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Joe Steinbring

Jiaxing

A wide zebra crossing in a parking lot in front of a service-area building with signs.
The service area on the expressway, and its Jiaxing zongzi.2018 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring
Static offline map showing Jiaxing in China with a location pin.

Jiaxing was a stop rather than a destination. On the drive from Wuxi down to Hangzhou on November 7, 2018, the bus pulled into a service area on the expressway: a hall of counters selling Jiaxing zongzi, the sticky-rice parcels the city is known for, alongside noodles, soft serve, fresh orange juice, and trays of soy-braised duck necks and feet sold by weight. The sign in the men’s room is the one I remember, though: “A small step forward, one step civilization.”

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  • A lit snack counter with backlit menus, popcorn machines, and a giant ice cream cone.

    Popcorn, soft serve, and orange juice at the service area.

    2018 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring

  • Steel trays of dark soy-braised duck behind the glass of a heated counter.

    Braised duck by the tray, sold by weight.

    2018 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring

  • A sign showing a figure stepping toward a urinal, in Chinese with English below.

    The sign above the urinals, translated.

    2018 · Photograph by Joe Steinbring

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