We have spent a full day in Datong and visited a couple of remarkable sites. Yesterday morning we went to the Yungang Grottoes, what we have been calling Buddha Paintings. It is a beautiful site created about 1500 years ago with Buddhist sculptures created inside caves, all man-made. The detail and colors are remarkable. I added a few photos to Shutterfly but it won't do it justice. Here is a link to more info: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanxi/datong/yungang_grottoes.htm
We went to the Hanging Monastery next. You must read about this one because it is an architectural feat. It's one of my favorite places to visit because not only is it detailed and beautiful but it's fun to climb and wind your way through the narrow stairways (ladders?) and walkways. It's not for the person who is afraid of heights (Roger?) because it literally hangs off the walls of a mountain. Again, it was built about 1500 years ago and is preserved partly due to the location between two mountains where it gets very little sun.
It is cleaner in Datong. I find myself shocked to see blue sky rather than haze. I forgot to look last night but I haven't seen stars since I've arrived in China.
Today we are off to Beijing, the final destination for touring China. We will be tourists here, seeing the Forbidden City and doing some shopping. My biggest dilemma is figuring out how much money I need. I haven't used my credit card or bank card once. It's hard to gauge how much money is needed. I guess our other issue is figuring out how to fit all the luggage on the bus. It's truly a visual testament to American excess, mine included.
I'll be home soon!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
There are moments on this trip....
There are moments on this trip that I hope stay with me forever. Today was one of them. We visited a typical Chinese village today, one like you would find all over rural China and the way most Chinese live. The home we visited was a cave home, dug out of the side of the hill where 5-8 people typically live. In China people are registered to a city so they can move from the city but they can't receive certain government benefits, such as education, from a different city which forces people to stay. The village has no running water so they must cart in all their water. There is no plumbing and heat is from a stove fueled by coal at the end of the large bed. Wen Wu, who once lived in this village spoke of the obstacles he overcame to be able to leave this village, get a college education and to study in the US. Wen Wu brought us here to show us the "real China". He spoke to how the Chinese government will "put makeup on the face of China but will ignore the body". Although we've been in some smaller cities that rarely see tourists, we have seen more of the face of China, now we see the body.
Despite the extreme poverty, the family generously shared their watermelon with us. It was a sacrifice for them but they did it willingly. One of the people I am traveling with brought a Polaroid camera so we took a group photo to give to them. I know it will stay on their wall.
There were five children playing near us, so filled with laughter and playfulness. It hurt to look into their eyes and realize that they will be living this life indefinitely unless there is something miraculous that happens. Yan Ji, our interpreter, told us that his parents are from a village like this but even more remote. His parents were able to move to a bigger city because they were one of the 4% of students who passed their examination for college entrance that year. If they hadn't achieved this, Yan Ji would still be in that village instead of studying at the university and dreaming of studying in America.
I've kept up with the state shutdown and the debt ceiling debate somewhat since I've been here and although it frustrates me, I also am reminded how fortunate we are to be able to have these debates. I've struggled in China because of my independence and strong opinions. This is a country that does not value the individual and places great value on fitting in with the group. The opportunities we have are not without struggle and sacrifice but we have them. It is good to be reminded that this is a freedom that should never be taken for granted.
I've uploaded two more albums of photos to Shutterfly.
http://joaninchina2011.shutterfly.com/
Despite the extreme poverty, the family generously shared their watermelon with us. It was a sacrifice for them but they did it willingly. One of the people I am traveling with brought a Polaroid camera so we took a group photo to give to them. I know it will stay on their wall.
There were five children playing near us, so filled with laughter and playfulness. It hurt to look into their eyes and realize that they will be living this life indefinitely unless there is something miraculous that happens. Yan Ji, our interpreter, told us that his parents are from a village like this but even more remote. His parents were able to move to a bigger city because they were one of the 4% of students who passed their examination for college entrance that year. If they hadn't achieved this, Yan Ji would still be in that village instead of studying at the university and dreaming of studying in America.
I've kept up with the state shutdown and the debt ceiling debate somewhat since I've been here and although it frustrates me, I also am reminded how fortunate we are to be able to have these debates. I've struggled in China because of my independence and strong opinions. This is a country that does not value the individual and places great value on fitting in with the group. The opportunities we have are not without struggle and sacrifice but we have them. It is good to be reminded that this is a freedom that should never be taken for granted.
I've uploaded two more albums of photos to Shutterfly.
http://joaninchina2011.shutterfly.com/
The touring continues.
The touring continues. I have my Chinese name now which is Hu Ya Jing which means patient, calm and quiet. I guess they know me well in China! LOL. I went to see a man who specializes in this and using my birthdate and time he used all kinds of calculations to figure out my balance of the five elements (wood, fire, gold, and two others) to find my name. I'm lacking in gold, by the way. Roger??
We were rained out on Thursday. We were in the hotel most of the day because the heavy rains make traveling difficult. The streets often flood. We were suppose to visit a small village nearby and see a cave home but that didn't work because it was too muddy. The Yellow River rose and was also very muddy.
We continue to eat well. We've had some meals that are very special and not for the commoner. Yesterdays meal featured 32 dishes.
We have visited a number of shrines. My favorite so far is the Flying Rainbow Pegoda surrounded by shrines. It is in a remote area but is more detailed and intimate feeling than any I've seen.
Last night we had dinner at Anli's home. She is a chinese teacher who was a great support to us in Linfen. We met her husband, son, father and mother-in-law and grandmother all who live in the same home. She and her husband have another home about a 25 minute walk from this home so they divide their time. She rarely has to cook because her MIL does it. The food was delicious and we laughed until our sides hurt. Despite the language barriers, I loved the wonderful humor of this family.
We have two more days in Huozhou then we leave for Datong and then on to Beijing and home in 8 days.
We were rained out on Thursday. We were in the hotel most of the day because the heavy rains make traveling difficult. The streets often flood. We were suppose to visit a small village nearby and see a cave home but that didn't work because it was too muddy. The Yellow River rose and was also very muddy.
We continue to eat well. We've had some meals that are very special and not for the commoner. Yesterdays meal featured 32 dishes.
We have visited a number of shrines. My favorite so far is the Flying Rainbow Pegoda surrounded by shrines. It is in a remote area but is more detailed and intimate feeling than any I've seen.
Last night we had dinner at Anli's home. She is a chinese teacher who was a great support to us in Linfen. We met her husband, son, father and mother-in-law and grandmother all who live in the same home. She and her husband have another home about a 25 minute walk from this home so they divide their time. She rarely has to cook because her MIL does it. The food was delicious and we laughed until our sides hurt. Despite the language barriers, I loved the wonderful humor of this family.
We have two more days in Huozhou then we leave for Datong and then on to Beijing and home in 8 days.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Our touring continues.
Our touring continues. On Tuesday we left for Xi'an and spent time at a very famous pagoda and then went to our hotel and the night market. It was strange for us to see people who weren't Chinese in the city since we have been in cities not frequently visited by tourist. We found ourselves staring at the caucasian people!
The highlight was visiting the site of the Terra Cotta Warriors. These soldiers, chariots and horses were built in the third century BC and depict the soldiers of the first emperor. They were discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well and there are an estimated 8000 individual sculptures. It's quite awe inspiring.
We returned to Huozhou last night and will be here until Sunday when we start making our way to Beijing.
I fit in my sixth massage today and it was probably the best and most what I expected from a Chinese massage. There was plenty of grimacing and groaning but I feel fantastic. The massage people treat us well.
I received my Chinese name today. When I understand more about the process and meaning I will share it with you. I'd share it now but I already forgot it.
The highlight was visiting the site of the Terra Cotta Warriors. These soldiers, chariots and horses were built in the third century BC and depict the soldiers of the first emperor. They were discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well and there are an estimated 8000 individual sculptures. It's quite awe inspiring.
We returned to Huozhou last night and will be here until Sunday when we start making our way to Beijing.
I fit in my sixth massage today and it was probably the best and most what I expected from a Chinese massage. There was plenty of grimacing and groaning but I feel fantastic. The massage people treat us well.
I received my Chinese name today. When I understand more about the process and meaning I will share it with you. I'd share it now but I already forgot it.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Continuing with our theme of change...
Continuing with our theme of change, we only stayed one night in our fifth floor hotel room and were moved to a different hotel in Huozhou. It has an elevator but we could not figure our Internet access until tonight. Thankfully one of the college students came to Huozhou to spend more time with us and has helped us with this hurdle. He also helped me by sharing his wifi info so I can use my iPad. It's wonderful to have more time with Yanji.
Today was a great day. We went to a local mountain park and did some hiking. It was a tough but beautiful hike. Surprisingly there were food stands along the trail where people were selling freshly prepared food. I will post photos as soon as I can because it was stunning. I will be in a number of family albums in China as people would stop me to have photos taken with their children. Even teenage boys wanted a photo. It's really strange to get used to. I heard someone say yesterday that they had a couple of Americans visit Houzhou last year. We are an anomaly. I'm wondering how my family will make me feel so special when I get home!
I just woke up from my daily nap and will eat again shortly. We are being well cared for. Turns out that massages in Linfen were a bit of an extravagance. Massages are only $3 here. That's next on my list!
Today was a great day. We went to a local mountain park and did some hiking. It was a tough but beautiful hike. Surprisingly there were food stands along the trail where people were selling freshly prepared food. I will post photos as soon as I can because it was stunning. I will be in a number of family albums in China as people would stop me to have photos taken with their children. Even teenage boys wanted a photo. It's really strange to get used to. I heard someone say yesterday that they had a couple of Americans visit Houzhou last year. We are an anomaly. I'm wondering how my family will make me feel so special when I get home!
I just woke up from my daily nap and will eat again shortly. We are being well cared for. Turns out that massages in Linfen were a bit of an extravagance. Massages are only $3 here. That's next on my list!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
We left Linfen yesterday...
We left Linfen yesterday after our final school session. There were tears and hugs all around after a wonderful and challenging week. Saying goodbye to the Chinese college students was even more difficult. My views of China and the people will be forever changed because of their generosity and honesty. I've had some deep discussions with them about what they see as the best and worst of China as well as their perceptions of the US.
We are in Houzhou, a smaller town where four teachers have been living and teaching for the past two weeks. We are on the fifth floor of a hotel that looks quite modern but we had brown-outs about every 10 minutes last night, and there is no elevator. It is nice to be back together as a group finally. I hope to see the other school site today and maybe just wander a bit. Today was the first day we got to sleep in since arriving in China.
We are done teaching now and next begins some touring. We don't have a firm plan but we will stay in Houzhou for four days, the on to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and the final four days will be in Beijing. There are a few other days that are yet to be determined.
There is Chinese opera type music blaring outside my window at 8 am.
We are in Houzhou, a smaller town where four teachers have been living and teaching for the past two weeks. We are on the fifth floor of a hotel that looks quite modern but we had brown-outs about every 10 minutes last night, and there is no elevator. It is nice to be back together as a group finally. I hope to see the other school site today and maybe just wander a bit. Today was the first day we got to sleep in since arriving in China.
We are done teaching now and next begins some touring. We don't have a firm plan but we will stay in Houzhou for four days, the on to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and the final four days will be in Beijing. There are a few other days that are yet to be determined.
There is Chinese opera type music blaring outside my window at 8 am.
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