Chengdu

What an experience in the Chengdu airport! Since this was the first time I was flying domestically in China, I really had no idea what to expect, but I figured that getting through airport security would be pretty quick. Boy, was I wrong!

Believe it or not, we had a lot of trouble with our checked baggage in the airport. While my bags were just fine, I felt so bad for our friend, Damien. At the Shaolin Temple in Luoyang, a bunch of my friends bought souvenirs including swords, knives, slingshots, etc., and placed them in their checked luggage to avoid trouble at the airport. Damien bought brass knuckles, as a prank gift of course, and was pulled into police custody in the airport. My program directors went with him to explain how the brass knuckles were just a souvenir. At first the police wanted to charge Damien a 500 kuai fine, about $75 and throw him into jail for 10 days. Joyce and Hong Li continued to argue with the police and haggle down Damien’s sentence. At last, he got away with fingerprints and a warning. Ironically though, the brass knuckles were considered a weapon while all of the knives and swords that made it on to the plane were considered art tools.

We arrived in Chengdu in the afternoon and were thrilled with our hotel. Not only did it have air conditioning, but it also had spacious rooms with Internet! At this point we were so tired from traveling that we took the afternoon to relax. First we went on a mission for snacks and settled on some street food consisting of bread and twar and then we went back to the hotel and watched a movie.

That evening, we met up with the other group of students traveling from our program in Beijing for dinner. I was really worried about the food in Chengdu because it is located in the Sichuan Province, which is especially known for spicy food. However, the dinner we had was hot pot. Although I am not a huge fan of hot pot, the hot pot we had was pretty good. Half the hot pot was spicy and half of it tasted more like a chicken broth. Hot pot is fun because you get to cook all of your food in the soupy pot on the table and then fish for it and dip it in all different kinds of sauces on the table. After dinner we called it an early night to rest up for the visit to the Panda Research Center the next day.

After breakfast at the hotel the next morning, we headed out to the famous Chengdu Panda Research Center. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast and misty, which made it seem like a jungle walking through the research center.

We got to see a bunch of pandas, including the rare black and white pandas, red pandas, adult pandas, and baby pandas. I event got to hold a baby red panda named Hao Hao after making a donation to assist in preventing panda extinction. Before holding the panda, I had to put on scrubs and gloves. The panda was so cute and playful. He sat in my lap and played with an apple wedge while I held him. My friend Jon made a $150 donation and held a baby black and white panda.

After visiting with the pandas all morning, we went to lunch in Chengdu and then went to walk around Jin Li Street, a very famous antique shopping market in Chengdu. I was surprised Jin Li Street was not more crowded. There were several cool things to look at, including sugar candy blown in to shapes, jade and jewelry, and Sichuan Opera masks.

Later that night, we went to a famous Irish pub in Chengdu called the Shamrock. Ironically, Shamrock was hosting a Cinco de Mayo party, so we celebrated Cinco de Mayo at an Irish bar with Asians wearing sombreros on May 8th. It was a bit funny and ironic, but I am not going to complain about cheap and delicious margaritas.

Our last day in Chengdu was supposed to be a free day, however the majority of us were dying to see the Le Shan Buddha, the largest Buddha in the world, located about two hours outside of Chengdu. According to most world travelers, seeing the Le Shan Buddha is the equivalent of seeing the Sphinx in Egypt, so we could not justify being so close and not being able to see the Buddha. Fortunately, Joyce helped us organize a small, private bus to take us to the Budda, or as we said, “Buddha bus to biggest Buddha.”

When we arrived in Le Shan, we had to hike to where the Buddha was located. It was again misting a bit, so the stone steps we had to climb were a little bit slippery. Overall, it seemed pretty quiet on the mountain.

Finally, we discovered the Buddhist Temple, and at the exit of the temple, on the side of a cliff over the water, we found the world’s largest Buddha. The Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty in China and carved out of the side of the cliff in the year 731. The Buddha is 233 feet tall and has remained incredibly well preserved, despite the Sichuan earthquake last year. The Buddha also has 1000 buns on his head. Apparently, six large adults can stand on the Buddha’s big toenail.

We were able to hike down the side of the cliff, which was a bit terrifying, to the river level at the feet of the Buddha. It was breath-taking to look up at the biggest Buddha in the world. We then continued to hike the mountain. We saw some more tombs, some other cool, smaller buddhas, and a fishing village. In this fishing village, I bought a jade Buddha necklace for good luck for 12 kuai, less that two dollars! Eventually we arrived at the sleeping Buddha, 171 feet long and carved into the side of a mountain, which while not record-breaking, was still pretty cool.

Before jumping back on the bus to Chengdu to meet up with the rest of our group and fly to Guilin, we grabbed a quick lunch at the base of Le Shan, mostly consisting of delicious noodles. We then took the bus back to Chengdu. Because we had some time remaining before needing to leave for the airport, Molly and I sat in Tian Fu Square, the city center of Chengdu, and people-watch for a bit. Shortly after, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed out belongings and boarded the bus on the way to the airport!

Xi'an

We got up early this morning, checked out of the hotel, grabbed some McDonald’s coffee and headed to the train station on our way to Xi’an!

Instead of taking an overnight train to Xi’an we took a train during the day. This was not an express train, meaning one of the fast trains I have become accustomed to taking when traveling around China. This was a slower train, a double decker that took six hours to bring us from Luoyang to Xi’an.

Our tickets were for the lower level of the train. On this kind of train, the seats are four seats facing each other. Luckily, I got to sit with Aaron, Molly, and Brittany. I napped for the first part of the trip, listened to my Ipod, and read some of my book. Before I knew it, we had arrived in Xi’an.

When we left the train station, we had to walk really far to find our bus. It was so hot and humid outside that I was covered in sweat by the time we finally got on board and headed for the hotel.

Xi’an reminds me a lot of Nanjing. It’s definitely a southern city with a very laid back feeling. It definitely looks like there is a lot more going on here than there was in Luoyang and there is a lot more history in this area. Xi’an is generally known as the China of 2,000 years ago.

On the way to the hotel, we drove along the Xi’an city wall, one of the oldest city walls still standing in the world. The Qing emperors built this wall almost 2,000 years ago to guard their territory.

Our hotel in Xi’an was located in a great area, right in between the old drum tower and bell tower and not too far from the city wall. The hotels rooms here were smaller than the rooms and Luoyang, but still relatively nice. There was also no air-conditioning still, which we probably could have used even more so in Xi’an than in Luoyang.

After checking into our rooms, we went to the conference room to hear a professor from a local university in Xi’an lecture on the Qing Dynasty. The lecture was given in Chinese and I was surprised how much of it I could actually understand. Hong Li translated about after every sentence.

The lecture was very interesting and I definitely felt more prepared for our visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors the next day after learning a bit about the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty gained their power and worked their way up in social status from local farmers. The Qings restored the dynastic system to China after an era of great decentralization. The most perplexing thing about the Qing Dynasty is that their rule only spanned 15 years over two emperors. The demise of their rule is likely to be linked to Chinese culture at the time.

The Terra Cotta Warriors are a part of the elaborate burial of the first Qing emperor, whose mausoleum is located near the terra cotta pits but has yet to be unearthed. Of the nearly 8,000 Terra Cotta soldiers, only approximately 1,000 of them are available for viewing by the public. The warriors, horses, and chariots where meant to protect the emperor after death. Buried with the emperor are allegedly also several scholars, poets, and artists. The emperor has yet to be unearthed because there is a large amount of mercury surrounding his tomb, making his unveiling unsafe at this time.

After the lecture, we went to dinner near the hotel. Xi’an is very famous for its dumplings, which we definitely enjoyed at dinner. Dinner consisted of an 18-course meal, each course consisting of a sampling of a different kind of dumpling. I tried them all, however my favorite dumplings by far were the pork and mushroom ones.

After dinner, we walked a few blocks to the Xi’an city wall, which was all lit up at night. On and along the wall, there were performances going on, including music and dancing. On the wall we were able to rent bicycles and ride up and down the wall in all directions. Molly and I rented a bicycle built for two, which was difficult to ride at first, but really fun once we got the hang of it. Being on the Xi’an city wall felt very symbolic for the rest of China. There we were riding on a wall that was so old in the middle of a city so modern filled with the latest technology and music. This paradox is the essence of China.

After exploring the Xi’an city wall, we went back to the hotel and changed to get ready to go out. Joyce Li was actually coming out with us and knew of a really good dance club called One Plus One. A whole bunch of us went and it ended up being a lot of fun. They played a lot of techno music and had bubble machines and fog machines installed in the ceiling. We danced with a lot of people are age from Xi’an, which was a lot of fun.

After breakfast the next morning, we headed to the Terra Cotta Warriors. It was very hot again. The first building we went into was a museum, where we were able to see some of the horses and chariots that were best preserved up close. We then moved on to the third pit of terra cottas, which was the most destroyed. We saw the remains of what used to be Terra Cotta soldiers, and then moved on to pit two.

Pit two was a lot smaller, but better preserved. We saw some horses and some soldiers, however, they were all headless and their weapons had been removed.

The most impressive pit was obviously pit number one, which most people have seen on the discovery channel. Some of the Terra Cotta warriors are actually on display right not at the National Geographic Museum in DC. It was a site that I have seen on the discovery channel, but never thought that I would see in person. Now I can say I have seen all of the remaining manmade wonders of the ancient wall.

After seeing the Terra Cotta warriors, we went to see the Great Mosque of Xi’an. China actually has a relatively large Muslim population and our hotel was located very close to Muslim street. It was interesting to see a mosque in China compared to some of the more traditional mosques I saw when I was in Egypt last year. The mosque looked a lot like a temple, including a minaret that looked more like a pagoda. The farthest point in the mosque, where Muslims could actually worship, looked a lot more like a traditional mosque than the grounds surrounding it.

On the way back to the hotel, we walked through Muslim street, where there was a lot of shopping and street food. I bought a rope bracelet with jade stones. It’s a really great souvenir.

We had a group dinner at the hotel and them some of us went to Starbucks to use the Internet for a bit. After dinner and our Internet break, we decided to go out to one of the famous streets in the area with a bunch of outdoor bars and cafes within walking distance of the hotel. We met up with some other friends from our program and hung out for a bit and then went to a place to dance closer to the hotel. The dance floor was like a trampoline. It was so much fun!

We didn’t get back to the hotel too late, so we packed, and went to sleep!

Off to Chengdu in the morning!

Luoyang

We left for the study trip on Saturday night around 7PM. Saturday was a really crazy day because I was trying to pack up my room as other people were trying to move things into my room to store while on the trips. By the end of the afternoon, I was really stressed out, but really looking forward to vacation.

The overnight train was a lot of fun. While I have been on the overnight train several times before, it was really cool to have almost a whole car to our group. Because we were broken up into small groups for the trip, my group, which included Molly, Cara, Brittany, Jon, Aaron, Richie, and Jay, and I were all able to sit together. We had only top and middle bunks, so luckily the boys were nice enough to give sleep in the top bunks so us girls could sleep in the middle.

By now, I have gotten really used to traveling on the overnights trains. Before we knew it, it was 7AM and we had arrived in Luoyang, the first stop on our study trip. After leaving the train station, we went straight to our hotel, which was located in the center of town. The hotel was pretty nice, however the air conditioning had not yet been turned on. In the relatively northern parts of China, the air conditioning does not get turned on until June, however the temperature outside was in the 80’s and it was incredibly humid.

Luoyang is a relatively small city compared to Beijing. It is really well known for breeding peony flowers, which can be seen all over the city. After checking into our rooms, we ate breakfast at the hotel, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and McDonald’s and were on our way to do some sightseeing.

Still smelly and wearing the same clothes from the overnight train, we headed to the Shaolin Temple, about an hour outside of Luoyang, known as the birthplace of Kung Fu. The temple itself was fairly ordinary by Chinese standards, but the surrounding area was really cool.

The best part about the Shaolin Temple was the Pagoda forest. It’s exactly as it sounds: tons of pagodas all together. The temple was also really cool because we were able to watch a Kung Fu show. Some of the things we saw were unbelievable. We saw everything from traditional martial arts moves to men breaking swords over their heads. Apparently, it takes 20 years to learn that skill.

There was also a lot of shopping at the Shaolin Temple, very touristy items of course. While I only bought a t-shirt, some of my friends bought souvenir weapons used in Kung Fu training such as brass knuckles, swords, and knives.

After seeing the Shaolin Temple, we jumped on the bus on our way to the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China. What was really cool about this temple was that the Buddhist monks still practice there.

At this point in the semester, I think I am just about done with temples. We have seen several and they all look just about the same with some minor differences. I am really looking forward to getting to see new things later on in the trip.

After seeing the temples, we got to take a quick shower and then went to dinner. The restaurant we were taken to was in a pedestrian area. The food was very similar to the food we often eat in Beijing, especially since we have not traveled too far south yet. Tired from traveling, we hung out in the hotel that night.

The next morning we woke up early to get our breakfast at the hotel and our McDonald’s coffee before heading out to see the Longmen Grottos. It was so hot and humid.

The grottos were really cool. Basically, there was a cliff side along the river, filled with caves, with over 3,000 buddhas carved into the sides of the mountain. We were able to climb up the cliff and see all of the buddhas. In addition to the grottos themselves, we saw another temple, some hills, and some caves. The views were exquisite.

After seeing the grottos, we went out to lunch at a restaurant not too far from where we had dinner last night. After lunch and after freshening up at the hotel, Cara, Damien, Aaron, Richie and I went for a walk around Luoyang. In our travels, we found Peony Park, an amusement park and zoo where we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and meeting up with some more of our friends.

At Peony Park, I went on a Chinese roller coaster and the whole group of us went on the bumper cars, which was a lot of fun. We also got to see the zoo animals. The monkeys were my favorite because there were so many baby monkeys who were playing.

Later that night, we were so tired that we decided to get Pizza Hut and hang out at the hotel again. Luoyang did not have such a great nightlife scene and we were leaving for Xi’an early the next morning, so I think it was a good idea that we decided to take it easy.

Off to Xi’an in the morning!

The Final Days In Shaoyuan

Our final days in Shaoyuan have been bittersweet, excited for the study trip, sad to leave behind life as usual, stressed to the maximum, but still having a blast.

This finals week has been the most stressful of my college career. After having to turn in little work this semester, having tons of massive papers concentrated at the end of the semester was rough. I wrote over 100 pages, composing three different papers, and still had time to spend with friends and have fun. I also had a Chinese final to study for.

On Tuesday night, Wang Qian came over so that we could make jiaozi, or dumplings, together. I think everyone in the program living together had some hand in make dinner. We spent hours chopping different ingredients and folding and rolling the jiaozi dough into the perfect shapes. Three hours, two kitchens, 400 jiaozi, and a mess later, we were all full! I think everyone played a part in eating too!

We made pork dumplings and vegetable dumplings. Both were delicious. Wang Qian trusted Gill and I to cook the vegetable dumplings on our own upstairs, while she cooked the pork dumplings downstairs. I think we did a great job because the dumplings were all gone by the end of the night!

For dessert, Wang Qian made us a hot rice wine drink, which was really good, yet ironic that it was the night before our Chinese final, not to mention the baijiu she brought us to go along with dinner!

After cooking and cleaning up, Wang Qian came and hung out in mine and Marie’s room for a bit. It’s so nice to have a teacher who is such a close friend. Wang Qian has, since finishing her thesis, become one of my girlfriends in China. I’m going to miss her a lot when I leave China, but she has promised to visit me in New York, possibly for Thanksgiving, and make jiaozi for my entire family!

I’m glad finals are over, but packing to leave for the study trip has been stressful. Our room was chosen as a storage room for the study break, so I technically don’t have to pack, but it’s probably a good idea because everyone will be moving all of their stuff into my room. Based on my preliminary packing, I’m sure I will not have a problem getting everything back to America, but I might be a tad heavy!

I’m excited for the study trip! It will be a ton of traveling, but worth it I’m sure!

Gong Cun Village and Migrant Elementary School

On Wednesday, Gill took us to visit the migrant elementary school where she has been working all semester teaching English. I was really interested in seeing the school, especially because I had done a lot of reading about migrant villages in my Chinese Women’s Studies course. My experience exceeded all of my expectations.

When we arrived at the school, we had to walk through the village. It was amazing. The roads were all dirt. The street was lined with shabby buildings composed of one-room apartments. There were street food vendors and outdoor billiards tableseverywhere. And even more so than anywhere else in China, the people were curious and welcoming.

The school had a huge open courtyard with a flagpole in the center. The classroom buildings looked like small houses. Another small house served as the office and hangout for all of the teachers.

When we arrived at school, Gill took us to see some of her fifth grade classes. The students were so excited and they just kept shouting “hello, hello!” All of the fifth grade students had English names, some of whom Gill had named after us. Unfortunately, no student was named Georgette because my name is very difficult for Chinese people to pronounce. Gill’s classes performed B-I-N-G-O for us and some of them did the chicken dance or the Macarena.

Later, Gill’s co-worker, the Chinese English teacher, named Judy met up with us. Judy was awesome! She loved having us in the English classes and had us all participate. We went to some of the fifth grade classes and some of the second grade classes. In some of the classes the students asked us questions about life in America and we answered in Chinese or English. Some of the classes taught us some of their favorite words or Chinese sayings. We helped the second graders prepare for a quiz on English vocabulary words and then they sang Beijing Yuanying Ni to us.

In one of the classes, Molly and I got to teach the class the names for different parts of the body. We taught them a song in Chinese with both English and Chinese vocabulary. I think the kids really liked it and they were screaming it at the top of their lungs.

The students had five-minute breaks between classes, which gave us time to interact with them. They loved having their pictures taken. Several of the students tried to offer us food and gifts. One of the brightest second grade students, named Wang Jie, gave me a gemstone as a gift. It was so adorable.

On the whole, the students were so bright, enthusiastic, and eager to learn. As the sons and daughters of migrant workers, their strong work ethic shone through. The same was true for the teachers working at the school. They seemed so dedicated and eager to impress. While several of the teachers spoke English, they were nervous to do so in front of us because they were afraid of making mistakes.

Towards the end of the day, we got to meet the headmaster of the school. She only spoke Chinese, so I had the opportunity to use my Chinese. Overall, she was impressed with our ability to speak the language and communicate.

The headmaster was so grateful for us sacrificing our day to volunteer at the school. She explained to us that parents at the school were so happy to see foreigners teaching English, because they felt they were better teachers. She also explained to us a little bit more about how the school works. The school is completely run on tuition, which is 400 kuai per year, less than $60, and donations. It is hard to believe that a school can function on this budget.

The headmaster was so grateful towards us that she demanded that we allow her to take all of us out to dinner, which is typical of Chinese custom. After watching the students line up and leave school for the day, happily and carefree with their parents, as is the true nature of a migrant village, the headmaster had the school driver drive us to dinner at one of the nicest restaurants nearby, outside of the village. On the way, we passed the theme park in Beijing designed to mimic Disney World. It was pretty cool.

The restaurant we went to was probably the nicest restaurant I have been to in China and I probably ate the most I have ever eaten. The headmasters and the teachers who came with us barely ate themselves, but instead chose to keep serving us food, everything from soup, to roast duck, to dessert pastries, to tea. It was almost like being force-fed. I was stuffed by the time we left and the private driver drove us back to Beida.

I really wish I would have discovered the school earlier in the semester. I would have certainly volunteered my time when I wasn’t in class to assist with teaching English and to play with the kids. The whole experience made me feel grateful for the education I have received and has completely changed my perception of migrant villages as slums as offered by several of the books I read for class. Instead, I now view these places as towns of hardworking, happy people who need the help of people who are more fortunate, like me. Perhaps someday in the future I will return to China and find myself working or volunteering in a school, such as the one in Gong Cun.