Grown in China

City Trees by Jake Lau

2008-06-10T07:47:00.002-05:00

In Shanghai and Beijing, city trees are planted in a similar fashion to trees in the US. That is to say that they choose a tree and plant it up and down every street. In Shanghai, the tree of choice is the Sycamore. You can tell how recently the street was built judging by the size and shape of the trees. The sycamores are pruned using the pollarding system. This allows the Chinese to control the form of the trees. The sycamore is a cool tree to be planted on the street. Even in the winter months, when the tree loses its leaves, the tree still looks pretty. Exfoliating bark is something that always catches my eye. So even though, sycamores might have been the only type of tree in Shanghai, I didn't get sick of seeing it.

In Beijing, there is more diversity of street plantings, but not by much. There are willows, Japanese Pagoda trees, and Gingko. I thought after seeing all the wonderful herbaceous plantings throughout the city that there wouldn't be this much of a monoculture of trees in the city. I am curious to what the Chinese are doing to prevent insects or diseases from wiping out these monocultures like what happened with the american elm and what will soon happen to Ash trees in the States. Good luck with that China, but I'd start planting some other trees soon.

turf! by Jake

2008-06-10T07:40:00.002-05:00

Before going to China we had several people tell us that there is not a lot of turf grass in China and the grass that is there is off limits. When we arrived, I was expecting to see two blades of grass locked up behind a fence the whole trip. It turns out there is plenty of turf in China and most of it is heavily guarded. Usually by a sign that reads, "don't trample the grass" or "affection deserves greenness." Or, on instance at the People's Park in Shanghai, a security guard waits along the edges of this huge open space full of turf waiting until two foreigners try to take a step on the lush green grass. Within 3 steps on the grass he blows his whistle and signals us to get back on the path. What fun are paths anyway.

agriculture in China by Jason

2008-06-10T07:25:00.000-05:00

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Fruit stands by Jake

2008-06-10T07:24:00.003-05:00

Fruit stands are common place on large city streets. I like the idea of these stands because they provide fresh fruit to people working in the cities. These little stores are a nice way to stop for a snack or pick something up for later. The availablity of these stands is the key to their success. I wish there were stands like that in the US. I don't think there are enough people walking the streets for these stands to be successful here in the states. Nor are there enough people that would stop and eat fruit.

Bikes by Jake

2008-06-10T07:15:00.001-05:00

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Ginseng by Jake Lau

2008-06-10T07:12:00.000-05:00

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biking in China by Jake

2008-06-10T06:56:00.003-05:00

Jason and I rented bikes during our time in Beijing and it was an experience. We were equipped with old cruisers that were too small for us, go figure, and sent on our way. We had seen how the bikes maneuvered through the streets so we thought we were ready to take our chances. We got out on the roads and realized that it was pretty easy to do. Once you go over the fact that the speeding car approaching the intersection was going to stop, everything went smoothly.

Beijing has many bike lanes, so bike travel is fairly easy. That, plus Beijing is relatively flat. The largest hill in Beijing might be an entrance to a highway. But, these bike lanes are not just for bikes as we soon found out. Cars will drive on these large bike lanes too. I mean why not, the car fits. Why shouldn't they get to drive there? The cars would weave through bikers, honking their horns as if the bikers were in the wrong place. How dare they bike in that lane? This was annoying and slowed down bike traffic. There were also pedestrians hanging out in parts of the bike lane. I know there is a sidewalk, but why would anyone walk on that when there is this large bike lane to walk in. Sometimes there were just too many people around so some overflow on the bike lane is expected.

We quickly learned that the best way to make it from point A to point B is to just bike. Even if there was a red light in front of us, just go. If there was a large gathering of people on the bike lane, just go through. They have special bike lights on the roads to help move traffic along, but if there is an opening, just go.

After a short stop to repair a loose chain, we made it back in one piece. I would say that biking is a great way to see a lot of the city.

Oh. And locking up your bike. This is different from the US. Rather than having bike racks to lock up your bike, all you do in china is lock your bike to your bike with a chain or clamp. I think this is because there are just so many bikes that it wouldn't make sense to put up bike racks. I mean there are just too many bikes for bike racks to hold. So if you want to lock your bike up, all you do is park it and lock it where ever you like. I don't think bike theft is much of an issue either. Everyone already has a bike to ride. Plus a lot of the bikes are about to fall apart, so it isn't a good investment.

spitting by Jake

2008-06-10T06:26:00.003-05:00

tchwoa! Thats the noise, or something like it, that many people on the street in China make. It happens when you have phloem in the back of your throat and you don't want it there. I don't want to come off sounding that I thought China was disgusting because I didn't. This, however, was one thing that got to me. So, instead of hearing that noise and then someone spitting, you don't hear anything else. Maybe it was just me and I was lucky enough to hear that over and over again, but it seemed like people had a bunch of stuff in their throats that they wanted out, but not out of their mouth. Weird. There was also spitting. People spitting everywhere. For some reason I think that there might be a fine for public spitting in the United States. Either way, spitting grosses me out a little bit and is one thing I wasn't fond of in China.

beautiful streets by Jake

2008-06-10T06:07:00.003-05:00

What a pleasant surprise it is to find potted plants and perfectly manicured bushes throughout the cities we traveled. That is after you work the knot out of your neck from looking up at all the monstrous buildings. It seems as if there are three uses for land in the urban areas. Roads and buildings are the first two and take up the majority of the space. But the plants have taken what they can get. If an area isn't being used for transportation or taken up by a skyscraper, the area is planted with Petunias, Salvia, Snaps, pansies, along with many others. These areas are usually corners or areas near sidewalks that are well maintained. And the number of these small patches of plants increases around every corner.

Even the roads have plants on them. Potted stands of flowers and bushes run along the edges of the major highways. These stands are connected by drip line which means water automatically flows to the plants. This is safer and easier than using a watering truck or watering crew on the highway.

The medians and strips of land along the highway are used as nursery space. The area on the way into Shanghai from the airport is spectacular. Mass plantings of trees are followed by rows of bushes and then flower beds stretch for what seems like forever. In the United States, we chose to leave the median empty of any plant diversity or attention. However, I seeem to remember the southern US highways being pretty.

Is it tea time?

2008-06-10T00:36:00.001-05:00

It is hard to say what my favorite place we visited on the trip was but the tea plantation is one that comes to mind right now. This place was really beautiful. All of the hills and valleys were covered with plantings of Camellia sinensis. I think of this place once in a while when I am at my summer job at the Horticulture Research Center (HRC) here I work with apples in the apple orchards and sometimes day-dream about what it would be like working in a tea plantation. At the plantation tea is harvested, hand dried and packaged. It was a really great place to visit and now I have even more respect for tea after seeing how long the process is from harvest to the first cup of tea.

Did I eat that?

2008-06-10T00:30:00.004-05:00

Going to China I expected a vast difference in food. I told myself before I went I would at least try an entrée if placed on the table.
So there I was sitting at our first meal. It was a decent meal consisting of rice, fish, potatoes noodles and mixed vegetables. The meal is usually ended with watermelon or other types of fruit.
All of our meals were set up by our tour company and over the next two days we were brought to “toury” restaurants where we would enter and no Chinese customers would be present. After eating at these restaurants we were walked through some type of gallery and expected to purchase an art piece. One night we were even served French fries at dinner – traditional? I don’t think so.
Most of us were a bit upset at this. Here we were in a different country looking to experience as much of it as we could. After these few disappointments we told the tour company we were disappointed and they rearranged all of the rest of our meals to feature more authentic cuisine.
The most authentic meal we were serves was at Zhejiang Forestry University. Here all nine of us students got to enjoy a dinner with two of the universities grad students. This was helpful because they showed us correct ways to eat our dinner. We were told that the plate was for discards and only if you needed a spot to rest your food to get a better grip on it.
This was the most interesting dinner we were served. Duck tongues were one of the first items to spin around our table and thank goodness I have friends like Jake to insist I take one by placing it on my plate. Needless to say I ate this and it is a delicacy in China. Sea cucumber was the next entrée this was very slimy and very fishy and some people almost weren’t able to swallow this. Also at this dinner were pigs ear, this however, I did not try. Other food throughout the trip consisted of squirrel fish, snails and carp.
I was a somewhat picky eater before this trip but now have a deal with my mother stating she is never allowed to call me a picky eater again or I will serve her a platter of duck tongues.
sea cucumber!
http://www.reefseekers.com/PIXPAGES/Yap-Palau%20'04/Grazing_sea_cucumber.jpg

Note to Self (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-09T22:32:00.000-05:00

On our second day of the trip I purchased a blank journal at the Shanghai Art Museum. Each day I would bring it along to take notes, write down any Chinese that might come in handy, and reflect on the days’ events. By the time I was back in Saint Paul the blank journal had been filled front-to-back.

I couldn't resist... (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-09T22:28:00.001-05:00

at the summer palace

Jazz and Yoga in the morning (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-09T22:20:00.001-05:00

Among my favorite experiences in China, some of the most enjoyable were the early morning wake-ups when I unrolled the yoga mat. I brought my mat with knowing I would make good use of it; and although I didn’t limber-up every morning, I was certainly happy to have my mat with me for three weeks.
Adjusting to stiff hotel beds (which, as I discovered, I actually prefer), being on your feet for hours each day, and near constant travel to keep on top of our jam-packed itinerary made each yoga session (I was spending anywhere from five minutes to 30 minutes) so worth it. I’m not sure I would travel anywhere without my mat.
Along with morning yoga – before breakfast – I would sometimes listen to jazz on my computer or on Jake’s computer. Not once did I hear jazz in China; however, the Chinese seem to enjoy instrumental holiday music – this was a little surprising and actually became annoying. The music on my computer was limited and I was forced to give up a few albums as my hard drive filled up with pictures.
We were not without music, as Jake had a whole bunch on his computer. The most frequently played music (for me an Jake) included Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis; I’m probably forgetting something also.

Look ALL ways before crossing the street!

2008-06-09T17:36:00.003-05:00

Spending a lot of time on the bus traveling to and from our various destinations throughout the trip we became well immersed with the wonderful world of driving in China. We were warned before we left that it could be quite nauseating and even just downright dangerous. I noticed quite a few similarities between the way we drive in Minnesota and how people drive in China including...1.The only time a blinker is in use is when the cops are around...2.Yelling and swearing at the car in front of you would make a difference...assuming the person could actually hear you...and finally...3. A red light means stop, not just push right on through, or you will get a ticket. Now I say these things only in good humor because you really do see them here on a daily basis, but that doesn't necessarily make them ok. I did however notice 2 major differences...1. A Chinese driver loves the sound of their own horn. I do not think there was ever one ride on our bus or one hour out on the street that we did not hear the sound of a car horn. I find people here in the U.S. to be conservative when using their horn even if they have a strong desire to do so, but in China it is often used to let a fellow driver know that they are moving too slow or to express anger to someone merging into your lane...of course without a blinker...or even in special circumstances like when our bus driver was honking at the cars in front of us filling their gas tanks at the gas station. I guess he thought they should pump a little faster. The second major lesson I learned/witnessed is the pedestrian has no right of way. If you have a green light to cross the street and there is a car or scooter or even a bike that wants to turn right you better look out because they don't stop for anyone...and if you don't be prepared to hear the wonderful melody of car horns that are emitted from each car that you wrongfully prevent from turning the corner. The most interesting part of all of it though was even though we heard about how bad the driving was and witnessed some of these silly things I dont think I even saw 1 accident on the whole trip. Quite Impressive.

Always a friendly face

2008-06-08T20:42:00.003-05:00

I felt so welcome in China. Ever since we arrived we were greeted with friendly faces. People on the streets would want to practice their English with us and we would always reply with a “Nihao” (hello) and “Zaijian” (goodbye). When we were walking on the streets we were taking as much pictures of the area as people were taking pictures of us.
One of the neatest experiences I had with communication was at Zhejiang Forestry University. Here we met with a small group of students and they took us around their campus. On the way we stopped at there library and looked through a plant book. The language barrier was interesting because in the “plant world” the Latin name of plants should be universal. We ran into some trouble here because Latin is a hard language for the students to learn. It surprised me though because with descriptions we could talk about the same plant but just call it by something else.
To be honest I had more culture shock entering back into the US. We were greeted in the Chicago airport with somber faces, and a flight cancelation. Just stopping for a second and looking around at the hurry, and frenzy people were in made me instantly miss the comforting and welcoming country we just left.

What I have missed.

2008-06-08T19:54:00.003-05:00

Being in China for only two weeks had a huge impact on me. I loved being around all of the happy people. I felt very safe there and the food was always something interesting. The one thing I really miss is using chopsticks or "Kuai Zi." Since I have been home this is one thing I have been trying to implement during meals that are somewhat suitable for this. Tonight, for instance was a dinner of Mac-&-Cheese. This was a challenging feat since the Mac-&-Cheese is not as sticky as rice.

Mysterious White Peacock

2008-06-08T17:02:00.003-05:00

Ok, the only peacocks that I have ever encountered in the United States are the normal blue and green peacocks at the zoo in Madison, Wisconsin. I have never in my life seen a white peacock. Well, I got my chance while at West Lake in Hangzhou. We were walking along the lake after our boat trip, and here was a white peacock. Some of us ran after it trying to get a good shot of it. The poor bird kept squawking at us and just seemed to want to be left alone. It was really really cool to see a white peacock. After doing some research on the internet, I found out that the white peacock is not an albino peacock but rather another version of the traditional peacock that we see in the zoos in the United States.

It's Ahazing!

2008-06-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

The haze in China was unbelievable. Before we left we had a chance to see numerous photos from our various speakers all of whom had traveled to China and it was quite easy to tell how bad it was because all of the photos were so dull and you could not see very far into the distance. I however loved this. I had taken photography this spring and have really fallen in love with sunsets and clouds in the sky and in a place like China it just seems easier to catch a glimpse of these things since you could actually look directly at the sun. There were actually very few days that we had trouble with the rays because most often they would not be very strong once they had finally reached the ground...dont get me wrong...it was downright hot...but I was happy that I was able to catch these few photographs of the sun and sunset on our river ride. There were also a few days when we woke up and looked into downtown Shanghai and you couldn't even see the tops of the skyscrapers. It almost looked like the buildings were unfinished because they just disappeared at the top into the white cloudiness...but unfortunately I do not have a photo.

Jade – The Living Stone

2008-06-08T15:27:00.005-05:00

Picture from http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11872357/Gorgeous_Chinese_Old_Green_Jade_Bangle_Bracelet.html

The one souvenir I wanted from our trip to China was a piece of jewelry. I wanted something that whenever I looked at it I could forget everything that is happening and get lost in our wonderful trip once more. I wasn’t too sure on what I wanted until I noticed how popular jade was. Every shop we visited had jade in some form appearing as, earrings, bracelets, necklaces or Buddha’s. On one of the last days in Shanghai we visited Shanghai’s No. 1 Department store and there Chengyan helped me pick out a bracelet. Not knowing too much about jade at the time, I found one in my price range and fell in love with it right away. Chengyan mentioned to me that the Chinese call jade the living stone because it is constantly changing color. She said it can be used as a guide to how healthy a person is. If a person wearing the stone is healthy it becomes clear and bright while if the person becomes unhealthy the stone is duller in color. Hearing this sparked my curiosity in other myths and folklore about jade. Thus my research began to learn more about this fabulous stone.
Let’s start with the word in Chinese, "jade" (yu) refers to a fine, beautiful stone with a warm color and rich luster, that is skillfully and delicately carved. In Chinese culture, jade symbolizes nobility, perfection, constancy, and immortality. For millennia, jade has been an intimate part of the lives of Chinese of all ranks and classes. It is viewed as the most valuable of all precious stones.
The most valuable form of jade is known as imperial jade and comes from Myanmar, it is an emerald green color. Jades also appear in mottled green and white, and the rarer colors of yellow, pink, purple, and black. The range of greens are light to dark, creamy, grayish, and also white.
http://www.allmyanmar.com/new%20allmyanmar.com/myanmar%20jade.htm
The stone’s composition is comprised of 30 elements, all of which are needed by the human body. This is where the healing power of jade comes from. In older days jade powder was added to drinks
as a health supplement.
Jade Folklore and Healing Properties:
Jade is thought to protect the kidneys, liver, spleen, heart, larynx, thymus, and thyroid and strengthen the heart. It improves the immune system, helps cleanse blood and aids in eye disorders.
Ancient people thought that wearing jade would increase body strength and add longevity. Jade is an ancient symbol of love and virtue, clarity, modesty, courage, justice, wisdom, peaceful, nurturing and dispels negativity. It is also noted that jade is a powerful emotional balancer. The most interesting folklore is that jade protects the wearer and each crack in the stone represents one time that the stone saved the persons life.
I didn’t purchase my jade bracelet for any of these reasons but they all make my souvenir a little more interesting. Every time I am out and the sun catches it the right way I am distracted and taken back to the fantastic memories that were made on our trip to China

References:
http://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/jade.htm
http://www.jadeisus.com/aboutjade_main.htm

A Climb to the Top

2008-06-07T21:48:00.008-05:00

While we were in Hangzhou, we went to the Six Harmonies Pagoda as Colin wrote about. The climb was a total of 13 stories but you could only walk out to the deck on the odd numbered stories. Some raced to the top while I took my time and stopped on each floor that I could. I found this pavilion and thought it would be cool to take a picture of the pavilion on each floor. I thought that it would give some perspective to just how massive this pagoda was. It took me a while to do this because I had a hard time trying to find the pavilion each time as it shrunk on each floor. Sometimes I had to walk around each floor two or three times to find. The view from the top was spectacular and worth every step. Here is the result.

Mahjong

2008-06-07T21:48:00.006-05:00

One night in Suzhou, our bus driver went to go meet his friends to play mahjong. Chengyan told us more about the game and we found out that Chinese mahjong is nothing like the American style solitaire mahjong. Renee suggested that Chengyan teach us how to play mahjong. Well, we looked for a mahjong set and I had the fortune of finding a mahjong set that Chengyan got me for a very good price- about $11. Although it was a good price, the joke was on me because the mahjong set is very heavy and I of course insisted on carrying it on the plane with me back home but that is another story. Anyways, we never got to play mahjong but I did learn the rules and the necessary Chinese characters for the game. The game is composed of four main sets of tiles. The first set is composed of north, south, east, and west Chinese character tiles. The second is fa, middle, and the door. The third is pies and the forth sticks. This game is kind of like rummy and is played with four people. To start the game, A north, south, east, and west tiles are found and each person takes one of these tiles. The person with the east tile starts. All the tiles are laid out in rows two deep and 17 long. The person with the east tile rolls the dice and whatever number they get is where they start drawing tiles for the game. The next person draws and it continues until each person has 13 tiles. After this, the game starts. The goal of the game is to get four sets of three and a pair. The sets are composed of either all of the same tile or a run. A person may either draw a tile or "eat" a tile. A person may "eat" a tile if they wish to have the tile that the previous person discarded and this is played when going for a run. A person may also "hit" any players tile if going for a "set". With both of these, the complete set must be shown to all players. The first person that gets the four sets and the pair wins. This game is also a gambling game but Chengyan told me several times not to gamble! Maybe we will "gamble" with peanuts or cookies! It was really fun to learn how to play mahjong and it was also interesting to see the real mahjong instead of the online solitaire mahjong.

Botanical Garden

2008-06-07T21:47:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite horticulture visits was to the Shanghai Botanical Garden. That is mostly because I love flowers. Throughout the garden, I saw many flowers that I had never seen before and also flowers that I recognized. Although it was hot, it was fun to roam around the garden.

We saw the "Peace and Harmony" garden that had a water lily and a crab type topiary. The words for peace and harmony in Chinese are close to those for water lily and crab. It was interesting to see all the different topiaries and to learn what they meant as well. I wish that we had more time in the garden. It was a peaceful walk and a nice refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city.

I agree with Melissa

2008-06-07T17:08:00.000-05:00

I would definately have to agree with Melissa's post on "Knowing A Little Chinese can go a Long Way". Learning Chinese was one of the favorite times of the trip for me, between learning it in class and everyone was so afraid to try, to then learning it on the bus where we were so into it, and finally trying it out wherever we went. However, the thing that I found to be most peculiar would be, even though they would smile or even clap for us as Melissa said, that the majority of the time they never responded in Chinese but in English instead. So not only were we enjoying our new cultural immersion, but the local people were excited that they could use that chance to use their English as well. I can not even count how many times we were on one of our tours and people saw our huge group and yelled "Hello" to us and laughed and kept trying to talk to us in English, it was really fun for us, almost as if we were celebrities...they especially enjoyed taking pictures of us...or at least Hannah...whenever they could.

Opps... It is not 6...

2008-06-07T09:33:00.003-05:00

On our first morning in China, my roommate Hannah and I woke up before our wake up call. We had left part of the curtains open. we proceeded to get up and get ready. The kicker here is that neither of us had the correct time and there was no clock in the room. At the front desk in the hotel, there are clocks from all over the world. Hannah ran down there to find out what time it was and it was only 5:30 AM! We had already been up for quite awhile. We figured that we got up between 3:30 and 4 AM. So we patiently waited for our wake up call to come at 6:30 so that we could go down to breakfast. We were one of the first at breakfast and we hung out. We later asked Chengyan and we found out that all of China is under one time zone to make doing business easier. Because we are out east it meant that the sun came up super early! Here is just one of the main cultural differences that I noticed in China. With all of our time zones in the United States, the sun rises at a normal time every morning. So if ever going to China, remember to close your curtains, have the correct time, and not worry if you look outside at 4 in the morning and the sun is shining brightly!

Knowing a Little Chinese Can Go A Long Way

2008-06-07T09:12:00.003-05:00

Throughout the semester, one of our professors Chengyan Yue, taught us some basic Chinese. We learned hello, goodbye, thank you, your welcome, and bathroom. Once we got to China, we tried to use the words that we learned right away. At customs, I said thank you and goodbye in Chinese and the guard smiled at me. That was the case everywhere we went. Anytime that we tried to use Chinese, they would smile, laugh, or even clap! As the trip continued, we would bombard Chengyan with how do we say this in Chinese or that. By the end of the trip, we learned how to count, say how much is it, and even leave me alone! Although I could not always say it exactly and received by a blank look, I would try again. When the other person would finally understand what I was trying to say, it was a break through and we would both laugh. By knowing even a few words in Chinese, we were able to connect with the people encountered and it was one of my favorite day to day experiences.

To Squat or not to Squat: That is the Question

2008-06-06T08:40:00.004-05:00

Picture by Megan Mathey, China 2008

As this will be my last post, I wanted to be humorous! Hope some can relate...:)

When nature calls, there is no obvious way to escape! During one of our garden expeditions, I was faced with reality...I had to go. After managing to "ask" in Chinese for the nearest restroom ( ce suo, 4th. and 3rd. tone, I think) and graciously tanking the little old Chinese lady, with my best smile (shie shie 4th. & none); I hurried up. As you know by now, having following us along the way; it was really hot and humid, I like to call it tropical. Therefore, the bathroom floors and walls were glistening with a film of water...aka very slippery, and a "mysterious' odor was floating in the thick air.

I was happy to see that there were at least 10 doors in the large room. I opened the first door...a hole!Let's try another one...a hole, one more....another hole! No toilet available here! I guess that was it. I entered the cramped stall, facing the wall in front of me, and I managed to lock the door without incident.Now I needed to face the door, so I could use the hole properly...after a successful 180 degree angle turn, I had achieved my goal. OK, I needed to hang my backpack which I carried throughout our trip with the "essentials" for the day. No hooks. "Great!!!!" I told myself. Anyway I made sure my trusty sunglasses were well positioned on my head; and I proceeded to unbutton my pants, pushing it down my knees. Then came my underwear, which was clinging to my skin because of the humidity, then my sunglasses fell back on my nose...at least they were not on the floor, or in the hole...yet! There, after a while both pants and underpants were on my knees. Now the challenging and perilous squatting to the ground level; I bent slowly making sure my feet were comfortably flat on the 2 "feet slabs" ( take a look at the picture!).Suddenly, a thought came to me, how on earth do I know if I can aim at the hole? I took no chances, I juggled with my sunglasses that kept slipping on my nose, and at the same I was holding with both hands, the legs of my pants tight to my skin...I there I had done it, aiming and staying dry! Now, I had to stand back on my 2 feet without any misstep. After great concentration, I had succeeded. Where is the toilet paper? I looked around the stall...NONE!!! It was going to be way to complicated to get a tissue from my backpack that was miraculously still on my back. So, I put my underwear and pants back up. Now , the last challenge...flushing the "hole" without being flooded over! I pulled the makeshift rope...a loud deep noise like a rumbling was heard... the water came rushing through... I held tight....it was over.

I got out of the stall, beaming with a large smile...having conquered the "Chinese Hole". I was proud as a toddler who had just managed to use the training potty chair! ( except I did not get any gummy bear for my exploit!!!) I then proceeded to the sink area and washed my hands fervently with soap as if all the microbes and bacteria of the world resided here. You need to know that I was still beaming. I was looking at myself in the mirror thinking : where is the paper towel dispenser? None to be seen. As I was rinsing my hands, I peaked one more time in the mirror and I could see ladies shaking their hands to remove the excess of water. I decided to do the same; then I turn around still very proud of myself smiling; little Chinese ladies were looking at me like I was from another planet then I realized that not only I was the only one beaming..I was the only white too!

So, for all the men and boys who always have to wait for us; now you understand that going to the w.c. is a challenging ordeal for us, ladies and girls.

I hope everyone enjoy their trip to China, I certainly did. Thank you to all of you, and have a great summer!

Calcium...not in a Cup of Milk!

2008-06-05T06:49:00.013-05:00

During our stay in China, we did not see a lot of dairy products. Milk was offered only at breakfast and mainly for cereals, and yogurts were also available during that meal too. The yogurts were different than the one in the U.S.; they actually were "drinkable", actually there were always little straws by the basket of yogurts. I never saw a piece of cheese either. So I was wondering how the Chinese people would get this important mineral, especially for us, growing up in a country were the food pyramid is an obsession, and were high school kid are taught about osteoporosis. ( disease of bones where the bone mineral density is reduced which may lead to an increased risk of fracture). I started to look into the food that we were actually eating everyday, and obviously found out that we were eating a ton of green leafy vegetables, and knew that they contained calcium but I thought that "they" could not be as good as good old dairy products...right? Well, I was wrong! Most Chinese do not consume dairy products but instead get all their calcium from vegetables, according to Dr. T. Colin Campbell nutritional biochemist from Cornell University. They also eat fish and usually eat the bones, we tried but were not successful...it must be an art...we almost choked! They have many different soups which are cooked for a long time, softening the little bones from meat which they also eat.

From the same article, I gathered that 40 to 60 % of the calcium in those leafy vegetable is absorbed by the body. Here is a list of calcium-rich vegetable, in no particular order; leaf and stem of daikon ( giant white radish),soy-bean, choy-sum ( little picure), watercress, spinach, kale, many lettuces, mustard & turnip green, and broccoli. Another source of calcium which is also available, are all the soy products like soy milk, tofu and Tempeh ( fermented soy bean). Now that we know that those beautiful veggies are a great source of calcium, I learned that "many green vegetable have calcium-absorption rates of over 50%, compared with about 32% for milk", I was very surprised, I did not know that. Everyone knows that cooking vegetable "to death" diminish the benefits of the minerals and vitamins. So, here is a quick way to cook any of the vegetables mentioned.

Quick stir-fry: In a large pan add a little canola or olive oil, make sure it is hot bot not actually burning. Place the veggie in the pan, making sure to coat the vegetable entirely. This process take a maximum of 5 minutes. Then remove from pan, put in a plate and add few drops of soy sauce, or favorite herbs.
Quick boiling: Boil water in a large pan, making big bubbles! Then place the whole veggie in the boiling water few minutes (3-5min.) depending on how crunchy you like your vegetables. Retrieve & drain from water. then cut up into sections that you can actually pick up with chop stick. Add soy or oyster sauce.

What an easy and fun way to add calcium in our diet! I hope you try!

from Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Choose Vegetable Calcium over Animal Calcium.

A Nation of Few Children

2008-06-04T07:28:00.006-05:00

I "knew" about the One Child Policy established by the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1979, to limit communist China's population growth. It had been designed to be a "temporary" measure...it is still in place today in 2008; it was obvious, the children were no where to be seen. Then I realized that we did not see them because school was still in session! So, when 4:30-5:00pm arrived, looking from my bus's window, I could observe few school age children walking in groups of 3 or 4 carrying their schoolbags, stopping for ice cream before going home. They looked happy and were very well dressed. I did not expect to see many kids but that was a shock to me; maybe because I have 3 of my own, and I am use to have their friends over; I am also amongst them ( I will concede a little older!) at the University. Whatever the reason, it felt strange to me.

However, along the way, I learned that the "One child policy" was not mandated for every Chinese couple. There were important differences and not everyone was equal. This policy is mainly restricted to ethnic Han Chinese living in urban areas. Citizens living in rural areas and minorities living in the country are not subject to the law.The Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group in China with 91.5% of the population, which is about 2.1 Billion people! China recognizes 55 other ethnic groups like the Zhuang (16.1 million), the Manchu (10.6 million), the Hui (9.8 million) and so on. These minority do not have to comply with the 1979 Policy.

Today, there is a new generation of young people which are in their child- bearing age, 29 years-old and younger. As a result, a special provision has been made, allowing for instance some couples to have more than one child. Couples who are themselves without siblings can have 2 children without being penalized, however there must be a five year gap between the children.

Couples who are college educated are also permitted to have 2 children, because it is economically feasible according to the Policy. However, I believe that in the near future, this Policy will be again changed or eliminated because of the pressure of global economics, human rights and so on. Another important reason is also the fact that the Chinese population is aging and problems in the long run will arise.

Numbers taken from The England Journal of Medicine, Sept.15, 2005

Explanations about policy given by Dr. Chengyan Yue

Picture from Jason Skinner, May 2008

Wedding Crashers

2008-06-03T23:26:00.000-05:00

May and June are definitely the months to visit China if you are interested in crashing weddings. I can not even begin to count the number of times that we saw men and women dressed in suits and white gowns to take their wedding photos at West Lake and the numerous gardens...If there is one season in China there is definitely a wedding season. It seemed that no matter what day of the week it was we always ran into people taking pictures. This was on our boat ride out at West Lake...keep in mind it was like 85 and humid on this day. The best part was we even spotted some of the brides wearing jeans or other pants underneath their dresses. When we asked Chengyan about this we were actually surprised to find out that most often the couples do not take the pictures on their actual wedding day, but sometimes even a month afterward which is totally different from here when we take them most often the same day. Also usually the bride wears a different colored dress for the ceremony, the favorite being red if they are into custom, but more and more brides are turning to the western style with a white gown. We were even lucky enough to crash a wedding reception one night for dinner...we were the only ones in the restaurant who were not there for the reception, but we got to see the whole show. They had flares shooting from the floor and stage, they had a hired announcer to run the program, and of course a hired performer who sang just a little bit too loud.

YouTube Videos

2008-06-03T21:53:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to my YouTube page that has videos from the China trip!
YouTube

These folks weren't on the itinerary (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-03T09:21:00.003-05:00

Throughout our travels in China, I have met many individuals and shared interesting dialogue with each of them – the topics have varied, along with appropriateness, for such reason I will be ignoring what was discussed. These are the folks, in no particular order, whom I’ve befriended.
From the Reggae Bar in Hangzhou, the latest of my nights in China (returning to the hotel near 5:00 in the morning), I met many interesting characters. A bigger Chinese guy, with tattoos, who went by the name of Elephant, the bar-tenders Sean and Jake (at the end of the night Sean ended up waiving my extensive bar tab, so I gave him a nice tip), a fellow named Rod and later his uncle, Kana; Elias from Ethiopa, who was studying Chinese, a friend of Elias’ - Emmanuel, Dave from Ontario, and lastly a beauty by the name of Wang Meng. She is my age and is currently studying in Beijing. These guys were all older than me, but no more than a few years – except Kana.
After we visited the YuYuan Garden in Shanghai, two young women, art students, approached Jake and I and led us to a gallery where their work and their professors’ work was on display. Being an artist, and taken in by their friendliness, I couldn’t help but purchase a watercolor from one of them (I can’t remember either of their names, nor did I write them down, silly me; however, the watercolor I have is stamped, so Chengyan can translate for me).
When the class visited Zhejiang Forestry University, we were all greeted by students and had about an hour and a half to spend with them. Four ladies accompanied me and we walked around the small lake on campus. They were graduate students, studying landscape architecture, and they were very nice; I enjoyed my afternoon. Their names were Wu Tian jing, Wang Xiao Ru, Yu Hui yun, and Shi jie Qiong.
During our latter stay in Shanghai, I met three young women and this one dude – also a late night.
While in Suzhou, I met a few different people: a young lady at an art gallery (she was working) who’s English name was snow and at that same gallery I met a man who actually received a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota – this was indeed a surprise – his name is Jian Ding. Earlier that evening I met a guy named Thomas, from Ohio, at a bar. Thomas is in the middle of a two-year contract, fabricating and powder-coating car parts. He was kind enough to inform me what happens on the second floor of the bar – when asked he responded, “Whatever you want, my friend” as he pointed at all the pretty young women serving drinks and told me I could take my pick (Don’t worry, Mom, I finished my drink and left, I was only out to take pictures that night). Two women from Canada who are teaching English in Suzhou asked me if I was doing a documentary (apparently walking around with a camera and a tripod is a great way to meet people), we chatted and walked for a bit before they went on their way. Also when I was setting up to snap a few, a bartender wanted to look at my pictures; within a couple minutes I had her friend in the bar make me another drink. It was and “English” pub, with lots of Brits and soccer on the telly.
While at the Shanghai Botanical Garden, I ended up talking to someone from a wedding party – he was taking a break from the photo shoot. I talked with him and he translated for me so I could talk with the photographer too. Turns out, this guy, Hua gong Heng, went by the English name Jason, also. The photographer’s name is Lin jiang xiang. They liked soccer; these guys were cool.
After half the class returned home, Jake and I met a couple from Finland – we had lunch and shared a very cramped van-ride with them to and from the Great Wall.
At the Administrator’s Garden, in Suzhou, I met a woman by the name of Claudia; we were looking at the same painting in the gift shop. Claudia was on a “business” trip from Germany. She gave me her card in case I ever end up in Germany. And speaking of Germany, at the hostel in Beijing, I had a nice conversation with Jens, the journalist, also from Germany. He lives in Kiel and is visiting his sister, who is living in China and teaching German (her husband works for Audi). Jens’ birthday is July 8, one day after mine, and after expressing my thoughts about President Bush, Jens shook my hand; later he told me he was also a “greenish-hippie”. Jens is actually 20 years older than I am and he studied archeology; he works in the T.V. and radio field writing essays, articles, and commentating.
Our first day in Shanghai we ran into two older woman at the Pearl Tower. With the help of Chengyan, we found out one of them has a son – a student – in the U.S. She thought I looked a pretty girl because of my hair; and on that note I’ll mention the security guard at the Shanghai Art Museum who, upon first glance from behind, thought I was walking into the wrong bathroom. At the museum, I also talked to an older gentleman on vacation from Australia; he wasn’t impressed with his “civil-servant” tour guide and suggested that, with my interest in Asia, a trip to Vietnam is well worth it. Apparently the latest generations are over the whole ‘war thing’ and very understandable when it comes to younger Americans and other westerners.
Also at the Hostel, we spoke with three fellows from Denmark – Simon, Michael, and some other guy (I forget his name). They are finishing up their trip around the world during their gap-year. Another younger woman, Ilaria, from Italy, I saw last night and talked to this morning. She is also staying at the hostel and use to live in China; she’s back to visit friends and have a good time.
When the class was driving back to Shanghai we stopped at rest stop to fill up on gas; we were playing Frisbee and a couple Chinese workers (they might have been security, I’m not sure) were spectating. So I decided to introduce them to the wondrous Frisbee and within five minutes we were tossing across the parking lot – that was a lot of fun. We also played Frisbee with a bunch of engineering students while waiting outside a craft museum in the French Concession of Shanghai; that was cool too.
Miscellaneous persons: at night there were numerous security guards and Chinese residents or tourists who wanted to see the pictures I was taking at night – few spoke English, they were all nice and they were all happy for me to share my photos with them. I interrupted a couple on West Lake, in Hangzhou, as I took pictures of the lake at night. Jake and I encountered a nice man who helped us figure out where we were in the middle of Shanghai. There is also the guy and the girls who sold me my cheap-ass watch that stopped working; and, of course, the tour guides: Adam, Lili, and Leo. (Adam and Leo in the picture) I love meeting new people – it’s a good thing I know English, other wise I’d be lost.

Reflection

2008-06-03T07:05:00.005-05:00

Now that everyone made it back to Minnesota safe and sound, something comes up to mind. As it was my first trip to Asia, I am absolutely delighted to see China and its wonderful, smiling and welcoming people. Throughout my visit, I could feel that the Chinese citizens that I encountered made a lot of effort to be helpful and pleasant. It is challenging to be in a country where, I felt illiterate most of the time. I don't have to remind anyone how many people are everywhere at all time, but I always felt safe, even when I was the last one that entered the metro and a "metro attendant", physically pushed me in to make sure I would not stay on the platform. Few things still amaze me, even when one reads it in the newspaper or see it in a documentary of some sort, I could not get over 2 facts : 1. It is very crowded! and 2. People need a job... I saw numerous times people "working", however their job was already filled with 2,3, 4, or more. Here are a couple of examples, to cross a street by foot ( a "life threatening situation!") there was always 3 to 5 policemen; and half of them were smoking and having conversation with each other, not paying attention to the pedestrians! The second is, when we went to No.1 Department Store in the Nanking shopping district in Shanghai, I was stunned to see at least 10 women shop assistants, well dressed and smiling in the jewelry department, standing behind the glass counters filled with mostly jade ....as if they will have 10 potential clients at one time...amazing! However the system, it seems to work for now. It will probably change in the future as the economic system is transforming itself slowly. A beautiful and charming country.

Bye-Bye to Beijing

2008-06-03T02:46:00.001-05:00

After a brief ride to the airport by taxi, Collin, Alli, and Hannah began their departure from China at the Beijing International Airport.
After being stuck in line behind the Purdue Marching Band for a few hours, everything seemed to be going well as we boarded the plane. Alli and I made it on the plane, but lost Collin after a last minute bag check as we entered the plane.
As Alli and I took our seats and waited patiently for Collin, a Chinese couple came up to us and showed proof that we were sitting in their seats. It turns out that the airline had made duplicate tickets for our seats. We began getting impatient about Collins whereabouts and worried about our seats on the plane. However, everything turned out better than expected as we were upgraded to business class and found Collin comfortably sitting on the upper level waiting for us.
Complete with reclining seats, socks, and toothbrushes, the flight in business class was great and the twelve hours flight seemed to fly by even though we departed nearly an hour late.
However when we left the plane and began making our way to our connecting flight, we ran into lines and were some of the last few to collect our luggage. It turns out that we missed our connecting flight to Minneapolis.
Nevertheless, United Airlines was very accommodating and booked us on a later flight that evening and after an eventful day we made it home.

June 3, 2008; a late wake up at the Hostel in Beijing (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here’s the deal with espresso: make sure, when ordering, you are paying for yourself and not yourself and your friend in the corner. Second, rainy days always call for a double shot. Here’s the deal with the double – the first shot is to wake up and the second shot is for the nap later in the day. Beware, because every third cup of coffee is a guarantee to make you sleepy. And finally, room temp espresso is always – always – stronger than the hot stuff; don’t ask me why.

I don’t know if it’s the rain or my beat-by-Beijing-to-a-pulp-body, but I have absolutely nothing on my mind. It’s kind of nice, except that on days such as these, especially when in Beijing, with plenty of time to kill, I would be expecting more motivation, and a more active imagination. That espresso should kick in soon; or maybe I need to order that toast.
The two-dollar pair of flip-flops I picked up in Alabama has served me well in China. The foam has completely depressed to the weight of my feet and is less than one centimeter thick in a few places; I’m keen in wearing these sandals until holes appear – then I’ll know I need to acquire a new pair. It is easy for me to purchase new footwear, wearing the soles thin, rendering them useless is the best part of knowing you got your money’s worth. When one pair bites the dust it is obviously time to get a new pair. I like to acquire my footwear on an as-needed basis; this way selection is easier because my options are always limited by what’s available.
The espresso is working its way into my blood now; still, I see a trip to Starbucks happening later today – and I do hope the rain continues to fall. While in China I’ve felt one rainstorm, seen lightening once, heard rain again and felt a drizzle twice. The storm at the Zhejiang Forestry University was nice, but as I have experienced, rain in China is not quite the same as rain in Minnesota or Wisconsin. The atmosphere, I predict, has the most to do with this phenomenon.
Anther reason I would like to find a coffee shop is this: the music this morning at the café in the hostel seriously sucks, and is too loud considering – in my opinion – the poor selection. I feel that extra shot kicking in, as the yawns are creeping up on me.

Hobbies and happiness (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-02T23:55:00.002-05:00

The pitfall of being a photographer is the countless hours one spends organizing, editing, categorizing and presenting his work. The fun happens throughout his travels and encounters. Reward comes with sharing his work; joy is how he describes the entire process.

My Respect for a Country that Truly Respects It's People

2008-06-02T16:10:00.002-05:00

Upon our arrival to Shanghai we had to pass through the customs gate at the airport. As we were patiently waiting in line to do so the gate was all of a sudden closed before everyone one in our group was able to pass through. Being one of the people who had not passed through I was a little concerned until they attached their little sign to the gate that read something along the lines of, "There will be three minutes of silence for the vicitms of the earthquake." At approximately 2:28pm May 19-May 21 there was a designated three minutes of silence to mourn the loss of so many people to the earthquake. I was actually honored to be a part of this and to know that the country cares for it's people. But later I had an even deeper respect for this country...after we met Lily she actually informed us that we would have to alter our itinerary because they actually cancelled all entertainment for these three days out of respect for their people as well. This means that the Acrobatic Show that we were supposed to see the following night was cancelled and would be rescheduled for when we returned to Shanghai for the second time. When we turned on the tv at the hotel every single channel was news about the earthquake and even the radio cancelled its shows and was talking about the earthquake. Im not saying that tragic events such as this do not matter here in America, but I don't think that we would go as far as to cancel all of our entertainment so for this I have a deeper respect for China.

What time is it? (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

Today at roughly 6:30 pm, Beijing-time, my cheap, knock-off watch finally stopped working. We were watching the flag being lowered at Tiananmen Square; traffic and the sidewalks were blocked off. Stupid watch, what a joke.

Day One (Jason Skinner)

2008-06-02T10:10:00.006-05:00

Day one
May 20, 2008
Shanghai, China

Day one, as scheduled on our itinerary, began with a 6:30 am wake up call – enough time to fit in yoga. Breakfast was served at the hotel; a full buffet of fruit, breads, eggs, sausage, bacon, dumplings, rice “soup” (sort of a runny oatmeal), orange and mango juice, coffee, tea, and an omelet bar was available. It was a diverse offering of Western and Chinese foods. Our guided tour began at 8:00 am; we left about five minutes late.
We visited the Jade Buddha Temple; monks were praying and so were tourists and, I’m sure, many local residents were present. Bundles of incense, about a foot and a half in length, were being burned to communicate with Buddha.
The temple is home to a giant Buddha carved from Jade. The Buddha (unfortunately I don’t have a decent picture of it) is much larger than life. He is sitting, meditating, and must be over eight feet tall and almost as wide.
Next, we walked on the Bund - a pedestrian concourse along the Huangpu River. There were many tourists taking pictures and annoying locals trying to sell us roller-blade-wheel-attachments for our shoes, as if walking just wasn’t efficient enough. Flags and toys were also being sold; within a few minutes we learned how to refuse this junk by indicating we had no need for it: Bu yao (Boo yow).
There were vendors selling treats and food; I bought caramelized sugar-glazed hawthorn berries on a stick and they were delicious! We shared the sweetened fruits and headed for Nanjing Road, a well-known and very popular shopping area in Shanghai.
Perusing the street and the shops, we were warned about “salesman” who would lead us off the street to sell us more crap: watches, sunglasses, shoes, DVD’s, and bags were what they offered, “What you need?” they would ask us. These losers would follow you and bug you for a whole block, despite numerous refusals and attempts to ignore them. So, some guy overheard me talking to Jake, I was wanting to buy a watch because I did not bring one; and, yes, we followed this guy - he was polite, not annoying – up a flight of stairs and behind a closed door to a wonderful display of cheap, knock-off, “high quality”, brand name watches, handbags, shoes, and accessories. I looked at a couple watches and asked for prices. The girls in the store spoke minimal English, but we communicated; she told me how to say ‘black’ and ‘brown’ in Chinese and I her in English. Moving on to a “lesser quality” watch, one that wasn’t such a pricey rip-off, I tried to negotiate a price for a fake Longines watch; eventually I still paid too high a price of $35 – I’m really not the best barterer, I prefer sticker prices and sales; I don’t want to offend anyone, but whatever. (Later during our trip, one of the band straps broke off and the buckle also popped off – but this may also have been due to my 5:00 am return to the hotel from the bar across the street, it’s hard to tell. The watch is still wearable, and continues to serve me well) I had much fun shopping and the rest of the group was quite aware of it.
There are a couple things I would like to make note of; for lunch we had a “Mongolian BBQ” style meal – it was very good. An all-you-can-eat buffet of thinly sliced meats (lamb, pork, beef), veggies, and sauces were available; after piling the goods into your bowl, the contents were sautéed on a hot skillet the size of a card table. Three cooks were busy at each station; your bowl of food was rotated amongst each of them and then given back to you. The beer, Snow, wasn’t that good; it’s what I call keg-beer, or piss-beer – something you drink and then proceed to urinate. It wasn’t that flavorful or filling.
My second note is about the local newspaper; it’s posted behind a glass display case along the main shopping street, so news is available for free to the public – pretty cool. Lastly, there is fresh fruit being sold out of baskets on all the busy streets. About every block or two we could have picked up a bag of fresh cherries, loquats (like a small peach), bea-bearries (similar to a strawberry-sized raspberry), and liche fruit (I don’t know how to explain these, nor can I verify the spelling – they’re very watery, sweet, have a pit, and are translucent white in color; I guess they are comparable to a grape).
After lunch we went upstairs to a rug store. We saw silk rugs being woven by hand and there was brilliant display of rugs, large and small, for sale. Silk is colored with natural dyes; there are 650 knots in every square inch and some rugs take over 14 months to weave! No one in our group made any purchases; the smallest “rug” – more like a carpet square – cost $500. Sorry, grandma, maybe next time.
We visited the YuYuan garden; it is a “scholars garden”. We liked it; I don’t have much to say because most of the Chinese gardens we looked at are similar. Water, rocks, bonsai, leeched views, buildings, fancy floors, cranes, dragons, phoenix’s, high walls, easy to lose your sense of place, many small spaces, moon gates (the circular doorways), and lots of tradition, meaning, and significance for the way the garden was built and arranged.
Jake and I met a couple art students outside the garden after we finished our visit; they showed us their work and their professor’s work on display in a mall just outside the garden – I bought a painting, unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the student I bought it from, nor did I get her email – whoops.
Earlier in the day we walked around the Bund; as evening approached we enjoyed a short cruise on the Huangpu River – the river that the Bund overlooks. It was a very relaxing way to begin our evening; much of what we saw we had already seen, but the water was nice and the sunset was pretty.
Our dinner was “hot-pot” style; plates of food were brought out to us and then we cooked what we wanted in a pot of boiling broth in the center of our table. End of day; I forget what I did for the rest of the evening. I think we all went to bed early because we were so tired and had a long day.

Reading While Visiting China

2008-06-02T09:48:00.003-05:00

As you remember, our group travels by bus with a local driver and guide which we were forever grateful to have. However, like I said previously, going places in China is/was challenging, adventurous and a little stressful because of the amount of vehicles, cars, buses and tons of bicycles that always seems to go where we were heading! Thus, we had "plenty" of time to catch up on reading few good books pertaining to China...of course! This is what I read during my trip.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See. A beautiful book. This is the story of a Chinese girl named Lily who is about 7 or 8 years old and who is paired with a "laotong" ( in ancient China young girl were paired with older women to share a life long relationship for support). SnowFlower, the laotong sends Lily a silk fan written with a poem in nu shu. This was a secret and unique language that the women of the time period developed to "escape" the harsh control of their husbands and men of their houshold. This type of communication eluded all of the opposite sex! It was conceived to help the women through isolation ( once promise to marry, young girls would be captive in their own house until marriage, and then again by their husbands. After 8 or 9 year old, girls were never allowed to be outside their respective homes.) With this companion,they shared dreams, stories, and things that happen in their own household, gossiping about their husbands, talking about foot binding, loneliness and more. Throughout their lifetime the 2 will become more than friends, sharing a strong bond which helped them cope with their strict environment.

The Man who Loved china, by Simon Winchester. An extraordinary book about the life of Joseph Needham, a professor and scientist at the prestigious university of Cambridge, whose lifelong goal was to demonstrate that Chinese were responsible for a multitude of invention which were along the way attributed to others. His love of China started when a female Chinese student came to England; she became his lover for life. In 1937, after arriving in China, Needham started to explore the ancient empire of China. he met countless people along the way, learned Chinese perfectly, sided with the people of China, had great friendships with people of power like Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. During his stay in China, he removed boat-loads of documents proving that indeed China was the first to discover printing, explosives, the compass and even toilet paper! Back in England, he began writing a book; which later amounted to 17 gigantic volumes called "Science and Civilisation in China". Joeph Needham spent a lifetime talking, writing about the people of China and their enormous talent ...his love for China was endless.

For Those of You Who Think our Metro Transit Buses are Packed...

2008-06-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Try to get on the subway in Shanghai during rush hour. We decided that due to the fact that we did not have a bus scheduled to provide transportation for us on our last day, that we would test our luck with the subway to check out the French Concession and the musuem. Prior to our trip Alli provided us with a nice YouTube video that showed just how packed the subways could be and just how many people you could pack into one so of course we were all a little skeptical. When we arrived at the station we stopped at the little touch-screen operated ticket stand and purchased a one-way ride for 3 Yuan. We then proceeded down to the platform to the train. At each station there is a very nice display above the track that shows your location and each of the following stops.

So we patiently waited for the subway and much to our surprise when it arrived it was not very full. We were all able to make it on and we headed off to our destination.

We considered ourselves pretty lucky that we made it through without much trouble...but the return would not be so easy. When we decided to head back to the hotel we returned to the station and purchased our tickets and proceeded down to the platform, where it did not appear to be too busy as there were not too many people standing around, but we were wrong. When the train pulled up all the compartments were quite full and we were hoping that a lot of people would be getting offf...but they didnt. SO we did the only thing we could think to do...we pushed our way on, but unfortunately we left one brave soldier behind...but do not worry he caught up with us at our stop about 3 minutes later. So for those of you who are probably thinking it wasn't that full...here is a picture...and just remember this wasn't even the worst part of rush hour!

Chinese Names

2008-06-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

During a bus ride Chengyan, along with the bus driver and our tour guide Lili brainstormed Chinese names for each student in our class.

Shi΄ han΄ na` became my new Chinese name
English translation: time, sunrise, elegance

We all got stamps carved with our Chinese name.

Chinese Minutes! Beware!!!

2008-06-01T14:04:00.004-05:00

China is a huge country and traveling by road is challenging. Hopefully, we were bused most of the time, and this when book reading becomes second nature! So, going from one place to another is always an adventure in itself, not only because we will see new things, and we are excited about that; but because we have to GET there in the first place. The adventure starts as soon as our guide tells us " Hello everybody!!!!, we are going ....and it will take about 2 hours." Right there after a day to acclimate ourselves with time, we noticed that "Chinese minutes" were not worth the same as we thought they were! For instance a trip that SHOULD take 2 hours WILL take at least 3 hours. After our mini-adaptation, we were fine. However, what I found interesting was that the guides ( we had a total of 3), never apologized or gave any explanation whatsoever for the fact that it took more time than anticipated. Maybe Chinese people are more relaxed than us who are always in a rush to do things...while there I actually "learned" to take it a little slower...not a bad thing in itself. So, on time means being late by definition, this is what I concluded!

Duck number 348,846

2008-06-01T12:40:00.002-05:00

Today we went to the most famous duck place in all of China, or so says
Chengyan. It was fun. Colin and Hannah went with Jason and I. I guess
Alli is feeling sick. So the duck comes out in its bird shape pushed by
a guy in a large white hat (the chef?). But, this isn't any old duck.
This is duck number 348,846. The guy in the large hat proceeds to cut
off the duck skin and put it on a plate and instructs us to dip the skin
in sugar and eat it. I have to say that duck skin in sugar is pretty
good. But you have to be careful because if you get too much fat, the
texture is a little like Sea Cucumber (not very pleasant.) So, after he
is done with the skin, he moves to the meat of the duck. He slices it
very thin and piles it high.

Now comes the exciting part, eating. Our waitress, who doesn't seem too
happy to have our table, demonstrates how to eat the duck with the paper
thin rice tortilla, sesame sauce, and leeks. I am only certain about
the duck. The other three could have been anything. But here is how
you eat it: (1) artfully peel a rice tortilla off of the stack of rice
tortillas (a feat in itself). (2) grab some slippery duck pieces and
dunk them in the sesame sauce and place them on the tortilla (3) grab
some leeks and throw them on top. (4) fold the tortilla in half and
close it. It should resemble a burrito or spring roll. (5) use your
hands and enjoy. (6) repeat until full, then eat a little more.

Sorry, no photos. However, we did receive a certificate of commemoration.

Jake

Shanghai Museum

2008-06-01T11:31:00.003-05:00

Wednesday May 22, 2008

Today, we went to the Shanghai Museum. To enter the building we had to go through a security door...lucky us, it was the first day that the Chinese security guards were using this new system, in preparation for the incoming Olympics. Needless to say, it was an adventure in itself!

The Shanghai Museum was created in 1952, it is magnificent. The whole collection is about 120,000 pieces of ancient Chinese arts. Bronze, paintings, furniture, coins, ivory carvings , minority clothing and more. The periods covered in the museum range from the Neolithic age to the Qing Dynasty. We were lucky to use the audio tour, which helped us navigate the huge collection. One of my favorite exhibit was the furniture... I could not believe that certain pieces were created during the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644), I saw an elegant folding armchair, which had a beautiful carved back, it was made with a wood I did not know called "Huanghuali wood". Another one of my favorite items was an embroidered court dress. It had dragons with lots of clouds. The Manchu were reported to wear this type of dress during the Qing Dynasty. I could see myself wearing such a beautiful article of clothing! But of course it was reserved for the upper class.

Armed Police in Tiananmen

2008-06-01T07:38:00.003-05:00

We went to check out Tiananmen Square today. It was very crowded (and overrated, we decided). Besides walk around we tried to take some pictures of some of the People's Armed Police guards, which they refused to let us take. However, near where these guards were standing at attention there was a large group of guards hanging around, smoking and joking, with their uniforms not properly worn. Some were playing pool or basketball, and all were in plain view of the crowds. This seems odd to me that they would be so concerned with presenting a professional image to the public at the gates while right inside there is an image-wrecking scene. One way or the other would be helpful. Another suggestion: issue those boys some sunglasses.

Eating Scorpions

2008-05-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

Here's the first of many videos that I'll be uploading to YouTube.

This video is of Hannah and I eating scorpions in a food market in Beijing! The scorpions were put live on a stick, then fried in grease and oil. They tasted like greasy peanuts!

Eating Scorpions

The Wandering Man (Jason Skinner)

2008-05-31T07:22:00.003-05:00

Hey All, I was having a latte before dinner, and as I sat outside across the street from our hotel, I wrote a brief tale about a wandering man. Inspired by Chinese folklore, and in response to the rest of the group giving me crap about my dirty feet (I've been wearing the same pair of $2 flip flops the whole time in China), I decided to write a classic short story. The story relates to my relationship with the natural world; I read to the group this story before we ate dinner and dedicated it to one of my greater friends, Jake Lau, because I wrote it on his birthday.

I have on my mind a story of man, similar to me, who sought the world beyond the trees; through the greatest woods he would travel, if it were not for the unbearable essence of the forest spirit that burned his feet. The young man needed only a thin layer of protection beneath his toes to protect his soul from being blinded by the forest spirit.
The young man asked the prairie and the young man asked the sea for something to nourish his soul and shield his toes, something so thin it wouldn’t weigh him down during his travels. The sea knew of no such item, as all of its visitors preferred the salts of the sea to bless their soles. The prairie, confused, did not understand why any creature would want to distance himself from the very soil he arose from. Still, without his answer, the young man walked to the horizon to ask the mountains.
Unfamiliar with the ways of the woods, the mountains had no advice for the man; however, to show appreciation for the man’s determination, the mountains offered the young man a pair of sandals to slip his toes into and protect his feet from the sharp and jagged cliffs – for the climb down was not an easy one.
Upon returning to the forest, the young man discovered his feet no longer burned, but were instead warmed from the floor beneath him. And so, as long as the sun and the moon continued to nourish the Earth, the warmth of the sandals brought comfort to the young man as he wandered through the woods in the world beyond the trees.

Great Wall of China

2008-05-31T04:42:00.005-05:00

Today Hannah, Alli, and Colin went to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. What a view! The section was recommended to us by some folks who we met the night we got into Beijing on our way to the hostel we are staying at- the biggest selling point being that it was less crowded, which was great. The weather was very clear and refreshingly cool- great for taking photos. We took a ski lift up and rode an alpine slide back down for lunch at a local cafe.

After a 2 hour ride back to Beijing we went for a walk down Wangfujing Street and encountered none other than a guy selling scorpions to eat. Being the careful eaters they are, Hannah and Alli of course said heck yes. The scorpions came four to a stick and were alive before the vendor ended their squirming lives in a deep fryer. After making the vendor take the first bite, Hannah and Alli dug in as a small crowd watched on. They were crunchy.

The Art of Shopping

2008-05-30T01:18:00.000-05:00

Throughout our stay in China we discovered that shopping for gifts and souvenirs is simply not a task, but an art. As we strolled through streets of vendors all claiming to have the best and cheapest products we quickly learned how to make the most of our money. Not only was it to our benefit to bargain, but a little fun as well. We all found it a little challenging at first, but quickly became accustom to this new way of shopping. In small markets, this behavior is expected and the price can be dropped to as much as thirty percent of the original cost. In the end we all came back with great gifts and souvenirs to remember this fantastic trip by and we will never forget this experience.

View from New Asia Hotel breakfast room

2008-05-29T21:53:00.003-05:00

A rooftop garden on the building next to our hotel is one of many green roofs in Shanghai. The pearl tower and new Pudong area was clearly visible on the last day of Hort 4000 for 2008, Friday morning, May 30.

Culture Shock

2008-05-29T20:19:00.002-05:00

A lot of people have asked "are you feeling culture shock?" We've asked among ourselves too, and the general answer is "no"- for now. Coming to China doesn't seem to be putting the stress of change on the group very hard. We've had english-speaking guides who have explained all of our questions and have been able to translate for us. A bus or our feet have taken us to where we needed to go. The hotels and cities are quite western. But also by now most people are beginning to miss home. Five of the group are going home today, but six others are going on to Beijing. I think that for those going home, the reverse shock will be much more noticeable as they realize afresh just how different of a place they have been. For those going to Beijing, having to order food, obtain transportation, and ask simple questions is likely going to be a challenge.

Free Day in Shanghai

2008-05-29T03:57:00.003-05:00

At left we pose near another Olympic sign, this one made of Budwiser beer cans in the form of each of the events. Other signs have shown the countdown to the opening day.
Today we toured the French Concession,and the new area, Xintiandi, renovated stone houses now shopping and restaurants. Then to the Antique Market and the Flower, Insect, Bird and Fish Market. Crickets anyone? Complete with cages, and plenty of chirping, as shown hanging on the right.
With Chengyan, we could navigate the subway, which was clean and looked new, but also crowded, none of our group sat down.

Zhejiang University

2008-05-29T01:58:00.003-05:00

Although I enjoyed many things during my stay in China, one of my favorites was visiting Zhejiang University. Not only did I find the differences in their school system and courses very interesting, but also their dormitory and students way of life.
Getting the opportunity to mingle with the students and having free time to roam the campus was a great opportunity. I was guided around campus by Willing, a second-year student studying landscape architecture. I was given a personal tour of the dining hall, the library, her floral arrangement collection, as well as her dormitory. Speaking with her I found it interesting how students were required to live on campus, and could not keep a car on-site. I also found the very strict rules in the living-quarters a definite contrast to ours. During our time at this campus we were treated excellent as we were given a presentation, personal tours, and a fantastic dinner and we hope to keep in touch with all these wonderful students!

Back to Shanghai!

2008-05-28T08:57:00.005-05:00

Our day began at 8:30 when we boarded the bus at Hangzhou and began our journey back to Shanghai. We arrived back at the New Asia Hotel at around 1:00pm and then proceeded to lunch at a local restaurant. Here we were provided with entertainment of traditional dances while we ate. During our free time we traveled as a group down Nanjing Road. We meandered our way down this street filled with shops and restaurants, not to mention many vendors offering "watches, purses, DVD's, and shoes" to Shanghai's No. 1 Department Store where we spent more time shopping. Some ate dinner as a fast food Chinese place, while others found snacks at the convenience store. Evening entertainment included the Shanghai Acrobatic Show. Here we were amazed by tight rope walking, hoop jumping, knife throwing, as well as many other acts as we sat on the edge of our seats. We then proceeded back to the New Asia Hotel for the night.

As our adventures in China quickly come to an end we have done some reflecting on cultural comparisons, horticultural differences, as well as looking back on experiences and fun times. When students were asked about the main cultural differences between Chinese students and students in the United States most students responded with how friendly and welcoming Chinese students were. We also noticed that most Chinese students do not work during the school year, unlike most in the United States. As for cultural differences between adults we observed that the grandparents play a large role in raising children, as we observed this while walking around. We also noticed a difference in mannerisms while eating and in meetings. Eating noodles with chopsticks can be a little tricky, and answering a cell phone while in a meeting or leading a tour is considered normal.
There were many horticultural differences between the two countries. The diversity of plants in China is immense and with the sub-tropical climate they are able to grow many plants that we cannot in Minnesota.

I love Fast Food Chains

2008-05-27T21:00:00.002-05:00

As I am sure you can tell by now we had some free time today and it was great! After our nice little shopping excursion we had decided we should probably get some lunch and boy is it great to see McDonald's in China. I know that traveling abroad is all about a cultural experience and trying new things, but when it comes to food I am most certainly not the first one to jump up and try something new...or even at all. So I sure was happy when my group decided to stop at McDonald's. We had been having a discussion on pervious parts of the trip trying to guess at whether or not the food would taste the same and after trying it we came to the conclusion that there really is no difference except for a few items that we found to only be available in China. The first are the dipping sauces for the Chicken Nuggets...Melissa tried the Sesame Mayo and she liked it...and we found out one other to be something with Wasabi, but the other two are yet to be determined. Hannah and I also tried something new...a coconut pie. It was very delicious, as I really like coconut, and I hope that maybe it will be offered at home! It was nice to have a meal that we were used to and according to Karine it really put a pep in our step.

Free Time and University Visit

2008-05-27T09:39:00.012-05:00

Today, May 27, 2008, we had our last full day in Hangzhou, China. We had the opportunity to have some free time in the morning that everyone was excited for. Some students slept in, others walked to West Lake, and some did some shopping.

Lunch this time was on our own. A few of us ate at McDonald's, some ate at Pizza Hut, some had Chinese food and a few ate some new kinds of fruit. Although we all love Chinese food, for those of us who ate at McDonald's and Pizza Hut, it was a welcome break. Even one of our Chinese guides ate at McDonald's!

It was also very hot today and was the hottest day so far on our trip. The high today was around 89 degrees Fahrenheit with about 88% humidity! In Minneapolis today, the high is supposed to be around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 58% humidity. I think that when we come back to Minnesota, we will all be very cold!

After our free morning and lunch, we boarded our bus and drove about an hour outside of Hangzhou to Zhejiang Forestry University. We were greeted by students and faculty at the University. The Assistant Dean, Mr. Bao gave us an overview of the university and the School of Landscape Architecture. The University has two campuses, one called East Lake and the other called Yijin. The campus that we visited was the East Lake campus that was built in the last six years. The cool thing about the building of the campus is that the students were involved in the design of the gardens around the university. This is a really cool idea because it integrates concepts that learned in class into a practical setting. The School of Landscape Architecture offers both the bachelors degree and the masters degree. There are four different bachelors degrees that are offered: Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architecture Art Design, Civil Engineering, and Architecture.

After the overview, one of our professors, Mary Meyer, gave a short introduction about who we were and why we were in China. Then everyone in our group introduced themselves including their name, major, any horticulture experience, and year in school. Anytime any of us would say any words in Chinese (hello, thank you, etc.), they would clap, which I thought was very cute!

Next they gave us a tour of the University classrooms and greenhouses. The classrooms were very nice and much like the classrooms that we have in the United States. Many of the classrooms had air conditioning as they still attend school when it is hot. They have a display room that has many of their designs and models. Some of the designs were traditional Chinese style gardens and others were western styles. There was also a mix of media including computer aided design, hand drawn designs, and models.

At the end of the tour, our two professors met with some of the professors at the University while we went to talk with the students from the University. We had a chance to talk with them about life in China versus the United States, what their university was like, what their classes were like, and we told them about our university and our lives. It was very cool and one of the best parts of the visit to the University.

At first some of the students were hesitant to talk to us because of their English. But this quickly evaporated when we started talking to them and told them that their English was very good. They all spoke very good English and when we didn't understand, they would explain what they meant and we did the same thing. Here is where we really were able to see the differences between China and the United States. For instance, they showed us one of the dormitories and we learned that most of the students live in the dorms as they come from other places in China. Students are separated by year and gender. Even post-graduate and graduate students live in the dorm.

After about an hour, we went to dinner. At dinner, we ate with three of the post-graduate students that we showed us around. This was a very fancy authentic Chinese meal complete with various kinds of fish, seafood, duck, and vegetables. There were many new dishes to try at this dinner. One of the dishes that we had that was new was a lotus soup. The soup was made into a yin yang symbol that was very cool. Another one of the dishes that we had that was new was bamboo. The bamboo was thin, cut into small pieces, and was cooked kind of like in a soup.

At the end of dinner, we went to listen to a presentation by one of our professors Mary Meyer. On the way there it started to rain and by time we got inside, we were all fairly wet. Professor Meyer gave a talk on the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The talk was in English so that we could understand it. The students and professors were very interested in the arboretum and asked many questions. They seemed very intrigued by the concept of donations and what a person would get out for donating money to the arboretum! At the end of the day, the students did not want us to leave and wanted to spend more time with us.

The day was a busy day. We all enjoyed our free time and also enjoyed the time spent at another University. The visit to the University allowed us to see many of the differences and similarities between China and the United States. Pictures will be posted soon of the University visit as well!

Pizza Hut is Classy in China

2008-05-27T09:12:00.002-05:00

Today in the morning the group had free time to explore the area around the hotel. Some of us began by taking a short walk to a West Lake causeway to take in the view. Two of us were flagged down by a small boat as we were walking back toward the hotel and were offered a ride, which we accepted. The man rowing the craft was very nice and offered green tea and took pictures. The ride was not only very beautiful but also a welcome break from walking during the hot and humid morning. After we were dropped off on shore we walked to a mall to try an American classic: Pizza Hut! Take what you know about Pizza Hut and throw it out the window. The Chinese Pizza Hut was a very nice establishment, nothing like the dark and aging restaurants I've encountered. In addition to the pizza (which included some interesting Chinese toppings) they sold smoothies and Starbucks-style espresso drinks. The pizza tasted quite familiar and was a nice little slice of home.

So it was hot today.

2008-05-27T09:07:00.002-05:00

Today was by far the muggiest, most uncomfortable day of the trip. In between short periods of wind, the air was thick and heavy. Even right away in the morning before the heat of the day there was a thick wall of humidity awaiting us at the hotel front door. For most of the day my face had beads of sweat on it. The shower and clean clothes after we got back to the hotel were fabulous.

Greenhouses near Hangzhou by Jake

2008-05-26T10:13:00.003-05:00

Today, we visited a couple different greenhouses that were located an hour and a half out of the city of Hanghzou. The first greenhouse was Zhejiang Development Park Co. This greenhouse was subsidized by the government and mostly produced bedding plants (Begonia, Petunias, Pansy, Salvia) for the outside plantings by a government landscaping company. The greenhouse had a few neat characteristics. Sticky traps so covered in insects they were more black than yellow seemed standard in all the houses. I think they were using them as a control measure than a management tool. They rented out six foot Money Trees to large companies and hotels. A company bus went 40 km away to pick up employees. But, the neatest thing about this operation is that it lacked a complete foundation. This meant that a few plants would grow in the soil under the benches, and maybe even flower. We were told that they didn’t install a complete foundation because they wanted to be able to remove the structure at any time and convert it back to farmland. We toured the non subsidized greenhouse next. The facilities weren’t as modern as the first greenhouse. Instead of a completely automatic seeder, they used a wand seeder. Workers here received 33 RMB (about 5 bucks) a day and college graduates received 2000 RMB/ month.

While on the tour of the hoop houses, we saw the farmers’ houses. These large houses looked very different from the houses we are used to seeing in the city and had a unique style.

The last greenhouse of the day was Senhe seed. They were a large orchid producer. They use tissue culture to start the orchids. After a month and a half, the orchids are placed in sphagnum moss to continue to grow. They used clear plastic containers for the orchids so they could manage growth better.

They also had a large outdoor nursery. They had trees planted in felt containers. These containers are more expensive than normal containers, but are easier to move. Within the rows of trees, we saw a familiar face – the Norway maple. Although the company didn’t know who would by it, they had quite a few trees.

After a hot tour of the greenhouses, the air-conditioned conference room at Hong Yue was a welcome site. Here, we talked to employees at Hongyue seed about the future of the industry, issues of sustainability, plant nutrition, and what how gas prices affect greenhouses and agriculture in the United States and China.

P.S. It is my birthday today.

Market in Hangzhou

2008-05-26T09:55:00.002-05:00

While exploring in Hangzhou we came across a food market, but not like any other food market I have ever seen before. This market not only had a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables, but also chickens, ducks, pigeons, sparrows, crabs, shrimp, frogs, eels, water snakes, turtles, as well as many other creatures. These were not cooked and ready to consume, but still alive and crawling in the cages waiting for consumers to pick them out. It was very interesting not only to see the different types of food available but being able to see the culture up close and how unique it truly is.

On West Lake

2008-05-26T05:48:00.002-05:00

Chengyan, Renee, Melissa and Shannon enjoy the boat ride on famous West Lake, Hangzhou.

Horticulture in China

2008-05-26T05:29:00.004-05:00

Michael discussed how Senhe Seed does orchid tissue culture and propagation.

On the right, our class stands in front of a new greenhouse at Hongyue Seed Company near Hangzhou. Michael Zhou (pink shirt in front),Seed Department General Manager, was one of our hosts.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

2008-05-25T09:35:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning we packed it up and headed for Hangzhou around 8:45. The drive out was interesting. Along the roadside we noticed that every inch of land was either planted, cultivated, or somehow in use. Nothing was left to grow wild. It is a big difference compared to the view from our highways in the U.S. outside the urban areas.

Another difference was the size of the farm plots. Unlike the mega-farms we see that are all of one type, like corn or soybeans, the Chinese plots were very small and a mix of different crops. The largest single plots were flooded rice fields, but we also saw wheat, mulberry, corn, garlic, onion, and leeks. The leaves of the mulberries were being harvested as a cash crop for silk production, and it was the larger houses that featured this plant. Farming in the area we drove through was much higher income versus the western part of China. We saw no machines! We even had a contest to see if anyone could spot any machine in the fields, but alas, there was only hand labor for the acres and acres of farm.

We arrived in Hangzhou early afternoon and met our new driver and guide for lunch. Our first site we visited was the Ling Yin Monastery. The Monastery was by far the most crowded place we had visited. The place featured many carvings in the surrounding mountains and immense statutes in the temples. Some chose to climb vine- covered paths to the top of a nearby mountain to take in the view. All of sub-tropical Hangzhou is very lush, much more so than Shanghai or Suzhou.

After Ling Yin we visited the Six Harmonies Pagoda. Most Pagodas mark the tomb of Buddhist monks, but this one served the purpose of flood control. Some Chinese believe that the nearby river contains a dragon, so the Pagoda was built to subdue him. For a small fee we climbed a set of steep, winding stairs 13 floors to the top. Hangzhou is a very humid place, maybe an average of 80 percent relative humidity since we have been here. The view, although hilly and lush, was masked by hazy fog, as I'm sure will turn out in the pictures you will see.

While at dinner in a hotel we witnessed a Chinese wedding that I am going to take the liberty of labeling bizarre. In Chinese culture, a couple is not married until they hold a big feast, which was the occasion we saw. The couple walked past fountains of sparkling fireworks (indoors!) and exchanged rings. The ceremony was markedly unspiritual. After the exchange the newly wed couple sat a a head table that was round- so members of the head table actually had their backs to the party. It was very interesting, and not like any wedding I have ever seen.

Hangzhou-Water, Tea and History

2008-05-25T08:12:00.006-05:00

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Hangzhou-Day 2:

Today was not necessarily an early day for us, but it sure was a busy day. Leaving the hotel at about a quarter to 9 this morning our fist stop was West Lake. Hangzhou is famous for this very large body of water on the Western side of the city...thus the name: West Lake. This lake covers about 3 square miles and is half man-made and half natural. The natural portion was once part of the China Sea, but now is a reservoir. The lake itself is quite shallow with an average depth of 6ft. I found it interesting to note that every 2 weeks the entire body of the lake is pumped and replaced with clean water from which they collect about 2 metric tons of garbage daily. It is also home to the Broken Bridge which is referenced in the Tail of the White Snake Lady. It was named the Broken Bridge for 3 reasons: 1. The snow on top melts faster than that underneath so the bridge appears "broken" 2. The bridge is located at the end of the causeway 3. Broken is the family name.

Our next stop was at the Tea Garden. This is located in a small city that is home to more than 1000 teahouses, most of which are privately owned. Hangzhou's specialty is Green Tea and the specific type grown here is Dragon Well Tea (Longjing). I did not know much about tea before the visit as I myself am not an avid tea drinker but I was stunned to learn that it took 80,000 sprouts to make 1 kilo of tea. (And if that is any indication this Garden was HUGE!) After the sprouts are picked from the plant they are then air dried for about 4 hours and then are dried in a chinese cooking pot at about 110 degrees Celsius. The average drying time for 200g is 45 minutes so the procedure is very labor intensive. We also learned about a few types of tea available here in China. The first is Emperor's Tea. This has a very light color and is picked very early in the season, about February or March. Next comes the Daughter's Tea in March to April, followed by the Daughter-in-laws tea in April-May and finally the Mother-in-Laws Tea at the end of the season. It was also very surprising to know that the only tea that is exported is the mother-in-laws tea (the darkest and last picked) and it is usually ground and put into tea bags. The other three types are only available here in China.

After the Tea Garden we decided that it was time for lunch so we traveled over to The Hangzhou Botanical Garden and stopped at a restaurant by the entrance. After filling our stomaches we made our way out to view the garden. The garden is divided into several sections including, but not limited to, a medicinal garden, a landscape garden and a systematic section. The garden is located on the western outskirts and is quite peaceful as there is not much foot traffic compared to other places we have visited. (Well with the exception of wedding season as we saw many couples dressed up to take their wedding photos.)

After the Garden we were off to the China National Tea Museum. The museum was opened in April 1991, and covers 4.7 Ha with floor space totaling 8000 square meters. The museum is famous because it is the only museum to be specialized in tea and tea culture in China. The museum is not only home to the history and description of tea, but it also provides a location for training and research and is used as a basis to maintain culture. "In 2003, China Tea Culture Exhibition won the fifth session of National Top Ten Exhibition Awards, which was the most valuable award in terms of museum exhibitions in China." This museum has been visited by many in the government including leaders, members of the Communist Party, and friends from all over the world.

After the Garden we stopped back at the hotel to cool off and freshen up for a bit and then made our way to Old Street. Old Street, also known as Hefang Street, is a representation of "old Hangzhou." This street is designed for pedestrians and along both sides there are a numerous amount of shops offering various things such as, tea, silk, food, and many miscellaneous items. It is definitely a place for tourists to shop. Although this is not the real street ( it has been redesigned) the shops look like those dating back into the 1800s as well as the 1700s and possibly even earlier.

New vegetables on our table

2008-05-24T19:24:00.005-05:00

We all have been enjoying Chinese food in Shanghai and Suzhou. Some vegetables in the dishes were completely new to us. The first one is the Jiaobai, which looks like eggplants or certain roots. I looked it up and find the name of the plant is Zizania aquatica. Here is the website about it:

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ZIAQ

The other one looks like cucumber but taste differently and is very crunchy. It is Celtuce or Asparagus lettuce (picture on right). What we ate was the stem of the plant. Here is more information about the plant:

http://www.rain.org/greennet/docs/exoticveggies/html/celtuce.htm

Lingyin Temple

2008-05-24T18:40:00.003-05:00

Renee, Karine, Hannah and Melissa enjoy a waterfall at Lingyin Temple, site of numerous Buddha statues. Although our guide, Leo (an English teacher and tour guide) says less than 5% of Chinese practice Buddism, there can be 150,000 visitors per day to this temple. Here you can see a few of them in the background.

Departure and Arrival (Jason Skinner)

2008-05-24T09:42:00.007-05:00

On May 18, 2008, our plane left the Twin Cities at 6:00 am. Within the hour we were waiting in the concourse at O’Hare International Airport. I had a cinnamon roll, a turkey sandwich, and an iced latte from Starbucks (with an extra shot of espresso). The exchange rate at the airport was 5.9 Yuan to the Dollar (this is low); the current exchange rate is seven Yuan to the US Dollar. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:30 am; at about 11:10 am we were on our way to Shanghai, which is 13 hours ahead of Central Time.
United Airlines (we were on a Boeing 747) served two lunches and a snack. The plane ride wasn’t that bad; I only slept for a few hours on and off. The flight was about 13 hours and we arrived at 1:30 pm (Shanghai time), May 19, at Shanghai International Airport. We easily passed through customs (which was very quick, I gave it a very happy rating – there was a digital rating survey at each customs teller). Also, we observed a three-minute silence, along with the rest of the country, for the many lives lost in the recent earthquake (70,000 and counting); we were soon out the doors and on a bus.
The highways and vegetation were very impressive; trees were propped up and supported with bamboo supports. Workers, sporting flashy, hunter orange uniforms, tend the trees, shrubs and flowers along the highway. Soon enough our driver managed to take us downtown, and before checking in at our hotel we went to the Oriental Pearl Tower to view Shanghai from 263 meters in the sky – a spectacular view! Skyscrapers and high-rise buildings dominated the view; like asparagus emerging in the spring, the architecture sprouted from the land for as far as we could see (horticulture students are allowed to make tacky vegetable metaphors). A haze, not quite fog and quite a settling dust, blanketed the city and hid the sky and the horizon from our view; 18 million residents live their lives here.
After a speedy descent in the elevator, our tour guide, Lili, lead us through the Shanghai History Museum. Our tour guide, Lili, is from Suzhou and also studied horticulture; she explained the displays at the museum. I did not know that Shanghai also had streetcars before buses – the entire world has succumbed to the ventures of the petrol industrialists.
Later that evening we arrived at the hotel – the New Asia Hotel. I drank a little tap water. Jake and I went for a walk after the sun went down. We passed a McDonalds and went inside to check out the menu. A Big Mac meal (with fries and a Coke) costs 17 Yuan – about $2.50; the sandwich alone was 12.50 Yuan. Instead of a dollar menu there is a 6-Yuan menu. Our night-walk lead us through a few streets and a few alleys. Eventually, yes, Jake and I became frustrated, but we were never lost. Jake bought a melon and bananas from a man selling fruit – 10 Yuan (about a dollar and a half, cheaper than Cub). Our exposure, however brief and limited, gave Jake and I the impression that the Chinese, especially our generation, are basically just like us – which I find to be pretty cool. Younger crowds and couples take to the streets at night. Most of the stores closed at 9:30 pm.
We stopped at an ATM (International Bank of China) so I could acquire some cash; I notic the Visa sign and took advantage. Later, I looked at my checking account and saw that I received the very best exchange rate – just over 7 Yuan per dollar. The ATM was easy to use because I could use the Englished commands. TCF Bank, in Minneapolis, charged me just over four bucks to make the withdrawal; the International Bank of China charged about six dollars – perfectly fine by my standards, having withdrawn 1000 Yuan (roughly $140).
The number of bikes, motor-bikes, and mopeds is unbelievable. Minneapolis is known as a bike-friendly city, but the numbers don’t even come close to what we see in Shanghai. Bike “shoulders”, as we have in the States, don’t exist here. The bikes fit right in with the rest of traffic – usually hugging one side of the road or the other, the large numbers of two-wheeled commuters make it easier to fend off the cars, amongst other two-wheelers. There are, however, some roads with separate bike lanes that are completely separated from the car lanes by a curbed median, usually planted with street trees – Sycamores are very popular street trees here; this is a great idea and this is what needs to happen in the US.
Like crosswalks with walk signals, there are bike signals here – a green bike lights up when it is appropriate to cross (keep in mind you are still not guaranteed a right of way). The traffic laws are liberal, especially at night when traffic police aren’t out. You are pretty much on your own – look both ways and hurry your ass across the street or into the adjacent lane. There are also counters, on many of the traffic lights, for cars and busses, to let you know how much time you have to get through the green and how long you have to wait for the red.
mentioned a Target might do well here; I responded by noting the laziness of Americans – we really only need to know one or two stores (destinations) to get whatever we need (we The shops are very specific in what they sell. Many street-front businesses have roll up steel doors to close at night. There are many clothing stores too; local brands are cheaper than western brands like Nike, which cost the same. A pair of Crocs costs about $40. Jake are simple people and have not the time to be traveling all over to run errands, or maybe we are too stupid to know where to find everything, it seems like local self sufficiency is lacking in the US – after all, where would we find soaps and toilet paper if it weren’t for Target, I don’t know of any producers). In China, similar to European markets, there is a store for every department we would have in a Target. However, as far as shopping goes, there are still department, stores that act as malls, comprised of different stores. One of my favorite shops was a ribbon store – great selection.
At the very end of the day we were all very tired, dirty, and starting to smell, shower at night here. Some of us hadn’t had more than a few hours of sleep for three days, with finals, an early 13 hour flight, and then about 20 hours of China. The hotel beds were very firm.

What Goes Around, Hopefully Comes Around

2008-05-24T07:46:00.003-05:00

While we have been in China we ate at many different restaurants and had many different types of food but they all have one main thing in common. In the middle of the table sits a lazy susan and this is where the food is served. When the food is brought, it is not brought all at once but throughout the meal. When new dishes are added, everyone wants to try them but it may take awhile for the lazy susan to finally get all the way around to you! Even though we have had a lot of practice, the art of spinning the lazy susan still needs to be perfected!

Unviewable Website

2008-05-23T17:07:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone, just to let you all know the only thing we are able to do with this blog is publish posts. The actual website has been blocked everywhere we have been in China thus far. We are unable to view the website and have been unable to read your comments, but please keep making them because they are what truely make this a blog and will be fun to read when we get home. If any of you have questions about one of the posts or direct comments you would like us to read please send an e-mail to umnhort4000@gmail.com we will try our best to get back to you.

Suzhou - Sleeping in Silk

2008-05-23T05:51:00.007-05:00

Nihao, it is the end of day si (4) and we are slowly beginning to pick up a word here and there of the beautiful Chinese language. Today was a hot and humid day which began with a tour of Choyers, Suzhous number one silk mill, an afternoon at Zhouzhuang a large watertown, lunch in Zhouzhuang, then to Jinji lake garden and finally to complete our day with dinner back in Suzhou.

Choyers is Suzhous numer one silk factory and is known all over the world and was even worn by Princess Diana. This factory is the oldest in all of China dating back to the Shang dynasty (1600-1050BC). At the factory we were able to observe the process of silk making from silk worm egg hatching to cocoon unwinding. Silk worms eat mulberry leaves from Morus alba. After the silk worm has molted four to five times it is ready to spin its cocoon. These cocoons are then collected, sorted by size and color then placed in steamed water for the thread unwinding. The secret of silk dying is only learned from four years of study at a university. The length of the silk strand determines the quality of the silk a poorer quality is about 600 M long while very high quality silk strands can measure 1300 to 1600 M in length. One silk strand is 1/5 the size of a strand of human hair. It takes around 600 cocoons to produce one mans tie and about 3000 to make one blouse. Silk contains eighteen amino acids and to some it is believed wearing silk or sleep in silk sheets to help cure skin ailments.

On the way to Zhouzhuang we traveled by many rice fields and crop production in small hoop houses. Zhouzhuang is called Watertown because of its location on the Jinhang Canal. This is a charming old town that used to be known for its silk, pottery, and grain. Today the town is known for fishing and pork. On the way to lunch we passed by many street stands specializing in pork. After lunch we had some free time to walk around some of us took a boat ride while other shopped. This town has by far been my favortite!

The next stop was Jinji Lake Garden. This is a newer garden located on the eastern outskirts of Shuzhou. This area was lakeside and featured zigzag paths and included local and non local cuisine. This garden was featured in the Sept. 16^th, 2007 edition of the New York Times. This garden was a decade long project totaling $47.7 million to complete. We had great views of the City but due to clouds and haze it was barely visible.

Finally we finished the day with dinner feature a multitude of dishes. The eggplant dish and cucumber with eggs was my favorite. After returning to the hotel we all had a fruit party featuring dragon fruit, mangos, and other unknown fruit to us.

We are having a wonderful time in China and have learned so much already in just the short time we have been here. Well tomorrow it is off to Hanghou.

Cloud Capped Peak

2008-05-22T18:59:00.003-05:00

Hanna (blond, right) was impressed with cloud capped peak, which she had reported on in class. Here, she and Megan photograph Alli.

What was she singing?

2008-05-22T13:46:00.001-05:00

These videos are kind of short, but this should give you a little taste of Chinese music. We encountered both groups of performers on our walk through one of the gardens. It left us with a nice moment to relax and soak in the culture. Although we had no idea what the woman was singing about, not even Chengyan or Lily could understand the dialect, I still found it to be quite beautiful. I love music, it is a passion...now if only i could get my hands on ones of those instruments...It was disappointing that we did not hear much music elsewhere though as most of what I heard turned out to be English lyrics and "hit" songs from back home...or at least it's considered a "hit" in the U.S. I would however recommend you to look for cds by a very famous cellist "Yo Yo Ma".

Flags Are Up

2008-05-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

As you all know, the China experienced a devastating earthquake in Sichuan provence (think spicy food) a few weeks ago. When we arrived in Shanghai the airport shut down for three minutes of silence in honor of the victims of the disaster. For three days the flags were at half-mast, and all entertainment was canceled for the whole country, including TV and the acrobatic show we were going to see (luckily it was rescheduled). Today on the way to Suzhou I noticed the flags are now at full mast.

First Day in Suzhou

2008-05-22T06:41:00.002-05:00

Thursday, May 23 2008
Suzhou is a city located in the southern part of the Yangtze Delta, known for its numerous lakes and waterways.The Grand Canal (Beijing-Hangzhou, 1800 km. long) passes through the city from the north to the south. It is called the, " Oriental Venice" because water covers 46% of its territory. Suzhou has a population of about 6 million people, this is about 1/10th of Shanghai. The city itself ( 2 million people) has kept the same layout since 515BC, forming a double-lined chessboard; streets and canals are parallel, and dark roofs with tiles and bridges are over water.

We visited three gardens today; each one with a different flair and feel. The first one is called: Garden of the Master of the Nets (Wangshi Yuan). It was built during the Song dynasty, but its present form and name date back to the 18th century, when scholar Song Zongyan bought the land. This is a small garden, elegant with carefully divided views. Many bridges and zig-zag paths complete this extremely well balanced garden. One garden room called "Hall of Eternal Spring" has been reproduced at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY. A note: Has been inscribed on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO in 1997.

The second garden is The Lingering Garden, built also during the Ming Dynasty, this garden is well known for its classical round doorways (Moon gates). Along the way many geometrical doorways are framing views of plants, rocks, water and beyond. The beautiful limestone rocks have been transported from Lake Tai. Each view looks like a painting, white painted walls, light and dark, few rocks surrounded by elegant plants. The famous Jade Cloud caped Peak is imposing with 6- meter frame and weighing 6 tons..very impressing. This garden is also registered on the World Heritage list by Unesco in 1997.

The third garden is The Humble Administrator's Garden, (Zhuozheng Yuan) . This is a classical Ming garden, complete with a pool of water surrounding islands and beautiful bridges. There is one special island, Xiangzhou; it is said to look like a moored boat. In the small enclosed Loquat garden, a series of pebble pictures can be seen. This garden definitely felt like a park, or the countryside, it is vast, with different terrains and an abundance of plants. It is really like "standing along between Heaven and Earth cymbidium goeingii is exposed to refreshing breeze." like the famous Tang poet Li Bai once wrote. Also inscribed in the World Heritage list by the Unesco in 1997.

Day Two

2008-05-21T08:55:00.004-05:00

Day Two, Shanghai:

On Wednesday the 21st the class visited a number of sites, including the Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai Botanical Garden, and the Shanghai Seed and Seedling Group Co.

The first stop was the Museum, but we arrived 45 minutes early. To pass the time we went to the adjacent people's square. The square is a large open marble square lined with cultivated vegetation and benches for people to enjoy. In a few days the Olympic Torch was going to pass through Shanghai, so there was a large platform under construction for the festivities. We noticed that there were many laborers with hand tools sweeping, mowing, and working in the square.

After passing the time we entered the four-floor Museum, which included a lengthy security check. The artifacts within were spectacular. We all had our favorite portion of the museum, but my personal favorite was the chinese paintings exhibit. Other exhibits were Minority National Art, Currency, Ming and Qing Furniture, Seals, Calligraphy, Ceramics, Bronze, and Sculptures. Each floor had a small gift shop with themes linked to the floor's exhibits, and there was also a large gift shop at the exit.

Next was lunch at Sunny Teppanyaki restaurant, which was excellent. It was a Japanese/Korean style restaurant where the food was cooked for us at the table. The meal included a spicy soup, flavorful beef or chicken, cabbage, and fried rice.

On our way out of town to the seed company we stopped by the Shanghai Botanical Garden. The most striking feature right away was the departure from the natural look that has characterized the traditional Chinese gardens we have been studying. Instead we were greeted at the gate with vibrant, colorful flower displays in all sorts of shapes and figures. There were at least 3-4 couples having their wedding pictures taken there. I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures posted when we have access to fast internet =)

Next up was the Shanghai Seed and Seedling Group Company, which was a short drive outside of Shanghai. The company is a government operated organization. Rather than growing and selling according to the market, the government directs the company on what to grow, then buys what is grown. The manager is paid a regular salary, and is required to pay any workers a minimum wage. The assistant manager happened to have studied in Minnesota for a time and worked in Wager's. The company employs 52 regular employees, with 70-80 seasonal workers during peak times. The greenhouse production area featured modern equipment and efficient facilities. Their source of water is rain water, which is filtered and PH adjusted before being sent to the plants. The size of the greenhouse operation is similar to Bushel Boy Tomatoes.

On the way back into Shanghai we stopped at a local fruit market to look and shop. The local shop keepers and pedestrians were probably as curious as we were while we browsed through familiar fruits like bananas and watermelon, to the exotic things like dragon-fruit. It was great to stop in a place that was in no way connected to the tourism industry.

Dinner was in a building on top of a store selling Chinese embroidery art. The format was like our first meal in China with a lazy susan of food in the middle of the table. Tonight's highlight item was a Squirrel Fish with the head served on the plate. French fries were also brought for us. The variety of tastes was delightful. After dinner we were brought through the shop. The art was a tiny bit beyond our budget (average price was about $4,000; the most expensive item was $28,000). Despite the high price, the art was breathtaking. Standing a few feet back the images look almost real, like we were looking into a window, or perhaps a photograph. Upon closer inspection the threads and workmanship became apparent.

Tomorrow we are off to Suzhou!

Getting serious about speaking Chinese

2008-05-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

Our culture shock is buffered by the bus, the number of our group, and Dr. Chengyan Yue, who has taught us many words, including how to say "No, I don't want" to the street vendors. Jason and Jake however, have taken their Chinese to a new level since they will be on their own for a few days before they return to Minnesota. On the bus, Jason reviews his notes on counting and everyday language. At our site visits, the Chinese people are very impressed with Jason and Jake's attempts to communicate with them.

World Expo 2010 Shanghai China

2008-05-21T07:55:00.004-05:00

For the last couple days in Shanghai, we have seen a lot of things related to the World Expo 2010. I talked to the bus driver about it and found out it's a big deal for Shanghai and may have the same influence as Olympics in China. I found a website about the World Expo and it has information about the event, the mascot and the emblem we saw on the streets.

http://en.expo2010china.com/

Shanghai Museum

2008-05-21T07:52:00.002-05:00

Shanghai's beautiful Museum in People's Square is filled with paintings, ceramics, costumes, bronze and jade. We loved the plants outside, especially the flowering Magnolia grandiflora.

View from the Bund

2008-05-20T17:14:00.002-05:00

We are facing the European buildings of the Bund along the Huangpu River. In the background (just above the lamp post) is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower that we went up in on Monday. On the upper right is the new building in Pudong that will be one of the tallest, or the tallest,? in the world. It has an open square in the top.

No news is good news!

2008-05-20T10:11:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! Just a quick update: We made it safe to China and are having a blast! Internet isn't as easy to access as we thought it would be, so please understand why we might not post updates every night! And remember: No news is good news!

2008-05-20T08:04:00.001-05:00

At the Moon Gate in Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai

2008-05-20T08:01:00.003-05:00

This impressive garden is a maze of views, water, paths and rock. The class stopped for a photo at a moongate.

First Impressions

2008-05-19T20:30:00.000-05:00

Today was our first official day in China as we lost one on the way. As a person who has not traveled very much it did not take long before I had noticed my first cultural difference...through our guides. I was very interested in the way that our guides introduced themselves to us. Lily was the first that we met and she was so open. She told us that lately she had not been very happy because of things in life and most importantly because of the earthquake. As Americans we are not likely to share our feelings so openly...most certainly with people whom we have only just met. Now I wasn't sure if it was just Lily who was willing to be so open or if it was really a cultural thing and sure enough my suspicions were confrimed when our international guide Adam introduced himself. In fact I think that we may have even been in more shock after hearing what Adam had to say because some people were even talking about it later. It was not anything bad just something that we were not used to is all. I was later talking with Karine, my wonderful roomate, about the fact that the people were so open and she made a great point, considering that she is from France and has first hand experience, that Americans are really the only ones who have some kind of fear of showing who they really are. Maybe we just need to lighten up a little.

What I am looking forward to seeing in China

2008-05-17T17:40:00.002-05:00

As I finish up my first year of college and think about all the new experiences and challenges I have encountered throughout the past year, I cannot help wondering about teen and college culture in other parts of the world. I am excited to visit Zhejiang University during our travels in China and am curious as to how their university system compares to ours in the United States.

Shopping

2008-05-17T17:06:00.002-05:00

Most travelers want to take home some bargains or mementos. I am excited to buy gifts and presents for family and friends but with so many options available, shopping may become time consuming, confusing and exhausting. The following tips may make it easier for one while shopping in China:
1. Don't buy everything in the first day or two. Remember, each city has its own specialty.
Shanghai: Silk carpets
Hangzhou: Longjing Tea; Silk
Suzhou: Silk Shopping is not obligatory
Beijing: Cloisonné; Fresh water pearls

2. Don't feel obligated to shop. You'll often find several attendants trying to help you make a purchase. This doesn't mean you have to buy; it's ok to say no, or just to look.

3. Be cautious of fake items. Shopping is great in China and you can expect to be able to buy many things at a much better price that at home. However be warned that if a bargain price for a world famous brand seems too good to be true, it might just be.

4. Bargaining is a national pastime in China so you will find that most retailers except for department stores, large shopping malls will be prepared to bargain.

How to use chopsticks

2008-05-16T20:37:00.005-05:00

Hi, some of you might find using chopsticks is a challenge. Here is a fun website on how to use chopsticks with a small animation. Keep practicing. :)

http://east.portland.ne.jp/~k_tok/life01.htm

Chinese Dynasties

2008-05-16T19:41:00.003-05:00

As everyone else, I am looking forward to the trip to China, too. It has been 4 years and 4 months since I went back last time. I bet I will be surprised by all the changes that have happened to China. As we are seeing all the events that are going on it's also worthwhile to go back and trace the 5000 years' history of China. Here is a link about Chinese Dynasties:

http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/dynasty-neolithic.cfm

Movies

2008-05-16T17:27:00.002-05:00

The Top Five Movies to See About Chinese Culture and History:

1. The Joy Luck Club-When June's mother dies, she is invited to join a long-standing club of Chinese women who urge her not only to take her mother's place at the mah-jongg table, but also to carry the news of her mother's death to her step-sisters in China. Through the stories of the women and their daughters, the values of different generations are articulated. June's anxiety about her responsibility to the past is contrasted with the older women's concerns that their values and culture are being lost by their Americanized daughters.

2. Farewell my Concubine- This is the story of two homeless outcasts, trained from childhood in the grueling rigors of the Opera by master Lu Qui. The film traces their 52-year friendship and the challenges they faced along the way.

3. The Soong Sisters-To see that China remains a dominant world force after the founding of the Republic by Dr. Sun Yai-sen, the patriotic Charlie Soong sends his three daughters to America for their education. The sisters return to China marks the beginning of their hard lives, as the country endures the Japanese invasion and the subsequent clash between the communists and the nationalists.

4. The Last Emperor-A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

5. The Blue Kite-Told from the perspective of a child, this film depicts the lives of Chinese families in the hutong, or traditional neighborhoods in Beijing between 1953 and 1968.

Challenges

2008-05-16T17:19:00.001-05:00

While traveling abroad before the biggest challenge I faced was the language barrier. Last year, I spent a few weeks in France and it was very difficult not knowing the language. Tasks from ordering food, getting directions, or finding a bathroom became time-consuming and frustrating. I am anticipating finding it even more challenging in China, due to the Chinese characters used instead of alphabet we are familiar with. This challenge will be a great learning experience as to how to communicate non-verbally as well as learning some Chinese characters and words along the way!

Weather

2008-05-16T17:03:00.002-05:00

As I was beginning to pack, I found myself wondering about the weather we will be experiencing while in China. For the weeklong forcast the weather looks great. For the cities we will be visiting including Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, it looks as if it will be 65-80°F and sunny with the chance of a few light showers.

http://weather.china.org.cn/english/

Earthquake Update

2008-05-15T21:22:00.005-05:00

Here is a link to an update on China's recent disaster. They estimate 50,000 casualties thus far. What a major, major event. The infrastructure, environmental, and human loss is going to be a long and costly ordeal for China. I'm sure we will see a lot of news about it while we are there.

*LINK*

Food

2008-05-15T18:13:00.004-05:00

As a student who has been lucky enough to study abroad multiple times, I must admit that my favorite thing about traveling is the FOOD! After giving my speech on Shanghai Cuisine, I can't deny that my mouth is already watering at the idea of eating genuinely authentic "Chinese food." I must also confess that while doing research a lot of what I read made me a bit nervous about traveling to a place where I don't speak their language, mainly due to the varying ingredients, cooking methods, and eating practices. I decided to expand my research by looking for tips on eating in China.

Sounds like common sense, but don't forget to wash your hands before eating!
Food at the table is shared. If you touch something on a plate, it's yours. If communal utensils are provided, use those. You can also use the blunt ends of your chopsticks.
Use the chopstick to grab or pinch food, do not skewer the food. Also, place your chopsticks horizontally over your bowl or plate. Do not lay them on the table, and do not place them vertically in your rice bowl.

"The reason for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon person at the table!" Chinadaily.com

If you have a sensitive stomach, it's a good idea to either carry some imodium or Pepto Bismol tablets with you, or to take one every morning.

Gardens of Suzhou

2008-05-15T14:31:00.002-05:00

I came across this website that has some great pictures of various gardens in Suzhou. I am looking forward to viewing these beautiful and historic sites in person!

http://www.china.org.cn/english/e-sz/index.htm

What I am looking foward to

2008-05-15T12:35:00.001-05:00

Although I am looking forward to my entire experience in China, after studying the Gardens of Suzhou, I am especially excited to visit the Lingering Garden. I think this garden will be particularly interesting because it is comprised of four sections with distinct characteristics: mountains, rockeries, bamboo, and pavilions. I am also looking forwarded to viewing the Cloud-Capped Peak rock in this garden.

Studying Abroad

2008-05-15T12:16:00.001-05:00

Studying abroad is one of the most personally and professionally rewarding opportunities a student can do to better their experience as a student and prepare themselves for their future career. As a freshman, I have heard this numerous times from parents, friends, faculty, professors, and upper classmen. It just can’t be said enough, studying abroad is a unique experience that not only helps individuals grow as people, but in every aspect of our lives while at the same time allowing us to better understand the world we live in. I am extremely excited to have the opportunity as an undergraduate to study abroad and believe it will have a huge impact on my life as a student as well as in my future career. Being from a small town in southern Minnesota, I have never left the continent or even the country and believe this experience will open my eyes to all the opportunities the world has to offer.
After spending a semester learning about the Chinese language, food, gardens, and many other aspects of the culture I am excited to learn about China more as we travel abroad in just a matter of a few days. The HORT 4000 course has helped guide me, as learning a new culture and language can overwhelming at times. By knowing this information I will be able to focus on more specific information about the landscape and way of life instead of learning the basics. It has provided me with an understanding of what to expect upon arrival and allow me to get the most out of the experience.

Happy!

2008-05-14T19:14:00.002-05:00

I feel so happy to go to a land that we forget was not open to the world not that long ago. To visit China, one had to be part of a group tour organized by China International Travel Service, the state tourism agency! I remember as a kid, that land was far away and unknown and very "foreign". I remember reading about the colonial era of the 1920 and 1930, the European concessions and so on. Now I get to see it myself with my own eyes! I am happy to go to China with a group of people, who like myself , love nature, plants and flowers; and to visit those gardens that we kept reading, and learning about. We studied the symbolism and significance, now we will see and experience .... not an image anymore, not a dream but reality.

Etiquette

2008-05-14T17:29:00.000-05:00

I researched proper social etiquette to display while traveling in China. Here are a few helpful tips:
1. When sightseeing, be sure to ask permission before taking photographs of people or the inside of a temple.

2. Large hand movements should be avoided. Besides, never point while speaking to anyone. If it is necessary, use an open palm to do so.

3. Punctuality is very important. Make it a point to arrive on time or early if you are the guest. Also remember not to start eating or drinking before the host initiates the proceedings.

4. In China people normally greet each other by bowing or nodding. For a handshake, always wait for the other person to offer his/her hand first.

5. Never drop the chopsticks during the meal as it is considered to a bad omen.

6. This may sound silly but social behavior in China is highly ethical, so it is not acceptable that any people take towels, ashtrays and so on from hotels, trains or other places as souvenirs.

Three Days Left!

2008-05-14T15:56:00.002-05:00

What I am most excited about is being in a place I have never been to. I can't wait to try the food, see the history, and learn more about the culture. I am excited to see Jade Buddha, a silk factory and buying fabric! The West Garden looks amazing as well. Pictures never do a place justice and I can't wait to get there!
I am also apprehensive when it comes to the language. However, not knowing the language is part of the adventure of the trip and often makes the place more memorable.

Currency

2008-05-13T20:26:00.002-05:00

I found this website helpful with pictures of the money and what the coins stand for. http://www.chinatoday.com/fin/mon/

I also found that 1 Chinese yuan = 0.143094 U.S. dollars.