Tiananmen SquareTiananmen was about how I imagined it from pictures. Lots of people trying to hustle us for Mao memorabilia. I got a great picture of a guy tailing matt, Stephanie, Erik and me with some watches. ~Kevin
Throughout my entire tenure in Tiananmen, I couldn’t help but to imagine what it would be like with an additional 1.2 million people crowding her already crowded pavement as was such in 1989. It was relatively surreal to directly experience a place that we’d studied in a not-so-positive light in school. I also find it amusing how little the Chinese economic system resembles communism anymore. Take five minutes to walk through Tiananmen and the petty capitalism that permeates the street vendors betrays the essence of lassaiz-faire thinking indoctrinated in the most obscure of individuals. ~Matt
When I first step foot into Tiananmen square, I thought about the images of the protest and how so many people could surround Mao mausoleum. I was also thinking about the amount of security surrounding the square, including the cameras and the military police. I also sensed a conflict between the military police and the regular police. Another recognizable thing was the changing of the youth guard around the statue of the people. It was interesting seeing people of are age protecting a major monument in Beijing. ~Andrew
Tiananmen Square was really interesting for me, I had never seen any pictures of it before and I don’t think I got the true feeling of it because of the construction for the Olympics. Never the less, I thought that the towers were interesting and the guards reminded me of the Buckingham palace guards in England because of how tall they stood. There were some statues that I thought were really cool of people and solders and stuff. On the whole I liked it, the vendors were kind of annoying though, and I wish I had more time to spend there. ~Tim
Forbidden City
Perhaps what struck me most about the Forbidden City, besides the fact that it seemed just as I had imagined it, was the masses of people touring the attraction. It was also interesting that the majority of these people seemed to be Chinese—an aspect that points out how large China is since many of its residents have never visited Beijing or Shanghai. It was rather surprising to have people approach asking to take pictures with a Westerner. I have never felt so famous…I think I could get used to this. ☺ ~Stephanie
The cars driving through the Forbidden City. ~Andrew
I thought that the Forbidden City was really a lot of fun. It was kind of annoying that cars tried to come through all of the tourists and honked like we were really in their way. I thought that the entire place was really, really big, and that the term ‘city’ was well placed. I thought that the history behind it was really cool. I do think that it was funny that they have 9 gates in front to get to the palace, but only one in the back so that any invaders only have to go in through the north to kill the emperor really fast. ~Tim
The Forbidden City was definitely not as I had imagined it before visiting it and was somewhat different from what I had seen in pictures and such. I can readily admit that I had little previous knowledge of the Forbidden City and therefore learned much about Imperial history and such, as the tour guide, Lisa, was very helpful in explaining how life was for the emperor and how things were done. ~Jasvinder
LunchThe food, especially the lemon seared breaded-chicken, was some of the best Asian food I’ve had. It was interesting though, for being so generous with the food (about six people got ten large plates of food, plus rice) they were incredibly stingy with the water. We each received about a shot glass worth of water with the meal, but would be charged an additional ten Yuan for each refill after. I snuck my peach flavored Chinese propel drink in, so it all worked out. ~Kevin
For someone who had been a vegetarian turned vegan for the better part of the last three years, China is a bit of a culture shock. I had recently read something that placed China near the bottom of the list for vegetarian-friendly countries, and it shows. However, I figured it would be too much of an active deprivation of cultural experiences to completely stray away from that oh-so-tempting mystery meat that finds its way into every meal. While the cultural experience is invaluable, I look forward to returning to my beloved veganism upon my return. ~Matt
Great food! The French fries they served us next to the hardly identifiable eggplant and meat amused me; my guess is they were aiming to impress us. This was my first experience being served a noodle soup topped with a fried egg and mushrooms as a birthday celebration dish. It was too bad they didn’t put a candle in the dish, but I imagine it would be rather difficult to make it stand straight out of an egg yolk. Ah well, I enjoyed a delicious ice cream after lunch instead. ~Stephanie
My favorite thing about the Forbidden City was the architecture. The buildings were beautiful with red walls, gold roofs, and very intricate multi-colored designs. I was in awe of the artwork. ~Sallie
Temple of Heaven
Beautiful architecture and landscape around it. Anywhere you looked (from the top that is) you could see surrounding Beijing with no visible end to it, no real skyline since it was spread out over such a vast region. My favorite part was easily watching some of the elderly Chinese people play board games and sing songs on the surrounding park premises. There really appeared to be such a sense of community with them, for a first time observer I don’t know how you could feel anything but happy (or amused) by the spectacle. It was good to see that Beijing was not entirely urban. ~Kevin
My favorite part of the trip so far was the Temple of Heaven. Not so much the temple itself but when we were leaving we saw many natives just sitting playing cards and Chinese checkers. We also took part in a hacky sack type game the natives were playing it was a lot of fun and really cool to connect with some natives. It was truly my favorite part! ~ Eric
I thought that the Temple of Heaven was really interesting. I thought it was funny that they sacrificed cows and crops to ask for more cows and crops (redundant if you ask me). I mostly liked the garden at the end, Cameron and I with Mark found this guy selling a game that was like hacky-sack, but with feathers called jian zi, it was really hard… ~Tim
The Temple of Heaven was by far my favorite thing that day. One of the things I wrote about in my journal was the concept of community. I wondered if a city the size of Beijing could support any sense of community, but after visiting the Temple of Heaven, my answer is definitely! All the people in the Long Corridor were so happy, rich or poor, old or young. And it didn’t matter that didn’t know each other. They still enjoyed the music, dancing, and games, regardless! These people had no sense of schedule. Their day seemed to float by without a care. ~Margaret
Acrobatics Show Fun to watch, though the real spectacle was probably the different behavior of the Chinese audience as opposed to an American audience. Typically for a movie or show such as that you would be silent, only to sit or applaud. On the other hand, the whole theater (which from what I could see was mostly Chinese) was rather talkative during the show, not to the point of distraction, but definitely noticeable. The seats hurt after a while, not so good.
I was really impressed with the Acrobatics show. I thought when first walking into the theater it was going to be kind of a cheap touristy show but the show was really quite amazing. I was impressed by how many technical aspects they were able to include such as some fog effects, moving lights and a trap door in the stage. I also thought many of the acts were spectacular. One in particular caught my interest it was a really seemingly simple act. It was the act that had a single man on stage who switched a mask he was wearing just with a flick of his head! It was a great show and I had a lot of fun! ~Eric
Dumpling Dinner
This was apparently a pretty famous place, being as they had pictures of various politicians and celebrities eating at their restaurant on the wall; lots of dumplings with lots of mysterious things in them. Very filling, all in all good food. ~Kevin
Walking up the stairs to the main dining room of the Dumpling restaurant, I was greeted by the smiling mug of Colin Powell. I figured if the dumplings are good enough for one of the architects of the Iraq quagmire, they’re good enough for me. I was right. ~Matt
When I first walk into the restaurant, I remember seeing two dead fish in a tank thinking that this would be are dinner. I was surprised with both the taste and uniqueness of the food. Also, Colin Powell and Laura Bush in support of the restaurant, it had to good. ~Andrew
I must say, I am not a fan of dumplings. ~Margaret
Wednesday, July 17th
The Great Wall—长城The Great Wall of China is long. ~Jasvinder
Amazing! ~Sallie Harris
The beauty of the Great Wall is unparalleled by anything I have ever seen! It carves through the mountains with ease and stretches into the distance. Climbing it was so much fun! I was surprised I was able to do it so easily. After going all the way up and all the way down, I felt as though I could do it again, right there and then! It was very very steep in some places, even after renovation, so I can’t imagine what the original wall must be like. I can’t even describe how wonderful it was! I hope to go back again and again. ~Margaret Krause
Silk Street Market (a.k.a.: Silk, Souvenirs, and such)
The Silk Street was by far the scariest thing I experienced her. I’m one who likes to make everyone happy, and that is NOT a good trait to have in the Silk Street. We were two steps inside, and the clerks grabbed our wrists, pulled us into shops, and shoved jackets into our hands. A jacket was the last thing I wanted to buy! And bargaining is very difficult. The clerks seemed so sad if you don’t want to pay their price. And they start prices off so outrageously high! One wanted $650 American dollars for two scarves! Luckily I eventually got it down to $12 for both, only to be told that I was in fact ripped off! I must say, I like the fixed prices in America better. Shopping is much less stressful! ~Margaret Krause
Beijing Duck Dinner
The most enjoyable part of the trip so far for me has been trying the variety of new foods that we have been presented with. Today alone I tried lamb, octopus, snake, and fried bananas at the “Snack Street Market” and Peking duck for dinner. ~Brian
Other Thoughts, Observations, Experiences Beijing
I like Asia; I could spend some time here. Also, Ill never laugh at another bus full of Asian tourists at the Grand Canyon again, since that’s essentially what I’m part of now. ~Kevin
At this point in American cultural development I think everyone could benefit from the experience I’ve had several times. To walk down a crowded street and not see a single other person of your race the entire time is a surreal experience for someone who grew up in as homogenous an environment as Eden Prairie can be can be. One of my favourite experiences was walking down our street in Beijing early in the morning as the entire city was either just waking up or just going to bed. It was at this point that I was struck with the fact that despite how different things may outwardly seem to be, at the heart of the metropolis things are really relatively similar. Restaurants throwing out leftovers onto the street. Stray animals scurrying about. Men on their way to work complaining about the heat. Streetwalkers comparing their meager restitution after an evening of work. In this similarity I found the gray area in which different cultures interlap. Dwelling in this area whilst observing the contrasts is as edifying an experience as I’ve ever had. ~Matt
The people here are very personable. I’m pleased that instead of shunning us as tourists they welcome us with a huge curiosity as to who we are. The best part of this trip so far has been wandering the streets of Beijing at night and soaking up the nightlife and culture. We visited a park yesterday where a surprising large number of older people (middle aged to elderly) were socializing through dance, song, and card games. I have never seen such community and acceptance anywhere in the U.S. It’s simply fulfilling. ~Stephanie
One part of Beijing that I noticed walking around last night was eerier similarity to industrial revolution in the USA. The amount of capitalism in a “communist” country shocked me. I saw a lack of regulation and an over-expanse of business. One of these aspects was assorted goods store, selling the same product as the one next door. Another thing I noticed was amount of security and the presence of the PLA on the streets of Beijing. Another thing I found was a newspaper, whose editorials would easily fall apart upon the arrival of the letter’s to the editor. Also, the BBC is in the hotel, which is awesome.
I think the most culturally revealing part of the trip on the first day was experiencing the city at night without a schedule or someone to help you communicate with anyone. 3 other students and I simply traversed the streets for about an hour and a half starting at about 8:30 pm. I know very little Chinese outside of what was taught in our “crash course,” and I can truthfully say that it is extremely difficult to agree on a prices for an item in a shop when one can not even understand the starting price or anything else a given shop owner is saying, for that matter. Such an experience is one that forces us to simply observe how things are done and occasionally comment on it with your peers, something that makes said experience extraordinarily educational for all involved. That said, I still want to learn Chinese so that I can communicate and have the “full experience.” ~Jasvinder
Everything that I’ve experienced here was more than I had ever expected, the environment, the weather, the people, etc. Simply put, the lifestyle here is awesome! In the early morning, around 6 AM, we’d hear the elderly sing songs in parks, hear cars honking on the streets. It seems as if you’ll never get bored here, there’s always something going on around us. The environment here in Beijing is more like New York; unlike Minnesota, Beijing it’s never calm and we had all used the shortest time to adapt to it. I’m really looking forward to all that’s coming up ahead in this trip! So far SO GOOD!! ~Jasmine
China has been everything I hoped it would be! The sights, the people, and the food have all made this trip life changing thus far, I cannot wait for the family stay!! ~Spencer
My impression of the city is very different then I was expecting. It does not feel as foreign as I thought it would, this could almost be Minneapolis if not for the Chinese people and characters. The people are very friendly and love to say hello and take pictures of us. So Far I love it here! ~Sallie
I love love loved the Chinese lunch, but the French Fries were so amazing! Better than in America, for sure! ~Margaret
The hospitality that has been shown towards us by the Chinese people has been absolutely astounding given the language and cultural differences that we share. People everywhere of all ages are eager to talk with and discuss our lives and share about their lives. The sense of community that exists here is unparalleled anywhere in the United States and is very refreshing! ~Brian
