The last stop we traveled to is the modern city: Shanghai. We lived in a hotel very close to the center of the city and lots of famous streets. Shanghai is a much more international city compare to the other places we have been visited. You can see foreigners everywhere, and most of them come here for business, according to  the conversation I had with some of them. What most Chinese people have on mind is that they want to go abroad for better job opportunity and education. However, what I saw in Shanghai is that people from all over the world come here for business, social events and even education.

The bund, the first place we went to, gave us a decent night view of the modern city. It was always so crowded with visitors, and we could see all the tall buildings across from the river. We also visited the financial center building, the tallest building in the world. I couldn’t even capture the whole building with my phone on the ground. We took the  fast speed elevator to the observatory on the top of the building and had an amazing view of Shanghai city. What’s more, some part  of the floor were transparent, so we can look at the group from all the way at the top. It was an unforgettable experience to be ‘ on the top of the world”. Another modern thing about Shanghai is people there dress in top fashions, especially in Nanjing Street.

After a week in Shanghai, I can deeply taste the modernization of Shanghai.

night view from the bund

Previous to the visit to Hangzhou Bay Bridge, professor Xinli showed us a documentary film about Hangzhou Bay Bridge. This film revealed how the successful construction of the bay bridge represents a milestone in engineering field. Hangzhou Bay bridge is so far the largest cross-sea bridge in the whole world, with a total length of 36 kilometers. It shortened the ground transportation distance from Ningbo to Shanghai by an incredible length. This bridge marks the more expanded economy for regions around the bridge.

The most astonishing part about Hangzhou Bay Bridge is how all the strained circumstances were all overcome by engineers’ intelligence. The construction of Hangzhou Bay Bridge had encountered tons of problems, more than what engineers expect initially.  The eruption of natural gas in a shallow layer along the bridge line, the unpredictable severe weather above the sea and special construction material requirement are all the obstacles that keeps the bridge from being completed.

Our bus drove on the bridge on the way to Shanghai. Looking out from the bus window seat, I felt the pride for being an engineer because we are ready to solve the challenges all the time.

Xi’an is a city that I have always wanted to visit, due to its long history and constantly mysterious discoveries. Xi’an is known as the ancient capital of China, and it was once to be the most prosperous city in the country. The completely reserved city wall in the city shows Xi’an’s unique culture. We luckily had a chance to cycle on the entire city wall. The city wall was 8.5 miles long, and it took me around 40 minutes to complete one round with the double-seat bike. I have watched lots of ancient Chinese shows on tv when I was young, so I felt like I was riding through the historical scenes on the city wall. Even though we were all feeling sunburn while cycling, the view of Xi’an city on both sides of the wall was totally worth it. I really appreciated the reservation of the city wall after the visit, because it makes the city more charming.

Another outstanding place we visited is the world famous terra cotta warriors and houses. The buries soldiers were presented with dignified appearance. Walking through the 3 pits, I can deeply feel how Qin Dynasty represent a dictatorship at its peak. We have also learned that soldiers have different hair styles based on their army position. It was quite a valuable experience to see one of the eight wonders in the world in person.

Last, we also visited the local food street and tried out the popular local specialties. The street was noisy and crowded due to the competition between sellers and exploration from visitors. We were strongly suggested to check out the Chinese hamburger. It turned out to be quite different than what I expected, but I was glad that I at least tried it.

In conclusion, Xi’an is a very attractive city.

Top to bottom: terra cotta warriors, food street and city wall

In China, entrance exam will be given to last year middle school students to enter their ideal high school. The best high school in each city is named as No.1 high school, and only certain amounts of students who have the best performance from the examination would be admitted for registration.

We visited Dalian No.1 high school at the first day that we arrived in Dalian. We were very welcomed with the electronic banner, student volunteers and school leaders. I did not have a chance to attend school high school because of moving to America, so I brought up a lot of question for the students that I got paired up with. After a nice campus tour and a pleasant conversation with the students, I have learned the huge difference between Chinese high school and American high school. They have to follow the schedule strictly for study session, classes, study-break activities etc. Students are also required to go to classroom on Saturday, and it is mostly like a long mandatory study session. There are a lot of rules they have to follow, like wearing school uniforms for dress code and return to their dorms by certain time. What’s more, they are both high school seniors, which means they have to prepare for the coming college entrance exam. I could only imagine the pressure on them, since the examination determines their administration to their dream school.

with the two student volunteers

In contrast, American high school gives students plenty amount of free time to have a job outside of school, develop their interests and attend more social events. I think the education system in China and American both has its own pros and cons. Hopefully the future education can be more globalized and be aiming at helping students achieve success.

On the second day of the cruise trip on Yangtzi River, we visited one of the grandest engineering project in the world, Three Gorges Dam project. Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The primary purpose for the proposal of this project was to control flood, because residential areas had suffered badly from the catastrophe brought by the flood. According to the short lecture given by professor Xinli, this project also generates a massive amount of power so that China can reduce its dependency in coal. We were also told that the ship locks also help large ship travel up and downstream so that goods transportation become easier.

Three Gorges dam top view

when Ship locks open

This project caused lots of controversies regarding human rights issue and environmental impact. More than 1.3 Millions of residents have to move due to this project, and lots of dramatic stories happened during that period. Not every relocation was funded by the government due to uncertain statistics. The construction of Three Gorges Dam has also caused great damage to the biodiversity of the river. The government has to take measures to protect the endangered species around the dam.

It was a cool experience to see this project in person and understand the stories behind it. I hope those relocated residents all living a happy life now.