(https://www.fodors.com/world/asia/china/shanghai)

In honor of the last blog post of the semester, I have decided to write about one of my childhood experiences- living in Shanghai. While I was only there for two and a half years, it had a tremendous impact on me. I opened my mind up to a new culture, and learned to appreciate the differences in our world. Today, I am going to be writing about my childhood adventures, foods, and festivals that I hope inspire you to visit there someday. 

One of my biggest adventures was visiting the Shanghai Tower. A 128 story building, it was placed in the center of the city. My family and I were able to go all the way up to the observation desk and look at Shanghai from above. You could see the traffic, the buildings, the people, and it was astonishing to see the world from above and be able to see the inner workings of a city. We also liked visiting the gardens, and while that might not seem adventurous, it was a beautiful site to see. We went to Yu Garden, which contained traditional architecture, and represented the elegance of the dynasties who used to live there. I have constantly talked about historical sites in my previous passion blogs, but the main difference is I got to experience this in-person. During breaks, we would go and explore locations beyond Shanghai. One year, we went to Beijing, the capital. We decided we were going to walk through the Great Wall of China. I was determined to get to the top. Since the total length was 13, 171 miles, we were only able to walk part of it but it was still a rewarding experience. The wall was a border between imperial states, and walking through it was extremely rewarding because I was able to walk through history. 

Food was one of my favorite parts about living in China. Going to an authentic Chinese restaurant, sitting around a round table, while the food spun towards you, was a unique experience. Prior to living in China, my only experience with Chinese food was takeout from the local place 5 minutes away from where I lived. When I first had real Chinese food, I realized that I had been missing out. Plates of steaming Mapo Tofu (a spicy tofu dish usually eaten with rice) and Wonton Soup (dumplings in broth) were being passed around. Even just one whiff was enough to make my mouth water. 

One of my favorite festivals was Chinese New Year. Everyone dressed up in red, people would perform traditional dances, and food would be shared. One of my favorite New Year dishes was mooncake. This was a dense cake filled with red beans and egg yolk. While this may not be to everyone’s liking, I believe that a dish should never be judged until you try it and the main joy of this dish was being able to share it with other people, thereby bringing people together. 

Looking back at my experiences, I am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity to experience a culture that wasn’t my own. If you ever receive that opportunity yourself, take it and open your mind up to something new.