An Experiential Journey

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I just returned from China, and words cannot express how amazing this journey to the Eastern Hemisphere changed my views of the world. I learned so much about China, and I cannot wait to share what I learned with my students at Brookwood Middle School. Out of all the study tours I have had the opportunity to participate in--this one outshines them all. The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, the East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University, and the Freeman Foundation are all incredible organizations that believe teachers can inspire others through their journeys to East Asia. I am so thankful to have been a part of such an amazing team of educators! All I can saw is WOW--what an experiential journey!

Free Study Day!

According to a Chinese proverb, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. My journey to this incredible country was life-changing. We were treated like royalty as we learned about the history and culture of China. I toured the Communism Museum during my free time. I also visited a local bookstore that was seven-stories tall. I was AMAZED to see so many parents with their children in the bookstore. I enjoyed trying to figure out the Shanghai subway system in Chinese. I bought some Chinese children's books to show my students. I had great lunch of Haagen-Daaz ice cream, and walked around the streets of Shanghai the rest of the afternoon.

Zhu-jia-jiao

We visited Zhu-jia-jiao today, which is a "water city" outside of Shanghai. It is a beautiful place to wander through the streets. I helped Noah find pearls for his future daughter, and the group enjoyed sightseeing in the city. We took a boat ride, and saw spectacular views of the town. We also toured Shanghai Museum, where we learned about Chinese history and culture. We had a lovely farewell dinner, where Melanie B gave us beautiful gifts and she told us the "one word" she thinks about when she thinks about all of us. She told me my word was "adventure." A few members of the group sang a song about the trip, and then we all went to a place to sing Karaoke. Songs such as Sweet Home Alabama, Jambalaya, Born to Run, and Just a Gigolo were sung by incredible members of our group. Who knew teachers could be such showstoppers?

On the way to Shanghai

We boarded our China Express flight from Zhongdian to Shanghai, via Kunming. We learned that Al Franken was officially elected to the U.S. Senate today, giving the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority. This made us very excited. We took a Night Cruise in Shanghai, where we saw some of the most beautiful views of Shanghai at night, including the Shanghai Tower and the world's tallest building.

Shangri-La!!!

We made it to Shangri-La! Zhongdian is home to many Tibetan minority villagers. We got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit a Tibetan family, in the foothills of the Himalayas. We tasted Yak butter tea, buckwheat, and Yak cheese. When mixed together, it tasted a lot like cheerios. We learned about the burial traditions in this community, and wow--was that different. We also visited Bitahai Lake. It rained a lot, but we enjoyed the hike anyway.

Tiger-Leaping Gorge

As our tour bus made its way through steep mountain cliffs with hairpin turns to Tiger-Leaping Gorge, we figured out why we had to purchase the trip insurance. Once we arrived at the gorge, we saw beatiful scenery. The day was filled with a flood of emotions, as the breathtaking sights in southwestern China simply amaze us more and more each day. We also saw the first bend of the Yangtze river.

Lijiang

Today we traveled to Lijiang. It is a wonderful town in Yunnan province. We strolled along the cobblestone streets, where we saw lots of typical Chinese shops. Our group has become a family of close friends, and we are amazed at the sights and sounds of China. We were treated to an outstanding Naxi Music Performance. Some of us walked around at night to see the nightlife in the area. There wasn't much to do near our hotel, so we all went to sleep pretty early. On June 28th, we visited Jade Dragon Mountain. It was a nice hike, but it was cold. Several of us bought hot pink jackets that reminded me of the "pink ladies" from Grease. We have developed our own rating system for Chinese toilets, and as we travel to more rural areas we find the toilets get more and more primitive. We visited a Baisha village, where many of us purchased authentic foot-binding shoes to show students in our classrooms. We also visited the Donga Cultural Center, where we learned about Dongba--the last hieroglyphic language still used in the world today. I got the Dongba Shaman to write the Brookwood Middle School motto on a scroll for my classroom. This evening, some of us visited the Taco Bar and the New Amsterdam Pub. I even met a lady from Alabama who was teaching English in Lijiang. Greg and I "toasted" to a good trip, and (dragons that we are), we accidentally broke the drink glasses. The music in both places was great, especially "Wake me Up Before you Go-Go" and AC/DC's "Shook Me All Night Long." What a wonderful two days in Lijiang!

The Yin and the Yang

We made our way to Dali today. Every trip has its high and low points. Today's "cruise tour" on Erhai Lake was--interesting. We were all extremely tired, it was raining, and our stop at an "island" was quite odd. However, we visited a Butterfly Spring and it was beautiful. We also visited a place that specializes in making Batik fabrics. In the afternoon, we toured the site of the Three Elegant Pagodas, which was also home to a newly-built Buddhist Temple. At night, a few of us walked the streets of Dali, to see the nightlife. It was still a little rainy, so we didn't stay long. We also felt like we were walking in a "shady" area, so we returned to the hotel pretty quickly.

The Stone Forest

Today we traveled to the Stone Forest. It looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. We tasted "corn-flavored" ice cream, and for a moment John thought he lost his camera. As usual, Richard met many new friends during our hike throught the forest. We had lunch at a noodle place, and returned to our hotel in the evening. We returned to "The Hump" for a history lesson with friends.

Kunming

We checked out of our hotel in Xi'an, and headed to the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan. Yunnan is home to the majority of China's ethnic minority groups. Kunming is also important in American History, because of the Flying Tigers. Flying Tigers was the popular name of the 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941-1942. Arguably, the group was a private military contractor, and for that reason the volunteers have sometimes been called mercenaries. They were mostly former United States Army (USAAF), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC) pilots and ground crew, recruited under Presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The group consisted of three fighter squadrons with about 20 aircraft each. It trained in Burma before the American entry into World War II with the mission of defending China against Japanese forces.
The Tigers' shark-faced fighters remain among the most recognizable of any individual combat aircraft of World War II, and they demonstrated innovative tactical victories when the news in the U.S. was filled with little more than stories of defeat at the hands of the Japanese forces.
The group first saw combat on 20 December 1941, 12 days after Pearl Harbor (local time). It achieved notable success during the lowest period of the war for U.S. and Allied Forces, giving hope to Americans that they would eventually succeed against the Japanese. The Tigers were paid combat bonuses for destroying nearly 300 enemy aircraft while losing only 14 pilots on combat missions.

The area they flew over is nicknamed "The Hump" and there is a nice place named in its honor in the middle of Kunming. Inside this restaurant today, you can see jackets worn by some of the pilots, as well as many photos and memorabilia. We had fun looking at all the historical sites on the walls. We also bonded as a group by playing a fun "world capitals" trivia game.

We also visited the Dragon Gate and the Western Hills, which were both beautiful.

School Visit in Xi'an

Today we visited a middle school that has over 4,000 students. The name of the school means "I love knowledge." It is the first English Language Immersion School in China, and they have 198 teachers. I practiced "ordering dinner" in an English class with a girl named Alice. I gave the school a book about Alabama. Students performed dances, the band played music, we were given beautiful gifts. The average class size is 50, and students always stand up to answer a question in class. They wanted to know about American schools. They attend nine classes each day, and each class is 40 minutes long. Teachers are very well-respected, and we were the first group of teachers from the United States to visit the school.

After the school visit, we had free study time. I wanted to study how China is quickly growing into a capitalist society. I visited many local stores, including a home furnishings store, a Chinese supermarket, and other places of interest.

The Warriors

There aren't too many days in my life that top seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'an. In 1974, four farmers found the warrios. We got to meet Mr. Yang, who was one of the farmers. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.

We visited an Islamic section of Xi'an in the afternoon, where we learned about the Muslim minorities in China. We also visited a "cave home" at the Hong Jia Village. At night, a few of us took a wild and crazy taxi cab ride back to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to see the largest water show in Asia.

A "Ding-Ding-Hao" Day!

We arrived in Xi'an, China's ancient capital, very early in the morning. We ate breakfast at a local McDonalds and my egg mcmuffin was wonderful. We visited the Shanxi Museum, and wandered around the city's wall. We visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, where we made our way into a zodiac shop. My zodiac year, 1976, is the year of the dragon. Qiong and Greg are also dragons in our group. A zodiac book near the pagoda told us that we could be "crime geniuses," and we all laughed. That evening, we had an Imperial Dumpling Banquet Dinner while we watched a Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show.

Last Day in Beijing

Everyone told stories about their free-day adventures. I laughed while I listened to Melanie B. tell the story of visiting her nephew who lives in a hutong, while he attends college in the city. It was also fun hearing how Richard (who never meets a stranger) found himself with members of our group outstretched in a Chinese teacher's hutong, while the teacher painted calligraphy for some of the members.

We visited the Summer Palace today, and it was absolutely beautiful. We also visited the Olympic Park, where we toured the WaterCube and the Bird's Nest.

We all took rickshaw rides through a traditional neighborhood, and had lunch inside a hutong. Later that night, we shopped and ate on Wang-Fu-Jing, where we actually ran into the "kidnappers" from the day before! They were very nice and even posed for photos with us. They still wanted to show us some "artwork," but we resisted. We boarded our overnight train to Xi'an, where we enjoyed the experience of rail travel throughout China. There's nothing like trying to use an Eastern Toilet while the train is moving--Good Times!

Lost in Beijing

Sometimes in life you have to lose yourself, before you can find the right way. I spent the morning wandering the streets of Beijing. I was on a mission to find the Pearl Market. I had a map with me--that was written only in Chinese. However, there was a picture of a pearl where the market was located, so that came in handy when asking for directions. Of course, I got lost and found myself walking past local hutongs. I ran into a fellow teacher in our group who was also lost, and was looking for the Underground City. We decided to try and look for both places together. We hired a rickshaw driver who told us (in Chinese) that he would take us to the underground city. When we got there, we saw a sign that said the underground city was closed. The rickshaw driver quickly drove away, and we were lost in Beijing once again. With our Chinese map, we pointed to the "pearl" and some nice ladies pointed us in the direction of the Pearl Market. When we finally found the market, we were overwhelmed with the huge amount of vendors selling pearls. I bargained at shop #158, where I bought pearls for many friends and family. The vendors were nice enough to double-knot the pearls for me, and I considered my mission a success.
Later that same afternoon, a few teachers in my group and I were approached by some "art students." They wanted us to see their artwork. Maryanne was very trusting of the students, so Jerry and I followed Maryanne and the students to the "university." To make a long story short, we think we almost got lured into a hotel. We could've been kidnapped--but we walked away before the "students" had a chance to get us.
That night, lots of us walked down to Wang-Fu-Jing street. It is like Times Square. It is also close to the famous Night Market, where Andrew Zimmerman filmed an episode of "Bizarre Foods." We saw people eating beetles, starfish, sea horses, and various types of meat. Overall it was an incredible day. Getting lost is sometimes exactly what you need to enjoy the journey along the way.

The Great Wall

Today I checked off one of my lifelong dreams--I climbed the Great Wall of China! It was a foggy day, which made the view a little obstructed. But the experience was incredible. There were many people at the wall, and I had my picture taken with some Chinese high school students. The Great Wall is over 5,500 miles long, and it stretches like a strong dragon winding its way along the mountain ranges. We hiked the Badaling section in Yanqing County (about 70 miles outside of Beijing). The Badaling section was built during the Ming dynasty and is the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall.

We also visited a Cloisonne Factory. It was amazing to see artists working on beautiful pieces of art. Cloisonne vases are made of copper, and inlayed with beautiful colored enamel. After having a nice lunch and shopping for Cloisonne souvenirs, we headed to the Ming Tombs. We had a shocking moment on the bus, when Melanie K. thought she left her wallet in a public restroom. But after a few panicked moments, she found her wallet tucked away in her own backpack.

We were absolutely exhausted after a full day of sightseeing. The bus dropped us off on the street and we had about 45 minutes to find a place to eat and get back to a theatre for an exciting acrobatic show. We were starving, and we searched everywhere for food. We thought we found a Pizza Hut, but it turned out to be delivery-only. Nancy tried to ask a security guard (who didn't speak English) how to get to a McDonalds. Luckily, he recognized her best hand-motion for the "golden arches". However, we didn't have enough time to walk all the way there, so we settled on concession stand food in the theatre. I bought some chips, and I thought they tasted funny. Noah tasted one, and started laughing. As it turned out, my chips were "meat-flavored." Nonetheless, the Chinese acrobats were amazing.

Tiananmen Square

We spent the first part of the day at Tiananmen Square. Our hotel, the Jianguo Garden Hotel, was only a few blocks from the square. Tiananmen Square is a large plaza in the center of Beijing. Various events in Chinese history happened in the square, including the May 4th Movement in 1919 and the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949. Mass rallies and protests were held at the square during the Cultural Revolution. Most recently, the protests of 1989 took place in the square, where many pro-democracy Chinese citizens were massacred. We visited the square a week after the 20-year Annversary of the 1989 protest, and it was very crowded. CNN was at the square a week earlier, trying to report on the history of the 1989 protests. Unfortunately, the reporters at CNN said that undercover security guards held umbrellas over their cameras last week, to block coverage of the history of the events in 1989.

We also visited the Forbidden City. It was the Chinese Imperial Palace for almost 500 years of dynastic rule. The Emperor lived here with his household. It was the political center of Chinese government. It has almost 9,000 rooms, and covers 720,000 square meters. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is listed as being the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

We also visited the Temple of Heaven. It was built by the same architect who designed the Forbidden City. It was constructed between 1406 and 1420. It is a place where people pray for things such as a good harvest. It is a beautiful site to see, and when we were there a lovely couple had their wedding photos taken at the Temple. A huge park surrounds the temple, where people gather in the afternoons to dance, play hackysack, and relax.

We were treated by a Peking Roast Duck Banquet Dinner. They also offered plenty of vegetables. It was a great way to end our full day of sightseeing.