Hi everyone ... well, we certainly have had an exciting 2 days here in China ... ;)
Yesterday (Wednesday), we started the day at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, a beautiful Buddhist place of worship meant for the Emperor Yongle during the Ming Dynasty. Today, many places around the Temple of Heaven are treated as a park (think Central Park but just Chinese :) ). The kids got a kick out of the morning exercises being performed by citizens (mainly senior citizens). I took a video of some of our students joining in :)
After the Temple of Heaven, we ate lunch at a Pearl factory -- everything in the store was half off for students, so many students purchased a few things. Then we were off to the Summer Palace, the palace built during the time of Empress Dowager, who many believe to have been the person responsible for the end of the Qing Empire, and Chinese dynasties forever. The palace is built right by Kuming Lake, so the breeze (and the weather overall) was fantastic. Oh and the pearls we bought yesterday -- they were harvested in the same lake.
After the Summer Palace, we went to Dr. Tea and listened to a presentation about a number of different types of tea. After Dr. Tea, it was off to the overnight train to Xi'an. Well, the train wasn't too bad -- a bit cramped and no breakfast, but we survived. We had a few meltdowns, but this is an adventure -- and the students are getting to really REALLY experience a new culture. And, yes, some of our female students have had to use traditional Chinese toilets ... but again, we survived :)
Now onto today ... today after we got off the train, we went to the Shaanxi History Museum ... Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, and for 4 dynasties it was the capital of China. After the museum, we went to the Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist temple built during the Tong dynasty. Some interesting facts about worship at the temple -- Buddhists first start by lighting a candle, that way making their faces available for the Buddha to see, and then lighting incense. Once the incense starts to smoke, it signals the appropriate time to begin to pray!
After the Pagoda, we went to a Dumpling Banquet -- we tried 18 different types of dumplings, such as pork, chicken, beef, pickle, vegetable, fish, duck, and walnut! We all walked out stuffed!
Tomorrow we're going to the Terracotta Warrior Museum in Xi'an and then for a tour of the City Wall. On Saturday, we fly to Qingdao -- so we're on the move for the rest of our adventure!
Wanan! :)
Hi all! Wow, you had some action packed days. You certainly are covering a lot of ground, literally. All the places that you have visited sound so interesting. I can't wait to see all the pictures my girl has taken and all the stories. Hope she is having a great time! By the way, those dumplings look really good. Tell her I said I Hi and I miss her.
ReplyDeletewow looks like you guys did alot!!! hopefully u ms. gemabla got something for ur favorite F period class at that pearl place!!! haha looks like guys r having a blast over there and i cant wait to read about the rest of ur trip!!!
ReplyDelete-Brooke Coffey
This blog is so great to read. We are the BVO-family from Holland and we love to see Jan in China. It seems like you're having a great time over there. We wish you all a terrific trip and are looking forward to read the rest of your adventures and look at the lovely pictures. Lots of fun from the BVO's from Holland/Schijndel
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting train ride, but I bet it will all be worth it when you see the terra-cotta warriors...I hear they are amazing! Say Hi to Jess for me...
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon (or morning for you!!)
ReplyDeleteI anxiously look forward to your blog updates each day! It is great to have a peek into some of the amazing sights you have seen and things you have done! It does appear that you are all having a fantastic time!
I imagine that the all night train ride was a bit "difficult" for some... especially some of those 6+ feet tall young men (such as Shawn!!).
All I can say is what an experience!
If you could, please say hi to Shawn for me.... Knowing him, I bet he has become your "official taste tester" of the AUTHENTIC Chinese food!! Thank you very much, Mrs. Gembala, for taking the time to post! Have a great day!
Hi Ms. Gembala (and Adrianne):
ReplyDeleteMs. Donelly told me about this page... it looks like you guys are having a lot of fun!! Did you guys go to the beach (it looks like in the photo)? What was it like? I also really want to know how nice the people are and if you have met anyone cool!
And PLEASE tell Adrianne to e-mail me back. Because all her friends are waiting for her to tell us about the trip!!