gummint won't allow sleeping outdoors. That was the funnest part, going around from campsite to campsite and hanging out for a few minutes, letting everyone impress their friends by speaking English with the foreigner, asking where they were from, just being a part of the scene. I'd wear my outlandish foreign clothing, cowboy hat, Wranglers, neckerchief and boots. 

I enjoyed the experience of the festival more than the music. A European I convinced go to one left after a half hour in disgust.  "This is garbage!  This is shit!"  "Go to Ibiza, they know how to do a music festival there!"  I tried telling him "dude you're in Wenzhou.  Do you realize how far you are away from the world?"

He  wouldn't have it. He was just plain offended that he had come all that way out of town. 

But something I read recently made it all click.  Apparently what happens during a music festival is called ego loss.  You stop being you and merge with the crowd.  

These "shit" local music festivals are one of the very few times I ever felt really a part of China without sticking out. Being the foreigner is a barrel of laughs to be sure, especially being a Sinophone but it's nice for once to be able to blend in with the crowd, which can never happen.   There is no hiding in a crowd here.  We stick out like a dick on a pumpkin.

The only other time this has ever happened was back before the e-bike helmet laws. In the winter I'd wear my heavy  coat, gloves and wrap my head completely in a heavy wool scarf to protect against the wind. I left a narrow crack for my eyes.  I put  a pair of aviator mirror shades on because it gets very bright and mirror shades are cool. Nobody can see what you're looking at. Riding around like that, all skin and eyes covered, for the first time I was just another ebike on the street. Just part of the traffic, no different from the laobaixing going to work. It was quite a feeling, and not something I intended to do.  It just happened. 

On 2/28/2026 at 6:54 PM, vellocet said:

Being the foreigner is a barrel of laughs to be sure, especially being a Sinophone but it's nice for once to be able to blend in with the crowd, which can never happen.

I like that you achieved this while sticking out even more than usual, with the whole cowboy getup. Blending in by leaning into the standing out, as it were.

On 3/3/2026 at 5:21 PM, Lu said:

I like that you achieved this while sticking out even more than usual, with the whole cowboy getup. Blending in by leaning into the standing out, as it were.

Well, there's no even trying to blend in, so why not? Being able to get away with outrageous dress in public is one of the fun parts about being here.  Back home, unless you own land, or a horse, you better not wear no hat.  "All hat, no cattle" as they say.  Back home I'll even wear my Tang dynasty shirts which usually makes whiteys look like total tools but I totally have the street cred to  pull it off. 

It's like that fella laow tzee said, be the rock, be the tree, be yourself.