The Beginning of a Semester Abroad in Chengdu, China
大家好！I am currently abroad in Chengdu, China, and I wanted to share some crazy but fantastic adventures with you. It is unbelievable that I have had the privilege to travel to China so much in these past three years. It has truly been a dream come true! Traveling in China is marvelous because there are so many different regions to explore. The possibilities are endless. Each region has its unique vibe, cuisine, and culture. The history behind each location is also mind boggling in its complexity. From August 28 to September 4, I participated on the optional orientation tour before heading to my final destination, Chengdu. Whitworth University offers the students options for study abroad, including the ISEP (International Student Exchange Program) option. I opted to do this program since my target country is China. Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) offers the optional orientation tour, exit tour, and an on-site director for the extent of the semester program. Several PLU students and other ISEP students joined the program, and we have had the opportunity to experience it together. This semester exchange program has been so meaningful and worthwhile to me. I have grown immensely; learning new things and adapting to the culture. I have learned so much about cultural and global awareness. I am so glad that I chose to do this semester abroad in Chengdu, because I can already tell that I am growing as an individual. It has been inordinately invaluable. I have fallen in love with China and its culture even more in this short time. The challenges have also impacted me greatly in positive ways, even if, at the time I struggled. I look forward to, not only the joys, but also the hardships that come with living abroad.
At the crack of dawn on August 28, my parents drove me to the airport in the Tri-Cities. From there, I flew to SeaTac Airport in Seattle to unite with the other students and the on-site director. I arrived in Seattle at 10 am, so I had plenty of time to relax and wait around for the others. Honestly, I was nervous and excited to meet all of them, because it signified that I was one step closer to being in China.
After we finally met up, we departed at 2:30 pm for Incheon, South Korea. The plane ride was like any other; long and exhausting. On August 29, we arrived in Incheon at 5:30 pm. Since I had barely slept on the plane, I was extremely fatigued. However, we still had another plane ride until we reached our destination. We finally landed in Beijing at 8 pm and met our guide, Cathy, who was waiting patiently for us to arrive. I barely noticed the heavy traffic, bright lights, and the honking cars on our drive to the hotel. At the Beijing Traditional Hotel, where we were staying, we met another PLU professor, Paul, who had come to settle us in to China and Sichuan University. At the hotel, the receptionists have to go through a long process of checking our visas and printing copies of our passports. At last, we were ushered to our rooms where I crashed the instant I hit the bed. With elation, I realized I was back in China!
Beijing 北京
The first day, the schedule was brimming with activities. For those of us, who were feeling the effects of jet lag, it was a daunting but enjoyable task to face. We were in Beijing for a total of three days. Every morning, I would awaken early and tromp downstairs to the breakfast area for a quick meal. One of the things that I anticipate the most when I return to China is the food. For breakfast, there was an overwhelming amount of options to choose from, including noodles, eggs, oatmeal, fried rice, etc. Once I was done with breakfast, it was time to embark on that day’s activities.
The first day, August 30, we visited Tiananmen Square (天安门广场), the Forbidden City （故宫), a Hutong (胡同), and the Temple of Heaven (天坛). These past two years, I have been in China during the winter, so it is certainly enjoyable to experience the same locations in a different season. Considering that it was autumn, there were many tourists wandering around the famous sites. It was unbelievably more difficult to get a glimpse of something important or snap a photo when it was required to shove through the throngs of people.
In China, the cultural norm is for people to fend for themselves in crowds. Therefore, it is common to get pushed roughly to the side, when somebody is trying to reach their destination. This is especially difficult to adapt to when on a bus or some other form of transportation. Also, considering that I am petite, I am easily forced out of the way if somebody so desires to hurry through the crowd. For many foreigners, this aspect of the culture can be tough to adapt to while traveling through China.
Tiananmen Square lies directly in front of the Forbidden City. This creates easy access for those who desire to tour both locations in the same day. That day, many people were strolling about in the square taking photos of anything and everything. Many of the Chinese would curiously creep up to our guided tour and listen to us talk in English. I think they were puzzled why I was hanging out with the “foreigners” and speaking fluent English, since I obviously appear Chinese. Vendors were advertising their photo skills for those who wanted their pictures taken by these services. I honestly wonder if many people actually pay them to take their picture. Many small children were running around in the square; laughing while dodging through the crowds.
The temperature was quite warm, and all of us were striving to stay hydrated. We passed under the road and came up near the Forbidden City. The facade of the building is imposing and impressive with Mao Zedong’s head-shot hanging up smack dab in the middle. The Forbidden City is a spectacular sight to see in any season. Inside the palace’s walls, there are even more walled sections within it. Approaching the middle and the back, are the private chambers of the concubines and the emperor. The intricacy of the architecture is brilliant and conveys the wealth and importance of the emperor.
At the end of the day, we ambled through the shop streets near our hotel. It was delightful to explore the inviting, brightly lit shops while taking a breather from bustling around Beijing. We briefly walked into a cat cafe that contained an ocelot in its store window. It was slightly sad to see the ocelot pacing around in the small space. We discovered a popsicle store selling all sorts of fruit popsicles. They were refreshing and delicious. It was a peaceful end to a great first day back in Beijing.
The following day, August 31, we departed early to go the the Simatai section of the Great Wall. Compared to other sections that I have been to in my childhood and more recently, this section was fairly touristy. At the base of the mountain, there was a resort for those who might want to spend a couple of days at the Great Wall. The temperature was rather warm and slightly humid. It made the climb more arduous, which was a challenge. Climbing up the stairs was grueling because the steps are irregular in level and height. Many of the steps were narrow and very tall. It definitely made my legs burn. At first, I was unsure if I wanted to walk to all the towers. At that point, I was hesitant to declare that I could even make it to five of the towers. Many times I would have to pause to catch my breath. Some older men were observing me while I struggled to breathe, and they chuckled. It is amazing how fit the older generation is in China, many older men were easily climbing the stairs that I was struggling to overcome. However, in the end, I climbed to all ten of the towers. The climb, overall, was a total of over six miles. Quite a workout! Upon reaching the tenth tower, I was glad that I had persevered, since the view was absolutely stunning. I could see far into the distance, the trees and shrubbery, and other parts of the wall.
The end of the day was concluded with a visit to see the opera. Although I had seen it previously, it was nice to go again. The Chinese opera is an experience. They often use cymbals and other instruments continually throughout the show. The performers’ makeup is very exaggerated with white face paint accented with red and black. My favorite scene is when they use the spears to perform a complicated action scene. That night, we returned to the popsicle stand for another round. This time I bought a delicious mango-flavored one with grapefruit.
September 1 was the final day in Beijing before continuing our orientation tour. For the first part of the day, we visited the Lama Temple. It was an important, special day at the temple, so there were many people there paying their respects to the buddhas. Many people observe this special day by lighting incense and performing a small prayer ritual. Our guide handed us some incense and we took the time to participate. After lighting three incense sticks, people bow three times in each direction while holding the incense in front of them. It felt very spiritual and peaceful to be a part of this special day. Wandering to the back of the temple grounds, there is the gigantic Maitreya Buddha that stands at 18 meters tall. The atmosphere in the temple is very peaceful; hearing the monks chanting, wandering under the trees, watching people pray in silence, etc.
Following our time at the temple, we headed over to the 798 Art District. Since the last time I had been there, there were quite a few changes made to the galleries, street designs, and sculptures. After meandering about for a while, we stopped in Green Oxygen (a cafe) for some beverages. The plants combined with the lights and decorations provided a chill vibe. Touring these two locations on our last day completed our time in Beijing.
At 6 pm, our guide dropped us off at the train station. We patiently waited around for the two hours. During the wait, I engaged in a lively Chinese conversation with several older women. They were curious about our travel plans, our lives in America, and our Chinese language skills. Finally, at 8:40 pm we boarded the sleeper train to Xi’an. None of the other students were accustomed to sleeping in such cramped quarters, and they were clearly aghast that they would have to sleep in the tiny beds for the night. I had experienced the night train before and wasn’t fazed by it. I was only thinking about our destination. I was overjoyed to be going back again.
Xi’an 西安
We arrived in Xi’an at 8:15 am on September 2. Our guide, Liz, warmly greeted us before abandoning us to find the bus. After reuniting with the guide and our bus driver, we headed over to Citadines Hotel. After a short time to refresh ourselves, we drove to Shaanxi Provincial Museum. We were given an hour to tour it independently, however, seeing as how I had been before, I quickly finished and sat down on some stairs to rest. I was exhausted from not sleeping well on the train, and this was combined with the hot, humid weather. The next item on our agenda was visiting the Tangbo Art Museum which contained many modern art pieces. This was interesting, because many of the places I’ve been to only feature historical artwork. We also took a calligraphy class, where I struggled to write the characters beautifully; even though I have done a lot of calligraphy before (embarrassing!).
After a light lunch, we toured the Wild Goose Pagoda. The grounds surrounding the pagoda are magnificent and there was a peaceful vibe permeating the air. Sadly, the pagoda was under construction since it was leaning even more dangerously since the earthquake. At 5:30 pm we went and looked around the Beilin Museum. It was so fascinating to look at all the calligraphy, scripts, and engraved stones. At Whitworth, my Chinese history professor had talked about the Nestorian stele, and I was beyond excited to see it in person.
Despite being exhausted, we went and had a scrumptious dumpling dinner. The dumplings varied from veggie-filled to meat-filled. They came in many shapes, including frogs! Afterwards, we viewed an extravagant performance filled with amazing set backgrounds, dancing, etc. However, everyone was so tired, that it was hard to pay attention and enjoy it. A few of my classmates dozed off during the performance. When we got back to the hotel, I immediately went to bed and slept.
The next morning we got up early to go see the Terracotta Warrior factory and later the Terracotta Warriors. It was as impressive as ever. Being close to such ancient historical artifacts transported me back in time and I imagined what it would be like during that period. Considering how severe Qin Shi Huangdi was, I am sure thankful that I didn’t lived during that time. After seeing the Terracotta Army, we went and had a tea tasting experience. Personally, I love Chinese tea. Not only is it extremely beneficial for an individual’s health, it is very refreshing at any time in the year.
At 3:15 pm, we climbed up on the city wall and did my favorite thing: bike on the wall. However, there was construction going on so we were unable to go around the whole wall. The pollution was very evident in the air, and many of my fellow classmates were bemoaning that the air quality was bad. We visited another one of my favorite places after: the Muslim market. Just like my previous two trips, the delicious food smells wafted through the air, tantalizing and tempting me to try some. We did get some cotton candy that the vendor shaped into a huge flower. I almost didn’t want to eat it; it was so pretty. The next day we were leaving to our final destination, Chengdu, where I will be spending a whole semester studying at Sichuan University.
And, that concludes my orientation tour. Currently, I am adjusting to Chengdu and Sichuan University. The campus is larger than what I’m used to, but I’m really enjoying the nature mixed in with the older-style architecture. At first, it was overwhelming to try and find my way around the campus (I got lost the first day trying to leave campus), but I have quickly adapted. The campus has many options food-wise; on campus and close to campus. Later, when I am more familiar with campus and campus life I will do a blog solely dedicated to that topic. For now, I will enjoy the culture and my time studying here.