Study Abroad - China
 In Country
Blog from China Trip
12/27/07 - 01/08/08
Catch up on how some 20 Culver-Stockton College students and faculty members spent their a 10-day trip to China that focused on gaining insight into the culture as well as Chinese business and education.
Culver-Stockton has designed its study-abroad program to offer two- to three-week learning experiences each year. The shorter programs allow students and faculty to share a learning experience by traveling together. C-SC also offers more traditional study-abroad programs that allow individual students to study at a foreign college or university for extended periods of time -- a semester or a year. Academic credit is given for study-abroad programs.
Day # 01
Submitted by: Dell Ann Janney
12/27/07
After a long 14-hour flight, we arrived in BeiJing, the capital city of China with a population of 17 million people. Our tour guide, John Huang, is wonderful and treasures the rich history of China. We met up with a group of 13 MBA students and faculty from Kansas State University, so our group total is 32.
Day # 01 - 02
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
12/28/07
Not much to report today, but here it is. We all arrived safely at the Beijing airport around 4:00 p.m. December 28. The flight from Chicago to Beijing took about 13 hours. The time in Beijing is 14 hours ahead from our local time in Missouri which is quite an adjustment. Our only early disaster was one piece of missing luggage that never left Chicago. There is an all-out search to find the bag so hopefully it will arrive tomorrow.
We were met at the airport by our Chinese guide, John Xhang, who updated us on the itinerary for the trip and then escorted us to a traditional Chinese restaurant. We were served seaweed and pork soup, eggplant, several vegetable dishes with either beef, pork, or chicken, tofu, an egg dish, and other not fully identified foods. It was all pretty good and fun to eat with the chopsticks. Tomorrow we will visit a beer factory. Our Culver-Stockton group is being joined by a group from Kansas State who are all graduate students working toward an MBA or a masters in economics.
We are staying in a hotel in downtown Beijing. One of the interesting differences in the hotel is that you must place your room key in a holder inside of the room door to activate any electricity. This prevents wasting energy as you must take the room key when you leave and all power is shut down to the room. This makes it hard to charge electronics while we are out!
Day # 02
Submitted by: Dell Ann Janney
12/29/07
Our first stop was the Yan Jing Brewery tour. The facility was huge with 10,000 employees (many of whom live in apartment complexes on the property.) It was an interesting tour.
Next, we went for a rickshaw ride (carts with bike riders pulling them.) A vendor asked Jeff to buy some chopsticks, but he didn’t finish negotiating before it was time to get into our rickshaw. It was hysterical when we were just down the road and there was our vendor chasing us on his bike shaking those chopsticks at Jeff. We went through the Hutong area, which is the oldest part of BeiJing. We went into one of the dwellings of a family, and the owner described his life. He was very proud of his heritage and shared about his tiny abode. When we finished our rickshaw ride, we ran back into the vendor who so vigorously pursued the sale of chopsticks, and the vendor recognized Jeff and started calling out, "Two dollar."
Day # 03
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
12/29/07
Our first full day in China was awesome and busy. We began with a 6:30 wake-up call to prepare for the day ahead. Everyone worked on exchanging dollars first thing in the morning at the hotel office. The current exchange rate gives us approximately 7.5 RBM for each $1 U.S. We also had breakfast on our own in the hotel restaurant, which was served buffet style. Some of the foods were familiar; other choices were unusual. A chef was frying eggs at the start of the line, followed by fruit, bread selections, different types of noodles, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, a milky soup and rice soup. There was also a dry cereal, which was very hard and chewy, not at all what we expected. Two different fruit juices were available. At 8:00 the bus transported us for about an hour to the Yanjing beer factory.
We learned the Yanjing was a former name of Beijing city and is the largest beer company in this part of the country. The company employs approximately 25,000 people with 5,000 employees dedicated to research and development. It is a very progressive company that was only formed in 1980 but which has grown quickly to be one of the top beer producers and distributors in China. The factory was similar to beer factories in the U.S. Yanjing is also distinctive for its equity ownership. Shares of the company stock are sold on the exchange within China. There are 10,000 factory workers in Beijing who earn approximately $300 per month, a very good wage for China. The factory area includes some employee housing and a large exercise field that looks much like an American football field.
After a lunch at McDonalds (how ironic) the group went to the Drum Tower area where we enjoyed rickshaw rides through the Hutong district. Hutongs are small alleyways and are now protected by the government as historic landmarks. Without the governmental protection, most areas succumb to development as condo areas. A family opened their home to our group today, which was an exciting way to glimpse the home life of the Chinese people in this area. This home was owned by a former engineer with the Chinese space program who now lives easily on a government supplied pension. It would appear that this family is wealthy in that they owned this home in the expensive historic, Hutong district. There were six rooms in the home. We sat on stools in the living room which was approximately 10' x 12'. There was little furniture, only a small table, a couple of chairs and a hutch displaying gifts that visitors had shared with the family. The bedroom had a simple mattress on the floor. The kitchen was about 6' x 6' and had a small amount of counter space, a two-burner cookstove, a sink, and a small refrigerator. Most families shop for their food daily at markets and bring it home to cook and serve fresh.
The evening meal was a special treat at a famous local restaurant that prepared a traditional Peking duck dinner. Our servers spoke little to no English but still managed to demonstrate the proper techniques for eating the meal. Some of the dishes were the same as our other meals with a few new choices. Dessert was fresh fruit which was very popular. Our evening ended around 8:30 at the hotel.
Day # 03
Submitted by: Emily Johnston
12/29/07
We started the day off at 6:30 when the wake-up call rang. After we got everything ready to take on our tour we went downstairs to eat breakfast. The breakfast was western style and that means that it is buffet style. The food served was noodles, tea eggs, boiled eggs, sweet bread with jams, and orange drinks. After breakfast we went to the foreign exchange desk to make an exchange of money. In U.S. money we exchanged $40 and the result in Chinese money was 298 yuan.
After leaving the hotel we went to the Yanjing Beer Group for a factory tour. First we went through the processing plant, which showed us the fermentation process, the purifying process, and the bottling and distribution process. The second thing that we did was we visited the Yanjing Bar for a taste of what the beer was actually like. After that we went to the final part of the tour, and it was a movie of how the beer group was moving up the ranks in the polling. The movie showed us how the Chinese have improved their market in the past years.
After we left the Beer Group we went back into the city to eat lunch. Today was a free day for lunch meaning that we got to eat McDonalds (yay). The prices at the McDonalds were at the same level as what it was in the United States. The food seemed to be the same as what we have in the states, other than that some of the menu was changed. One of the changes was that there was fried chicken.
After leaving from lunch we went to ride on rickshaws in the Hutong district. The Hutong district is the center of Beijing, it is the place to go if you want the history of Beijing. The word Hutong means small alleys, which is exactly what the streets are like in the district. The large Hutong streets are big enough for two cars and the small Hutong streets were big enough for only one car. The rickshaws were big enough for two people, and the tour guide rode with us in the rickshaws to show us some historical meaning. We were taught about what the face of the home means, showing us that the stones are not just for decoration but mean that the family is high in the government. Also there are other symbols on the door that would show how big the family is. After getting the description of the doors, we met with a family that shared their home with us and answered a lot of our general questions. One of the cool things that we learned was about how each family has a pet in the courtyard; this family had a hawk or small eagle.
The last thing that we did was have a Peking duck dinner. I am really picky so I didn't really care for it, but some of the other food was good. The food is not the greatest thing that I am experiencing.
Day # 03
Submitted by: Neil Gau
12/29/07
Since the two posters above wrote about the schedule and cuisine, I'll try to avoid doing the same. Beijing is very different, and culture shock has been pretty standard so far. For example, as soon as we got off the bus in front our hotel after arriving, we ran into beggars. They were patting their stomachs and saying "Hungry, hungry". This was a surprise...Our guide, John, explained that there are beggars and also "professional" beggars, since every citizen is supported by the government, only some choose to add to their income by begging. Our other first experience with Beijing were the street vendors. These people sell souvenirs, like postcards, chopsticks, etc, and they latch on to tourists. The same bunch of vendors literally followed our group around today, even waiting for us while we ate inside McDonalds. They're....persistent, to say the least. Best thing to do is not make eye contact with them, but if they do keep asking you, we learned that "Boo-ya" means "No, I don't want to". Which is nice, because I've been saying that for a while now, but never knew that it translated to a phrase in Mandarin.
There are some similarities though: there must be 10 or 15 knock-offs of "American Idol" or "Dancing with the Stars" on T.V.; so that's cheap entertainment for us while we're staying at the hotel.
I've never seen so many high-rise apartment buildings in all my life. Everything is very structured over here, from the city planning down to the way the trees are planted alongside the road.
Biggest problem so far has been the language barrier. We've learned two or three phrases in Mandarin and also how to sign to 10 using one hand; but if our guide isn't with us, we're lost. There are a couple of people from the Kansas State group that are fluent though, so they act like mini tour guides for us.
The Peking duck was OK. Overall, the food isn't that bad, just takes some getting used to. And the beds in the hotel are like concrete slabs.
Day # 04
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
12/30/07
Today we left to see a section of the Great Wall north of Beijing and learned about the history and construction of this amazing structure from our Chinese guide, John. The wall was originally separate province walls for the different nations that eventually united to become one China under Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). The emperor ordered the walls connected to provide protection from the Huns who resided north of China, the area now known as Mongolia. During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) the wall was repaired and enlarged with guard stations and watchtowers added. The Ming dynasty was the next to last dynasty before the feudal system was abolished in 1911. The wall is a little over 4,000 miles long. Much of it is in disrepair now, though the area we visited, the Badaling Section, was in excellent condition and is one of the most popular visitor areas for the Wall.
I don't know the outside air temperature at the Wall today but I do know I was as cold as I have ever been trying to climb on the Wall. The wind was unbelievable! It was so hard to imagine how anyone could have built this Wall by hand under the harsh conditions we experienced today, and I think the weather could have been much worse. There is no snow here right now, and I think we were lucky there. According to our guide, the Wall is built from clay stones that were formed by the workers. It doesn't look like clay and internet sources state that it is quarried stone, which is more what it looked and felt like to all of us. The height varied, but considering that it was hanging on a mountain that seemed to drop straight down (nothing like most of the mountains in the U.S.), it seemed pretty formidable. There were guard and watchtowers fairly close together. Our guide stated that the guards used smoke signals to alert the army to intruders. The Wall was wide enough for maybe 10 or 12 people to pass at once. The area where we climbed went up to eight towers, but I quit at four. The climb alternated between narrow stairs and steep inclines. Fear of heights would definitely intimidate you from crawling around too far as the protective sides are only two or three feet high while the drop beyond was hundreds of feet.
There was some government commercial offerings along the Wall entry (hot coffee and chocolate, gloves, film, etc.) and many street vendors with hats, gloves, scarves, and trinkets. The vendors are very bold, and we have learned Chinese phrases to say "NO" - mostly they laugh when we try! The vendors climb up and camp out in some of the watch towers. They have my respect for standing in that wind and cold for hours at a time. We were allowed an hour and half to be up on the Wall, but I had plenty after only an hour.
We made several stops on our return to Beijing. The first was at a cloisonne factory where we saw the ancient art of enameling on copper. The process is amazingly tedious with each piece requiring hours of work over several days. The copper is hand trimmed and formed into various shapes, i.e. vases, boxes, ornaments. Next small copper strips about 1 mm wide are added in intricate designs to the face of the piece to hold the enamel. The piece is then fired to cure the glue before enamel is added. Each color of enamel is added with an eye dropper and carefully moved into the proper area. The piece is then fired and the enameling process repeated up to seven times so there aren't any unfilled depression areas. The final piece goes through a three-stage polishing process. The pictures we took won't do justice to the beauty of the pieces, but rest assured that we fueled the Chinese economy by purchasing many items to show back in the U.S.
We had lunch at a restaurant on the second floor of the factory. It was again a traditional Chinese meal. The meals are served on lazy susans in the center of the table so you just spin and serve from dishes as they go around. We have developed games like spin the wheel and whoever a designated food lands in front of must taste the unknown! Most everything has been really good, but then again some of it is really strange to our palates.
After leaving the factory we were able to drive by the Olympic venues in Beijing. We saw the main stadium called the Bird's Nest for its unique shape, the swimming and diving pavilion called the Cube, another outdoor track area, and the Olympic village. I think the designs are really unique and will make this Olympics stand out for China. The games are huge in Beijing with print and TV advertising everywhere - even on the mountain by the Great Wall!
Our final afternoon stop was at a government-run tea shop where we tasted four different teas and were given instructions on the culture and history of tea in China. Many of the students said this was there favorite stop so far (I'm sure being inside in the warmth didn't hurt there). The ladies who demonstrated the teas were really nice and kind of funny as well. We were again given the opportunity to purchase teas and cups from the shop which we did! Discussion of what will be dumped in China from the luggage so everything can come home ensued on the bus ride to the hotel. The evening dinner was at a new Chinese restaurant. The only difference at this means was that the cuisine was more traditional to southern China so we tried some interesting new choices!
Day # 04
Submitted by: Dell Ann Janney
12/30/07
Today we toured the Great Wall of China, which was built over many years, but joined together during the Xin dynasty. It was amazing! Jeff and I hiked to the fourth tower, and I felt like I was going to be blown off of the wall due to the powerful winds. In fact, one woman was blown down to the ground, and our tour guide commented that we should not walk near the edges. I can see why given the wind that could blow you right over the side of the wall! It was arctic—the temperature was frigid with the winds blowing around 50-60 mph. As we climbed very steep steps, I could feel myself having to breathe much harder due to the higher elevations in the mountains. Going back down the wall was certainly much easier than going up! The cup of hot chocolate in the gift shoppe couldn’t have tasted better—and helped us to thaw out. I would love to go back to visit the Great Wall in May when the weather is a little more comfortable, and I wouldn’t have a fear of blowing over the side of the wall.
After the Great Wall, we went to the cloissonne factory. We toured the manufacturing area, where one of the workers looked to be 14. The painstaking detail on the vases was fascinating. The cloissonne shop with its beautiful artwork was a place where I could have shopped for hours. As soon as you decide that you are interested in buying, a personal shopper begins following you around. One of the K-State students, Jimmy, is from Taiwan and he explained that I could buy the cloissone cheaper in Shanghai, but that it would not have the quality that I got from buying it here. I spent so much money at the cloisonne shop that I needed plastic!
Day # 05
Submitted by: Dell Ann Janney
12/31/07
It’s New Year’s Eve here, and the Chinese do indeed celebrate our New Years—taking three days Dec. 31, Jan. 1st and Jan. 2nd. Today we walked through Tiananmen Square. Our tour guide, John, was joined by an additional tour guide, Michael (Chinese name Chien.) The Square is huge with the congress building located on one side near the famous building with Chairman Mao’s picture that leads into the Forbidden City. Michael gave a great tour of the Forbidden City, sharing many details of the history of the emperors that reigned over the Forbidden City. Many of the details were about the Dragon Lady—the mother of the last emperor in the Xing dynasty (the last of the dynasties.)
In the afternoon, we toured the Pearl Market, which was fun; one of the employees demonstrated how the pearls are removed from the clams, and explained the difference between the freshwater pearls and the river pearls in China.
In the afternoon, we toured the emperor’s Summer Palace. This peaceful setting on a lake (which was partially man-made) was fabulous. The Dragon Lady was famous for having a marble/granite ship built at the Summer Palace.
To celebrate the New Year, the C-SC group ventured out on our own in taxis to head to Outback Steakhouse! This was an entertaining adventure. The best way to describe riding in a taxi is to say it’s like getting in with a Nascar driver. Our taxi driver spoke no English, yet on the trip home, he knew that our group wanted to beat everyone else back. And boy did he ever put the Jeff Gordon maneuvers on.
Day # 05
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
12/31/07
Today was our last day in Beijing, and we stayed within the city to see three important sites: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. Tiananmen Square is very close to our hotel located in the older sections of Beijing. It is the governmental center for the nation and has several buildings as well as the famous large courtyard. The open area would hold 1 million people - it's huge. The body of Chairman Mao is displayed in a building in the square inside of a glass coffin. We weren't able to go into any of the buildings today because this is part of the 3-day celebration of New Year's, and all of the buildings were shut down. There is a huge military and police presence within Tiananmen Square, but probably not as large as the street vendor population. One of our three Chinese-speaking friends from Kansas State said that the vendors called us cheapskates today for not buying trinkets. We looked at what they had, and we already had just about everything from their friends down the street! I spent time on the internet last night researching and reading about the places we were to visit today and was surprised to find that any negative sites with information about the students killed in Tiananmen Square in 1989 is blocked from our computers. Our tour guides also did not mention anything about this famous showdown.
We exited the square and entered the Forbidden City, which is the former home of the emperors from the final two dynasties in China, the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City name is derived from the fact that everyone except the emperor and those he invited were forbidden from entering. It is a huge fortress including bricks five layers deep to prevent tunneling into the area. There are many buildings inside, some of which are being restored beautifully in time for the Olympic games. We were able to look inside some of the buildings and see the living quarters of the emperor, the empress, and the many other wives taken by the emperor. Even though the buildings were 500 years old, you could tell the families had it good!
After lunch and a visit to a pearl market (yes, we spent a lot of money again), we visited the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace as it exists today was funded by the Empress Cixi who took the money from the Chinese navy to create the lavish house and gardens in the mountains on the outskirts of Beijing. Everything is absolutely beautiful, even in the dead of winter there. The weather was nicer today after the extreme cold of yesterday, but we were outside walking most of the day and definitely cold by the end. Tonight we have decided to take a "Chinese break" for the new year and celebrate at an Outback Steakhouse. Happy New Year to all.
Day # 06
Submitted by: Jim Cosgrove
01/01/08
Hi. Sounds like you are having a great time. The journals are interesting to read; keep them coming. We have snow here and predicted 12 below for tomorrow, Wed. The Great Wall sounds like a geat experience and a great social experiment. Growing up when I did, the pictures you are sending certainly are too modern for my impression of China. Hope all goes well the rest of the trip.
Day # 06
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/01/08
Yesterday was a travel day from Beijing to Xi'an, which meant that we moved from the north to a more southwestern location. The emphasis from our Chinese guides is that we are in "western China" and in a much older city. Xi'an is a very historical location having served as the capital city of several dynasties. Its history, as preserved in the Museum of History that we visited yesterday, goes back 1.5 million years. Many emperors are buried in this region so there are many artifacts that have been unearthed and are on display. We saw both recovered and reproduced artifacts in the museum including pottery, human and animal remains, and partial structures. There was a great emphasis on the dynasties following the Chin era when China was unified. Our city guide in Xi'an is named Rainbow and she is really great.
After the museum, we visited a Buddhist temple area known as the Big Wild Goose Pavilion. The legend surrounding the area is that a large goose dove from the sky and died near a group of monks who took it as a sign of sacrifice and that they should give up meat and become vegetarians. The area was beautiful and included a seven-story temple that could be climbed for a small price. Our tired legs and spending habits said "no thanks" to that opportunity. We did walk around and several bought some souvenirs, which will help support the 200 monks who live on the property. Because it was still during the new year celebration period, the area was pretty crowded. There were large red lantern decorations and many people bought red candles and incense to burn for luck in the new year.
Our final tour stop today was a peasant art gallery. We had a guide who gave us the history of the paintings and plenty of propaganda on the wonderful teachings of Chairman Mao. The paintings and other art work were beautiful but the inside of the building was actually colder than outside so we did not appreciate this visit as much as we should.
Dinner was served back near the temple and was a Buddhist meal. We all knew what that was going to mean - how many ways can you disguise tofu! I'll try the spaghetti noodles, no tofu. How about the cheese strips - yes, another way to fix tofu. Of course, there is the traditional just chunk it up and throw it in a sauce. Sushi, no not exactly! The meal earned its place at the bottom of our collective lists. John, our EF tour guide, took pity and offered a trip to KFC after checking into the hotel.
The hotel was a pleasant surprise as it is probably twice as nice as our place in Beijing. Everything is nicer, newer, and bigger. That is a surprise as this is a much less modern city, but we'll take the good finds as we get them!
Day # 06
Submitted by: Dell Ann Janney
01/01/08
Today we left BeiJing flying China Eastern airlines to Xian. Our tour guide who joined John today, went by Rainbow. Her knowledge of the history of Xian was excellent, especially the terra-cotta warriors. After we arrived, we drove directly to the China History Museum. This museum holds artifacts from 3000-5000 B.C. as well as the various dynasties over the last 3000 years! We were able to see up close the actual terra-cotta warriors, statues that surrounded the emperor’s tomb. We also toured the Peasant Museum with rice paper artwork. When we attempted to depart, our bus driver could not maneuver the bus out of the very tight alley, and the whole group was entertained by his masterful driving to get the bus back onto the street without taking out the cars parked along the street.
Finally, we toured the Wild Goose Pagoda which is inhabited by 200 monks. We observed many local visitors walking by (staring at us, too.) Many were couples with only one child. A beggar woman was thrilled when Terry Sherer handed her a dollar. Small children played (without a parent anywhere to be found) and smiled and waved at us. We finished the evening with a vegetarian Buddhist dinner.
Day # 07
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/02/08
Today is our final day in Xi'an. We visited the terra-cotta digs and museum. It was beyond amazing. We were able to see a movie with the history of the creation of the statues as well as hear our guide tell us about this era in Chinese history. While I had read about this discovery before, and even viewed some wonderful pictures, there is nothing like standing there firsthand to see something from 200 B.C. that doesn't seem possible to create today. They estimate that about 750,000 people worked on creating this tomb area for the emperor over a 40-year period.
We had another lunch at another Chinese restaurant, this one serving traditional dishes from this area. It was okay. One of the young men from Kansas State sat at our table and told us that he and two of his friends had ventured out and eaten on the street. They had a sandwich which was pretty good - he had no idea what was in it - and then tried sheep stomach soup. He said it was awful but that he wanted to say he tried it.
In the afternoon, we stopped for a factory tour at a U.S. joint venture company, System Sensor. It wasn't really good as the manager could not speak English and his helper had only been with the company for five days. The floor itself looked pretty typical for an American plant with Japanese influences. The company assemblies smoke detectors, only manufacturing one small part. The remaining parts are imported from the U.S. The plant had been established in 1994, and I was a little surprised that more of the manufacturing had not been moved over here.
Day # 07
Submitted by: Krista Linn
01/02/08
The lunch today was the best we have had so far. Yesterday we had a Buddhist dinner that was vegetarian, and it was horrible. The meat is the best part of Chinese dinners. The terra-cotta warriors were amazing. The Chinese say that they are the eighth wonder of the world. Some of the statues were broken into 2,000 pieces, and the archaeologists were able to reconstruct them. The only problem I have been having is the weather. Even the buildings are not heated. But there are many street vendors who will sell you gloves and hats and anything else for very little money. I have enjoyed the trip so far, and I am excited about going to all the other cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Day # 07
Submitted by: Foster Courtney
01/02/08
Glad you all made it safe. I enjoy reading the blogs and looking at the pictures. If someone could, please tell CR to check her e-mail.
Day # 08
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/03/08
No new news as it is the middle of the night, but I'm just so happy to be able to finally access the Culver-Stockton websites thanks to our webmaster - thanks Kyle. The Chinese internet access seems to block some areas rather randomly. Everyone will be up soon as our luggage has to be in the lobby by 6:00 a.m. today for our flight to Shanghai. Students just love 5:45 a.m. wake-up calls! On a positive note: that's 3:45 p.m. back home.
Day # 08
Submitted by: Caly Kite
01/03/08
My first day in Beijing started out really early. We woke up around 4:00 a.m. with nothing to do but watch television that you can't understand. After breakfast we started the day off with a tour of a local beer factory. We then enjoyed a nice lunch at McDonald's. After our nice American lunch we toured the more rural area of Beijing. The group enjoyed rickshaw rides through many hutongs of the city. Leah and I had an amazing rickshaw driver who immediately began the ride by wishing us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year while he bundled us up in a blanket. During the tour, we met up with a different tour guide who explained to us how the Chinese houses were designed. We then met a local who gave us a tour of his home and explained to us the family history in the house and how it was to live in Beijing. I am amazed by how content and happy the man was with his house. The house was designed around a courtyard with four different rooms. The house did have running water, but they had to use coal for heat. To us, this house would be lower class; but in Beijing, it is actually one of the nicer homes to live in. We then got back on the rickshaw tour where our rickshaw got run into by a motorcycle. It was a little scary but seems to be quite normal for traffic in Beijing.
Day # 08
Submitted by: Dell Ann Janney
01/02/08
The old city of Xian very much has a third world feel to it. Everywhere you look there are people, and many beggars. One mother sent her little boy (who was probably about 6 years old) to beg for money from Dave Gaither (who towers at about 6’5”) As I watched this little boy plead for money, it makes you sad. Dave and Kim sent him off with dollar in his cup. The smog in Xian is unbelievable. We never really saw the sky today—just a haze.
While I thought that the Great Wall and the Summer Palace were awesome, the highlight has now become the terra-cotta warriors. These buried clay warriors, discovered by a farmer in 1978, were made by the workers of emperor Xin (who thought that they would protect him in his after-life.) Archaeologists estimate that there are around 6,000 of these soldiers that were made to surround the emperor’s tomb 2,200 years ago. The tour of the terra-cotta warriors, which were in “pits,” was fascinating as it allowed us to walk directly around the soldiers and see them in what is thought to be the formations they were originally in back in 200 B.C.
Jeff and Kim made a competition out of who could get the lowest price for a box of terra-cotta warriors. Kim made her first purchase of terra-cotta warriors at 30 yuan, and Jeff followed with a purchase at 20 yuan. Kim bought her second set at 15 yuan, and as we were about to leave the grounds, Jeff purchased one more set at 10 yuan. The vendor said to Jeff, “sshhh, our secret.” It was hysterical. Wish I videotaped this comedy. It would have at least been worthy of Youtube.
In the afternoon, we toured System Sensors, an American company headquartered in St. Charles, IL. This company manufactures fire alarms, and the plant, which was described by John as “not a typical Chinese plant” was very clean and was laid out like many of the electronics manufacturers in the U.S. One can understand why the U.S. outsources to China, as the workers are paid a whopping 200 yuan a month (and this is a good wage in China!)
Back in our hotel room, the evening's entertainment was watching the crazy traffic out our window. It’s kind of like watching a Charlie Chaplin move, but better!
Day # 09
Submitted by: Becky Johnston
01/03/08
What awesome pictures...such color and of course it was great to catch glimpses of Em, Neil and Jane. Enjoy and learn much and we'll see you on Tuesday evening.
Day # 09
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/04/08
This is our second day in Shanghai. Our internet access has been limited here. The hotel is interesting to say the least. Everyone is learning to buck it up a bit! We arrived at the Pudong Airport yesterday about noon and immediately got busy seeing Shanghai. Part of the group took the high speed train into the city, which went about 200 mph - everyone thought it was cool. The rest rode the bus in, and we met up at the train station. Our first stop was the tallest tower, Jin Mao 88, in the city. The architect for the building was Adrian Smith, brother of C-SC alum, Dennis Smith. It was a beautiful building offering an unbelievable view of the city from the 88th floor observatory platform. Our next stop was at the Bund district, which again offered great views along the riverfront. There are lots of European architectural influence in this area. Our final stop was at the famous Naijing shopping street. Everything you can imagine at varying prices.
Now the good stuff: we ate mostly American, but our friends from Kansas State ventured out again. This time they tried chicken feet! One of our new friends (Brandon) said it was going okay until the tendons starting flexing and it felt like the chicken was trying to get away! We played it safe with Papa John's and Pizza Hut.
Also, we had lots of trouble with beggars and vendors today. They were incredibly aggressive. I was trying to take some pictures, and they were hitting me with their cups. Jeff made the mistake of dropping one yuan in a cup, and then it was crazy as they swarmed around him.
Day # 09
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/04/08
This is the last few hours in Shanghai. We have had another busy day visiting YuYuan Gardens and a bazaar nearby. A new friend, Jimmy, showed us a back area where the merchants sell to the vendors. Hopefully, we did get a few bargains. They all took U.S. dollars, which was good considering how it's dropping like a rock overseas! The gardens were wonderful and our guide, Annie, did a wonderful job explaining all of the histories and symbols. We continue to learn so much about this part of the world and its very long history.
Our second stop was another Buddhist temple, the Jade Buddha temple. There are two large carved jade buddhas inside along with numerous buddhas made from wood, marble, etc. It was again very beautiful and peaceful.
Lunch and our game of "spin the lazy Susan" was at a traditional Chinese restaurant. I decided to play warrior today and try every dish offered. In general we are served 15 to 20 dishes at each meal, many of the items unknown to us. I tried tofu fixed three different ways this meal. Our group is doing a wonderful job with chopsticks at this point. When you can eat rice, peanuts, and eggplant without a mess, you are doing well. We are trying to learn the proper techniques as we go.
The afternoon brought a great tour of a VW plant that is a joint venture with Germany. It was a super opportunity that included a presentation by a manager, a question-and-answer period, and golfcart tour of the floor. It is a very clean and efficient-looking plant. On the other hand, OSHA would have a heyday fining the plant. Only about half wore safety glasses, most were welding with minimal protection, and very few had hearing protection.
Our last scheduled event was an optional excursion to see the Chinese acrobats. I'm not even going to try to do justice to the experience. I know the students are going to rave. Suffice it to say that it ended with five guys on motorcycles inside of a steel cage!
Day # 09
Submitted by: Krista Linn
01/04/08
I think Shanghai is a great city that has a lot of potential. I enjoyed going to the current tallest building (a taller one is being built), the Jin Mao. This building is 88 stories tall, and we reached the observation deck in 45 seconds. The Yuyuang garden was beautiful. The Chinese garden was filled with rock formations and ponds stocked with koi. The buildings in the garden were also amazing. Outside of the garden there were corridors with shops on either side. These shops had more of the traditional Chinese items like silk dresses, fans, and chopsticks. Although the vendors in the streets are very pushy, most of the vendors in the shops were pretty nice. Overall, I like Shanghai the most out of all the cities we have been to, but I am looking forward to Hong Kong.
Day # 09
Submitted by: Samantha and Brack Collier (C-SC 1988)
01/04/08
Hello to all of you adventurous travelers from Culver-Stockton! My husband, Brack (C-SC, class of 1988) and I are so enjoying reading about this trip, we feel like we are there with you. Thank you for providing this service for alums and friends of the college. Safe travels!
P.S. We are dying to know how our dear friend, Dr. Sherer is doing, he has not blogged yet! We want to know how he likes the food! :)
Day # 10
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/05/08
We arrived in Shenzhen today. Since the start of our trip, we have traveled from the northern area of the Great Wall and are now in the subtropics area. The weather was nearly 60 degrees when our Shanghai Air flight landed. This is a new city for China. It existed as a small village (200,000) prior to the opening of China at the end of the 1970s. Over the last 25 years it has grown to almost 3 million - they still consider this to be a small city. The growth was fueled because it was selected by the central government as one of the five special economic zones after China was opened to other countries.
We have seen more wealth in this area than the other cities, though we know there are wealthy people in each of these cities. Here we see it in the expensive European and Japanese cars (Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus) and expensive condominiums. But still there are many poor people on foot and bike. They live in horrible shanties here just like the other cities. This country is such a study of contrasts. There seems to be so little middle class here. That is one of the major goals of the central government over the next 20 years.
After arriving in Shenzen we had an hour drive into the city for lunch. It was horrible. Most everyone ran next door to McDonalds. The Chinese restaurant was really dirty, and food was either completely bland or extremely spicy.
Our business tour for the day was the first nuclear power plan built in China, located about an hour outside of the city. The place was really pretty - great landscaping, including a sandy beach. There about 3,000 workers, all of whom live on site in dormitories. It was interesting but a lot of driving for something that is impossible to tour.
Supper was at the hotel. It wasn't quite as bad as lunch, but Pizza Hut is headed to many of the rooms up and down the hall. Tomorrow we head by train to Hong Kong. We will have a new guide and must say goodbye to John. We have enjoyed him so much and will miss our new friend.
Day # 10
Submitted by: Barbara Cole
01/05/08
Hi everybody. I have enjoyed the information from China and please tell "Dr. Sherer" that his sister says hello!
Day # 11
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/06/08
Yesterday morning we left mainland China moving from Shenzhen into Hong Kong. We were under the impression that we would have a 45-minute train ride to move between these areas. That was wrong - we walked. First we went up several sets of stairs, then down corridors, then down stairs, then through immigration out of China with paperwork, more walking, then immigration into Hong Kong, and finally more stairs. Of course we dragged all of our luggage (regretting some of our purchases at this point) through all of this. We walked, filled out paperwork, and stood in line for about an hour and 15 minutes. Remember, we are now in a subtropic region so we were all feeling pretty grungy by this time.
Now we got on a train, which was really just the subway system for Hong Kong. I'm sending along a couple of pictures so you can see it looks pretty Western. Actually, this whole area feels very Western after leaving the mainland behind. Over 50 percent of the people here are bilingual, and there are many Western shops and restaurants available. There is naturally a very European feel to much of the city.
After our arrival, we had our final Chinese meal. It was pretty good and in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the harbor. I'm not sure any of the group will look for Chinese food in the near future, but we've had some pretty good experiences. The food in this area includes a lot of seafood. After lunch, we loaded back up on the bus and toured a bit of the Kowloon district but then headed for Hong Kong Island. Our new guide, David, explained the culture and the sites as we traveled to Victoria's Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. We had fabulous views of the city. We are near the financial district and could view the I.M. Pei-designed Bank of China. Next, we traveled to the Aberdeen district on the waterfront. We took sampan taxi rides out into the harbor to view the fishing villages where people have lived on the water for generations. David explained that these people had it pretty good because the government provides a lot of support without cost and many of them live in quite a few square feet compared to those on land.
This area is again a study of contrasts with average condos going for $3,000 a square foot - plus maintenance fees. On the other hand 65 percent of the island residents live in government housing, which range from 400-600 square feet living areas in total. They only cost about $300-$400 a month plus utilities but just one big room plus a bathroom. David brought it home by pointing out that most people live in an area the size of the bus. Then he said that you must wait three years to even get in the housing. Again, we appreciate our own situations so much better!
Our last two nights are in a pretty nice hotel - a Ramada Hotel that seems very Western. After checking in, we negotiated the city by tram to eat at an area designated as "European city." There were several choices - our group opted for steaks and Italian - it was great. Today we are free to roam until 3:00 p.m. when we travel back to Kowloon to another shopping area, then to dinner, and finally a light show. One last night and then 24 hours of traveling home. We have had a great time, but are really looking forward to home.
Day # 12
Submitted by: Steve Wiegenstein
01/07/08
I am really enjoying reading your entries! Sounds like a terrific learning experience. I'm eager to hear more once you get back!
Day # 12-13
Submitted by: Kim Gaither
01/08/08
Our final day has begun as we are packing and preparing for our long journey home. Yesterday was a free day, and everyone enjoyed selecting their own itinerary. Public transportation is easy to use, inexpensive, and relatively clean. We have used trams, ferries, buses and subways.
Our final scheduled activities began at 3:00 yesterday afternoon with a tram and subway to Kowloon. We spent time in a shopping area called Ladies Market. Then we went to dinner at the Spaghetti House.
Our guide, David, then took us to a light show at the Convention Center. The lights are all on the high-rises around Victoria Harbour and synchronized with music. It's hard to explain but really neat to see.
We then rode back to Hong Kong Island on the Star Ferry - another must do for a visit to Hong Kong.
We will be leaving in less than an hour and will be traveling about 24 hours to arrive back in St. Louis. Keep us in mind as we fold our legs into economy class! Hope everyone has enjoyed reading about our trip as much as we have enjoyed being together here in China.
Day # 14
Submitted by: Terry Sherer
01/14/08
Thomas Friedman was right in his book, "The World is Flat"! His contention was, essentially, that China has been a great civilization several times in the past 2,000 years and is poised, once again, to take a leading role in the world's economic, social, and political evolution. The USA will only benefit by recognizing and learning from what looks to be a spectacular achievement on the part of a government and society that is only nominally Communist (who are they fooling; they've become enthusiastic capitalists!).
First of all, the opportunity to touch the magnificent (and often sad) history that is China was a joyride for me; I could not get enough of it! The Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Tinniamen Square, the New Year's Eve dedicatory concert (with Seija Ozawa, Lang Lang, and Kathleen Battle)of the National Center for the Performing Arts, the awesome (I don't usually use that word) terra-cotta warriors (an archeological find beyond imagination), the gardens, the Jade Buddha, the Wild Goose Pagoda, the wonderfully colorful kites set loose on New Year's Day, the tea ceremony, The Great Wall (where everyone was close to frostbitten), the extraordinary cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong. No wonder China was selected for the 2008 Olympics!
More later as I explore my many thoughts and observations of my first trip to China (does that sound like I might be going back?)
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