It’s been a while since I last posted. Time seems to be moving faster since I’ve been in China. The NSLI-Y
kids have been here for about sixty days now. We’ve been learning lots of Chinese, and getting to know the
area around our schools and the area around the home of our host family, who we met at the very end of
September. Along with learning Chinese, we’ve also taken the time to go visit the tourist destinations.
During the time since I last posted, I’ve visited the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, the Bird’s Nest
and the Water Cube, as well as some other places that will be posted about very, very soon.
kids have been here for about sixty days now. We’ve been learning lots of Chinese, and getting to know the
area around our schools and the area around the home of our host family, who we met at the very end of
September. Along with learning Chinese, we’ve also taken the time to go visit the tourist destinations.
During the time since I last posted, I’ve visited the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, the Bird’s Nest
and the Water Cube, as well as some other places that will be posted about very, very soon.
The Forbidden City
We visited the Forbidden City on September 28th. The night before, the majority of us met our host
families for the first time, so we invited our host siblings along. Savannah, our host siblings and I ended
up branching away from the rest of the group and going exploring on our own. Reta, my host sister,
was set on the idea that since we were in a Chinese historic site, Savannah and I should speak Chinese
only. On the other hand, Savannah and I thought Reta and Savannah’s host sister, Greta, should practice
their English. We compromised by making the first hour of our exploring in Chinese, and the second hour
only in English. While this was a great way to learn Chinese and practice, it was also absolutely hilarious
when Savannah and I would slip in to the wrong language out of habit. Every time we did, our host siblings’
eyes would widen and they’d point their fingers at us, while reminding us what language we are suppose
to be speaking in. During the English hour, we asked a Chinese couple to take a picture of the four of us.
Because Reta and Greta asked them in English, they assumed that Reta and Greta were foreigners,
and that I was a Chinese national. It was rather amusing when Reta and Greta realized that.
All in all, the Forbidden City was quite impressive. However, I felt that the site would have been much more
exciting if I had known the history of the all the dynasties that lived there. The best part of the Forbidden
City, however, were the roads less traveled by - the gardens on the side and the more hidden museums.
families for the first time, so we invited our host siblings along. Savannah, our host siblings and I ended
up branching away from the rest of the group and going exploring on our own. Reta, my host sister,
was set on the idea that since we were in a Chinese historic site, Savannah and I should speak Chinese
only. On the other hand, Savannah and I thought Reta and Savannah’s host sister, Greta, should practice
their English. We compromised by making the first hour of our exploring in Chinese, and the second hour
only in English. While this was a great way to learn Chinese and practice, it was also absolutely hilarious
when Savannah and I would slip in to the wrong language out of habit. Every time we did, our host siblings’
eyes would widen and they’d point their fingers at us, while reminding us what language we are suppose
to be speaking in. During the English hour, we asked a Chinese couple to take a picture of the four of us.
Because Reta and Greta asked them in English, they assumed that Reta and Greta were foreigners,
and that I was a Chinese national. It was rather amusing when Reta and Greta realized that.
All in all, the Forbidden City was quite impressive. However, I felt that the site would have been much more
exciting if I had known the history of the all the dynasties that lived there. The best part of the Forbidden
City, however, were the roads less traveled by - the gardens on the side and the more hidden museums.
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall trip was only two days after the Forbidden City trip. With the entire 语言班 (the Chinese
Language section of the International Department of Beijing No. 80), we took the bus to the MuTianYu
section of the Wall. The weather that day was foggy, and a little chilly. However, by the time we finished
climbing the millions of steps to the Wall itself, we were sweltering. A bit of advice: the MuTianYu section
of the wall is a great place to visit. It has very few tourist and it’s quite well preserved. But don’t touch any
of the handrailings on the wall itself. They are mostly rusty and the rust gets on your hands.
After visiting the Wall, we went shopping in the little stalls below the wall. Another great thing about
MuTianYu was that because it had less tourists, the shopkeepers were more willing to bargain down
their price. I got several tourist items and gifts from the shops. At one point, I almost bought some name
stamps. I stopped at one stall, where some Australian students were buying them, checked the price
they were getting it at, and then moved over to the next stall where some American students were buying
stamps. The moment the second stall owner stated their price, the first stall owner shouted a lower price.
A shouting session followed where the price was lowered until they both refused to go below thirty yuan
for the stamp I wanted. And that, is how you get others to bargain for you.
On the way back to school, I had my first experience with a Chinese McDonald’s, which is what the
teachers decided would be our lunch. I have to point out, the Chinese McDonald’s sell foods that
American McDonalds’ don’t, such as 油条, a fried, oily strip of bread that is absolutely delicious.
But, for the most part, it’s similar to American McDonalds.
The Great wall truly was a fantastic experience. I do hope if anyone goes to China, they take the
time (and effort) to visit the Great Wall. It is completely worth it.
Language section of the International Department of Beijing No. 80), we took the bus to the MuTianYu
section of the Wall. The weather that day was foggy, and a little chilly. However, by the time we finished
climbing the millions of steps to the Wall itself, we were sweltering. A bit of advice: the MuTianYu section
of the wall is a great place to visit. It has very few tourist and it’s quite well preserved. But don’t touch any
of the handrailings on the wall itself. They are mostly rusty and the rust gets on your hands.
After visiting the Wall, we went shopping in the little stalls below the wall. Another great thing about
MuTianYu was that because it had less tourists, the shopkeepers were more willing to bargain down
their price. I got several tourist items and gifts from the shops. At one point, I almost bought some name
stamps. I stopped at one stall, where some Australian students were buying them, checked the price
they were getting it at, and then moved over to the next stall where some American students were buying
stamps. The moment the second stall owner stated their price, the first stall owner shouted a lower price.
A shouting session followed where the price was lowered until they both refused to go below thirty yuan
for the stamp I wanted. And that, is how you get others to bargain for you.
On the way back to school, I had my first experience with a Chinese McDonald’s, which is what the
teachers decided would be our lunch. I have to point out, the Chinese McDonald’s sell foods that
American McDonalds’ don’t, such as 油条, a fried, oily strip of bread that is absolutely delicious.
But, for the most part, it’s similar to American McDonalds.
The Great wall truly was a fantastic experience. I do hope if anyone goes to China, they take the
time (and effort) to visit the Great Wall. It is completely worth it.
The Olympic Village: The Bird's Nest and The Water Cube
The Chinese Independence day is October 1st. To celebrate it, the entire week, called Golden Week,
is a national holiday. Everyone, ranging from students to government workers have the week off. Most
people go on trips out of town. I had the opportunity to spend Golden week with my host family, getting
to know them better. That week, my host family asked me where I wanted to go in Beijing. Unfortunately,
I couldn’t think of anything except the Beijing Zoo. My host family decided that I had to see the Bird’s
Nest and Water Cube, though, so we went there the following day.
The Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube are the iconic buildings of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The Bird’s
Nest is where the opening ceremony took place, as well as the track events during the Olympics. The
Water Cube is the swimming pool and diving arena. The area has been converted into a tourist attraction,
with small stalls selling souvenirs around the Nest. There’s also a wonderful, slightly over-priced food
court that sold Chinese food from all the different regions of China. They had “normal” Chinese food
(which is general GuangDong, or Cantonese, style food) as well as more, well, exotic foods.
To be honest, the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube weren’t much during the day. The main attractions during
the day were the shops selling souvenirs, and the new shopping mall near by. But at night, the Bird’s
Nest, Water Cube and surrounding buildings were lit up, and that was beautiful.
is a national holiday. Everyone, ranging from students to government workers have the week off. Most
people go on trips out of town. I had the opportunity to spend Golden week with my host family, getting
to know them better. That week, my host family asked me where I wanted to go in Beijing. Unfortunately,
I couldn’t think of anything except the Beijing Zoo. My host family decided that I had to see the Bird’s
Nest and Water Cube, though, so we went there the following day.
The Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube are the iconic buildings of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The Bird’s
Nest is where the opening ceremony took place, as well as the track events during the Olympics. The
Water Cube is the swimming pool and diving arena. The area has been converted into a tourist attraction,
with small stalls selling souvenirs around the Nest. There’s also a wonderful, slightly over-priced food
court that sold Chinese food from all the different regions of China. They had “normal” Chinese food
(which is general GuangDong, or Cantonese, style food) as well as more, well, exotic foods.
To be honest, the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube weren’t much during the day. The main attractions during
the day were the shops selling souvenirs, and the new shopping mall near by. But at night, the Bird’s
Nest, Water Cube and surrounding buildings were lit up, and that was beautiful.
Final Question
Are there any other famous sites I should visit while I'm in Beijing, or even in the rest of China? I'll be posting about the YuanMing Yuan (The Old Summer Palace) and the Beijing Zoo as soon as I can. We are also taking a five day trip to Xi'An next week, to see the Terracotta Warriors! I'd love to hear your advice on where I should go next. I'm here for a year, but I don't want to miss a thing!
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