Yesterday was another action packed day and our last in Beijing.We spent the morning at the Temple of Heaven. In the afternoon, we took a pedicab tour that ended at Drum Tour. After that it was a visit to Song Qingling guju. Then we ended the day by taking an overnight sleeper train to Luoyang.
Below are comments from Deb Homer, Interim Dean of Student Services, about the day.
"One of the major sites to visit in Beijing is the Temple of Heaven. We visited what is now a very large park as well as the temple on Friday. It was built as a place of worship for the emperor to pray for a successful harvest throughout China. The area surrounding the temple has become a popular place for retirees to spend their days playing games, exercising, singing, dancing and visiting. While the temple is magnificent, I was drawn to this microcosm of Chinese society. They were so joyful and having fun with their friends. When we walked up, some stared at us curiously while others said hello. One older man was sitting on a bench with a little bird on his finger. He had rigged a small leash so it could not fly off, and it was chirping away. He motioned for us to come over. His goal was for us to take his photo with the bird and give him a few yuan in return. Kathy went over and sat next to him. He put the bird on her finger and posed for many pictures which we gladly paid him for. In another area a group was playing what seemed like folk music and several women were dancing. Everyone was clapping a having a good time.
We have also experienced young people striking up conversations in English. They often say they want to practice. Usually they are very good conversationalists as well. Our guide in Beijing is a young woman named Lee Chi. She has shared so much of her life with us. We've peppered her with all sorts of questions. When we had to say goodbye to her, we all gave her a big hug. It is so gratifying to have these types of interchanges, and they will make this trip memorable for a long time to come. So for me, the best part of China has been meeting the people."
