As I begin a new semester at The Bush School in College
Station, I cannot help but reminisce about the three amazing weeks I spent in
China this summer. Not to sound to cliché, but I will cherish the relationships that
were built and the experiences I had for the rest of my life. The China trip
for me was originally just an opportunity for me to travel abroad but it ended
up opening my mind and heart to a complex, ancient, and beautiful culture
and people.
As mentioned earlier on this blog, my trip, along with Drew’s
and Jack’s, began in Hong Kong, China. The city of Hong Kong is truly an
international city consisting of residents who are welcoming and willing to
share their culture. The days in Hong Kong consisted of sightseeing,
discovering local mom-and-pop restaurants, some souvenir shopping, and a lot of
walking. Of course, being the nerdy graduate students we are, we couldn’t pass
up visiting the University of Hong Kong or learning about the history of the
city at several of the museums.
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| (Above: View of Hong Kong from the student plaza of the University of Hong Kong) |
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| (Above: Replica of a traditional boat used by fishermen and merchants in Hong Kong) |
A majority of the city felt like a typical big city that you
would find back in the states, such New York. It also helped that so many of
the residents spoke English and were willing to help give directions if needed.
Although some of us knew very basic Mandarin we did not know enough to have a
proper conversation. Luckily, we never had a problem ordering food in Hong Kong
because either the waiter spoke English or had an English menu. As a result, we were able to enjoy local Hong
Kong cooking instead of the typical McDonalds (which there were plenty of).
After a few days in Hong Kong, we headed to Beijing to meet
up with Jeniece before the rest of the class arrived to China. Upon arriving in
Beijing we discovered right away that there are big differences between Hong
Kong and Beijing. After dropping our luggage off at our hotel room and finding
Jeniece, we walked around the corner to the first restaurant we could find.
Dinner that night was an experience and an adventure because not only did none
of us know enough Mandarin, but the waitress spoke no English and had no
English menu to offer us. Needless to say ordering food that night consisted of
primarily of the universal finger pointing to items on a menu. To this day I
still have no clue as to what we actually ate in the restaurant that night.
After a good night’s rest our first full day in Beijing
began and was dedicated to seeing the sights that we would not have time to see
with the rest of the class once they arrived. So the four of us (Drew, Jeniece,
Jack, and I) boarded a city bus in the direction to our first stop the Summer
Palace. Located in the northwest corner of Beijing, the Summer Palace covers 2.9
square kilometers, most of which is covered by water. The combination of the
architecture, nature, and the history certainly made the Summer Place my
favorite spot in China. Below are a few highlights from our time at the Summer
Place. However, I would encourage you to search the web for more information
about the history of the Summer Place. (Spoiler Alert: The Anglo-French allied
invasion of 1860 destroyed much of the Palace which then had to be rebuilt.
This is one fact that you will not forget once visiting the Summer Palace
because it is written at the end of almost every building description.)
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| (Above: The Northern side of Longevity Hill) |
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| (Above: We learned fast that you need to pose or give the peace sign in every photo) |
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| (Above: The Southern side of Longevity Hill with the Tower of Buddhist Incense in the middle) |
After spending hours exploring the Summer Palace we bored
the subway and headed to the Temple of Confucius. Upon arriving at the Temple
of Confucius we learned about the life of Confucius and the sages and philosophers
of Confucianism. Again, the buildings on the temple grounds were magnificent
and the photos I took are numerous. The two pictures I want to show you are
from the inside of one of the Imperial College buildings. The Imperial College
is located directly next to the Temple of Confucius and is where the emperor
taught students throughout the year. I wonder if any of the Bush School
professors would like to have a classroom like this to teach in.
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| (Above: In the center of this large room is where the emperor would lecture students when he visited the Imperial College) |
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| (Above: Another viewpoint from the emperor’s classroom) |
Our last stop of the day was at the Temple of Heaven. The
Temple of Heaven was dedicated to annual ceremonies of prayer, led by the
emperor, to Heaven for good harvest. Again the grounds were filled with beautiful
buildings and nature that made you forget you were in one of the largest cities
in the world. In the center of the grounds is the Hall of Prayer for Good
Harvests and is the iconic picture from the Temple of Heaven.
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(Above: The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests)
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After a full day of sightseeing in Beijing, all four of us
headed back to our hotel to await the arrival of our classmates who would
arrive the next day. That evening the four of us spent time with Dr. Mu who
treated us to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. We shared our first
experiences and impressions of China with Dr. Mu and enjoyed a great evening
filled with food, entrainment, and friends.
In subsequent posts I will share with you some of my other experiences
in Beijing and Shanghai that happened once the rest of the class joined us.
Till then,
Taylor Smith
