I'm Home

I returned home today on time via my two flights. The long flight home was only about 12 hours because of the jet stream helping to push us along at over 650 MPH across the Pacific Ocean. It has been a very long Friday with lots of good-byes said along the way. It was quite a way to spend a summer, studying Chinese language and culture in China, and I met some great friends doing it. Now it is on to reading the new Harry Potter, tennis, and then school for me. Below you can see a picture of the fabulous Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

To any newcomers to this blog: Please start reading at the bottom so you can go in chronological order. This blog was created to be daily communication with my students, family, colleagues, and friends, but now that my trip is over, it will remain up, unchanged, so that any interested parties can read it. Email me directly at mheiden@sbcglobal.net or mheiden@hse.k12.in.us with any questions or comments. Thank you.

On My Way Home

I’m up early this morning to leave for the airport at 5 AM on a bus that Professor Lin reserved for all of us. Though my flight isn’t until this afternoon, others in our group are leaving at 10 AM, so all of us are leaving very early. I am flying on United flight 836 from Shanghai leaving at 3:45 PM local time (3:45 AM EST) to arrive in Chicago at 3:55 PM CST. Notice that I actually get into Chicago on the same day and time that I leave Shanghai. This will be a very long Friday for me. I am then flying to Indianapolis on United flight 7796 at 6:55 PM CST to arrive at 9:00 PM EST. I am looking forward to getting home.

Final Day in China

Our last day in Hangzhou began with a morning final quiz over the material we have learned the past two days, one last trip to Trust Mart, followed by a farewell lunch at the Louwalou Restaurant. The Louwalou Restaurant is one of the oldest and best known restaurants in Hangzhou and specializes in the famous Beggar’s Chicken. Beggar’s Chicken is a whole chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and then cooked in a clay shell. When they serve it a person gets to break open the clay-incased chicken with a hammer. Jose did the honors for our group.

After lunch we all had a moment to speak about our time in China, and to talk of our plans for the future in regards to Chinese language and culture instruction. Earlier in the day I gave Cherry, our Chinese teacher, several gifts that I brought with me from home. I gave her an Indianapolis calendar, some Brooks School Elementary pencils, keychain, t-shirt, and some coins including the new Presidential Dollar coins. She surprised me by showing up at our lunch wearing her new Brooks School Elementary t-shirt! Below you can see me pictured with her in her new t-shirt.

After lunch I, along with several others, elected to head back to the hotel to organize for tomorrow’s journey home. After getting mostly packed and ready, Jose, Jessica, Katie, and I went out to Pizza Hut for a final dinner here in China. The evening’s activities now include finishing packing, weighing my suitcase, checking out of the hotel, and getting as much sleep as possible before our 5 AM departure from the hotel tomorrow for Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Hangzhou Youth and Children's Center

We finally had a chance to visit some elementary-aged students today at the Hangzhou Youth and Children’s Center. This is a summer school/camp of sorts for children aged from preschool through at least middle school. They have all kinds of classes from art to English to music classes for the children. There is even an amusement park there as well to entertain the students. It was my understanding that students can take individual classes, or can do sort of a day camp there as well. I was able to give out all of my school pencils and gifts during the visit, so I was very pleased. You can see a cartoon drawing class in the picture below.

After a quick lunch at McDonald’s we had several hours of class. We did have a gourd flute player perform during class, and that helped things to speed along during the afternoon. After dinner we had another hour or so of class to wrap up some group projects we have been working on during our stay. I am now working to figure out exactly how many Yuan I need for the little time I have left in China. Most of us are beginning to pack up for our Friday return to the USA.

An Irish Pub

After an hour meeting to work out the logistics of the remaining couple of days of our trip, Jose, Jessica, and I went out to have dinner at an Irish Pub called Shamrock. Though our taxi driver had some trouble finding it, he did get us there eventually for a few extra Yuan. We all had sandwiches and fries. My hamburger tasted a little different, but was still really good. We played a couple of games of pool as well during the evening. Take a look at the signage for the Shamrock and you'll see why we had a bit of trouble finding it.

Tea and a Pagoda

Today started with several hours of class, but the afternoon brought a field trip. We started by visiting the China National Tea Museum here in Hangzhou. The Chinese have a rich tea history that the museum sought to illustrate. It was a very nice museum and I enjoyed the visit, which is saying something since I don’t really even like tea. Richard Nixon even visited the museum back in 1993. The beautiful grounds of the museum are pictured below.
After departing the museum we headed for the Dragon Well Tea Farm area nearby. This is a grouping of functioning tea farms that you can visit, and then stop by a local house to have tea. We visited a house on top of a hill that offered beautiful views all around. We had tea (well, I didn’t) and then relaxed for a while. There was a funny mynah bird that kept saying Chinese phrases that kept us entertained for quite a while. Below is a picture of our Chinese teacher Cherry and me at the tea house. Cherry is a freelance teacher that is known as one of the best Chinese teachers in the area. She lives in Hangzhou with her husband and daughter, who we got to meet at the dinner on July 4th.

After the tea farms we went to visit one of the famous pagodas in the area. This one is called the Pagoda of Six Harmonies, and has quite a story associated with it that involves a boy Liuhe (pictured below in front of his pagoda). We did climb to the 13th floor to see some great views of Hangzhou.

A Dinner with a Family

We had a lecture this afternoon from Professor Yin Qiping on modern Chinese literature. He focused mostly on three Chinese poets: Xu Zhimo, Ai Qing, Luo Qing. The latter wrote an interesting poem called Six Ways of Eating Watermelon. Try Googling it. Professor Yin is pictured below. It was a fun lecture because he was very passionate about poetry and put a lot of style into his reading aloud.

Over the past few days we have been communicating via email with the Chinese student, Ding Ding (I think I referred to her earlier as Ariel), we met back on July 4th. She invited us to dinner at her parents’ house along with her college roommate. Ding Ding emailed us directions to a nearby hotel in Chinese characters and we loaded up in a taxi and headed off to meet her there. Jessica, Katie, Jose, and I made it on time and then she led us up to her parents’ apartment. We were really looking forward to seeing a real Chinese apartment and how a real Chinese family lives. It was a nice, small apartment with two bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, and front room. I would imagine that it was around 600 square feet total. We met her parents, and her dad had already memorized our names from a group photo we had emailed a few days before. We sat down to eat right away at the table that was already full of food and Barbie plates. Her mother had taken the afternoon off from work to prepare the meal for us.

Dinner consisted of dishes like stewed chicken, stewed pork, green beans, beef, asparagus, spinach, dumplings, steamed buns, and some more dishes as well. We had to eat and eat, and then our hosts still kept putting food on our plates. Even though I have sworn off Chinese food, the meal was good. After dinner we had green tea and then we all performed some songs on their piano. Katie and I played Heart and Soul, and Jessica and Ding Ding both played much more complicated music. Ding Ding even sang a Chinese song for us. She was also very good at translating for us throughout the evening so we could talk back and forth with her parents who didn’t speak any English. Her dad had been all over the US several years ago though and showed us lots of pictures. The picture below is of him opening a gift I brought for his family. We had brought a bottle of fine rice wine with us for a gift, and I brought an Indianapolis calendar, some Brooks School Elementary pencils, a t-shirt, and some new presidential dollar coins. They gave us each some postcards and a copy of the group photo that we had taken several days before.

All in all is was a very good time with the family--probably one of the best evenings thus far on the trip. A group picture of all of us is below.

McDonald's and then Shopping

We had a break from class this morning which gave Jessica and me a great chance to go to McDonald’s for breakfast. No one else seemed excited about a McDonald’s breakfast, but Jessica and I were ready. I had pancakes, sausage, and orange juice and I must say it was excellent. I wanted a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, but all of the breakfast sandwiches here come on regular hamburger buns (and usually have mayo and ketchup on them). You can see me with my wonderful meal below.

After breakfast we took a taxi to Hefang street to shop for some souvenirs. I bought some packages of bamboo chopsticks and a little trinket that I had engraved. The shop owner did the engraving and then posed with me for a picture.

Funny Translations

One of the really nice aspects of navigating around China is that most signs that you see in Chinese characters are also translated into English. However, a lot of these translations were either done by someone who wasn’t very good, or by a computer program that uses a very literal translation. Enjoy a sampling of some of the funnier signs I have seen during my travels here. (Click on each to see a bigger version of the picture.)

Saved by Pizza Hut

We were given the option this morning of either sleeping in and having the morning to eat breakfast and venture back to the ocean, or to go and see another temple on a different part of the island. Well, almost everyone, including me, decided to sleep in and take the morning off. Though several awoke and went out walking, I enjoyed sleeping in and having the morning to eat Ritz crackers, peanut butter, and water for breakfast (I wasn’t going to chance the breakfast buffet this morning). We then met as a group and departed back for Hangzhou via a boat (had a fishy lunch—I didn’t eat much), bus, ferry, and bus again. We got back “home” by 5 PM and then Jose, Katie, Jessica, and I went to Pizza Hut to try to alleviate our hunger that had built up over the past two days. We ordered lots of food and enjoyed a very western dining experience. Pizza Hut is so clean and comfortable! After dinner we made a quick run to Trust Mart for some supplies and then came back to the room for a movie and then to bed. The picture below is from Pizza Hut tonight. There are so many differences between the USA and China, but one of the funnier ones to me is the salad bar at Pizza Hut. If you buy the salad bar, you only get one trip. So, it seems to be an art form to see how high you can stack your salad on your bowl to get the most out of your one trip. The girls below did the best job of anyone we observed with a huge stack supported by cucumber and watermelon on the outside.

A Day on Mount Putuo

The day began early with a 6 AM departure by bus, for a several hour ride until we took a ferry ride for about an hour to a nearby island, where we had lunch. Fishy was the best way to describe lunch as that was the theme. Supposedly about a third of China’s seafood comes from the island port that we were at, so most of our food had shrimp or fish favor. Since I have pretty much sworn off Chinese food, I didn’t eat much. We then took a fifteen minute speed boat ride to Putuo Island. Below is a picture from the ferry ride across to the first island. Notice the very brown water—that is because of all of the silt in the water from a nearby river emptying into the bay. All of the water around Putuo was very brown from all of the muddy silt. I am not sure if this is natural, or if it is pollution from all of the construction near the length of the river.

Once we landed on Putuo Island, or Mount Putuo as it is sometimes called, we dropped off our bags and began a long hike up some winding paths. Though it was quite pretty, it was also very hot and humid. It was around noon, but because China has only one time zone, it was more like two in the afternoon. (Yes, you heard that correctly, China has only one time zone for the entire country. That means that in western China the sun would rise around 10 AM and set around 11 PM. I don’t know why China has decided on one time zone, but they seem to have in spite of all the countries around it.) The picture below has a nice description on Putuo for you to read to better understand the significance of the island.
We continued our very hot and sweaty hike up to a temple for the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. There we lit three sticks of incense and dropped them into the cauldron in front of the shrine. I am sure there was more to the ceremony than this, but I think this was supposed to bring me luck or answer my prayers or something. I wished for the sun to go behind a cloud for the rest of the day, but that prayer was not answered by the Goddess of Mercy. This temple is shown below.

However we kept hiking up and stopping to see rocks that were supposed to be turtles, but really looked like rocks. The pictures below are of the more spectacular views out over the ocean. In the second one you can see a famous statue off in the distance.
Eventually we did get to the top, only to descend to our hotel back near where we started. The funny part of this is that we entered the back door to the hotel, and it looked VERY sketchy. We were worried about the conditions until we made our way into the front section of the hotel that was much better. Below Helen and Reza walk into the back door very concerned about our sleeping arrangements for the evening!

Everyone was quite happy to go and crank the air conditioning in the rooms and watch some Chinese TV for a while. After a short break we met for dinner in the hotel, which again had a very fishy theme. It was interesting that at the restaurants on these islands they had kiddy pools in the restaurants where you could go and pick the seafood you wanted for dinner. It was like picking your lobster in the states, but considerably less hygienic (and very smelly)! No one at our table ate much for dinner. You can see most of our meal below. Notice the traditional circular table where you take what you want from the dishes into your bowl. During the meal you just keep rotating the table to get what you want to eat.

After dinner we all went out scavenging for food in the local stores. We did find ice cream bars, Oreos, juice drink, and water to tide us over for the evening. Then we all went to the ocean. Though there wasn’t any swimming allowed, there were many people out on the beach running around and enjoying the sand. After some time in the sand we played some cards in the room (Jose and I won) and went to bed.

Off to Putuo Island

For the last of our weekend trips around China most of the group will be departing for Putuo Island on Saturday morning to return on Sunday evening. Some of our group really wanted to go to Xi'an to see the terracotta warriors, so they are taking a plane to do that while the rest of us are at Putuo Island. The trip to Xi'an would have cost an additional $350, so I elected to go on the already included trip to Putuo Island. Besides, I will be sure to see the terracotta warriors when I return to China some day.... So, it will be a day or two before I update the blog again.

A Catholic Church

After about two hours of class today, including a quiz, Jose, Jessica, Katie, and I took a bus across the city to go to Subway. I had a foot long Italian BMT that really hit the spot. I have at this point pretty much sworn off Chinese food, except when it can’t be avoided. The sandwich was surprisingly just like one that could be bought in the US, but I did go out on a limb and chose a soda that was like a liquidized sour apple jolly rancher. Though it was a bit sweet, it wasn’t too bad. The Subway restaurant is pictured below.
After Subway I stopped by a Bank of China ATM to get some Yuan to make it through the next week. Then, Jose and I wandered into the Hangzhou Catholic Church. We happened by it after hearing of it from Jessica and Katie who had found it yesterday. It was amazing to walk through it, knowing the persecution that religious people have endured here from the Chinese government. Even now all churches have to register with the government and follow guidelines, or risk being shut down or possibly prosecuted. There is an underground network of churches here that is flourishing under the constant risk of being discovered and crushed. These underground churches often advocate for the end of the communist government, and this is of course not allowed in China. Political dissent is not something that is tolerated from almost anyone. Enjoy the pictures of the church below--it was an amazing sight to behold.

Chinese Modern Art Lecture

Today began with several hours of class this morning as usual, and then a break for lunch. Several of us went to a restaurant that we went to two days ago (I had the garlic fries there). However, we tried other items and it wasn’t quite as good. Also, they messed up my garlic fries and brought something entirely different. The kicker is that this restaurant has a dog that runs around lose through the dining room and kitchen—I am not sure how the health department would feel about this in the US. I had to settle for a quick yogurt snack at McDonald’s. We had to hurry back for a lecture on Chinese Modern Art by Professor Zhang Shengqiang. He spoke English very well and gave us live demonstrations, so it was a fun lecture that was mainly about the types of classic Chinese calligraphy. There were a couple of items of note about him: one was that he studied at Indiana University for a time in the 1980s and two was that during Mao’s reign here in China he created propaganda art for the government. A lot of artists were either killed or sent to reeducation camps during the Cultural Revolution, and no doubt he stayed alive and kept from starving by creating art for the government. A picture of the professor is below.

After this presentation we went out to another supermarket store across town that is known for its import sections. They actually have cheese there, along with many other American and European items that you can’t obtain anywhere else. After enjoying the exploration of the store (there is little that is more fun than going grocery shopping in a foreign country), we stopped by McDonald’s and I had another Big Mac meal with a strawberry shake this time. (I am not wasting away, Mom.) I am now home for the evening to prepare for the quiz that we have tomorrow morning. I think I may also watch a movie that I bought at Trust Mart a few days ago (Flags of our Fathers). Pictured below are several items that might be quite common in the USA, but quite so common over here in China.

Crazy Drivers and Street Cleaners

A couple of other observations from today….first, China's drivers are absolutely crazy. I was crossing the street today on a crosswalk with a green walk light when a bus nearly ran me over. Jessica was walking with me and yelled out and I looked up to see a very calm bus driver roaring straight for me. He didn’t seem worried at all that he was about to make me into a hood ornament. Pedestrians never have the right-of-way in China. There are always bikes, scooters, motorcycles, and cars turning across walking paths. Also, when riding in a taxi it is normal to nearly have 10 accidents on the way to your destination. They just weave in and out into gaps that are way too small, even for the small cars here. However, having said all of that, I haven’t seen a wreck yet while I have been here. Unrelated to this is another interesting thing about Hangzhou—the street cleaners. It is quite often that you hear a little song coming from a truck driving down the road, like an ice cream truck. Then, you see that the truck is a street cleaner. So, when in China, and you hear a little song playing, step back from the road because you will be soaked if you are too close! The street cleaner truck is pictured below from our hotel window.

McDonald's Big Mac

After class all morning, Jessica, Katie, and I went to McDonald's for lunch. We all agreed that we needed a good western meal, and McDonald's was the ticket. I had a Big Mac meal and a strawberry sundae that really hit the spot. Oddly, after lunch I came back to the room and slept for most of the afternoon even though I rarely take naps. Then, Jose and I went to a restaurant later in the evening for chicken wings and fries. Today was a pretty good day mainly because I got enough to eat!

A Day of Class

This day was full of class all morning, and for most of the evening. The middle of the day was time for lunch (I ate garlic French fries and some breaded chicken) and a trip to Trust Mart for food. I am feeling better today from my recent sickness, but I am still being very careful with what I eat. Pictured below is a scene from a game we were playing during the evening class. We were practicing our Chinese numbers, and when we messed up, Cherry (our teacher), taped a piece of paper to our face. (Hey, Chinese teachers are tough!) As you can see, I messed up twice during the game. I still have a way to go to master counting in Chinese.

My Sick Day

I took a sick day today from class. I didn’t feel well this morning when I woke-up, and it became obvious that I wasn’t going to make it to class. I think it was a combination of all the crazy, greasy Chinese food I have been eating, the tiring schedule, the cold I caught, and the heat/humidity that finally got to me. So instead I spent the day rereading the 6th Harry Potter, typing email, updating my blog, and just resting in my room. The rest and relaxation really did benefit me and I am feeling much better as I write this post. Jessica made me the get well card that is pictured below.

The Return to Hangzhou

Today began with a very hurried packing and leaving the hotel via taxis to the Beijing Airport. Our group leader, Professor Lin, knew that we needed to get to the airport early to beat the large group of other people that were in the hotel with us because of the cancelled flight. We didn’t beat them, but we were able to get on an 11:45 AM flight back to Hangzhou ahead of them because Professor Lin went to a different window to get us booked. I got to witness what happens in China when things aren’t going well in an airport--lots of yelling and screaming! The flight left on time and we were back in the hotel by 3:30 PM. We had about an hour until we were to meet some local Chinese college students and have dinner with them. We were to have spent the entire day with them seeing Hangzhou, but because of the cancelled flight the night before, we only had the evening. Jose, Jessica, Katie, and I met Ariel (the girl from the dinner on July 4th) and Cynthia and went off to visit the local Yue Fei Temple and Tomb before having dinner near the old Hangzhou section of town. After walking a bit through the shops in the old section, we said good-bye to our new Chinese friends and went back to the hotel. The four of us are pictured with Ariel and Cynthia below at the temple.

Cheated in Beijing

I have one additional story from July 7th that I think I need to share. It is the story of me getting swindled by a street vendor as we were leaving the Summer Palace. This guy was selling fake Beijing Olympics t-shirts and I was haggling with him. I wanted two for 20 Yuan (about 3 dollars) and he finally agreed. Unfortunately I only had a 50 Yuan bill, so I paid him with that. He grabbed it from me and quickly put it in his wallet. I knew this was trouble, and sure enough he began to say 3 for 50 Yuan. I told him I wanted my 50 Yuan back and he dug around in his wallet and gave one to me. I was worried about it being fake so I quickly looked it over and checked for the water mark. The bill looked good, and I was mad at the guy, so I just walked away and boarded the bus. Because I was concerned it was counterfeit, later at the market I took three of my 50 Yuan bills, including the one in question, to a vendor to have them checked. They immediately knew that the one the street vendor had passed me was a counterfeit bill. They can tell by the feel and also by the way the ink looks in the light. Everyone who accepts any bills 50 Yuan or more checks for counterfeits here in China because this crime is so common. So, I lost a 50 Yuan bill that is worth about 7 dollars. I read somewhere that you can’t say you have visited China until you have been ripped-off in some way, and now I can say that I have been ripped-off! I do plan to keep the fake bill and have it framed when I get home.

The Second Day in Beijing

We woke up early today to have a fantastic breakfast at our very nice Beijing hotel, and then leave for a hike up the Great Wall. On the way we did pass several future Olympic sites, including the soon-to-be famous Beijing Olympic Stadium (I have heard it called the bird’s nest stadium, and I can see why). It was really fantastic to see, even if it was just from the highway. Next summer you will be seeing a lot of China through the Olympics, and they are working hard to get ready.

The Great Wall is of course huge, and the one small section we visited was at Juyongguan, about an hour or so outside of Beijing. This section was originally built from 770-476 BC and was worked on and linked up to others sections throughout history. It was rebuilt in 1993 to restore it for tourism. The beginning of the climb up is shown below, and then with me pictured just getting started.

It was a hot, clear day so it was a beautiful but exhausting climb up. I did make it and was rewarded with some great views from the top. The picture below is from about half the way up looking towards the top.

Once I made it to the top with several other group members, we took a bunch of pictures and then bought little metal plaques that said we climbed the Great Wall. It was especially rewarding since we had the date etched into the metal: 7-7-07. We assume it will bring us luck. After climbing back down we relaxed on the bus and rode to a shopping center/restaurant to have lunch and do some shopping. Next we headed off to see the Summer Palace. This was where Chinese emperors came to escape the heat of Beijing. It is a beautiful complex right on a lake outside of Beijing. Part of the site is pictured from our boat ride across the lake.
We had about two hours to explore what could have taken a day, however we were able to climb to the top of the complex pictured above. The architecture and artwork on the buildings was incredible throughout. Each of the individual buildings had names and purposes, and some had statues and thrones to visit. It was certainly an impressive sight. Below is just a taste of the color and design of the palace.

After leaving the Summer Palace, we drove to a market that sold almost everything from MP3 players to pearls. Jose and I walked around together just looking and being called at to buy from each booth. We left from there for the airport to leave on our Air China flight at 8:40 PM. However, there were big storms and our flight was delayed and then delayed some more. They fed us some horrible meatballs and gave us water while we waited. Finally the flight was cancelled around 11 PM. We were all very dirty and tired from having been out climbing in the sun all day, and all just wanted to take a shower and go to bed. Fortunately the airline bused us all to a hotel (that at first sight was really scary because it looked like a prison camp when we entered the grounds) that was pretty nice and we were able to spend the night there. This was a very long day that was wonderful right up until the four uncomfortable hours at the airport waiting for a flight that would be cancelled.