Day 7 In Xi’an – Jiaotong University

In the afternoon, we visited Jiaotong University a “top ten” university in China. It has a large and beautiful campus. The students we met with were very enthusiastic, friendly and informative.

We were invited to meet with Liang Li, Vice Director of International Cooperation & Exchanges, along with a few students. After a short video promoting the university and its history, we were able to ask questions. The questions ranged from exchange programs to international students to library programs. After this the students, a group of management graduate students, showed us around the campus while answering and asking questions. We discussed their undergraduate degrees and their plans for the future after they get there graduate degrees. We also discussed their interest outside of school, even though they study a lot and work very hard. They wanted to know what we did, how we liked China and where all have we been?

Pictured above and left you will see an image of the students taking us around the campus and then a group photo, of all of us with the students.

Below is a short video of an interview I did with one of the students. Her english name is Jasmine.

Day 7 In Xi’an – Terra Cotta Warriors

We spent the morning at the amazing Terra Cotta Warriors museum and historical site. This was a favorite stop for many but I don’t think any of us were as happy and enthusiastic about seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors as our own Heather Lucas, Instructor of History at GPC.

She is pictured above doing an interview with me. She has also written about emperor Qin Shihuang and the Terra Cotta Warriors below. If you would like to see a video of the brief interview, it is located at the bottom of this post.

Heather writes, “We visited the Terra Cotta Warriors who guard the tomb of China’s first emperor Qin Shihuang. The site consists of about 10,000 statues – both soldiers and horses. Each statue is different because they were modeled after individual members of the emperor’s army.

Unfortunately, the Qin emperor’s burial grounds were raided and ransacked soon after his death. Shihuang might have been a successful at unifying a war torn region, but making friends was not high on his list of priorities.

The terra cotta army was originally created about 210 B.C.E. to protect the emperor in his afterlife. He wanted to show his strength and power. Shihuang’s living army got lucky. He decided to reproduce soldiers in terra cotta but originally wanted to sacrifice his own men for burial.

No one knows for sure, but rumors claim Shihuang’s body is buried nearby under a gigantic mound. Inside the mound there are supposed to be a river of mercury and other spectacular treasures.

Much of this information was forgotten or ignored until the 1970’s when a group of farmers digging a well unearthed pieces of the terra cotta soldiers. Excavation of the site began soon afterwards. The soldiers were originally very ornate and beautifully painted. After the warriors were uncover the paint oxidized, so most of the color is ancient history too.

The Chinese have recently accepted technology and aid from other countries to protect the warriors that have not yet been excavated. Now the Chinese can continue to preserve an important site demonstrating the glories of ancient Chinese kingdoms.”

Day 6 – Luoyang/Xi’an

We are still running around like crazy but having a blast. I wanted to give you an idea of what our days have been like and then let you hear from Debra Denzer with a detailed account of day six.

We are up and at breakfast between 6:30-7:00 most days and on the road no later than 9:00, sometimes earlier. Our days are divided among activities, usually including two or three major destinations and three different meals. Sometimes we will fit in on or two small destinations, if possible. We frequently do not finish the day until 10 p.m. or later and are exhausted. However, with the excitement of everything and not wanting to miss anything, we are up and at them the next morning ready to go.

Debra wrote, “Today began with breakfast in Luoyang, an old capital city in Henan province that is perhaps best known to foreigners for its proximity to famous Buddhist sites. Then we visited Longmen (Dragon Gate) Grottoes. These carvings truly defy description, ranging in size from a couple of inches to massive statues carved into the hillside. There is a long walk along the river before you reach the carvings. What was a rustic pastoral place when I first visited in 1980 has become a well developed tourist site complete the landscaping, paved roads, ice-cream and souvenir shops. But even the presence of these cannot take away the majesty of the site. We have all agreed that we know much too little about Buddhism and Daoism to fully appreciate these treasures and a couple will work to increase that background.

After lunch we began our trek to Xian, traveling over highways, well paved, well marked and cutting through some of the most beautiful country we’ve seen. On one side or the other we saw the terraced landscape of farmers making use of the hillsides and on the other the plains as they creep up to the edges of the hills. Then suddenly as we near Xian, we began to see the mountains and we know we are approaching a totally new landscape.

The bus ride itself, though dreaded, turns out to be a great time to learn more from Ed and Sylvia Krebs about the life and history of the area, more about each other, and a chance to put our feet up. Two stops along the way make the trip (5 hours) very easy to bear and we all enjoyed the opportunity to stop and shop at a China Highway Rest Stop and Shop, which exceeded anything we’re used to on the highways in the U.S. A large, very clean, well-stocked, and well-organized store of snacks (which none of us can resist surveying and then eating!) The trip was made even more fun by a game of “Something that would never happen in China” in which we joked about the idiosyncrasies of our participants and some of the observations we’ve made about Chinese society. The game was thought up and lead by Dr. Crystal Garrett, Professor of Political Science.

Tonight we split up and ate at different restaurants. I joined a group going to De Fa Chang Jiao Zi Guan, the famous dumpling house. While ordering was an incredible challenge and we almost gave up, we ended up with a truly delightful meal of a variety of dumplings, some stuffed with seafood, others meat, vegetables, and each hand shaped in a different way. Our colleagues ate with Ed and Sylvia, at a Muslim Restaurant, where they enjoyed some sort of lamb stew. According to Kathy Jordan, Assistant Director of Marketing and PR - Design Services, it was amazing and her favorite meal thus far in China.

It was interesting to learn that 8% of the population in Xian is Muslim. On Tuesday we will visit the largest mosque in the city.”

Three Challenges Facing The Chinese People Today

Debra Denzer, Director of Center for International Education, is pictured above at the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang.

Debra wrote, “Sunday morning we were on our way to visit the Longmen Grottoes but on the way we were traveling through Luoyang and getting a short lecture from our guide, Donny who talked to us about the three being challenges facing the Chinese people today: Health care, education, and real estate.

Health care is very expensive and people in the city may be able to afford insurance but people in the village are often too poor to afford medical care for illnesses and diseases. As an attempt to help resolve this problem currently there is a system of “family public account” into which family members can make deposits to cover the medical costs of someone in the family when they become ill.

Education is a challenge. Education is not free but is mandated. 9 years of school. Punishment for truancy doesn’t help if they can’t afford it. Furthermore not every village has a school and children may have to travel as much as 2-3 hours. Currently China tries to fix this problem by offering free education in the villages and by developing “boarding schools” where students can live and go to school, the cost of which is covered by a combination of family/government/school.

Real estate is the third problem. House prices are very expensive. People sometimes work 20-30 years to pay for their home. Even then the land still belongs to the government. In village and countryside, people are assigned by government to particular land for an agreement of 100-150 years.

So it seems that people in China face the same difficulties that Americans do—concern over healthcare access and cost, education access, and home ownership.”

Architecture and People

Pictured to the left is Betty Molloy, Assistant Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. She is standing on the sacred stone where only the emperor was allowed to stand for speaking and prayer. Now people are allowed to stand there and like to do so for good luck.

Betty wrote, “Beijing was impressive. The buildings range from the traditional to the modern. I never thought I would find myself standing in Tian’anmen Square. Is so vast that even with all the people it doesn’t look crowded. The square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall are all so vast and beautiful. Some of the newer buildings are of unusual shapes. An architect would love being here. The ring roads (and there are six of them) are 14 lanes wide. I feel that crossing streets here is a matter of taking your life in your hands. It does not seem that pedestrians have the right of way in Beijing.

I have been most impressed by the people here. They have been friendly and have gone out of their way to welcome us. The first person I met was on the plane. Li told me about her adjustment to living, studying, and working in the U.S. She found North Carolina to be filled with vast open spaces and getting around to buy groceries to be difficult without a car. Before we arrived in Beijing, Li gave me information on what to expect in China because she wanted me to enjoy my visit. The friendliness of the Chinese people continued once we arrived in Beijing. When we rode the subway, two individuals insisted that we take their seats.

Later in Luoyang, after eating Chinese food for five days straight, four of us wanted to find a hamburger or pizza. One of the men working in our hotel offered to lead four of us to a place to find American food. He provided us with umbrellas and walked ahead of us in the rain. He tried to take us to a restaurant that served pizza but that did not work out. So, we ended up at McDonalds. The chicken at McDonalds in China is VERY spicy (HOT).

I am learning so much but have very little time to record it all.”

Architecture In China

English Professor, Carole Creekmore is pictured at the Great Wall of China.

Carole writes , "One of the most impressive finds for me in China is the architecture. Of course the Great Wall, Longmen Caves, Imperial Palace, and other historic sites are almost unbelievably impressive, but I especially enjoy noting architectural variety when I travel, always looking for examples to share in Humanities classes. I was first struck by the juxtaposition of historical and modern constructions. A colorful and traditional pagoda might sit next to a more sleek and modern skyscraper. China impresses me with its ability to preserve and value the ancient along with welcoming the new. The size of structures also seem to echo the surrounding landscape. At a Buddhist temple, an enormous gate and statue of a warrior are facing tall, craggy mountains as equals. At the same temple, I could find perfect miniatures to scale, suitable to fitting snugly in the palm of the hand.

But the most exciting architectural site to me has been the structures being finished for the upcoming Olympics. Before we left home, I watched a TV special about the construction of the "Bird's Nest," the signature building for the Olympics - and for years to come. This will likely be Beijing's equivalent of the Eiffel Tower to Paris as a city symbol. Beijing and cities around it are filled with modern buildings, many reflecting cutting edge architectural styles and variety. One explanation on the TV special is the fact that China is open to new and innovative styles of architecture. Architects throughout the world find the country with its vast available work force and support ready and willing to encourage and accept the new and innovative. The epitome of this attitude is to expressed in the Olympics buildings.

Standing alone and reflecting in its own glory is a silver building with the top several stories constructed into the shape of the Olympic flame, extending above and beyond the building itself. This silver tower has enormous screens several stories high located on each side. They will be projecting constant images, effectively incorporating technology into the surface of the structure itself.

The structure near this building is the most impressive in its originality. It gives the appearance of being an enormous silver-ribbon laced bird's nest. Thus the nickname. Its size is almost unimaginable, but the tiny workers on top of it make its massive but airy size and proportion all the more impressive. Designed internationally, it is a future wonder-of-the world. It is not only immediately recognizable as identified with Beijing, but also as an architectural landmark. I can't help but wonder what and where will be the next building to challenge this one."

Day 5 - Luoyang

I don't know if any of you have ever taken an overnight sleeper train. If you haven't, I definitely think it is something everyone should experience at least once in there lifetime. If you have ever read any of the “Harry Potter” series, you could relate it to a trip on the Hogwart Express. The only difference would be that we had four bunks to each compartment instead of seats and a dinning car. Other than that, it was pretty comparable with passengers visiting each other in their compartments and vendors pushing trolleys of food down the corridors for sale. Then instead of prefects, we had attendants patrolling the corridors.

Anyway, after experiencing the delightful 10.5 hours train ride we finally arrived in Luoyang. Once we had checked in to the hotel and had breakfast we were off to start our day at the Gongyi Caves. These were magnificent grottos with Buddhist carvings and statues. Then we went to the Shaolin Temple to learn more about the Buddhist monks and the art of Ku Fu fighting.

More About Beijing

Pictured above are Ken Johnson, Associate Professor of English, at the Great Wall and Peggy Helm, Spanish Instructor, with a little girl we met in Beijing. Below are there additional comments about our time in Beijing.

Ken writes, "I've been surprised that I haven't been as surprised as I expected at what I've seen in Beijing. People are people, commerce is commerce, daily routines are daily routines. However, on the last night in Beijing, just an hour before leaving the city, I discovered something that startled me and showed me that I am in a new and different environment: I couldn't mail some postcards at the Beijing railroad station. No post office stations or drop boxes were evident. I couldn't have guessed that one of the most basic services of modern humans wouldn't be available at a 21st-century railroad station. "

Peggy writes, "So far this has been an incredible experience! I love the way people; especially the more mature ones are out in the parks every morning doing tai chi to music from a boom box, playing badminton, balancing a super duper yoyo on a string, walking their dogs, riding on bicycles, etc. It is definitely an active society for the Chinese baby boomers and I've been inspired to go back home and do the same!!

I enjoy communicating without knowing much Chinese. Sign language and smiles seem to work o.k. People are basically the same all over the world."