There is a lot more history in Shanghai than you would think. Shanghai is a very fast developing city. About thirty years ago, the east side was just farmland, but now it is home to one of the most internationalized cities today. We visited the Bund which is on the west side of the city and where the picture below was taken. The Bund was once owned by many European countries, Russia, and Japan, and they would actually segregate Chinese people from everyone else there. These businesses were gradually moved out and any colonial figures were taken down. Going to the Bund is one of the most popular tourist sights because of the view of the east side and because of the history. Another site we visited was the World Financial Center. It has the highest observation deck in the world and is the third tallest building in the world. We got to see all of Shanghai from the top and since it was at night all of the towers were lit up. One thing though about Shanghai is that all of the city lights go off at 11:00 p.m. But overall every night in Shanghai was a new experience and it was cool that we got to end the program in such a magnificent city.

Visiting Xinli’s hometown was and will continue to be my favorite part of China. When tourist come to visit China they almost always go to the big attractions in big cities, and they never get to see what it’s like to experience the rural areas. Seeing this culture of how Xinli lived when he was growing up was really something meaningful. We got to meet his family and the community, who all knew Xinli because this was a small town. We met his uncle who was a professional calligrapher and he wrote a famous poem on one of the students fans. The scenery around the town was an image that will never leave my mind because of how beautiful something this different could be. Xinli even pointed out the spots on the mountains where he would go and explore with his friends. The meal we had was as fresh as it gets. All of the food was made and prepared from the town. Xinli’s sister even went up into the mountain to get bamboo to cook just for us. After dinner we put on our own fireworks show in the rain and had a good time. I hope that one day Xinli will take me back to see this place again because it means something to him and now it means something to me.

When we were in Chongqing we had the opportunity to go to the zoo. And of course the only reason we wanted to go was to see the pandas. So when we arrived the very first thing we saw was…the lesser panda, but right after that were the pandas we actually wanted to see. This was my first time seeing a panda. We saw about five pandas, and they were all doing the same thing. They all just sat there, ate bamboo, and enjoyed life. After the pandas we explored the rest of the zoo and saw your typical zoo animals like tigers, lions, giraffes, and monkeys.

I thought my whole experience in Dalian was great. The places we went to and the food we ate were incredible! We got a deeper look on how the education system worked in China by visiting a local middle school, where we got to talk to the students and teachers about what they learn and why. We also got to see how an American business can thrive in China by going to Rockwell Automation and talking to the staff about how their job experience is much different since they have to communicate often to the offices in the United States.

The city itself is beautiful. How each building was designed and placed gives it this aesthetic appeal that makes you feel safe. The view from the city is even better. Looking out into the Pacific while downtown is very cool, plus it was my first time seeing the Pacific. The seafood we ate was all fresh and the new kinds of seafood none of us have tried before were very good too. Overall I think that Dalian is great place to be and I can’t wait to go back again some time in the future.

Going to the Great Wall was one of my first monumental experiences. I had only seen pictures of the wall before I came, and from my perspective, I thought it was on a few rolling hills. I was very wrong. It is on a mountain, and as you go farther, the more you have to climb. So when I started to climb the wall and only went up the first few flights of stairs, my legs started to feel it. But as you climb higher up, everything gets better. When I finally reached the top, the view took my breathe away, or it was the lack of oxygen since I was so high. All you could see were the clouds and the mountains below you. And now that I have seen China’s mountains, I think that they are a lot better than Pennsylvania’s. I also got to appreciate the makings of the wall when I was there, even though many people died building it. But it has an elegant, mighty design, and I think it is amazing how human beings built something so grand so long ago.