China

Hanging out with the Terracotta soldiers

This city was the original capital of China when it was initially unified under the First Emperor.  It was considered a desirable location surrounded by a combination of rivers, mountains and plateau.  This first emperor named Qin Shi Huang is famous for building the terracotta warrior army to serve him in the afterlife.  The sight of these hundreds of terracotta figures is amazing.  The museum contains three separate excavation pits and we were able to see the infantry, the headquarters with horses and charioteers, and a third chamber where archers and weapons were discovered.  This site was the favorite of many of the students and it is difficult to fathom how many of these figures still lie buried under the earth.
After visiting the terracotta warriors, we saw some major landmarks of this ancient city including the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the ancient city walls. We rented bicycles and rode along the stone walls which was a refresher for some students who said they had not ridden a bicycle in years.  Our afternoon ended with a visit to a local spa.  Students were treated to a variety of luxurious treatments including exfoliation, sauna, hot tubs and soaking in baths of milk or wine!  We also experienced a Tang Cultural Show in Xi’an which included gorgeous dancing with long scarves and silks. There were a variety of ancient musical instruments played and the male performers also demonstrated some acrobatics and sword play.
Our time in Xi’an ended with a sampling of various delicious dumplings which have been developed into an art here including dumplings in the shape of different animals.  After dinner, we headed to our overnight sleeper train to Beijing.  The students enjoyed this experience and hopped around to different compartments and the dining car while we traveled to Beijing.

Visiting Buddha

The next day was a travel day filled with some incredible sites.  We first travelled to Leshan-a city which sits on a wide river and is home to the largest Buddha statue in the world.  According to legend, a powerful ruler came to Leshan and thought that the city needed protection from its demons. He decided to build a large statue of Buddha to protect all of the city inhabitants.  It is an amazing site and we were able to descend a stairway along the side of the statue to fully appreciate its incredible size.  One interesting thing about the statue is that the Chinese are superstitious about taking pictures of themselves “touching” different parts of the statue’s face.  The goal is to manipulate where you are standing and hold out your arm so that in the photo it looks like you are actually touching the statue in a specific place.  For example, touching the eyebrow means you will have a happy family while touching the forehead means you will have no worries in your life.  The students had fun arranging their photos to touch the special parts of the Buddha’s face.  While at the site, many of the Chinese tourists were very excited to see our large group and many asked to take photos with us.

After lunch, the group headed to Mt. Emei which is considered one of the most beautiful mountains in China.  The reputation is well deserved!  This lush tree-covered mountain is home to a variety of temples, monasteries and macaque monkeys.  It was a combined bus trip, cable car ride and hike to reach the beautiful Wannian monastery.  We relaxed in this tranquil place and enjoyed the incredible mountain air.  The students enjoyed playing badmitton and ping-pong with the monks.  After a restful evening, we hiked down the mountain.  A group took a side hike to visit the monkey pavilion. Although we were warned by our guide that the monkeys would try to steal food off of our backpacks, we were not prepared for the incredible creativity of our monkey hosts.  One monkey went into a velcro pant pocket to steal the eye-drops and chapstick of Professor Koplas and another took a Pepsi can from a student’s backpack.  Apparently, all of the items were delicious as the empty containers were found while leaving the habitat.  After leaving Mt. Emei, we took a flight to reach the ancient city of Xi’an.

Due to a last minute itinerary change, we added some extra activities in Chengdu after our Habitat work site experience.  Our guide painted Chengdu as a city more relaxed than Shanghai with fewer people and a slower pace. He joked that the single women still want their prospective husband to have an apartment, a car and a good job!

Practicing Tai Chi

We first visited a lovely Daoist Temple.  We learned about the concept of yin-yang and how the Chinese practice their rituals at the temple including lighting incense to honor their ancestors.  The temple contained beautiful sculptures and paintings as decoration including a bronze figure which incorporated 12 different animals-the nose of a horse, the ears of a rat, and the beard of a goat, etc.  We next went to a public park to have a lesson in Tai Chi.  We have frequently seen people practicing Tai Chi, dancing, and musical instruments in the park for recreation.  There were three instructors who demonstrated different types of Tai Chi including movements with fans and swords.  After our lesson, we visited a local massage and Chinese medicine academy to act as practice subjects for the students in training.  All of us received either a foot or whole body massage while the more adventurous in the group underwent the cupping procedure.  In this medicinal practive, warm glass cups are applied to the back with a vacuum pressure to draw out toxins from the body.  It leaves a funny bruise pattern on the back after the procedure which has been getting some funny looks from the locals.   

Traditional Cupping

The next day was the main tourist attraction of Chengdu:  the Panda Breeding Base.  We spent the morning at the beautiful park and were able to see pandas of all ages.  They are a playful animal and we enjoyed watching them steal each other’s bamboo and wrestle on the hills.  It was a lovely park and an informative movie taught us about the intensive breeding program at the base designed to optimize the survival of this endangered species. One interesting note from the guide was that neighboring farmers are given government subsidies to grow bamboo on their land instead of crops to help meet the incredible bamboo demands of the many pandas in the park.  It was a definite challenge to all the students to see how many panda photos their camera memory sticks could hold.

Panda Research Center

That evening we had dinner at a restaurant serving one of the typical local dishes-Sichuan Hot Pot.  Similar to a fondue restaurant in the States, the group sits around a common pot in the center of the table.  Throughout the meal, a variety of vegetables, tofu and meats are added to the boiling center pot.  There was a “mild pot” table for the spice-challenged members of the group.  After our dinner, we saw a Sichuan Mask-changing folk show at a local theater.  It was amazing to see how fast the performers could change their masks.  One of the most impressive performers was the puppeteer who was able to perform extremely fast mask changes on her puppet.

The ride from Kunming to Ganhaizi village was a long one. We packed into a small bus that traveled over poorly paved roads that winded up into the mountains of northern Yunnan province. We arrived in the small town of Shilata which had a main street that was lined with a few shops and restaurants. We spent the night in a boarding house and got up the next morning to have a traditional Yunnan breakfast: soup noodles with spicy pork and boiled eggs. After breakfast we hiked to Ganhaizi village. You can see that the hike was breathtaking—a beautiful landscape of rolling mountains and terraced farm plots.

The villagers greeted us as we entered the village. They were Miao people, one of the ethnic minority groups that live in southwestern China. They farm corn, wheat, beans and tobacco and their way of life revolves around planting, growing, and harvesting these crops in line with the comings and goings of the rainy season. Habitat has been working in such farming communities by giving the villagers the opportunity to build brick houses that replace the more traditional and less efficient rammed earth houses. Our job was to help build a foundation for one of these houses and this entailed carving a foundation out of tough earth (one student commented that it was worse than Carolina red clay). As you can see, the work was difficult. Some students hacked at the earth with picks and hoes while others carted the loose earth off. On the second day the Habitat coordinator, Jerry Li, gave us a break from the digging and had us clean up around an already constructed house.

We also had a good deal of time to work with the villagers. The future homeowner and his friends worked alongside us and the Miao women cooked us lunch every day. After lunch on the second work-day, we played the villagers in a fast-paced game of basketball. Needless to say, the villagers spend a good deal of time practicing! They raced up and down the court with one fast-break after another. After the game, many of the villagers came together and sang songs for our group. It was clear that they also spent much time practicing their singing as well. It was a joy to see the Miao women performing in their traditional clothing.

We left the village tired and with a sense of accomplishment. Indeed, it was hard to say goodbye to such earnest, hard-working, and friendly people. Many of our students were saddened to leave our new-found friends behind.

Kunming, May 17 

Fashions from silk

The last segment of our visit to Suzhou ended with our visit to silk factory; some pictures of that visit are now posted. As you will see, we got actively involved in the factory activities and we were treated to a fashion show; some pictures have also been posted of the Zhuozheng and Wangshi garden visits in Suzhou.  (Click on the Photo Gallery link to view all the pictures.)

After the silk factory visit, the group had lunch (enjoyed by all, and as shown in the photo gallery, some in the group are getting the hang of using chopsticks). We then we headed back to Shanghai to take in the newly built Shanghai museum.  The museum contains five floors, and houses amazing collections of ancient Chinese bronze work, as well as exhibits of Qing and Ming (and earlier) dynasty porcelain vases and other exquisite works.  Collections also included the “jade” room and beautifully carved wooden furniture. After the museum we checked into our hotel and had a free evening to explore.

The next day we had a free morning; some of the students together with Dr. Mullis and Dr. Koplas were up early to take in some Tai Chi dancing with the locals in people’s park (see video).

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Some students also went with Dr. Koplas to take the maglev train that runs between Pudong airport and Shanghai – cruising speed is 430 km per hour (see pictures); one way is 7 minutes, a distance that takes about 40 minutes by taxi.

Following lunch, we headed off to take a boat tour on the Huangpu river, which flows through Shanghai. The west side of the river is the location of the “original” city of Shanghai, and the promenade area along the river here is called the Bund. On the east side of the river is Pudong, which is the newest area of development in Shanghai. Pudong is the site of the financial district and related businesses, as well as the newest skyscrapers that have arisen in the past ten years in Shanghai.

Making a friend in Yu Gardens

After the boat ride the group headed to the Yu Garden, which is surrounded by the Chenghuangmiao Market – one of the most visited and crowded markets in Shanghai – lots of clothing stores along with everything else currently made in China. We had a few hours to take in the garden, stroll around the market and find a bite to eat. We then boarded the bus to the theater see the evening performance of the Shanghai Acrobatics extravaganza (see pictures). Everyone was impressed with the display of talent, which also included a magician and a finale that had five motorcycles going around inside a giant steel ball; fortunately, no mishaps in that act, although in the previous week there had been some mishaps. We then went back to the hotel, with the rest of evening free for those who wanted to venture out.

On Sunday morning, the group assembled for the ride to the airport to catch our flight to Kunming and to begin one of the highlights of the trip – a four night stay in the mountains a few hundred kilometers outside of Kunming to do work with Habitat for Humanity (GanhaiziVillage). The group was very excited about this impending part of the trip; the next update will provide reactions and details. The weather report is sketchy at the time of this report: unlike the trip thus far which has seen generally mild temperatures and clear skies, the group could encounter rain and thunder storms during part of the stay in Ganhaizi Village (Yunnan Province).

Everyone is in good health and having a great time.

Dr. Harry Bowen

GREETINGS FROM CHINA! (Note–Due to a Chinese keyboard and the unsolicited characters coming up from it, Dr. Koplas was only able to type in English if she used capital letters.)

What's your temperature ?

WE HAVE ARRIVED IN CHINA TO FIND AN EXCITING AND WELCOMING COUNTRY.  OUR INITIAL ARRIVAL AT THE AIRPORT HAD SOME DRAMA AS GOVERNMENT HEALTH OFFICIALS BOARDED THE PLANE IN HAZMAT SUITS TO CHECK THE BODY TEMPERATURE OF EACH PASSENGER ON BOARD. THE STUDENTS FOUND THIS AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE AND LUCKILY ALL PASSENGERS ABOARD PASSED INSPECTION TO SAVE US ALL FROM SPENDING A MUCH LONGER TIME AT THE SHANGHAI AIRPORT.

THE GROUP DID A GREAT JOB FIGHTING  JET LAG AND WE ALL ENJOYED A TYPICAL CHINESE DINNER TOGETHER TO START OFF THE TRIP.  EVERYONE IS GETTING GREAT PRACTICE USING THEIR CHOPSTICKS EVEN THOUGH THE RESTAURANTS ARE PROVIDING US FORKS JUST IN CASE.

OUR FIRST FULL DAY STARTED OFF WITH A BUS RIDE TO TONGLI. THIS ANCIENT TOWN LOCATED WEST OF SHANGHAI SITS IN THE MIDST OF CANALS AND IS CALLED “THE VENICE” OF CHINA.  WE TOOK “GONDALA” RIDES THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL TOWN AND SAW EVERYTHING FROM LOCALS ENJOYING THEIR DAY TO A SMALL MONKEY AT A FOOD STAND.  AFTER OUR RIDE, WE VISITED THE BEAUTIFUL GARDENS IN THIS CITY WITH PAVILIONS AND A KOI-FILLED POND.  IN THE TOWN SQUARE WE WERE ENTERTAINED BY AN ELDERLY MAN PLAYING A TRADITIONAL 2-STRINGED INSTRUMENT WHICH FILLED THE TOWN CENTER WITH LOVELY MUSIC.

OUR LUNCH WAS AT AN OLD TEA HOUSE BUILT IN 1888.  IT WAS A DELICIOUS MEAL ACCOMPANINED BY WONDERFUL JASMINE TEA.  WE TRAVELED ON TO SUZHOU AND TOURED THE LOVELY GARDENS OF THIS CITY.  THEY ARE ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS GARDENS IN ALL OF CHINA.  SADLY, THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE GARDENS LEFT THEM TO HIS SON WHO LOST THE PROPERTY WHILE GAMBLING.  THESE GARDENS WERE LOVELY AND OUR TOUR GUIDE, EDWARD, EXPLAINED THE VARIOUS THEMES OF THE LANDSCAPE AND BUILDINGS.  IN CHINA, ARTISTS AND NOT  ARCHITECTS DESIGN GARDENS.  THIS GARDEN INCLUDED BUILDINGS TO SYMBOLIZE A DRAGON, A SPECIAL HOUSE FOR MANDARIN DUCKS AND PAVILION HOUSING A HUGE PIECE OF BLACK JADE.  THE ZIG-ZAG BRIDGES OF THE GARDEN HAVE THIS SHAPE TO BLOCK ANY EVIL SPIRITS FROM CROSSING THE WATER AS THE DEMONS CANNOT MOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.

In the gardens of Suzhou

AFTER WALKING THROUGH SUZHOU, WE ENJOYED DINNER TOGETHER AT A DUMPLING RESTAURANT.  THE GROUP STAYED CLEAR OF ORDERING THE PIG LUNG AND STUCK WITH MORE TRADITIONAL CHINESE FARE.  THIS MORNING WE WILL VISIT A SILK FACTORY AND THEN RETURN TO SHANGHAI TO TOUR THE COUNTRY’S MAIN ART MUSEUM.

EVERYONE IS HAVING A FANTASTIC TIME AND GETTING TO PRACTICE SOME OF THEIR MANDARIN PHRASES.   

DR. PATRICIA KOPLAS
BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT

I just wanted everyone to know that the group has arrived at our Shanghai hotel.  We will be heading out to dinner soon and I plan on strolling around Shanghai a bit with whoever wants to stretch their legs after our long plane ride.

Everyone seems very excited.

Professor Mullis