School in China

When I visited the middle school in Dalian the first major thing I remember is how impressed I was by the bravery of a young, middle school girl to stand up and speak in front of her classmates, which is hard enough alone, and the foreign Penn State students (in perfect English by the way). This is just a testament to how hard these kids work in their younger years in China. I always knew this was the case before I had visited this school but I had never expected such an impressive thing as this to happen. The two kids in the picture also had excellent English. I remember when I was in middle school all I could say in Spanish was hola and gracias. I was truly blown away.

In Dalian at this school was where I noticed that virtually everything culturally was different but simultaneously, the people, procedures, and manners are, for the most part, the same. I noticed this during the flag raising ceremony at the school. So many things about the flag raising procedure in this school we visited in China are so similar to how the flag is raised at Penn State every morning. The unison, discipline, and the special song for the procedure all just seemed so universal at that point. This recognition made me think about the Chinese school uniforms and how many private schools in the U.S. have similar rules. Then I thought about how some students at the middle school were dressed up in military attire, separate from their classmates. So similar to many JROTC programs across U.S. high schools. This has really been one of the major themes for me as I went through this whole China program is that all the countries of the world really have a lot in common at their core.

 

My Biggest Fear in China

Four words. Middle-aged Chinese women. I swear I was more intimidated by this subset of shopkeeper than anyone else in my life that I have  had to interact with. Approaching a noodle shop only to be pushed and pressured into buying a noodle dish that you are not at all excited about is a terrifying circumstance. They have such power over you. You can see it in their eyes. And they do not give a crap about who you are, where you are from or what you are trying to do.  They only see your consumer potential. While I fear these women, I also have a lot of respect for them. They hustle. There are a thousand other shopkeepers selling similar noodles or knick-knacks or what-have-you’s right down the street. They are aware of this. They are not intimidated by this. They will internalize this fact, move past it and do everything in their power to convince you to buy at their shop. Truly a force to be reckoned with.

Chinese Art and Design

China places a really strong emphasis on incorporating beauty and design into all aspects of life. From the elegance that defines the act of calligraphy and the hanzi which make up a written language of abstract art to the spoken language which has musical elements in its four tones and depth in the ideas it can express, China really is a country with beauty baked into its core. There is an idea in Chinese thought called Feng Shui which is meant to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy. It is a shared idea that emphasizes nature and natural order. The values of Feng Shui can be observed in Chinese art, architecture, urban design, infrastructure, engineering and in people’s lives and homes.

Walking around China, especially in older areas like the Old Street in Shanghai, you can see the attention paid to constructing not only functional areas but also beautiful areas that inspire a sense of calm. A distinct part of Chinese architecture that stood out to me were the roofs. The curving shingled designs are works of art and are immediately reminiscent of what you would expect to find in a mountainous region of Asia. By incorporating this style of roof into cities and towns, the architects are able to remind passerby’s of old Asia and the beautiful landscapes that define it. The attention paid to aesthetics is a good example of the thoughtfulness of Chinese people. I found that every Chinese person I engaged with was incredibly curious and tuned into what I had to say. Again, this attitude stands in such contrast to Americans, who have a tendency to look past you, show a general disinterest in their surroundings and not be conscious of their current situation. It was so inspiring and refreshing to travel around China and engage with its citizens who are so tuned in to the world around them. This attitude is reflected in the physical surroundings and was one of the most memorable and important aspects of the country.

Dining in China

I loved eating in China, especially as a group. If you go out to eat alone or with just a few friends, you can expect an experience similar to what you would have in the United States. You order an individual dish, it is put in front of you and you eat. Nothing special there. However, if you go out to eat with a larger group, say five or more people, the experience is really unique. You are usually seated at a round table with a rotating platform in the middle. Then you order a bunch of dishes and they are brought out and placed on the center island. Then you just grab what you want with chopsticks and share all of the food with everyone else. If you are a guest, as we were many times throughout the trip, the food never seems to stop coming out. This is also for a reason. Apparently, in China, it is the duty of the host to give her guests more food than they need. If there is no food left on the table the host feels obligated to bring out more. This makes for an interesting dynamic when the guests, in our case American, come from a culture where parents scold their children at dinner for not eating all the food on their plate. So before we understood the cultural faux paux we were making, we would all work very hard to eat all the food in front of us. And then the host would immediately bring out more food right as we polished off the last plate. And this would continue until we ran out of time and had to leave to catch our next bus or until we would give up eating our of frustration with the endless amount of food appearing in front of us that we could not possibly finish.

The other part of the meals (usually dinner) that was distinct were the rituals of drinking. Dinner was usually accompanied by a few bottles of Bijo (fire water), which was this 52 to 56 proof clear alcohol that was always drunk straight. And it was strong. So strong that it could not really be sipped and had to instead be drunk in shots. At least for me. Others, usually Chinese adults, would drink literal glasses of the stuff. And not just one. Three or even four with dinner. And they would pretty much be fine. And if there was a host there would be multiple toasts throughout the meal, sometimes initiated by the host to welcome her guests and other times initiated by the guests to honor the host. Either way, at the conclusion of the toast everyone is encouraged to finish their drink. I learned quickly to pour myself small shots of Bijo or otherwise risk taking three or four back-to-back shots as a result of rapid-fire toasts and then toasts back. Plus there were mini-toasts where small groups might break away from the table and go up to the host on their own. And then this toast might be reciprocated back by the host or by friends of the host to small groups of guests. And the result of all this is that by the end of the meal everyone has toasted and re-toasted and sipped their drinks in the interim periods and became unquestionably tipsy.

Dinners in China are communal and social and such a refreshing change from the heads-buried-in-phones dinners I am used to in the U.S. Meals in China are an awesome example of the cultural emphasis on family and friends and community that is so absent in America.

School in China

The Chinese school system is built on a set of value and priorities that are totally at odds with the ideologies I was indoctrinated into in the United States. We visited two schools during our time in China: the Number 8 Middle School in Dalian and the China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing. Despite the differences between the two groups of students, there were noticeable similarities in their mindsets. The college students were more willing to explain the circumstances of their college education. The middle school kids were pretty nervous around us but visibly lived the traits that the college kids laid out. So here is what Kirk and Cristal and Delong, three CUMT engineering students who showed me around campus, had to say about school in China. No parties. No extracurriculars and no clubs. Students are there to study. They play some basketball to destress and have a really high quality cafeteria. However, aside from food and informal sports, academic excellence is the only priority.

In a large part, this laser focus on school is because China is an ultra-competitive place for students. Every few grade levels everyone sits for exams that determine which “bucket” of students they get to proceed to the following year. For college, this exam determines which universities students are eligible to apply for as well as their specific majors. Students in China striving to keep pace with their peers and eventually get a job in their field to support themselves and their families have little room for relaxation. As such, from a young age, they learn to be incredibly disciplined in their studies, subservient to their professors and always focused on excelling at everything they do. This is a stark contrast to the American system, which places a greater emphasis on personal development and exposure to a wide range of subjects, activities and people. While U.S. colleges consider test scores, there has been an increasing push from students and universities to drop SAT/ACT scores from the admission criteria all together. Some schools already have. This is part of a larger effort to focus on the “whole” student and lower the importance of a one-off test score that is proven to be a weak predictor of academic and professional success. Interacting with students in China opened my eyes to the clear difference between our two cultures and helped me gain a better sense of what people my age in China are worried about.

The Mystery of the White Trees and Other Chinese Idiosyncrasies

There were a lot of parts of Chinese culture that I entered the country unfamiliar with. For example, water was served warm, the toilets were exclusively squatty potties and the rules of the road were loosely enforced. Over time I adjusted to most of these cultural differences and even grew to appreciate them. The warm water is actually kind of soothing on my throat and stomach. Squatting to use the toilet is more energy-efficient because you have gravity on your side. And the free-slow traffic actually works as long as everyone is a good driver. However, there were other parts of the culture that I was not ever able to wrap my head around. For one thing, the amount of smokers really blew me away. It was everywhere. Even on the moving train people were lighting up cigarettes. The bathrooms always had ashtrays and the ashtrays were always filled. It felt like going back in time. The normalization of such a risky habit, especially in public places with kids around, really surprised me. Another standout feature of China that had me perplexed for most of the trip was all of the half-painted white trees. All of us on the trip were extremely curious but could not get an explanation. Fortunately on the last day Xinli lifted the veil and told us the paint was a pesticide. So I guess the trees were not really a mystery. But they were for awhile. And it made for a good title…

  1. Beijing

Our first destination in the program was the city of Beijing, the capital of China. One of my first impressions of the city was that it was nowhere near as polluted as the media had led me to believe it was, which pleasantly surprised me. While in Beijing, we travelled to several historical landmarks located around the city. These tourism hotspots included the National Center of Performing Arts, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Olympic Village, the National Museum of China, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven. My favorite stop in Beijing was our visit to the Badaling section of the Great Wall. I really enjoyed hiking up the steep steps as we climbed to the highest fortress. The view from atop the Great Wall was surreal.

Throughout our tour of Beijing, it became evident that history played a significant role in China’s culture. For instance, the symmetry of the Forbidden City outlines the central axis of Beijing from which the rest of the city is built around. Besides the built environment, I was able to experience local culture of transportation, shopping, and martial arts. I was surprised to see the vast number of mopeds on the road. I also found it interesting that most people riding these small motorized vehicles would be wearing jackets and gloves or be covered by a blanket. In Silk Street, a famous mall where prices are negotiable, I got to try my hand at haggling. I don’t think I was very effective at it, but it was a really interesting experience – certainly one I wouldn’t get to try in America. Finally, we watched an acrobat show and a Kung Fu show on separate nights. Both shows featured extremely talented performers and were very well produced performances.

Beijing was a hub of Chinese history and culture where remnants of the ancient world and the expanding modern civilization collide.

2. Dalian

In Dalian we visited our first local company. We were able to receive a tour of the facilities and interact with several employees of the Dalian campus of Rockwell Automation. Afterwards, we travelled to Xinghai Square. This spectacular plaza looks out over the bay and the Xinghai Bay Bridge that crosses it. I felt immediately refreshed when the cool sea breeze poured over the plaza. Before the water there was a large U-shaped structure that people could walk on. Leading up to this was a sculpture depicting 1000 footprints, which happened to be embedded into the ground and surrounded by vibrant flowers. To the left of the “U” there was a small amusement park filled with a variety of colorful rides. Even though I don’t like rollercoasters, the beautiful setting of the bay enabled me to enjoy walking by all the rides and take in all the smiling faces around me.

Both nights in Dalian we were invited to wonderful dinners hosted by Xinli’s friends. The dishes served at the dinner were beyond splendid. We were shown extremely gracious hospitality at both dinners and it was very interesting to learn more about proper etiquette and the dining culture of China.

3. Chongqing

After the five-day cruise along the Yangtze River, we finally arrived in Chongqing on May 19th. Having been stuck on a small ship for the past few days, I was eager to explore the new city. Our first stop was the Chongqing Zoo. I was super excited to get to see the pandas! It was a lot of fun to walk through all of the exhibits and I was able to see a lot of fascinating animals. While in Chongqing we ended up having two free days. I spent both days with a small group of friends at a plaza filled with malls in the Shapingba area. I got to experience the Chinese subway as the mall complex was a decent 20 minute train ride from the hotel. I was impressed by how well maintained the subway was and I appreciated their way-finding system. On the subway, they have a board of LEDs, one at each station, which are lit up a certain color depending on your location. For instance, a station’s LED is red if it has been passed, yellow if arriving at the station, and green if the station is still ahead of the train. This system makes it really easy to figure out the direction you’re traveling in and helps you identify which station you’re at. The map also lists all transfer lines that can be found at any individual station.

Besides transportation experience, I feel like I truly got to experience the food culture of China while in Chongqing. A discovery that I am most proud of is a shop that my friends and I happened upon by chance when walking through the mall plaza. This shop sold massive bowls of delicious noodles for only 6 yuan. For the rest of the program, we would measure every purchase in terms of 6 yuan noodle bowls to determine if the monetary exchange was truly worth it. While exploring the many restaurants on the 4th floor of our hotel, a few friends and I discovered a shop that sold dan-dan mien. This noodle dish quickly became one of my favorite Chinese cuisines. We also discovered highly concentrated plum juice that served as an excellent pairing to dan-dan mien.  And of course, one of my favorite aspects of China was the large availability of dragonfruit and the variety of dragonfruit based products. I happily indulged myself in all things dragonfruit. Over the course of the program, I devoured three dragonfruit smoothies, two dragonfruit bubble teas, 6 plates of dragonfruit chunks at a single meal on the cruise, a dragonfruit popsicle and a bucket of dragonfruit chunks along with lychee in Chongqing, a whole dragonfruit in Suzhou, and then a total of four whole dragonfruits – one for each day – during our stay in Shanghai.

And at the end of most days of our stay in Chongqing, I would join a small group of friends to play a few rounds of mahjong before calling it a night.

4. Suzhou

Of all the cities we visited in China, I believe that Suzhou is the one that I find myself most likely to live in. Before attending our scheduled activities, I went for a morning run with Xinru at a park near the hotel. Immediately upon entering the park we were met with the sound of music and a swarm of people dancing. I was surprised to see so many people out and about, getting exercise and enjoying the fresh air so early in the morning. It was very inspiring to see and it made me want to be more active in my daily routine.

Xinli told us that Suzhou was famous for its beautiful landscaping, gardens, and natural scenery. Yet I was still impressed by the beauty of the city when we toured a garden park. The scenery was incredible tranquil. I appreciated how they seamlessly wove the architecture into nature within the gardens.

5. Shanghai

I’ve never been a fan of large cities, but I must admit that I was absolutely captivated by Shanghai. While I loved both Suzhou and Chongqing, I think that Shanghai was my favorite city that we visited. After we departed from our bullet train, we visited the Bund and got to see an amazing view of the city skyline. While in Shanghai, we visited a historic part of the city called Old Street, which was filled with wonderful souvenir shops. Then we got to visit Shanghai Tower and even take the elevator up to the 118th floor, which is the highest observation deck in the world. On our free day, I went with a group of friends to the Shanghai Aquarium. The aquarium easily rivaled the zoo in Chongqing with its spectacular exhibits. Some of my favorite ones were the lionfish, shark tunnels, and jellyfish tanks.

 

Published by Jason Rainey

Cigarette Factory

Before we had to go to the airport to catch our flight to Huangshan, we got a tour of the Chongching Cigarette Production Plant. All cigarette factories are owned by the Chinese government, so they are responsible for tobacco regulation and they have pretty much monopolized this industry. I had no idea what to expect when we arrived as I had only a slim idea on how the machines worked together in the assembly line. After we entered the building, I was immediately overwhelmed with the strong scent of tobacco. I obviously knew that there would be a slight smell, but I did not expect it to be that strong before we even entered the production area of the building. We walked in and all you could hear was the loud sound of the machines. Surprisingly, there were only a few workers, but this actually makes sense as the machines do all the work from start to finish. The machines form the cigarettes, put the cigarettes into cartons, and then package and seal the cartons. The workers are only there to refill the tobacco in the machines and make sure that everything is running smoothly. Once in a while, I saw the workers grab a carton to make sure that they had the right number of cigarettes in them and that the cigarettes were properly made. It was fascinating to see how many cigarettes were made just in our short time there. The factory actually produces around 65 million cigarettes per year.

Tobacco being put into cigarettes

 

Dining Culture and Etiquette

In China, there is a bigger and stricter emphasis on respect to others than here in the United States. When being seated at one of the large circular tables, the host always sits in the chair that faces the door. The people who sit on either side of the host are the first and second “VIPs”. Before starting your meal, you must wait for the host to take the first bite of their food, and then you are allowed to grab food from the dishes. When the host comes to greet your table or anyone who is older than you come to your table, you stand out of respect towards them. Once they leave, you can sit back down. At one dinner, we had at least ten people come to our table to greet us and each time we had to stand back up no matter how tedious it may seem as it was a sign of respect. Another thing that is done at most dinners is to toast the host and the first VIP. In small groups, you will walk up to the host and thank him for the meal and his generosity. It is common for the host to want to clink glasses with you. There are a few rules. You should always make sure that your glass is lower than his when the clinking. If the host keeps lowering his glass when you try to cheers, put one hand beneath your glass. This means that you have lowered it as far as possible. Either way, this is a way to show respect towards the host and your gratitude for what they have done.

Seafood dinner in Dalian

 

Street Vendors

Quick and easy food is one thing that is always available to you in China. While in America, you see food trucks from time to time, street vendors are all over. Two of the most well know areas to get food from street vendors are Snack Street located in Beijing and Muslim Street in Xian. These narrow strips of road are packed with a range of vendors who sell anything from meat on a stick to rolled ice cream. These areas actually have some of the best food who will get while in China. The two things I got that was super delicious were the juicy dumplings and the steamed pork buns. I would highly recommend trying either or both if you ever happen to be in China. While they did sell what one would call “normal” foods, there were always a few vendors that sold something odd. Many of the students in the program tried the scorpion on a stick while we were at Snack Street. I personally did not try it. These areas always seemed super crowded and popular with the locals. I always thought that before coming, it was a just a tourist area where people could try an odd food. I never expected it to be so popular or have such a large variety of food.

Muslim Street

 

 

Terracotta Warriors

In Xian, we got to see the Terracotta Warriors, which happen to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We walked around three different pits where they Terracotta Warriors were originally found. At the first pit, you could see the warriors and some of the horses actually being put back together by the archeologists since many of them were damaged and had small pieces missing from them. The second pit contained a lot of the warriors but here they were no areas for archeologists to analyze each of the warriors in detail. I think that they still had a lot to uncover as the second pit is the largest of the three. The third pit is actually the smallest but contains the Kneeling Archer. The Kneeling Archer is a specific warrior that was only found in this one pit and there are only a few in good condition. The third pit was actually set on fire due to the command of one of the old Emperors. Many of the Warriors were lost on this fire, so it has been difficult to fix any damage the statues have received and actually estimate how many Warriors were built. This was truly amazing as I got to see one of the Seven Wonders. I wish I had more time to fully explore and learn about the Terracotta Warriors during my time there.

Kneeling Archer

 

Great Wall

On our second day in China, we got up really early to go visit the Great Wall before it got hot outside. I had some idea of what the Great Wall would look like from pictures I had seen in textbooks or online once in a while. The one thing that was really different than what I had envisioned were the stairs. I thought the Great Wall was going to be a flat surface that may slope up or down on occasion but remain the same level for the most part. I can assure you it was nothing like that. The moment I looked up at the first flight of stairs, I realized that I was going to need the full two hours to get to the end. Each time I thought that I was at the top, I would see another three flights of stairs. While physically walking up that many stairs is tiring, the harder part was watching where I was stepping. Some of the stairs was super tall and would require me to hoist myself up using the railing, while other times I could take two at a time because they were so short. The fact that each stair was a different height made it easy to trip over them. During the climb, there were many times I thought that I should turn around because I personally did not think that I would be able to make it. Around 1500 stairs later, I was finally at the end of the Wall. I was proud of myself for pushing through as this was a once on a lifetime experience for me.

Bi’s China Blog 2019

Beijing

Beijing is our first stop; it’s a city that has both ancient and modern architecture. It’s one of the oldest cities in the world with a population over 19 million people. We have visited some traditional architecture like the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven. It is the second time I’ve been to the Great Wall, but it’s my first time to reach the top. I’m exhausted, but the view is definitely worth it. We also visit some modern buildings like the Water Cube and the Birds Nest in the Olympic National Stadium. Small various Thiessen polygon creates the shape of the Water Cube, and it expresses the beauty of math. By the year of 2020, Beijing will be the only city that holds both winter and summer Olympic games. For the food in Beijing, I have tasted the Peking duck, Jingjiang souse pork and Tanghulu for snacks which is a stick of Chinese hawberry covered with sugar.

Birds Nest in Beijing

 

Dalian

Dalian is a seaport city located in the northeast part of China. It’s famous for seafood. And I remember Xinli said the reason why we go to Dalian is to experiencing two big banquets and try the seafood. First, we visited the Rockwell Automation company and we received a traditional chinses fan for a gift. We toured their lab and working area. I personally have a conversation with one of the staff members to know more about their working conditions. It’s a good experience. In the afternoon, we visited the Xinghai Square, the largest city square in the world. At night there will be a music fountain hold here. Since my hometown is in Dalian, and I come back once a year. I can really see that China is fast developing.  This year, Dalian metro line 3 in operation, which does not exist last year.

Various seafood in the banquet.

 

The five-star cruise from Yichang to Chongqing

This is my First time experiencing the cruise. The whole trip is four night five days with several attractions to stop. We visited the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, Xiling Gorge, the longest gorge among the three gorges, and the Shibaozhai, One of the largest wooden pagodas. I spend most of my time on the deck on the 6th floor. On the fourth day, the cruise bypassed Fuling. The night view in Fuling is no less than the night view in Chongqing. By seeing that night view, I thought we arrived in Chongqing already. Throughout the trip, one thing that surprised me the most is there is 4G data connection throughout the entire trip. And the speed is fast enough to stream the 4K video. It impressed me how extensive that China is building the basic infrastructure. Even though there are no people living along the Yangtze River, China will still be going to build the network station for the cruise and the cargo ships.

Three Gorges Dam

Night view in Fuling

 

Chongqing

In Chongqing, most of our times are free activity. We originally planned to visit the Changan Ford production plant, but because of the rising tension of the trade war, they will stop producing for several days. Unfortunately, we are unable to see it. Since it’s a free day, it allows us to explore this city in my own way. I first experienced the Chongqing metro system and discovered a huge underground mall. Then I found a place near the mall that only cost 6 yuan for a Chongqing noodle. Later visited the food street located on the fourth floor in the hotel. Our last day in Chongqing, we visited the Chongqing cigarette production plant. Although the factory had a strong tobacco smell, I really enjoy this visit. There’s only about twenty staff member in charge of the production, the machine does all the work. According to the staff member, they made about sixteen million cigarettes per day.

Viewing our hotel on the bridge

Chongqing cigarette production plant

 

Shanghai

Shanghai is our final stop and we spend four days there. Shanghai is the economic center in China, and people usually go shopping, attend exhibitions and visit the night view there. The first day in Shanghai, we visited the Disney Resort. In the evening, I got a chance to meet up with Bruce, one of my high school friends. We had a Japanese style buffet in Mercedes-Benz Arena. Then he took me to walk along the Huangpu River to the Shanghai Tower. Bruce said: “This is a newly built sidewalk on both sides of the rivers which includes a pedestrian lane and a bicycle lane that gives people a place to exercise. I didn’t see that last year.” The night view is stunning make you feel you are in a modern city. We also visited the Shanghai tower, which has the tallest commercial used observation deck and the fastest elevator. With all those advanced technologies, Shanghai becomes the ‘showpiece’ of booming China.

Night view along Huangpu river

Nanpu Bridge

From Left to Right: Shanghai Tower, Shanghai Jinmao Tower, and Shanghai World Financial Center

China 2019 Karl Diekman

Beijing

Going into this program, I had no idea what to expect; all I knew was China would be a different than any other experience I had previously had. Beijing was our first stop and the first thing I noticed was the large size of Beijing. There is so many tall buildings in Beijing that are spread throughout the city. There is also lots of English translations in public areas of China which stood out to me because in America there is not many translations in public areas.

Beijing really gave me the opportunity to soak in the Chinese culture because there is so much to do in the city. We first went to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China which gave me an understanding of ancient Chinese culture. We also went to Olympic Park and Silk Street which gave me an understanding of modern Chinese culture. Beijing enabled me to diverge myself into the Chinese culture and to understand the difference between the American and Chinese cultures.

Dalian

Dalian was our next stop after Beijing and it was one of my favorite cities we visited during our time in China. Dalian is a coastal city where the weather was amazing. The city also had a more relaxed feel than Beijing did. During our time in Dalian the food was incredible. Dalian is known for their seafood. I can personally say the seafood in Dalian was delicious and during our stay in the city I really started to love Chinese food because of it.

When we stayed in Dalian, we ate with Professor Xinli’s college friends on two different nights. During the dinner I learned about Chinese table mannerisms and how it is based of respect. The host has his first vip guest sit next to him, then the second, third and so on. Also, when toasting with the host it is expected you put your glass underneath theirs to pay your respects towards the host.

Xi’an

Xi’an was one of the more intriguing cities we visited during our time in China. The city air quality was very poor and I finally understood why Chinese people wear mask to keep themselves healthy. In Xi’an they are known for their biang biang noodles which a large noodle they often put with spicy ingredients and meat. In China they put a lot of spices in their food and compared to American food the Chinese food is much spicier. We also visited the Terracotta Warriors Museum during our stay in Xi’an. the museum was really cool to see because there were so many life-sized sculptures of ancient warriors. We also visited to wall in Xi’an which spreads out around ancient Xi’an. It was nice to see how they engineered the wall for protection.

Xinli’s Hometown

This was my favorite part of the trip because it was so different to everything we had been doing in China. During our stay in Xinli’s hometown I was really able to see how much family matters in Chinese culture. One of the images that stick with me to this day is Xinli’s niece running around and playfully laughing with his family. We went to Xinli’s Uncle and he provided us with some beautiful calligraphy. We also went to a local elementary school where Xinli had once attended. During dinner I saw how much it mattered to Xinli to make his mom proud and to respect her. His family was so welcoming and kind to us and embraced us as one of their own. Also, to see where Xinli come from to where he is now it really inspired me. That night was incredible and it was the highlight of the trip for me.

Shanghai

Shanghai was our last stop in China. It was also one of my favorite cities we went to during the program. We visited the bund area where across the river you can see the skyline of Shanghai. During our visit in Shanghai we visited Disney Shanghai. This was so exciting for me since I hadn’t been to Disney since I was 5. It was very interesting to see how China embraced Disney but yet still incorporated their own culture into it. For example, on one of the wet rides everybody bought ponchos to wear on the ride which I never saw in America.

During our visit in Shanghai we went to the largest observation tower in the world which also happen to own the fastest elevator in the world. When you get to the top of the tower the view is amazing as you can see Shanghai from above. In Shanghai I had a lot of juicy dumplings which is pretty much soap inside of a dumpling. It was really cool to see how there was different foods in different parts of China.

Sadly, we had to leave to head back to America after Shanghai. I can definitely say this trip was worth every penny and I would not hesitate to go back. I would recommend everybody to go on this trip as it is life changing and I will always hold the memories of this trip for as long as I live.