2013+China+Trip

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 Our final full-day in China started at the Lama Temple. A former palace, the residence was turned into a Buddhist temple partially to appease Tibetan subjects. The highlight of the temple is an eighty foot tall Future Buddha made from one sandalwood tree. The tree was harvested in India and transported to China over a span of three years. Since our visit was on the third day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the temple was packed with people praying for well-being.

Next, we took a rickshaw tour of a Hutong district. Hutongs are a traditional Chinese neighborhood built of one-story brick homes along narrow alleys. In fact, Hutong means narrow ally. Owned by the government, the individual homes vary in size, depending on the rank of the family. The larger homes can be identified by their larger doors and higher thresholds. The highlight of the tour was a visit with a local family who taught us how to make dumplings from scratch. Whether it was our doing or not, the dumplings were delicious.

We then hopped back on the bus and drove to the Summer Palace. Built along a massive man-made lake, the palace was an escape from the city heat as well as a center of power for Empress Cixi, perhaps the most powerful woman in Chinese history. Serving as dowager empress for over forty years, Cixi even imprisoned one of the young emperors in a small palace located along the lake.

After a shopping blow-out excursion, we returned to the hotel for our final night in China.

== We ran into PasCal Gentil who won two Olympic Medals in Taikundo and kids were excited to get pictures with him.==

Tuesday, June 11
The day started with a 2 hour drive to the Badaling Great Wall. Built by the Ming to secure their northern border, the Badaling is one of the best preserved of the various walls. Its popularity is further enhanced by Mao’s love of this section of the wall. After a steep climb while navigating between throngs of other tourists, we enjoyed fantastic views of the wall and valleys below.

Next, we visited the Ming Tombs. Of the 13 Ming tombs located outside Beijing, we visited the underground palace. Comprised of 6 cavernous rooms dug at least three floors underground, the tomb is another justifiably popular tourist spot. Although tradition states that no photos should be taken in the tomb to avoid bad spirits, this tradition appears to be broken more often than not.

Monday, June 10
Despite a long night on the train, we hit the ground running in Beijing. Unable to check into our hotel until the afternoon, we set off for Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The size and grandeur of these sites is hard to capture in photographs. Seeing them first hand was a real treat. In order to protect the Emperor from harmful spirits, the palace is laid out as a series of courtyards, each one breath-taking in its size. Although we did not see all 9,999.5 rooms, we were overwhelmed by the palace.

Next stop was the Temple of Heaven. Built over 600 hundred years ago for the Ming Emperors to pray and give thanks for good harvests, the Temple was only used twice a year. Regardless of its infrequent use, you clearly see that good relations with the gods were seen as important to maintain the dynasty’s mandate of heaven.

Finally, we checked into our hotel and settled in for some well-earned rest.

[[image:2013 China-5 (1).jpg]][[image:2013 China-5 (2).jpg width="473" height="355"]][[image:2013 China-5 (3).jpg width="473" height="355"]] A wonderful Kungfu Performance in Red Theater
Sunday, June 9 We wrapped up our tour of Shanghai with a mixture of history and shopping. First, we visited the location of the birth of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. While the room in which the delegates met was small and unimpressive, the museum was quite interesting, emphasizing the importance of foreign aggression in the founding of the party. Next, we walked down the street to the home of Zhou Enlai. Once again, the story was phrased in terms of foreign intervention and domestic collaborators. This narrative was particularly interesting in light of the clear colonial influence in the surrounding city. After a fun shopping excursion, it was back to the dorm to pack and leave for the train depot.

The overnight train to Beijing was a new experience for all, albeit a less than restful night.

= Saturday, June 8 = Today, rather than taking a Chinese college entrance exam, we decided to play hooky and see more of Shanghai. The first stop was Jing’an Temple. First built in 247 AD, the temple was destroyed during the turbulence of the mid-nineteenth century. Rebuilt by the Qing in the 1880s, the temple is spectacular. Surrounded by modern Shanghai, it is possible to gaze up at a dragon on the temple’s roof and see a Hugo Boss advertisement on an adjoining high rise. Students were even able to, reluctantly, review some of their freshman history class, seeing the story of the first Buddha leaving his palace as a young man and witnessing old age, sickness and death depicted on one of the shrine’s carvings.

Next, we made our way to People’s Square. Unfortunately, our guide book was dated and the Shanghai Art Museum moved a few months ago. Intrepid travelers that we are, we split into various groups to enjoy shopping, the Shanghai Museum or a return to the dorm.

Finally, it was off to a farewell dinner. After a great meal and serenades by our Chinese buddies, the students left for their final home visit. =

= Friday, June 7 = Today, the skies opened up and it rained most of the day. Despite the poor weather, we toured Shanghai. The first stop was the Shanghai Museum. The students spent an hour and a half wandering through various exhibits, from bronze to porcelain to calligraphy and more. After lunch and more shopping, we took a very wet tour of the Yu Garden. Like the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, we saw the four elements of a traditional Chinese garden: rock, water, building and plant. The center-piece of the Yu Garden is called the Exquisite Jade Stone. One of the four most beautiful lake stones in China, this stone is renowned for its many holes. In fact, if one were to burn incense under the stone, the smoke would emerge from 72 different holes in the approximately 10 foot high stone.

= Thursday, June 6 =

Thursday was spent in the classroom. During the morning, we participated in two Chinese classes with Japanese students. During a lunch break, we found a laundry mat and played a pick-up game of soccer. In the afternoon, we learned to play one of two traditional Chinese stringed instruments, Guqins and Guzhengs. First, we learned to play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. Then, we were challenged to play and sing a traditional Chinese song, “Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao”. It was a great deal of fun.

The evening highlight was a trip to the Bund. We successfully navigated the Shanghai metro, making two line changes. The Bund is located on the bank of the Huangpu River, directly across from the new financial district. Built by British colonialists as their center of power, the architecture is grand. The river walk, which gives terrific night views of each bank, the modern and colonial, was crowded with sight-seers. Once again, the students were mobbed by tourists wanting to be photographed with such beautiful young people. After a quick snack at McDonald’s, it was back on the metro.

= Wednesday, June 5 = ==It is a lovely day today, around 70 degrees. We drove 2 hours to Suzhou to view Tiger Hill and the Lingering Garden. Tiger Hill is the burial ground of the Emperor Wudi. Built 2,500 years ago, the hill's approximate 50 acres is full of buildings, ponds, rock gardens and pagodas. One of the rocks, the 1000 Person Rock, is a monument to the workers who built the tomb. After completion, the workers were all executed in order to keep the exact location of the tomb a secret. On the top of the hill is an impressive tower that is the most famous monument in Suzhou.==

==After shopping and lunch, only a few dared to taste the eel, we were off to Lingering Garden. Built 300 years ago, Lingering Garden is one of the 4 most beautiful gardens in China. Here, the students enjoyed the 4 major components of a Chinese garden: green plants, rocks, water and buildings. In order to acquire stones with beautiful shapes etched by water erosion, the Chinese dove up to 70 meters to the mined the limestone rocks from the bottom of lakes, often diving as deep as 70 meters to acquire rocks, the most famous of which was over 15 feet tall.==

{ #1 leaning tower in China, the 2nd in the world}


= Tuesday, June 4 (Day 5) =

[ Cheer-leading for our team] [ MICDS VS SFLS ]


= Monday, June 3 = ==**It was rainy in Hangzhou yet sunny in Shanghai over the past weekend. Students went with their buddies to their temporary campus this morning. While entering the campus, we notice that 4-5 students in school uniform lined up both sides by the gate. They take a bow and say "good morning, teachers" when any teachers enter school.**==

==**Our students follow their buddies to classes and experienced a day of school at SFLS. School finishes at 4pm. After dinner at the school cafeteria, we went to the Shanghai Acrobat Show "ERA" in the evening. The show is spectacular: traditional acrobat with sound effect and stage performance. One of them is that 7 motorcycles running inside a globe without hitting each other.**==

Lauren
== Saturday morning, we went to the Jing An temple in Shanghai. it was so cool because it was completely of gold, white jade, and ancient wood. we then went shopping where my host family bought me a shirt and a pair of shorts. we went out to eat before meeting up with Gina, Tyler, Corey, Geneva, and Lindsey and their buddies at KTV. we sang a lot and had a lot of fun together. then Tyler and his buddy left and the rest of us went out to dinner. my buddy and I went home and listened to music and played on the computer before going to sleep. Sunday morning, HuaHua, her family and I, visited an ancient chinese town and bought a lot of little trinkets. we ate on the riverside and it was really an enjoyable experience for me. we then left and went to the mall. we sat at Starbucks for half an hour and talked a lot. then we met Gina and Lindsey with their buddies and did some shopping underground in the subway tunnels. we bought a lot of stuff for cheap then caught the subway so Gina and I could see a movie with our buddies. we met up with Corey and his buddy there and saw Star Trek. it was amazing and then HuaHua and I went back to her house and played on the computer before sleeping that night and waking up for school in the morning. ==

Gina
== Friday night, after the welcoming banquet, grace and I took the subway to her house. before turning in for the night, we walked around Laya plaza, a big shopping mall with indoor and outdoor stores. Saturday morning was spent with Lindsey, Corey, tyler, and Geneva (their respective buddies being Cindy, mike, Eric, and Cheryl). we met at the Shanghai Science and Technology museum. it was very similar to the science center, but much much larger, much more crowded, and in Chinese. the surrounding area is like a park, but with much more cement. people were flying kites and playing with their kids (it was Children's Day) and snapping photos of some awesome sculptures and floral arrangements. we ate lunch and shopped around the subway station directly below the museum. this was were I discovered how good my buddy grace is at bartering! I hope I picked up a few tips while with her. afterwards, we met with Lauren and her buddy HuaHua to sing karaoke. the karaoke was not in a bar, but rather small and well furnished rooms that took up an entire floor of a skyscraper. we wrapped up with dinner at a Hot Pot, a restaurant where you order a flavored soup at boiling temperatures and cook your own meat and vegetables in it (the soup doesn't actually get eaten). it was a unique experience and an AMAZING ONE. == == Sunday was a day spent with HuaHua and Lauren. I did not wake up until late in the day; Grace and I had a lazy morning. grace took all of us, plus Lindsey and Cindy shopping in underground subway tunnels. I don't know exactly how everything got down there: most shops were legitimate and non barter-able. Lindsey and Cindy left early. we finished our shopping now that Lauren got what she had been looking to buy, and met Corey and Mike and a movie theater in another luxury "name brand-only" mall to see Star Trek. I loved being able to read some of the Chinese subtitles. Lauren and I read the characters we recognized out loud. all in all, a fantastic weekend. --Gina Carr ==

Max
== My buddy and I had a very fun time over the weekend. We went home after the banquet and went to bed because we had a big day tomorrow. The next day went first the the Chinese Pavilion, also known as the art museum. It was very cool. we then went to the Saudi Arabian Pavilion where we say a 3D movie. We then went to the Science and Technology Museum, which was also very cool. after our day, we went to Rudy's grandparents house where we made traditional dumplings. After dinner, we went to Depung Park where we saw Shanghai all lit up. It was very cool. Then next day we went to the temple where there was lots of shopping. We got gifts for the family, and met up with Harry and his buddy. Later that evening we went to a Korean Barbecue restaurant, that was very tasty. I enjoyed my weekend very much! ==

Lindsay
== Friday night after the banquet, I went back to Sidney's house and had more dinner with her family. Her mother made a vegetable and rice mix that Sidney her mother, father and I ate together. After I went straight to bed because I was still very tired from traveling. On Saturday, we woke up, stopped by McDonald's and met up with a group of students at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. the museum was huge and there were hundreds of people waiting in line to get in because it was national children's day in china. we saw an IMAX movie inside and looked around for a few hours until we went shopping. While shopping one of the buddies, grace, was amazing at bargaining for fake purses, shoes, etc. and it was very fun. That night a group of us went out to dinner at a place that reminded me of the melting pot because we each poked our own food in soup. In Sunday my host family treated me to a traditional Chinese breakfast, we saw the bund area and went to a movie. it was a very nice weekend and my family was very kind! ==

Abby,
== after the welcoming ceremony my buddy took me back to her house where her family and I cooked a traditional Chinese dinner. then I went to sleep. the next day we went shopping with some of my buddies friends. they knew small little shopping in alleys that had some very cute items. after that we went to a party city and did karaoke for three hours. while there we met up with 2 more of her friends and sang for a while. after that we went back shopping and then everyone went back to my buddies house and made home made dumplings. they were really really good. the next day my buddy and her family took me to a theme park and we stayed there for a few hours. we then went to an ancient city called zhu jia jiao. there we did more shopping. after that we went back home and went to bed. the next day I went to school with my buddy. school there is 9 hours. it was a long day. after that I took a cab back to the dorm and we all went at saw a circus act that was really really cool. after that we all went back to the dorm. ==

= Sunday, June 2 = ==**We traveled to the Lingyin Temple. Build one thousand years ago, the temple honored the various monks who had traveled east to collect Buddhist manuscripts from India. To get to the temple, we followed a wooded path next to a mountain stream. Along the way, we cut off the path to explore an extensive cave complex. The caves and cliff faces contained several hundred carvings depicting various Buddhist stories and monks. It was a fantastic sight.**==

==**The temple complex was centered on three main temples built up the side of the mountain. Between the temples, pilgrims could burn incense as they prayed. The sights and smells of the experience were truly unique.**==

= Saturday, June 1 = ==**While the students enjoyed their weekends with their host families, the teachers experienced a brief trip to Hangzhou. Built on the banks of the West Lake, Hangzhou is renown for its beauty. In fact, Hangzhou is traditionally believed to rival heaven.**==

==**Over the centuries, various dynasties had built numerous causeways and islands in the lake. Along the pathways, we enjoyed viewed pagodas, water gardens and fish ponds. Since the Chinese were celebrating Children's Day, the banks of the lake were crowded with families and thanks to the street vender's brisk sale of bird whistles, the air was full of the sound of Orioles.**==

**Next, we traveled into the heart of the city to see a place built in the mid-nineteenth century. While the architecture was spectacular, the interior rock gardens were the highlight of the palace.**


= Friday, May 31 = =Despite the rain, we toured Shanghai and met our exchange buddies. First, we went to the Shanghai World Financial Center. From the street, the building disappeared into the clouds. From the top (423 meters), we saw lots of clouds but had a good time taking photos with other tourists – the kids were a big hit. Next was a trip to the largest shopping mall in Shanghai for lunch. Meals ranged from traditional American fair to local Chinese cuisine. After lunch, we took a ride on the Haungpu River. From the water, we got a great view of the old and new sections of the city, as well as many coal barges. After a brief rest, it was off to our welcoming dinner. All of the students met their buddies and then departed for a weekend stay with their host families. Monday morning is a return to school and classes.=

**Details for 2011 China Trip can be found under the tab "2011 China Trip" to the right column.**
= 外国语大学附属外国语学校 (Shanghai Foreign Language School, SFLS) = 上海市虹口区中山北一路295号 电话号码: 65423105



Reference website: http://www.crossculturaladventures.com/

中文wiki: http://chinese.wikispaces.micds.org/

16. 自费参观杭州的【灵隐寺】500罗汉，估价.
reference: page 20 --> http://www.chinaprograms.org/wp-content/uploads/Comprehensive%20Survey%20%282011%29.pdf
 * 建议SFLS 安排小组座谈 【上海外国语大学】讲中美主题，比如：中美关系，中美教育，中国的女性社会等等，最好是先知道学生们的历史课上了什么？
 * 课外学生座谈会：邀请SLFS全校学生参与座谈会 Q & A, 可结合小组座谈 【上海外国语大学】