The school’s name is No. 1 High School of Dalian Economic and Technical Development Area. We spent the morning there and had lunch with the high school students. This lovely girl named “Jessy” took me on a tour of the school. We got to ask our tour guides many questions about what school life was like. In China, I learned that the students study much more and go to school longer than in America. The Chinese students seemed more focused in their studies and take high school much more seriously than in America. The students are very ambitious and eager to achieve and grow to their highest potential. The students live in dorms at the high school and go home only on occasions as holidays or vacation times. The students are under much pressure to study well because they will have a big test that will determine what colleges they can study at. Also, in China, the children of the family must support their mom and dad when they are elders, so the pressure exceeds more. I believe China has mastered how a high school education should be. I am very happy I visited the high school and met some of the students to really understand the education system.

The Terracotta warriors and horses was an amazing art to see. The warriors range in different heights, the taller, the higher ranking they are. The purpose of the warriors was to protect the first emperor of China in his afterlife. The site was found by farmers digging a water well in 1974. Now, three pits have been uncovered. Still, with this historical site being relatively new, much of it is still uncovered. Pictured is a photo taken from pit one. Pit one is the most uncovered. In this pit, warriors, horses, and chariots were found. A museum was built over top of the pits to preserve the site. The warriors were originally painted but when exposed to the air the paint deteriorated almost instantly. I hope in a few years from now, the museum will grow bigger and I am excited to see what else will be uncovered in the pits. Xi’an, I must say will always be one of my favorite cities in China to visit.

Dou Gong or “cap and block” is known to be a remarkable structural element of joining wooden brackets. It is one of the greatest elements in Chinese traditional architecture. The pieces are fixed together by only the joints made in the wood. It did not use nails or glue, it was held together because of the accuracy and excellence of the woodworking. In the Forbidden City, all of the buildings used this technique. William Watson, the author of The Art of China, states that, “the purpose of dou gong is to provide added support for the weight of the horizontal beams that span the vertical columns or pillars by transferring the weight on horizontal beams over a larger area to the vertical columns. This process can be repeated many times, and rise many stories. Adding multiple sets of interlocking brackets reduces the amount of strain on the horizontal beams when transferring their weight to a column”. Numerous dou gong lets structures to be flexible and to resist damage from earthquakes.

The Great Wall of China had started being built around the 7^th century BC. It consisted of smaller walls throughout northern China and stretched from east to west. It later was conjoined to become the Great Wall and now is a total of 13,171 miles long. Its primary purpose was to prevent the Mongolians from invading China. The construction of the wall is primarily stone, brick, and wood. Many people believe you can walk the wall, but in reality its more of a hike and seems you are climbing a mountain. It is thought you can see the wall from outer space because of its massive size, but according to a Chinese astronaut you cannot view it from space.

The Great Wall reflects upon Chinese culture. In China, there are walls around everything. There are walls around their homes, schools, colleges, public buildings, work places, and etc. According to some Chinese people, it allows them to feel safer and protected from the outside. I think having many walls can be both a positive and negative thing. The walls do give protection to people, but it gives the feeling of seclusion. The Great Wall of China is the most recognizable icon of China and always will be.

The influence Mao Zedong had upon the Chinese people has been seen for many years since his death. Many people love and respect him for everything he had done for his country. They worship him even more for his treatment of the people. Maybe China will move towards a democracy in the years to come, though I think they could not have done so without first having gone through Mao Zedong’s ways of communism. The Great Leap Forward, the Cult of Mao, the Cultural Revolution, the changes in women’s rights, and the Hundred Flowers Campaign are the main events that shaped the Chinese people into who they are today. Chairman Mao had a goal in his life; it was to lead China and its people into a world of greatness and power.

Now his picture hangs at the “Gate of Heavenly Peace”, Tiananmen Gate, located in Tiananmen Square. Thousand’s of people each day flock to the square to visit his embalmed body at the memorial hall. People may also tour the Forbidden City and the National Museum of China there. In Conclusion, Chairman Mao will forever be remembered for his greatness and works and all he has done to form, modern day China.