China 2008: Traditions and Transformations

Our three weeks in China have passed quickly and now we are preparing to travel home. Our multiple experiences in China have helped us to understand more fully what we have read about and discussed in our study together. Our experiences have also prompted questions we’d like to explore further. We’ve heard a great deal about recent events as we’ve traveled. Our hearts go out to the families in Sichuan Province who suffered so much because of the recent earthquake.

Our thoughts are with those who will attend the 2008 Olympics later this summer.

It’s not possible to compare two cultures—our own and China’s—without considering the historical influences that have informed and shaped the beliefs and values in current societies. Our travels throughout China have revealed to us how China’s rich and extensive history continues to influence current practices though economic changes have led to recent dramatic changes in this country. While some polices of the past are more “relaxed” than in former years, government control is still evident and influences public and personal decision making. The economic changes have benefited many, but some in the cities and countryside await the transformations resulting from China’s economic growth. This is clear from the infrastructure as well as the opportunities and benefits available to those living in some areas of the cities and rural areas.

During our time in China we have toured historical sites, temples, gardens, museums, universities, schools, factories, a farm, department stores, markets, streets, and stayed in family homes. We cannot say enough good things about the wonderful people we’ve interacted with, including our guides, school officials, host families, students, and others we’ve already come to call friends.

We’ve learned to feel more comfortable with less “personal space” and a bit more open to experiencing different foods, restroom facilities, and sleeping conditions. We are able to safely cross streets filled with cars, bikes, buses, and carts. We look at the sky and note that it is not “fog” we see. We’ve come to understand that some of what we have observed and experienced is the result of living in a country with a population of 3.5 billion people.

Those we have worked with have been warm and open to sharing with us. As we prepare to journey home we leave with wonderful memories of our time in China!

Posted by Pamela Solvie at 12:17 AM | Permalink

Yesterday was a long day! We (Pam and I) started by eating breakfast with our host family. My host family served something which I don’t know the name of, but it was a tortilla-like thing with chives inside wrapped around a bundle of fried bread. It was very good, but very filling! We also had a milky sort of drink served in a bowl. Our host student said it was made from some kind of bean (not soy), but she couldn’t describe exactly how it was made.
We then went to the high school with our host student at 7am (they are in school from 7-5!). Our group broke up into smaller groups of three, and each group visited either a kindergarten or a primary school. My group walked to a kindergarten where we were greeted at the door by a group of little kids who did a welcome dance for us with pompoms. Then they grabbed us, dragged us into their dance, and gave us leis they had made out of paper. We went into their classroom and sat with them on their tiny chairs as they introduced themselves to us. Then they made beautiful paintings for us by drawing with white crayons and then painting over it with blue paint. The paint didn’t stick to the crayon, so the pattern they had drawn showed through. I was surprised that with so much paint and so many kindergarteners, only one little girl got paint on her clothes – and it was immediately cleaned up.
Next, we went into a gymnasium-like room where we watched three dances. The first dance was sort of Middle Eastern, the next was done in ballet costumes, and the third was a little dance/silent play about the Red Army and the forming of the People’s Republic of China. It was strange to see little girls marching around and saluting in Red Army uniforms. Then we played a bunch of games with them, and they gave us cards and the now-dry paintings from before. During the performances, I was sitting next to a little girl who kept talking to me in Chinese. She would say something and then look at me expectantly, but all I could do was smile at her because I had no idea what she said. She would keep looking at me like, Well? Aren’t you going to say anything? She had probably never met someone who couldn’t speak her language, and so it was a mystery to her that I simply couldn’t understand what she was saying.
We went back to the high school for lunch, and later went to a classroom to mingle with students. They seemed very shy and unsure of using English, but most of them spoke very well and asked us questions about university life and what we thought of China. After some chatting (and some arm-wrestling), we went to an auditorium where there were more students, and we were welcomed yet again and given performances of music and tai chi. We also played games with them; I played musical chairs and won! Julianne and I were the last two players left, so we received beautiful little cell phone bags as prizes.
After taking what seemed like hundreds of pictures with the students, we went to a furniture factory for a tour. The factory was huge, and most of the thousands of workers employed there live in factory dormitories since they come from different provinces. An interesting fact about this factory is that the material comes from the United States, is made into furniture here in China, and then most of the products are shipped back to the United States to be sold in stores such as Macy’s.
Around five-o’clock, we were picked up at the high school by our host families and went to their houses to have dinner. The dinner at my host family’s house was cooked by the father, and was quite good. We had fish, shrimp, broccoli with eggs, soup, a green vegetable that translated as “yellow ground vegetable”, a celery and carrot dish, and a pork and beans dish that was my favorite. They kept asking us if we thought the food was “very delicious” – no pressure or anything . They also kept putting more food on our plates and we finally had to say we were full.
We were invited to watch TV when we were done eating, and while we were watching a news program in English, our host family brought out gifts for us. They gave us each a set of chopsticks, a silk shawl, and a silk bathrobe. They were so beautiful that I felt my Minnesota book I had given them the night before was quite inadequate. Our host family is obviously well off; their apartment has two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a few extra rooms, an upstairs, nice furniture, and a very large TV. The father works in the financial part of the county government where he plans the finances for the coming year. The mother is a tax collector, and goes to work in a military-like uniform. The daughter (her English name is Judy, but I don’t know the parents names – neither of them speak English) speaks VERY good English and has a better accent than most of the people I have heard.
After such a long day, a nice hot shower and an air-conditioned bedroom were just what I needed (and exactly what I got).

Posted by doval001 at 02:11 PM | Permalink

On June 2nd 2008 I woke up in my relatively soft bed hoping today would be a good day. In part just because no one likes bad days, but also because June 2nd was my birthday; I turned 22 that day. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and let out a yawn. As I slowly got up I heard a soft “happy birthday!” come from my roommate Matt. It was a pleasant surprise that brought a smile to my face. With my newly acquired smile, I continued to get ready for the events to come. I was feverishly trying to get my untamed morning hair to stay put with water and hairspray when I heard a knock. I answered the door to find Grace holding a little baggie as she wished me a happy birthday as well. I accepted the bag, and opened it to find wonderful treats and new watch…now I won’t be tempted to buy the “Rolexes” from the Chinese vendors on the streets. This made my already cheesy smile bigger, and then we headed off to breakfast to fill our bellies for the long day. The schedule was to drive to Jiashan where we would visit with our host students, then drive to another town, Xitang, where we would tour the place and have dinner there.
I couldn’t tell you much about the 50 mile drive from Shanghai to Jiashan because, as usual, I fell asleep. So, when I woke up we were already at the high school, which was much bigger than mine. As we walked around I couldn’t help but think the size of this place was more like a small campus. They had dorms for students who lived too far away, multiple buildings for classes, and even a telescope! Afterwards, we got to meet the students whose houses we would be staying at for the next two nights. Matt and I would be staying with Billy. He is a first year student at the high school and is 17 years old. Billy wants to be a film director or go into journalism. After talking for about an hour we had to get going to our next destination, Xitang, but I could tell we were going to have a lot of fun staying with Billy.
The first thing we did when we got to Xitang was take a tour of the place. Xitang is a very traditional-looking town that has roots dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC – 476 BC). The town is located in a spot where nine rivers converge, and as a result there are about 104 bridges there. It is also well known for its many lanes, most of these are very skinny. The narrowest lane there was about 2.5 feet wide, providing just enough space for one person to walk through. Xitang was a very beautiful place, but like most things I have seen in China, the beauty masks a dirty side. As I walked along the corridors of the town, I would smell odors that would make my nose cringe, and I would see things that would make me wince. It reminds me a lot of something out of a National Geographic.
After our tour of the place, we had dinner in a local restaurant. We had six other guests join us for dinner that night, making eighteen people total. As you can imagine, there was a lot of food that night. In the middle of dinner, we had some unexpected guests give us a visit. Some people having dinner in the next room came over to toast and introduce themselves. In China it is only polite to do the same, so some people from our group returned the gesture. However, it didn’t end there. This process of toasting repeated several more times. As the dinner started to wind down, everyone sang happy birthday to me in English, then our guests sang happy birthday to me in Chinese, and after that some students sang again but in Spanish! Each time I replied with a thank you in the corresponding language. It didn’t end there, though. After the singing was done, I was presented with a huge cake that was very beautiful and delicious, and there was a very unique candle that looked like a flower blooming when lit. It was a wonderful surprise considering I wasn’t expecting anything like that at all.
After our bellies were full, we walked through the town again. It was dark out, and colorful lights were everywhere making the town look very pretty. On our way out of the town we passed by a tea shop. By the end of the evening, everyone from our group had some sort of tea paraphernalia…I believe Pam’s love for tea pots has rubbed off on us! The good day I had hoped for was way beyond my expectations, and it was a great way to spend my birthday!

Posted by tingl008 at 01:57 PM | Permalink

Today was a really nice day because it was a free day! That means most of us either slept or went shopping  This morning we said goodbye to our host families in Jiashan and left to go back to Shanghai. I think we were all very nervous and hesitant about our host families at first but they all turned out great. Many of us got sent with presents and some good food for our trip home. For me it was truly a great experience and I don’t think it could have gone any better. The bus ride to Shanghai however was a little different.

First off, the driving here is CRAZY! They have lanes and lights like we do but in most cities they mean nothing. People drive all around the streets, even into oncoming traffic. A couple times I thought our bus driver was playing chicken! (If you don’t know what that is, it is a game where two cars drive directly at each other until someone swerves out of the way) Also, they just aren’t very courteous drivers and don’t pay attention to anyone but themselves. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen any forms of road rage, just a lot of honking. Many of you hear this and think they are all just bad drivers but really that is just the culture. Just like at home when you go to New York City and think everyone is a bad driver. Anyways, we arrived at our hotel at about 10am then had to rest of the day to do whatever we wanted. For me, that meant taking a nap first, then lunch at McDonalds because I wanted something fast, then did some homework. For dinner a couple of us went to a restaurant across the street in another hotel and it was very good! They had one waitress who could speak English so she helped us pick out some good food. I have found that most people in China are more than willing to help us when there is a language barrier and we don’t understand. Most of the time when trying to deal with the language barrier, we all end up acting things out or pointing at pictures, so by the end everyone is laughing at how silly we looked. We have all had such a great experience and someone of us still can’t believe we have been in China for the last 3 weeks. While we have had fun, most of us are excited to get home and sleep in our own beds. Every day we list off things that we plan on doing when we get home or things we miss. At the top of the list of things to do is sleep! I have designated my whole weekend after I get back to rest and get back on my regular time schedule, then it is back to real life and work! The only thing we all dread when we think about going home is the 13 hour flight. Hopefully it will go by fast!

Posted by galla179 at 01:37 PM | Permalink

I am so sorry everyone I didn’t realize I was supposed to blog on May 30th! That is why there was a day missing :( my bad. So that was the day that we drove back from Mongolia. It was a four hour drive so most of us were sleeping on the bus ride. Especially those of us who didn’t get a good nights rest because we were cold all night and the floor was hard! (I happen to be in this category) When we arrived back in Shenyang we stopped at a square and a grocery store. The square had a huge statue of Mao and we were told many people go there at night to hang out. There is music, dancing, games, etc. It is interesting to see how highly they think of him and how many pictures and statues they have of him. The era that Mao lead had a lot of downfalls yet the people still really respect him. They believe that he really listened to the people and wanted to rid corruption in China. I am not exactly sure why he is so popular but it amazes me how people never blame him for the bad things that happened and always put the blame on someone else.

Next was the Carrefour grocery store, which was HUGE! It was like a mini mall or a bigger Sam’s Club. There were three levels and on each level were restaurants, shopping stores, and the 3rd level contained all the grocery food. They had really good prices as well; I bought a really nice duffel bag for about $20! I need to get another bag because of all the souvenirs I have bought and it still isn’t enough room for luggage. It was fun going to the grocery store because it was part of the local people’s daily life, so for once I felt like I wasn’t a tourist. Of course we still got stared at but I kind of asked for it because I wear a little black travel purse that I just realized says “American Tourist” on it. We were all excited when we got back to the university because the rest of the night was free time! We all went out to eat which was hard because no one spoke English at the restaurant. Luckily, we had along a dictionary and a little phrase book so it only took us about 15 minutes to order. After we all went to the local mall and market to do some more shopping. The clothes in the mall seemed a little more expensive and it was set up different from our malls. It is like one big department store with each store having a little area. I liked it a lot because it was easier to walk around and you didn’t have to keep walking in and out of stores. The only downside was I could never remember where stores I liked were. Some of the other students shopped on the side streets, which is like a market at night. One of the students bought something and got some counterfeit money. Luckily she realized it was fake and asked for different bills. She was able to tell because it was a 2 yuan bill, which when had never seen or heard of, and it didn’t have a picture of Mao on it. Our first tour guide in Beijing taught us this so we would know. The whole night was relaxing and we were able to just walk around the city and see what it is like at night.

Posted by galla179 at 01:32 PM | Permalink

Written by Maddy Gerber about the events of May 28

This morning we woke up for an early breakfast followed by another lecture from an LU professor. This professor talked about the Chinese education system. We learned about the different schools and costs of education. I think we were all a bit jealous of the relatively inexpensive cost of a university education in China, as compared to schools like those of the University of Minnesota system. If I remember correctly, a university education in China costs something on the order of US $6000 for four years. This is essentially the cost of one semester at UMM! I might just have to enroll at LU next year….. ; )
After the lecture, we hopped on the bus for a visit to a primary school. The school was a beautiful building with lots of student art work decorating the walls and a very friendly atmosphere. The school was very clearly a “model” school, and the teachers and administrators were proud to show off their classes to their American friends. For almost forty minutes, we sat in on an English lesson. The teacher used creative teaching techniques and used power point interactive technology to supplement the language learning. The students were very enthusiastic to share the English words and phrases they had learned with us. They all actively participated in class and spoke very clear English. Some of us discussed the way the students and teachers presented the school, and we all had the feeling that some of the lesson seemed rehearsed in such a way as to present China in a positive way. Nonetheless, it was very interesting to see what a classroom in a wealthy Chinese school looks like.
When we arrived back at LU, we had a delicious lunch complete with chicken strips, corn, and watermelon—all very American summer foods! After our bellies were full with food, we once again boarded the bus. This time we were destined for the Pingdingshan village massacre site of 1932. This massacre resulted in the deaths of 3000 men, women, and children of a small village in northeastern China. We learned all about the history of the massacre at the museum, which had many displays of artifacts, photographs, and even a narrated film. Here is what I remember about the events leading up to the massacre: In the 1930s, the Japanese occupied the area including the village for the coal mines. Sick and tired of being pushed around by the Japanese, some of the villagers took up arms and attacked some of the Japanese soldiers. To teach them a lesson, the Japanese soldiers deceived the villagers into believing they were having their pictures taken, and then opened fire on the crowd of people with a machine gun. After shooting the crowd, the soldiers walked around stabbing everyone with their bayonets to make sure everyone was dead. They then set fire to the bodies and village houses and blew up the hills to cover up the crime. At the museum, we saw the actual skeletons of the people killed and it was a very emotional experience.
Later in the evening, we had a chance to meet LU students and talk to them about anything we wanted. I had a chance to meet with two science professors and see some of the science labs. Some of the labs had nice equipment, though usually only for the graduate students to use. After visiting the labs, I took a walk around campus with a graduate student studying English. He was a very nice and well-spoken individual, and I plan to stay in touch with him via email. Judging from other people’s stories, it sounds like everyone really enjoyed partnering up with some of the Chinese LU students for an evening of conversation and dining. I only wish we had more opportunities to do so!
Well, I had better wrap this up for the evening….We have an early morning tomorrow and a busy day planned for visiting Inner Mongolia and sleeping in a yurt. We will keep you posted on tomorrow’s news!
Maddy Gerber

Posted by Pamela Solvie at 07:28 AM | Permalink

Written by Julianne Altman about the events of May 27

Our class today was about the Qing Dynasty, which is of much importance to Shenyang as seen in the Imperial palace that we went to yesterday. This lecture was given in Chinese by Professor Haipin Ding and translated for us by our guide Jerry.
After dinner, we stopped at Holland Village. Once upon a time, a Chinese man went to Holland and fell in love with its gardens and architecture and decided to build a replica of a small town here in Shenyang. However, his first plan was to have a garden but he did not have the right permit to build the apartment buildings and other buildings he had built. For this, he was sentenced to ten years in prison and another man was sentenced to death. So, Holland Village lies empty and left to decay. Yet, it is a beautiful place that is relatively unknown to those outside the city.
Next we went to the Botanical Gardens. It was a lot larger than I had imagined it would be. A large part of the park was a series of miniature buildings and gardens that were representative of places in China and around the world. The water park there was of many bridges, objects like barrels, and swinging things that one needed to cross over a pool of water to get to the other side. This was a lot of fun but it would have been a better day to get wet if it was as hot as it was last week, but still it was an enjoyable day.

Posted by Pamela Solvie at 07:26 AM | Permalink

Today we started off going to Qibao, the Old Town, where we did some shopping in the markets and explored the streets. The sights, sounds, and smells almost overwhelmed the senses! We saw street vendors, shops full of toys and other wares, and foods of every type. Because it is the weekend, the crowds were thick with tourists and natives alike. In a sense the markets were like the Minnesota State Fair: crowded, noisy, and full of strange food on sticks! We even saw little roasted birds skewered on a stick…not something you see every day in Minnesota!

The shopping in the Old Town was pretty good—you could find just about anything and bargain it down to a fair price. As if we needed any more weight added to our suitcases! So all of you following this blog, you should expect some nice souvenirs when we get back!
After the Old Town, we headed over to a silk factory. We got to see the various stages in the silk worm development and watch the spinning machine untangle the cocoons. The guide then showed us how they stretch the silk to make quilts and other products. We were then set free to explore the silk shop, where bed quilts and duvet covers, clothing, scarves, ties, and more were sold in brilliant colors and designs.
From the silk factory we headed over to the Mongolian BBQ for lunch. This was an interesting experience quite unlike any of our other meals. The BBQ worked as follows: first you grab a bowl and put some uncooked meat in it followed by veggies and sauces, then you bring it over to the stove where a cook would fry it all up as you watch. The end dish was customized and of course very delicious! To make the meal even better, they served fruit and desserts—a rare treat in China it seems…
After lunch we visited the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai History Museum. At the Tower, we saw a panorama of the city from over 220m. Needless to say, it was a very picturesque view. As for the museum, I found it very interesting to see how Shanghai has transformed over the course of the last century. Even over the last 10 years Shanghai has become more and more cosmopolitan. Skyscrapers now dot the landscape in every direction. Even though the city has been built up, our guide told us that Shanghai has 10 square meters per capita—which is remarkable considering Shanghai’s large population.
In the evening, we went to see the Shanghai Acrobatic show. I had seen an acrobatic show before, but I was still stunned by all the stunts they performed. The show started with a flying leap as acrobats jumped, tumbled, and back-flipped through vertical hoops. Following this was a contortionist, jugglers, plate spinners, a tight-rope walker, and others. I would try to describe what I saw, but I can’t even begin to put the experience into words. You’ll just have to see it for yourself someday!
-Maddy

Posted by galla179 at 12:46 AM | Permalink

“Ok, so what did we do today?”

Yes, today was so packed that I had to ask around to remember all of the activities. At least I didn’t have to ask where we were. Nope, personal opinion here, but I am really liking Shanghai. I was pretty excited to see more of this city, so after seeing some students from St Cloud State at breakfast (small world), we headed off to the bus to start our day.

Hah, you know what I just did? I wrote up this whole blog and completely forgot to mention the very first activity! Some help those people were, I tell ya. Anyway, our first activity of the day was visiting a small town in the middle of Shanghai. This was pretty interesting – we went from huge city to a small, somewhat rundown, town that was full of street venders. It was quite the contrast. We spent some time there looking at the arts and crafts and some crazy foods. Crazy as in whole birds fried and pig snouts. Surprisingly, no one really tried anything. Ok, so maybe not so surprisingly.

Next was a silk factory in the heart of the city. The worker there took us through the whole process of gathering the raw material from the silk worms to creating bed comforters. We watched the machines unravel the thread from the cocoons and employees stretch silk to have the fabric lay the length of a bed. Most shopped around for souvenirs and gifts for others while I picked out the really nice things for myself. I’m generous in that way. We stayed here and shopped until lunch.

Once we were finished with that excellent lunch, we headed off to the Communications Tower. The tower happens to be one of the largest in the world. Our group went up to the second highest viewing platform to take pictures of the city down below. I was pretty impressed on how exactly timed the speech in the elevator was. “Enjoy your time here, thank you.” Ding! Doors opened a beat later and we all piled out to enjoy the view. The weather was nice all day long so we were able to see out pretty far.

The Shanghai history museum was in the lower level of the tower. It was pretty interesting. There were actual sets for each portion of the museum and it was neat (!) to see the step by step transformation of this city. It has been one of the most developed cities we’ve visited.

The teahouse was pretty similar to the one that went to in Beijing, but we were able to try more tea. That’s all I really needed. We sampled jasmine, lychee, black, and the ginseng oolong teas. This one also had these little peanuts covered in sesame seeds that my side of the table devoured in between each sample. Luckily they didn’t seem to have any readily available or I would’ve needed to buy another suitcase to carry my purchases home.

To cap off the day, our final event was an acrobatics show. It was amazing. There really isn’t any other way to describe it. They would trade off acts that had lots of flips and jumps with acts that required crazy strength and flexibility. I felt sore for one performer in particular. She practically held herself up with one arm for nearly 10 minutes. My favorite performance was more of a dance with the curtains that you may see in Cirque du Soleil. Overall, it was a nice end to our busy day.

Posted by Mandee Liberty at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)