Final Impressions
1. Ethical Issues in My Profession
We are all players in this ever-expanding economy. Not only are we concerned with our domestic economy’s performance, but we’re also aware of the importance of the global marketplace. From an economic standpoint America is concerned with the price to produce our goods and the amount we can produce, both of which are increased by producing through a foreign intermediary. Every now and then, we will hear about civil cases and improper working conditions in the countries mass producing our goods. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see some production lines in China, which as you all probably know, is known worldwide as a very generative country. I didn’t really witness any safety, environmental, or employee issues first-hand on our company visits. But from what I’ve heard about the Foxcon case, it seems there are a few ethical flaws in the management of employees across China. It seems that Chinese workers have many more hours and get paid much less in comparison to what a similar job in the States would command. If they did have the same labor laws as we do, I think the Chinese would be happier, healthier, and much more appreciated. As far as environmental issues went, I did notice that the company representatives we spoke to would allude to “the green movement” in the way the companies operated. I thought they were very forward-looking in the way they stressed recycling, reducing emissions, and harnessing natural energy.
2. Educational Breadth as Professional Development
It seems that the global standard of education has been on the rise, and that appears to hold true in the professional field in China as well. In this fluctuating economy, companies are demanding and considering only applicants of upmost educational devotion. From every company representative we encountered, I could tell that they were all very well-versed in English. Because there is such a reach between Chinese and English, I could tell that each of them must be very smart in every aspect of their education to have reached that level of fluency. What I found to be even more interesting- most of the employees we spoke to didn’t major in the field they ended up in. For example, the representative from Capital Bio majored in a scientific field, but ultimately ended up handling a business aspect of the company. I gathered that the population of Chinese professionals is not really restricted to one concentration; rather, they seem to be very rounded and better equipped to understand the bigger picture. I believe that it is vital to our country to cultivate a generation of forward-looking professionals that are also prepared to see the big picture, instead of just concentrating on one focus. I think courses at Pitt such as International Organizational Behavior, Managing in Complex Environments, and any of the many Economics class options would be beneficial in helping students to understand the grand scheme of things.
3. Lifelong Learning, Continuing Education as Professional Development
To be able to successfully operate in almost any work environment, it is pertinent that employees are able to engage in further learning. Although it doesn’t have to be formal classroom and textbook, learning is a process that occurs almost intrinsically. Until you arrive at your new job, all the knowledge you have is theoretical and it takes observation and trials to apply them properly in the workplace. As I mentioned in the last topic, I asked the Capital Bio representative about his college education. I was shocked that his current position in the public relations sector of the company did not at all match the bio engineering degree he earned in college. He said that through trial and error, he was not a proper fit for his engineering position and slowly made the transition to the business end of the company. Since he obviously did not major in business in university, he had a lot of learning to do as he entered this new and different field. Another thing to consider is the ever-changing technology in his, and any, field. Much like my parents learning how to text in order to adapt to today’s cellular dependent culture, it’s important for employees to remain abreast of their company’s current technological adaptations in order to be competitive in their cutthroat industries.
4. The Social Environment of Professional Life
In my pre-departure post concerning this topic, I made the comment that there probably weren’t going to be noticeable differences between the social and professional lives of American and Chinese professionals. From the people I experienced, I found them to courteous and sometimes jovial in their discussion of their companies. I did notice that they are much more to-the-point and timid to use humor. It’s hard to tell whether they were nervous around a group of 16 American teenagers or whether they were doing their darnest to maintain an unwavering display of professionalism to their company, so I can’t quite say. But one afternoon, Jasmine and I were out to lunch and happened to meet two young au pairs living in the suburbs of Beijing. The two girls were around our age and from Mexico and Sweden and had interesting tales of their time in their Beijing homes. They literally called the Chinese families ‘robotic’ and couldn’t emphasize their devotion to studying and wealth accumulation enough. The girls said that they didn’t discuss feelings or friends, because they didn’t make room for either in their lives. To be honest, I was floored and very surprised to hear that. Although I didn’t see these conditions first-hand, I still consider it something I learned about modern Chinese society. On a global scale, I would say that families like these have the potential to greatly affect life and business in the States. These Chinese families raise their children to be the best (in music, in school, etc.) in order to be competitive for acceptance to coveted American universities. As I said earlier, there are many more opportunities to make more money working less hours in America, so the parents want that for their children.
5. Functioning on Multi-Disciplinary Teams
In college, we tend to develop the closest bonds between those in our disciplines. It seems only natural because we are in the same classes, work together on the same projects, and suffer through the same testing schedule as those in our major. So when you throw another field of study in there with clashing schedules, it makes it can complicate things. But as far as this Plus3 group went, we seem to have worked seamlessly from the beginning. I know in my group of four, we had three business students and one lone engineer. But for our pre-departure presentation, we were able to meet twice in the hectic weeks leading up to it and allocate the work effectively and easily. Although we had listen time to practice beforehand, I feel that we really delivered our information very well, each exceeding in our areas of expertise. For example, the engineer explained the workings of the solar panels that Tsinghua Solar produces. Since I’m majoring in marketing, I had no problem putting together a PowerPoint that I feel really complimented our information. The two other business students in the group were crucial in helping dissect the business plan and other industry analyses. All in all, I think we pulled together and worked excellently as a group. At the end of our trip when we had our final presentation, we each assumed similar positions in the team and went to work. Because we had a common goal, excellent communication, and an easy-going atmosphere, I think it was really easy for us to all come together and excel as a cross-functional team.
Day 14: THE AIRPORT :(
Well, the day we’ve all been dreading has come 😦
After heading into Brian and Joe’s room to sulk and be sad about leaving, I finished packing up my last things this morning. We turned in our keys and said our goodbyes to Ruby and Vivien, our two student advisors. They also gave us gifts- Ruby gave everyone different fans that were so beautiful and cool! and Vivien gave us all this special red Chinese knot that you can use as a keychain or ornament! It was so thoughtful. I never expected to meet girls that were so kind and helpful as them, and I’m so glad I did. I think we’ll hopefully keep in contact over the years. It would be really cool if they decided to study at Pitt!
We left around 8:30am and took the bus for the last time to the airport. It was a funny busride (as they always were) and especially when we saw that horse on the sidewalk. You guys know what I’m talking about lol. Anyways, we got to the airport and said goodbye to Dr. Gao and Vanessa as we entered security. It was sad to say goodbye and I know a part of me was a little nervous about all us flying solo from that point out, but we should be okay. I’m really glad we had two helpful, knowledgeable, and fun chaperones on the trip. I look forward to hopefully seeing them around campus in the fall!
So now we’re in the airport at our gate. It’s a pretty smoggy day, so I wonder what the city will look like from the plane. We’re here pretty early and we’ve got tons of time to kill. So it’s interesting to see all the people on our plane filter in. All I know is there’s a guy with an adorable pug puppy on his lap across the way, and I want to go say hi. But I think I’ll keep everyone entertained and show them some funny pictures from our nights out. OMG I AM GOING TO MISS THESE PEOPLE!!
Well, I think it’s time to give some closing thoughts. Before this trip, I honestly had no expectations. At worst, I would’ve been away from home for two weeks while all my friends were still at school anyways. At best, I would’ve had fun. And I have to say that this was an absolute best case scenario. I made 16 new friends that I never really knew existed, and better still- they go to my school! I also made two friends from China. I also got a behind-the-scenes look at the way business operates in a competitor country. I also saw some of the most amazing sights Beijing, and all of China, has to offer. I also CLIMBED THE GREAT WALL. I also danced my butt off at ladies night at all of our favorite dance clubs. I also tripped so hard once but miraculously didn’t bruise. I also rode a Beijing subway during rush hour. I also haggled like my life depended on it. I fit what seems to be a semester worth of sightseeing, learning, and fun into two little tiny weeks. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and I’ll never forget it! I feel so lucky to have met some amazing people while doing it. They enhanced the experience that much more. So, shoutout to Plus3 China 2012- y’all rock and I’ll see you in the fall.
Day 13: Last Lecture, Presentation, Packing, Final Dinner
This morning began entirely too early. Still exhausted, my group aka the dream team (Matt Dallago, Matt Pesce, and Andrew Williams) had to finish our PowerPoint. Although it was a little trying at such an early hour, we managed to rap it up and make it beautiful. We then had about an hour and a half long lecture by the same women who lectured yesterday afternoon. I thought this was one of my favorite lectures because not only did she teach us about politics and law, but she also incorporated photos of her family and some cute little back stories into the lecture. Finally it was our turn to present, and our group opted to go first. We went a little over the time limit, but our material was top-notch. Ultimately Dr. Gao said he liked our presentation the best, so we were all cheery about that!
After all the presentations, we headed back to our hotel rooms to nap and pack. Although I was pretty exhausted, I only ended up emailing and Instgram-ing until I decided to start packing. Surprisingly, I’ve got plenty of room in my suitcase and was able to fit my souvenirs in no problem. I was slightly worried about that. But it’s so sad because I had to put my final outfit for tomorrow out and put everything else away! The room seems naked and it makes me sad.
We ended up walking to a restaurant about 20 minutes away for our final dinner. I think by that time, we were all pretty hungry. It proved to be a great meal and Vanessa had some funny stories to tell. We also talked about the bomb threats at Pitt and I couldn’t believe that I had almost forgotten about them! It seems like eternities ago. But then we took a lot of pictures and Vanessa gave us all gifts, so that cheered us right up. She gave the girls all these cute little red bracelets with a fish charm on them. Very Chinese looking, so I’m a fan. Then there was a weird fish in the aquarium that looked really funny.
Anyways, I’m pretty tired. And I know I said that last night was our last night to go out, but we’re going out again tonight. It’s Friday night in Beijing, we just can’t say no! Zai jian!
Day 12: Last Company Visit, Peking Duck, Politics Lecture, the Silk Market, Unlikely Friends
Today, we had a short bus ride with a minor detour (we got lost) to Lenovo! I was pretty bummed because it was our last visit, but it seems we had the best saved for last. Upon arrival, I was impressed to see the lobby was equipped with tons of cutting-edge Lenovo equipment to play around with to keep us entertained. Once the company visit officially started, I was even more impressed by the tour we were taken on. Our guide was a young Chinese guy who spoke impeccable English (later questioning revealed that he studied English Lit in college in China) and took us through the history of the company. Lenovo seems to have been very instrumental in the personal computer development process, and nowadays is able to boast that it is the number one seller in all of China! I was surprised that the tour guide unabashedly announced that they were shifting their focus to the American market in order to outsell HP and be in the top 3 (to Microsoft and Macintosh) in our country.
So after toying around with all the newest products (including awesome touchscreen monitors, 3D televisions, heavy duty military laptops, and underwater equipment), we all were sad to go. When I said thank you to our tour guide in Chinese (one of the few phrases I can say with confidence), he got all flustered and excitedly started talking fluent Chinese to me because he thought I was also fluent. I wish! But sadly it couldn’t be farther from the truth. I must say, these last two weeks have made me really consider the idea of taking an intro to Chinese course sometime during my college career. Why not?
Since we were all dressed up from our company visit, it proved to be a perfect opportunity to go to the upper-scale Peking Duck restaurant!! To be honest, we hadn’t been eating so well for the past couple days and were a little wary of trying duck, but what a meal it was. Before the duck was served, the waiter brought out certificates of authenticity! So we KNEW it was the real deal. Then the first thing I tried was the duck skin, and that was super surprising. It looked solid, but once you bit into it, it literally exploded a ball of liquid grease into your mouth and that was it. The rest of the meal went pretty smoothly, as we made duck meat roll-ups with spices and sauces and lettuce. Did I mention I ate the duck brain? And it tastes just like duck brain sounds: mushy and bland.
We walked back from the Peking duck restaurant like dogs with our tails between our legs. Sure, we were fed, but we were sad! I can’t believe this trip is coming to an end so soon. I feel like I’ve known these people for way more than two weeks (I guess that’s what living together will do to ya) but I’m not even close to being sick of them yet! I actually am dreading the mundaneness of going home and not having them with me every waking moment. I think I’ll just drop from boredom within the first couple days.
Back to reality, we went back to the hotel for our second last lecture on Chinese history. Although we were all pretty tired, our lecturer, a kind and extremely sharp professor from Tsinghua, kept us interested with some pretty cool facts on the political system. After we finished up, a small group of us decided to go to the Silk Market to do some souvenir shopping. Ruby, one of the Chinese student advisors, led us on our wild subway trip downtown. I’ve never been on the Beijing subway during rush hour and WOAH. Craziest thing ever! I was at the end of a line to get into a subway car, and even when there were 10 people in front of me, I thought NO WAY. No way am I going to get on this train, much less 10 people in front of me. But somehow we all squeezed in there, and I was the last one. So this guy working there and manning the lines literally shoved me in the EXTREMELY (understatement) crowded subway and like beat me in there so I could fit! It was crazy! So funny.
Again, more fun times at the market. You know how I just love to haggle!! It’s so funny to play hard to get with these salespeople, and eventually I always get my way. But funny story! So it’s kind of rare to see white people in these jungle-like markets. But as I was going down a crowded, hot aisle, this middle-aged white guy was walking towards me and stopped to say “Hello there.” I said “Hi” with a timid smile. He then asked me where I was from, and after I said Pittsburgh, he lit up and told me “I’m the Marketing professor at Duquesne!!” Now for those of you who don’t know, Duquesne University is about a 10 minute busride away from Pitt’s campus. The likelihood of meeting someone from Pennsylvania is extremely slim, much less meeting someone who is a business professor at your neighboring school! He turned out to be a really nice guy and had brought a group of Duqeusne business school students on a trip there. Small, small world!!
Also, guess who got $30 Nike Airmax’s? THIS GIRL. And guess how much the exact same pair runs for in America? $170. Heck yeah.
So, successful shopping trip! And tonight we’re going out because it’s our real last night to have a ton of fun! I can’t wait to see what the night has in store.
Day 11: Distilleries, Warehouses, and Fragrant Hill
Another crazily long and busy day! Unfortunately it was also our last day doing sightseeing. But we started the morning at a brisk 7am with breakfast and hit the road to the outskirts of Beijing for two company visits. The names are hard to pronounce, type, and remember, but the first one was an alcohol distillery and the second was an advanced economically friendly window distributer.
The alcohol distillery visit began with a lesson in the surprisingly long history of the importance of alcohol in China. We learned that Confucius is considered to be the “master of drinking” in Chinese history! After that, we tested some high proof alcohol and for whatever reason, the tour guide gave me another tester. Anyways, we moved on and saw the bottling process, which was a super depressing production line where women were just putting labels on and tightening the lids. Again we tested a REALLY high proof and putrid alcohol that had been distilled for 15 years. The good news is, I think somewhere on the way down my throat, it killed whatever sore throat I had. Our second company visit was also really cool and hands-on because after a brief history, we got to go directly into the warehouse and watch the process of the window making.
We had lunch with some representatives of the companies afterwards at a traditional Chinese restaurant. I was once again surprised to find that the food was already on the table in a family-serving style when we walked in. The food was pretty good and I especially liked the sweet potatoes and some sort of Chinese root with blueberry drizzle overtop.
After lunch, we went back to the hotel and got changed for our trip to the Fragrant Hill, which was more of a mountain. The girls decided to take a cable car up the steep incline (no regrets about that one at all) and it was a beautiful view! As we got higher up the hill though, the wind picked up and was crazily swaying the cars but I thought it added another element of authenticity and craziness to the experience.
More observations:
1. Cars pass other cars from the inside right shoulder on the highway and
that seems to be acceptable.
2. There is a ton of feral dogs around. Actually, it’s tough to
distinguish sometimes because most dogs that have owners don’t even have a leash on. They’re super loyal to their owners and it’s adorable.
3. It’s hard to tell whether Beijing has the best or worst drivers I’ve
ever seen. They’re dreadful because they don’t abide by laws which makes for a frightening driving experience, but on the other hand, there are virtually no accidents- so they must be doing SOMETHING right.
4. It’s really windy here! Most of the times when I look out the window,
the trees are bent over in hurricane fashion. Apparently that’s how spring usually is though.
5. Babies/small children’s pants just have an open bottom and they don’t
wear diapers. Still trying to figure out the logic in that one.
6. Beijing is ENORMOUS. From our crazy view at the top of Fragrant Hill,
you could look all the way to the left and all the way to the right and it’s still Beijing. There’s no skyline either, just skyscrapers everywhere and anywhere.
Chill day tomorrow, just one company visit and a trip to the Silk Market.
Day 10: Bird’s Nest, Capital Bio, Kungfu
So today we had a pretty busy schedule. First we went to the Olympic Park and checked out the Bird’s Nest, which housed track & field and the amazing opening ceremony four years ago. Actually seeing it in person after so many breathtaking shots I’ve seen on TV was awesome! You really get a sense of how much work went into constructing a stadium that seats around 70,000 people. So after poking around a bit and taking pictures, we had a chance to take Segways around for a few laps on the same Olympic track that Usain Bolt raced on! Really cool.
Since we were pressed for time and had already seen some of the Water Cube on Sunday when we went to the water park, we ended up grabbing KFC for lunch. It was my first time having it in years, but I definitely think it was different than what they offer in America (namely, they don’t have biscuits there). Then we quickly switched into business casual gear and headed to Capital Bio for our second company visit. I learned more about medical testing gear and stem cells than I thought I’d ever learn, but I really enjoyed talking about the status of the company in such a competitive market. But that’s just the business student in me talking.
After we got back from the visit, we went directly to the Kungfu show across town. Taking the subway during rush hour with a group of 16 people proved to be… interesting, to say the least. And once we got to the show, I thought it was really cool! I was expecting some jumbled array of crazy stunts, but it was more like an array of crazy stunts that had a plot.
Awesome set and talented performers.
Super long day. Bye y’all!
Day 9? What??
Today was the first day I was truly dreading getting out of bed. Scaling the Great Wall and childishly frolicking about a water park two days in a row did my legs/feet no favors. They are in PAIN. And China is a land of stairs.
Anyways, we had another lecture today on Chinese economics. As I’ve said before, it’s amazing how China has revitalized their economic system in the past 30 years and somehow become a huge contender in the international marketplace today. It’s interesting to see what a Chinese economist had to say about the unequal distribution of wealth in the country and all the factors attributing to it that we don’t really experience in America. Long lecture for a Monday morning, but I found it really fascinating.
After that, we discovered that our hotel has restaurants in the recreation building so we went to a Japanese place for some sushi for lunch! Very good and a bit of a break from Chinese cuisine (which is NOTHING like the “Chinese food” we have at home!!). We ate quickly and headed to our first company visit of the trip, which was at Tsinghua Solar. It’s a company that produces solar panels for water heating purposes. They’re an up-and-coming player in the international market for their product, but they have an advantage because they actually pioneered some of the techniques for producing the most efficient solar tubes.
We’re now pretty much just hanging out before we go out tonight. It’s been a pretty chill day so far, but given the amount of running around we’ve been doing lately, that’s totally fine by me! And we’ve got another busy one tomorrow- visiting some Olympic venues, doing another company visit, and then going to an authentic Kungfu show across the city!
By the way, if anyone uses Instagram and wants to see some pictures that I upload during the day from my trip, follow me at ‘takeahilpill’! It’s the only social media-ish website I can use in China that isn’t blocked!
SUNDAY FUNDAY!
Such a good day! It started a little rocky because I was having issues with withdrawing money from my debit card, but after a little troubleshooting and lots of help from my advisor and my dad, everything worked out! We met up with Ruby (one of our student advisors from Tsinghua
University) and took the subway for about an hour downtown to the Pearl Market.
The Pearl Market was sooo cool! Contrary to my expectations, it had way more than just pearls for sale. You could find anything from electronics to silk to purses and shoes. Prime spot for some Mother’s Day shopping, I’d say 😉 I was actually surprised that Mother’s Day is not just a Hallmark Holiday- it’s recognized here in China too!
But back to the Pearl Market- OMG THE VENDORS ARE CRAZY! They give you some hyper inflated price for a knockoff, then say something about giving you a tourist/student/American/friend discount, then show you a mildly less ridiculous price, then ask you to name a price (which is usually like
200 Rmb less than their asking price, in my case), and then proceed to scream “YOU NO NICE!!!!!” or “NOOO! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU???” My strategy now is to just stick to my guns and walk away until they agree to my price. I should say *TRY to walk away, because most of the time they either death grip your arm or completely block and chase you if you make a break for it.
My craziest vendor experience so far goes a little something like this: I was walking by some purses and expressed .01% of interest in a bag as I walked by and somehow before I even knew what happened, this vendor girl had reached over her counter and grabbed my pointer finger in her hand!
She tugged so desperately that it cracked like every little bone in my finger. Felt kinda good because I’m all about knuckle cracking, but that little stunt cost her my patronage.
After the Pearl Market, we walked a little way to the Temple of Heaven.
It was actually a series of temples where the emperor of China would go every year to pray to the gods for a good harvest in the upcoming seasons. Pretty much seemed like everyone who used the temples were praying for healthy crops and good weather, so that’s practical at least.
Oh, on a completely unrelated note- we saw a group of Asians in McDonald’s today that were all wearing 76ers jerseys! It was hilarious, and no worries I got a picture.
So we navigated back to the hotel on the subway again. Even though I felt like I needed 7 showers and 12 hours of sleep, we all packed our swimsuits and towels up right away and headed to the Water Cube! Hopefully you haven’t forgotten, but the Water Cube was the 2008 Olympics swimming venue where records on records on records were blown out of the water (no pun intended). Since then, Beijing has converted part of the pool into an indoor water park! And lucky for us, we got a huge group discount and it only cost about $15 to go!
I really can’t even describe how much fun it was, but just imagine so much fun and then multiply that a few times. There were 3 slides in particular that were absolutely WILD! Like dangerously so. My favorite was this one where you stand up in a tiny chamber, you hear an ominous countdown, the floor opens up, and you plummet into a SHEER drop for 15m before doing a freaking LOOPDY LOOP and finally getting to the bottom. Scarily awesome.
And of course, quick shoutout to my wonderful, beautiful, and hardworking mom on this Mother’s Day. Mom- thanks for everything you do and thank you for making this incredible trip to China a reality for me! I wish I was there with you and the fam today, but know that I’m thinking of you and will eat many insects/foul things in your honor!
SO that was my Sunday. Hope everyone is having fun too!! Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to sleep heavily. I don’t suggest that anyone goes to a water park the day after climbing the Great Wall. I need a massage like nobody’s business. Good night!
Day 7: The Great Wall of China
I could pretty much go home happy right now because the Great Wall was freaking awesome. We got there today after a two-ish hour long drive and it was raining. I was so bummed and expected there to be poor visibility and slippery trails, but then it cleared up and was beautiful! Thankfully I packed my sunscreen because I actually ended up needing it for the day.
I actually got a little burned on my cheeks, but I totally don’t mind because it’ll fade to tan by tomorrow!
So back to this ancient relic of beauty- I seriously couldn’t believe it.
I mean I’ve seen pictures of the Wall hundreds of times, but nothing prepares you for seeing it in real life. I was first shocked as to how the people who constructed it were able to manage to bring all those rocks to such mountainous points! Then I frightened of how high/far we had to walk.
Then I was surprised by the varying sizes of the steps and how they went anywhere from tiny infant sized stairs to enormous ones that you had to use your hands and feet to climb up. But really, the sheer length of the Great Wall is staggering.
Something you cannot see from the pictures is the AMOUNT of steps. At first, I thought the ascent up thousands of stairs would be the hard part, but the descent proved to be equally as challenging!! You have to be really cautious and mindful of broken stairs and it takes a lot of restraint to not tumble down the steep parts of along the wall. The worst part of the walk was where there was a set of stairs that was almost completely vertical and took like a half hour to get up, but the view was well worth it. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll ever walk again. My legs are SHOT.
We met some funny people up there too! There was a group of girls from Duquesne University, a couple of guys from Pittsburgh wearing Steelers shirts, and of course I managed to find some Germans to talk to. We all wondered how there were independent vendors perched at various (and really, really hard to access) parts of the Wall selling water, snacks, and BEER?? And I’m sure you’d all be impressed to find out that I managed to haggle the price of a bottle of water down for myself using broken Chinese! Then we each took a little toboggan-type thing on a slide that brought us all the way down the Wall to where we had started. It was a lot faster/easier than walking and really fun too!
After a little haggling at some souvenir places at the bottom of the hill, we got back to the city around 4pm and had lunch/dinner at a buffet with a Western theme. Pretty much the food was limited to pizza and some Chinese food staples, but also had utensils (not chopsticks) and beer was also a choice in the soda fountain. Interesting place, but not the best post-hike meal.
So now we’re taking a well-deserved rest after CLIMBING THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA! Sorry, still can’t believe I just did that. We’ll probably grab a little something to eat and then head out to see what Beijing is all about on a Saturday night. Can’t wait!! Then tomorrow is our free day and so far we’re planning to go to the Pearl Market and the 2008 Olympic swimming venue the Water Cube’s new water park!
Gotta Get Down on Friday
We left around 9 and it didn’t take long to make it to Summer Palace. It was built around a lake in the mid 1750’s during the Qing Dynasty. To me, the most interesting part of Summer Palace’s history was the fact that all of its intricate paintings covering most buildings inside and out was completely painted over during the Boxer Revolution a little over a hundred years ago. We learned about that during our lectures about Beijing during the past week, and when I saw the palace today, I couldn’t believe how much painstaking work must have been involved to restore it back to its original glory.
We climbed the hill that the topmost part of the palace is on, which coincidentally was the same hill we had seen from a distance earlier in the week. It was a hike, but definitely worth the beautiful view! Even though it was rainy most of the day and visibility wasn’t the best, it was still a really cool sight. Plus the rain cleared up the air a lot and my throat is feeling better! Can’t believe I’m saying this, but yay rain! So anyways when we got down to the bottom of the hill, we took a boat across the lake. There was a huge tourist group of older people who were apparently from the boondocks of China and hadn’t really ever been exposed to westerners, so they were begging to take pictures of us. I feel like we’ve officially reached celeb status (#overinflatedego).
Afterwards, we had some free time to do shopping around these really cool riverside stores. It’s one of the places were haggling is not only accepted, but expected. So I made sure I had one of our Chinese student advisors named Ruby with me to get some deals. Definitely took care of a lot of souvenir shopping and learned some new Chinese phrases! My repertoire of Chinese now includes: Hi, How are you, What’s up, Excuse me/I’m sorry, This, That, How much does that cost, Please, I love you, You’re welcome, Cute, Panda, Do you want to take a picture, Thank you, Good bye, Cheers, Chug, and I can count to three! It’s a shame that this language is so difficult to learn because even a slight variation in tone can completely change the meaning, but I’m working on it!
We stopped for a late lunch around 4pm at a soup place at the bottom of the Yu Center, which is the name of the mall down the road. It was another place where we were responsible to making our own meal and we each had a boiler, pot of broth, and an abundance of ingredients to make whatever we’d like. And I’m sure everyone will be pleased to hear that I tried some duck blood tofu there! It tasted like mud and it made me miss the scorpions from the other night.
Instead of going out tonight, I think we’re just going to the hotel’s rec center and bowling. I guess the games only cost 6 Rmb for a round! That’s another thing- everything is super cheap here! I feel like I’m using Monopoly money. Also, the “squatty potties” here that I was convinced I wouldn’t like are really not bad at all. Thinking about having one installed at home. Just kidding Mom and Dad, I don’t like them that much but they’re not the worst thing.
Well we’ve got a BIG day tomorrow- we’re going to the Great Wall of China!
Zai jian!
andersonplus3china2012 