Katie Sill
May 10, 2009
Today we went and climbed the Great Wall of China. After breakfast we went down to the courtyard outside the hotel to do our exercises. Chao made Hanni and I go change our shoes because we were both wearing slip-on shoes. I’m so happy that he did because I don’t know how I would have managed climbing the Great Wall without my tennis shoes.
It took us an hour bus ride from our hotel to the Great Wall. On the way we passed several army trucks which were filled with soldiers off to training camp. I think there must have been a military base nearby. We all enjoyed waving at them as we passed because they would smile and wave back – some even took pictures of us. It was a little unnerving at times because they were armed. Another thing I learned on this bus ride was that Sara is also from Texas. Well, she was born there and eventually moved up to Illinois. We were the only ones that knew about the game you play when you pass through a tunnel. (Hold your breath, pick up your feet, and raise your hands for the duration of the tunnel.) We were quite the spectacle but at least the other people found it amusing.
The parking lot we pulled into was lined with shops and vendors selling souvenirs and memorabilia. Luo Laoshi told us to ignore them because we didn’t have time to haggle. We distributed a healthy dose of “Bu Yao! Xiexie” to every vendor we passed. The first stop we made was the museum about the Great Wall. We learned that the section of the Great Wall that we were going to climb was a reconstruction. The original Great Wall of China has been reduced to rubble in many places. Not very many people, besides our group, were in the museum. I was thankful that we moved through it relatively fast because I was so anxious to start climbing.
This was the most crowded place we’ve been to yet. When we got past the ticket taker we took the left section of the wall because it was less populated. The further you traveled up the wall the more scarce people became. Our group stopped at the first watch tower to listen to Luo Laoshi’s lecture. While he was talking a toddler squatted near his foot and took a shit. We were all so mesmerized (and slightly horrified) by the bizarre site that Luo Laoshi was forced to bring his lecture to a halt. He said in amusement, “Well, I can’t compete with that. I'll wait till he's finished.” Once Luo Laoshi was finished giving instructions (meet back at the bottom in 2 hours) we set off to conquer the Great Wall of China.
Eventually our group spread out and separated. I’m not going to lie; climbing the Great Wall was difficult. I did not have the stamina to go without stopping. It was ok though, because the people I was walking with were more than willing to take breaks along the way. The most frustrating thing about the Great Wall was the stairs. They were not of uniform size in any sense. One stair would be approximately three inches tall while the one immediately following it would be ten inches tall. They also did not have a uniform width which made descending precarious. In many places it was very steep to the point where we were climbing up stairs that were close to a vertical angle. Honestly, I felt like I was climbing a ladder instead of stairs.
My favorite part of this excursion was when I gave encouragement to an old Chinese woman. On the way up to the tallest watch tower we happened to be walking next to each other. Chao had taught me that the phrase “Jia You” was a means of encouragement. So as we were walking I said “Jia You” to her, somewhat breathlessly. She laughed and said “Jia You” in response. We repeated this two or three more times because, despite the age difference, we were feeling the same sense of fatigue, I’m embarrassed to say.
Katie Sill
May 12, 2009
Today we went to the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan). It was the site where the emperors would sacrifice animals for the prosperity of the empire. The temple was built in circular shapes and was colored blue because those characteristics symbolized heaven.
After lunch we went to the Pearl Market. We are going to come back after we do the travel around. It’s really cool that Luo Laoshi scheduled a shopping day for us at the end of the trip. Well the Pearl Market was really overwhelming. It’s like an intense, aggressive antique mall. The sales people yell at you as you go by and grab your arm if you show the slightest interest in what they have. I was grabbed by a luggage lady and I was saved by Nathaniel. She had heard me mention to Cheryl that I needed a tote bag and the lady said “Tote bag? I have! I have! I give you good price.” She wouldn’t let go even after I told her over and over “Bu-yao! Bu-yao!” Once we got to the fourth floor things mellowed out a bit. Not so many vendors were shouting so it was much quieter. Some of the vendors were even taking naps in their stalls. It was on this floor that we found a stand with a stone stamp that I really liked. I got it for 70 Yuan and it took 20 minutes to carve my name into the stamp. I didn’t know how to write Sikong Lin so we looked up Katie in a name dictionary she had and I got that carved instead. While we waited the lady let me sit on her stool in her stand. I was very amused and I started trying to sell things to Nathaniel and Cary. Eventually I started trying to sell her merchandise to those who were passing by. I didn’t make any sales though. I told the lady that I would come back and buy more stuff from her when we came back from traveling. When I got my stamp (it’s orange/amber with a phoenix carved into it) I gave her a hug. It made my day to make her happy. I can’t imagine that her job is all that fun.
We retrieved our laundry from the on campus cleaning services and headed out to the train station. The train stations are notorious for theft so I was super paranoid about my things being taken. Moore came with us to the station to say good bye. He has been really good to us. Our train was so cool! Instead of seats we each had our own bed. My compartment included Mindy and Sara on the top most bunks, Julia and I in the middle bunks, and then Cheryl was on the bottom bunk. The only thing that sucked about the train was the bathrooms – squatting toilets that were so dirty and smelly it made me gag. I tried my best to avoid going to the bathrooms at all. It didn’t work. Luckily Andy told us about the western-style toilet in first class. So, before bed, Cheryl and I ventured to the front of the train to use it. It wasn’t in much better condition than the squatters though. Sleeping was rough because the beds were small and I had to sleep with my bags by my feet so they wouldn’t get stolen. We were given comforters for blankets and I slept in my jeans, not wanting to change into shorts in the bathroom. I didn’t sleep very well because I was so hot and sweaty. So as awesome as it was, I didn’t manage to sleep well.
Katie Sill
May 14, 2009
Cheryl and I didn’t have to present today because our schedule was already full. We went to a Neolithic museum and archeological site. That was alright, pretty interesting. I bought mom a book of Chinese folk tales in English and Chinese to add to her collection of bilingual children’s books. It rained pretty much all day so it wasn’t the best weather conditions. I left my rain coat back at PKU so I’m a little bummed that I don’t have it. Then we went to the Terracotta soldiers. It took us forever to actually get to see them. Ugh! Michael, our new guide, kept trying to lecture us and no one was interested in what he was saying. In fact, on the way over to the soldiers everyone on the bus fell asleep while he was giving us another lecture on the dynasties of China. A lot of people have told me that they just don’t understand what he’s trying to say because his accent is too thick. Once we got to the site, we went into a tea house for a lecture about the Qin dynasty. I couldn’t focus on what our presenter was saying. I was busy fighting a war with people coming through the back door (which I was sitting next to). I closed the door and drew the curtain so that people would stop walking through our lecture and I could actually pay attention. Unfortunately that didn’t deter the interruptions. Then we went to a video presentation that was pretty much a visual representation of the lecture. Right when we entered the building of the first pit, Nathaniel and I lead the march to see the soldiers and vetoed Michael’s third boring lecture of the day. At that point we had heard enough about them and just wanted to see them once and for all! The soldiers were really cool. I liked the first pit the best because it had the most unburied still-in-one-piece soldiers. I wish we could have gotten closer to the floor so that we could see all of them up close. I got a ton of pictures it was my favorite site in Xi’an so far.
After lunch we went to the bathhouse where Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped. Professor Lutze, Luo Laoshi, never ceases to amaze me with his lectures. They are so much fun to listen to, by far my favorite. We got to see some dancers perform at the bathhouse which was really cool. This is definitely the most beautiful place we have been to yet. Once we had our tour we went up the mountain path where Chiang Kai-shek fled with his body guard. They climbed up a crevice before they were stuck and could go no further. The crevice was set up for people to climb with chains to hold on to. I tried twice to get up the crevice but failed each time. I don’t have enough upper body strength.
For dinner Chao took Cary, Cheryl, Nathaniel, Jason, Julia and I out to a restaurant. He ordered all of our food and it was delicious! We all had such a wonderful time. Much better than the other half of the group who went to KFC (lame). Jason, Nathaniel, Cheryl, and Cary ate some very, very, very spicy hot wings. They were so spicy it brought them to involuntary tears. Much too spicy for me! When we split the bill, treating Chao to dinner in the process, the total came out to be 25 Yuan each. It was wonderfully cheap!
Then we went back to our (Cheryl and I) room to chat. Jason was playing around with his new umbrella (cost 10 Yuan) and accidentally hit Nathaniel in the face with it. Literally, the folded up umbrella part flew off the handle and into the bridge of Nathaniel’s nose. It was really funny though I felt bad that he got hurt. Now he has three wounds on his nose and it looks really goofy. He’s going to tell Luo Laoshi that he got in a fight with a dragon, or something like that.
Katie Sill
May 15, 2009
Today we went to the 8th route army’s base of operations. We had a lecture from Li Yun Feng, the leading expert on the Xi’an incident. The lecture was quite interesting because the Xi’an incident is one of my favorite things to hear about in Chinese history. There was a man there, who was quite possibly an employee of the museum because he was dressed in a uniform, taking pictures of us listening to the lecture. He was trying to get a shot of Chao, Luo Laoshi, and Li Yun Feng but he was at an odd angle which made it difficult. Being polite and helpful, I gestured to him to give me the camera and I took a picture for him. Then he left and came back ten minutes later and gave me a key chain. It was a miniature replica of one of the bronze statues we had seen in the terracotta museum the day before. In return I gave him one of my key chains from Texas to say thank you. Later he got his cell phone out and called his wife. He handed me the phone to speak to her because she spoke English, which he did not. I had to step outside to talk to her. They were looking for someone who lives in Seattle and were wondering if I knew them. She also said that her husband was very interested in our school and what we were studying. I had Luo Laoshi talk to the man after the lecture to help apologize for interrupting. They talked and Luo Laoshi told me that the man would like my email address. I gave it to him with some hesitation; even though he was a stranger, he seemed like a really nice man.
Next we went to Xi’an city wall to ride bikes. Unfortunately it was rainy outside and the bike rentals were closed. The stones on the wall were too slippery for us to ride bikes on safely. Luo Laoshi left us under the care of Michael, Chao, and Andy while he went to set up for the banquet that night. Michael led us into a shady lecture on feng shui – no one really knew what was going on. He had distracted Andy and Nate so that he could herd the group into the building. The lady took us into a room with photographs on the walls and described to us why each building pictured had either good or bad feng shui. When she got to a picture of buildings in Shang Hai, Chao blatantly interrupted her and began telling us that the photo she was showing us was a fake. He described in detail the structural design of the real building and how it differed from the building in the picture. The lady took it in stride, so she must have not understood what Chao was telling us entirely. Then she showed us a statue of a mythical creature – some dragon with wings that’s supposed to bring about good fortune. She explained and demonstrated that if you were to rub the statue in certain areas it would bring fortune to specific areas of your life. I was actually quite interested in what she had to say because mom teaches about feng shui in her interior design class and I wanted to show her that I learned something she could relate to. However, the whole thing was an elaborate scam to get us to buy figurines of the mythical creature. That upset me and the majority of the group members. When we got back to the bus Andy asked us if anyone actually bought anything. Andy explained to us that sometimes vendors make deals with tour guides, like Michael, to get their foreigners to buy their goods. In exchange for the business the tour guide would receive a cut of the profit. This irritated a lot of people and Chao was the unhappiest I have ever seen him.
We had our banquet at a dumpling restaurant. The final dish was a soup, as usual, but it had mini dumplings in it. The waitress recited a poem about the soup and how the number of dumplings you get in your bowl determines your fortune. I got zero dumplings in my soup which meant that I was supposed to have good fortune in every aspect of my life. After dinner Chao wanted me to go get a Chinese hamburger with him. I was surprised because I had, had more than my fill of food at the banquet. How could he still be hungry? We wondered around till we found the place he was looking for. It was weird because I didn’t attract as many stares as I was used to receiving when I was a part of the group. Chao told me that if I were to dye my hair black no one would even notice me. A Chinese hamburger is greasy pulled pork on a crispy sourdough bun. Chao let me try some and I didn’t care for it. He loved it though. We then joined up with the group at the Muslim market and did some shopping – me for souvenirs and Chao for more food.
May 20, 2009
Breakfast this morning was very strange. The hotel staff served us what they believed to be a ‘western style’ breakfast. It comprised of sliced bread, hot Tang, ketchup, and condensed milk. Of course there were traditional Chinese breakfast foods available to us in addition to our special treat. Luo Laoshi asked one of the waitresses if we could have a fruit spread to put on our sliced bread and she simply gestured at the ketchup – apparently we already had some.
Then we went to a lecture in which we learned about some ancient bronze masks and statues. We also met our new translators for our second trip into the countryside. We spent some time in small groups getting to know the history students. Their English was much better than the last student translators we had, which is good for those who have to do research.
The bus ride to the countryside was two hours long and I forced the bus to make a pit stop so that I could use the bathroom. Try as I might I couldn’t hold it for the entire trip – it was a crisis situation. Once we got to the gas station I nearly climbed over Andy (he was riding in the copilot seat) to get off the bus. I ran over to the attendant and asked him where the bathroom was. I don’t know if I delivered my Chinese well or if he simply understood my urgency, but he directed me to the bathroom with no hesitation.
This time we were venturing into the area which was hit by the earthquake last year. Countless people lost their homes and loved ones and the reality of the situation was apparent the closer we got to our destination. We passed piles and piles of rubble from homes and businesses. There were groups of people among the mounds working to salvage supplies to rebuild their homes. It was really a heartbreaking sight to see. Just like the last time we ventured into the countryside, we took the bus as far as it could go and then got off to continue on foot. However, the village we had intended on visiting was one-and-a-half hours away on foot. Professor Lutze made a deal with the village people nearby to get the 300 level students up the mountain and into the village. He paid two drivers to take the students up the mountain in their cars. So we, the lower level students, split ways with the upper level students.
The original plan was for the lower level students to go into the public housing barracks and volunteer ourselves to help the villagers who were living there with anything they might need us to do. However, when we got down to the barracks, we stumbled upon a wedding reception. The family and guests swarmed upon us and immediately welcomed us to the party. It was very chaotic with everyone taking pictures of us and with us. Amy used up all of her Polaroid pictures. Everyone was talking and I couldn’t understand a word that they were saying. Luckily Luo Laoshi and Andy were with us because if they weren’t I don’t know what we would have done. After the initial pictures were taken, they sat us down and began passing out cigarettes and beer. Andy said that we didn’t have to smoke the cigarettes but it was polite to accept them. We were sitting down at a table when they started bringing us all sorts of foods for us to eat. All of the party guests had already eaten and we were being served what was left over. I felt pressured to try everything because once we were served the guests surrounded our table and watched us eat with expecting smiles on their faces. I ate rabbit leg, duck tongue, and chicken feet among other things that I couldn’t identify.
After we were done eating the bride and groom took us to the remains of one of the houses nearby and explained to us their efforts for rebuilding their lives. Before the earthquake everyone was spread out along the countryside and once it hit they all came together to live in the public housing. Now they have each other to lean on for support. They also showed us the gardens the community was cultivating. We got to sample some of their lima beans. These gardens supply the community with some food so that they can further support themselves.
It was at that point that two police officers drove up to crash the party. They each had a gun which Andy told us was uncommon for Chinese police. Luo Laoshi told us that, had we not been there, the police would have taken money from the kind people. It made me so mad because there was nothing we could do to stop them from coming back once we had left. Haven’t these people lost enough already?
We waited until the police men had left to give the newlyweds our gift. As a group we pooled together 100 yuan each to give to the couple for their kindness and hospitality. In true Chinese fashion the groom refused the gift until we insisted that he take it. It literally took all of us forcing the envelope upon him; quite comical actually.
There was a woman there who would come up and talk to me and all I could do was smile and nod. This woman was so happy to see us that she was crying. She took a picture with me and gave me her phone number. She showed me where she lives (number 37) on the barrack. It wasn’t until we were leaving that I found out what she was saying to me. We happened to be standing next to the translator and he was able to help me understand her. She had been telling me about how her son, the groom, was a hero. He saved two people from the wreckage of the earthquake. Unable to convey how I felt in that moment all I could do was hug her. In that moment, I wished more than ever that I could speak Chinese and tell them how inspiring they are.
Katie Sill
May 21, 2009
Today we went to the panda preserve in Chengdu. Cheryl was so excited – she loves pandas. Luo Laoshi was in unusually high spirits today, I think he was just as excited about the pandas as we were. Everyone was happy to get to see the ‘mystical beasts’, as Nathaniel phrased it. My group didn’t get to see as many pandas as I would have liked. The preserve is difficult to navigate. There was no map for us to use so we blindly followed the vague signs that just pointed in a general direction. Nathaniel brought to my attention a funny thing about the preserve: there were more foreigners there than anywhere else we had been. It was like we were in a zoo in America! I took some wonderful pictures of both red pandas and giant pandas. I must say I prefer red pandas to giant pandas; they were much more active.
I paid 100 Yuan to hold a red panda. At first I didn’t want to delay our self lead tour of the place so I waited until we were sure (or so we thought) we had seen everything. Nathaniel was kind enough to walk back to the red panda exhibit with me and take my picture while I was holding it. The red panda’s fur wasn’t soft like I had expected it to be. Instead it was coarse like a raccoon’s fur. I guess they’re more closely related to raccoons than pandas so that makes sense. The red panda just sat in my lap and munched on apples while I held it, content as can be. It held onto my hand with its paw in the most adorable way. It was a good thing Nathaniel came with me because the lady/zoo keeper wouldn’t accept my 100 Yuan bill. She had examined it for quite some time before she gave it back to me. I was worried that I was going to be arrested and held captive with no way of contacting Luo Laoshi. Luckily, Nathaniel had a different bill that they did accept.
Then, after lunch, we went to a museum for bronze and jade artifacts that we had learned about in a lecture. At first I was really bored because the museum seemed to be comprised of mainly jade knife, after jade knife, after jade knife. I didn’t start to enjoy myself until we got to the second building. That’s where all the masks and sculptures were. There were masks for normal sized people and then there were giant masks that were made for the gods. The masks were really interesting to look at.
Katie Sill
May 24, 2009
Today we went to the Stillwell museum. The museum was inside of a house and I liked looking at all of the old furniture. I tried to imagine what it would be like living in that house. It was rather large so a large family would need to fill it or else, I think, it would feel empty and lonely.
The afternoon’s events comprised of us visiting a prison where communist revolutionaries were held during the Civil War. Before we went into the prison’s museum we took a break for lunch. Andy and Nate were going to set off on their own to find some street vendors and I went with them. Up until this point I hadn’t experienced street food so I was eager to try it. We found a vendor selling squid tentacles on a stick and another one who was selling a sugary pastry. The squid wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. I think I understand why Mindy and Hanni like it so much.
Once we were inside the museum I got the same feeling I felt when I visited the concentration camp. It was like some kind of oppressive force descended upon me and demanded a somber atmosphere. The prisoners were not released upon the founding of the People’s Republic of China. They heard the news from outside sources and planned to revolt and escape from the confine the next night. Having heard a description of China’s new flag they constructed what they believed it looked like. They made the red flag with five yellow stars out of a blanket and some toilet paper. Instead of having the stars in the upper left corner, as was the actual flag’s design, they placed a star in each corner with the largest star in the center. The Nationalist prison guards had other plans for the prisoners, however.
On the night of the revolt the nationalists executed a mass murder of the communist prisoners. Only a few managed to escape through a hole in the prison wall. Those who died in the massacre are remembered now as martyrs. I was supremely annoyed with a lot of the people in our group. They were not absorbing the scene as much as I was nor were they giving it the respect it deserved. Fortunately I wasn’t the only one offended by their insensitivity.
That night Chao and I went exploring. He treated me to dinner at this little restaurant around the corner from our hotel. (He owed me money) At first I didn’t want to go in because the window display contained a pig’s face, removed from the body of course. It was highly disturbing. Then, Chao wanted to go to a book store so we wandered around looking for it. Eventually we gave up and decided to go see the Yangtze River instead. We had to walk for a while along the highway to get to the bridge which over looked the river. It started raining on our way back to the hotel. Both Chao and I got soaked in the downpour. He kept apologizing to me and I couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous the situation was.
