One High-Flying Week: Part 1

So, after a quiet week, I am sure you were all happy to get rid of me, dear readers. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I have returned, and I come bearing gifts of stories and pictures. Aren't you all excited?

I can hear the silence from out here.

But I digress. If you remember my last post from a little over a week ago, I mentioned that I was going to be gone on a week-long trip with the Alliance program. Well, I got back from that this past Saturday, and it was an amazing experience. There was so much that went on that there is no way to contain it in one blog post. that's why you are going to get two! This first post will cover what went on in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, while the next one will recap the events in Macau and Zhuhai (I am going to REALLY recommend that you read the second blog, as it will contain some awesome pictures).

So, we left on Saturday for Guangzhou and the start of our trip. When we landed in Guangzhou, we met with our tour guides and made our way to the first major company visit of the trip. We visited a major production plant for one of the major companies in Guangzhou. The plant also held a small museum in it along with the plant:

Yes, the Zhujiang Brewery makes the popular local beer. We took a tour of the museum and plant, spoke with one of the high-level employees, then went for a few free drinks:

Everyone had a great time, and it was a great way to unwind after the flight. After dinner, we went to the Canton TV Tower, one of the tallest TV towers in China. It is a major tourist attraction, and overlooks the city very nicely. It is pretty colorful too:

Those colors shift as well, which is interesting to look at from a difference as well as inside the building. Unfortunately, the pictures I took inside the tower, with poor internal lighting, cloudy conditions, and really scratched up glass, did not come out as well as I would have hoped. However, the view was very nice despite this fact.

The next day, we took the chance to do some sightseeing around Guangzhou. We started at the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family, which now holds many crafts and artistic items:

These vase things were minuscule, but were still accurately painted:

This gentleman used his hand as his paintbrush, and his works was pretty impressive:

After the temple, we went to the area near Lychee Bay, which is a very quaint area with some nice views along the small canal we were at:

On the whole, a nice place to spend a little bit of time:

Next, we went to Shamian Island, a big center for trade back during some of the ancient Chinese dynasties. Sadly, I was not that impressed with the area. I had expected some kind of reference to the previous use of the area, but the island has become very modernized, with no great places for pictures.

After this, we went to the are where the 2010 Asian Games (an Asian-only Olympics) had its opening and closing ceremonies. There is a museum in the area as well, which mainly covered natural history:

It was at this point that the rain really started coming in. After this, we were given the rest of the day to do what we wanted. Myself and a few other people went to a knockoff market nearby. It was, in a word, sketchy, and we did not spend a great deal of time there. After that, Cong, Muhdi, and I went to a Middle Eastern restaurant nearby (I believe the restaurant was Yemeni to be specific, but out food was more of a general food style). We had a very good meal, and I particularly enjoyed this meal. We went back to near the hotel after that want went to Beijing Road, which was a large pedestrian mall. It also has a great deal of hawker, and at one point a woman showed me some kind of metal match which would not go out. She showed me by striking it then holding it about an inch from my nose. Needless to say, I did not purchase it.

The next day was a travel day, but first we went to the Xiangxue Pharmaceutical company for another visit. The company specializes in medicines which pull from the old herbal remedies Chinese doctors used to use, and the brand is very popular today. After our visit, we boarded a train for Hong Kong. After we arrived and had some time to drop our luggage and eat, we went to the Peak, which is one of the most popular attractions in Hong Kong. It overlooks the entire area; it is accessed by a tram car of sorts, which climbs at an angle of about 45 degrees at points, which wreaks havoc for people who are dumb enough to be standing.

Not that I would know or anything...*ahem*...Moving on.

If you ever get to go to Hong Kong and you go to the Peak, just take some time to appreciate the view. You will be glad you did. I know I was:

It is amazing to think that we had done all of this, and we were only hitting the fourth day of our trip. Needless to say, Tuesday was one of the best sightseeing days we had during the whole trip. We started with another company visit. This time, we went to the Hong Kong Stock exchange. It is not as hectic as what you see in New York; a lot of the work is computerized, so there is not as big of a need for employees as before. You can have a little bit of fun while you are there as well. I mean, look at me, pretending that I know what I am doing:

 I had a lot more fun than I expected. Next, we went to the Golden Bauhinia Square. This was the site where Hong Kong was officially returned to China from British control. Oh yeah, there's a pretty nice view too:

We only spent a little bit of time here. After this, we went to Lantau Island, which involved taking a long cable car ride over the water.

The reason we took this trip was to see the amazingly large Buddha statue at the top of the mountain. You could see this thing from the cable car, it was HUGE, and it didn't get any smaller when you got closer to it:

We were also allowed to light incense while we were there. Here are mine:

These guys were putting on some kind of Pogo Stick show; they were pretty good:

That night, we went to see the Symphony of Lights on the waterfront. Take all of those synchronized light shows you know about, then make it the size of a city. That was this show, and it was amazing:

I loved this show, and the city in general. The next day, we had a free day to do whatever we wanted in the city. Here is where I made the one mistake that I still regret. I was under the impression that the group I was going to be with was going to be doing mainly shopping, so I did not take my camera, just to be on the safe side. Unfortunately for me, we ended up going to a beach, then to an amazing seafood restaurant on the water, and I missed out. I know other people have pictures, so I will just have to bug them for the pictures.

Anyway, this concludes part 1 of the trip. Tune in within the next few days to see the rest of the pictures and hear more about my adventures.

Until next time...

The Qingming Festival (Sorry, No Catchy Title)

So I realized that I had not yet posted a blog entry for this week. I am leaving soon for a fun-filled week in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai, and I would be remiss if I did not leave you with some story about this past week. Apologies if this seems rushed, as well as the fact there are no pictures.

Just as a quick side note, I am not planning on bringing my laptop with me, so I will probably not be updating this blog next week. Sorry about that, but I will make it up to you the week after that. I may have to break next week's blog entry into two parts, just to get in all the pictures and events that went on. Think of it as a "I really hope this makes up for everything" kind of move.

Anyways....This Wednesday was the date of the Qingming festival. Everyone had off from classes (but I already had no classes that day, so...) and the Alliance program prepared a small expedition for us. In addition, we had a member of the Alliance Staff with us. Teresa Bellono (which I hope to God I am spelling correctly, as she told me she reads my blog), the Communications Manager for Alliance, has been visiting the programs that Alliance has in Asia, and we were one of the last stops on her trip. She picked a great time to visit.  We went out to an organic farm an hour or so out of Shanghai, where we were allowed to pick fresh strawberries. This festival is a big deal for the Chinese, as it is associated with respect for the dead as well as agriculture. The festival, also known as the Tomb-Sweeping festival, is one where people pay tribute to their ancestors or go on spring outings.

This festival is associated with the turn of the weather to a more spring-like climate, and it has shown in the past few days. Gone are the days of cold rain and wind, replaced with sunny, warm days. Kite-flying is also a popular event of the festival, but I did not see any kites at all.

After our strawberry picking, we had lunch on the farm, nothing out of the ordinary. After that, we got back on the bus and went to Zhujiajiao, one of the local water villages and a popular destination for this festival. We took a riverboat ride, then walked around the village for a little bit. We did not have a great amount of time in the town, but it was enough to get a good idea of what the village is normally like. To be perfectly honest, it was not a major revelation, but it is a nice quaint village, and I would recommend it for anyone with spare time in Shanghai.

Apart from that, things have been pretty quiet. Well, I mean, apart from the fact that I will be competing against other people in a Chinese speech competition. Oh yeah, that should be fun.

Until next time...

People be People

I have been in this nation for two months, and needless to say I have been in contact with the Chinese people a lot. I mean A LOT. Like, everyday. I know, what a shock. Anyway, I figure now that I have had a good amount of interaction with the Chinese people, now would be a good time for me to talk about what the Chinese people are like, and just what they think of Americans in their homeland.

As far as I have seen it, there seems to be four major age groups in China (other people may argue with me about this, but this is simply my opinion):

1)      Toddlers/Young Children – The youth of China, I wish I could say that they are always under the control of parents. Interestingly though, this is not always the case. On quite a few occasions, including yesterday, I have seen little kids - probably no older than 6 – running down the streets, with no visible parent behind or in front of them. Children will stop at my table and look at me; they look amazed that someone that is probably (to them) so weird looking is sitting at the table eating. You do not see a great deal of children really crying or acting out against their parents (when they are there), so I guess they must know something.

2)      Young Adults – The group that people my age would fall into, this group entails everything from the second half of high school to after the first few years after college. This is where I feel the greatest schism between men and women can be noted, simply based on how the young adults spend their time. For the ladies, this is going out with friends and trying fashions. However, for guy, this often involves video games. I have seen guys (including my roommate) sit for hours straight playing World of Warcraft. Young adults make up the vast majority of the nightlife in China, which is not a surprise.

3)      Adults – On the whole, this seems like the forgotten group to me. I know this seems horrible to say, but the adult group does not stand out in comparison to the rest of the individuals in the city. To be honest, they seem like the bit players in the show of Chinese life, simply melding in the background to help the more colorful personalities stand out. They are the ones who run the shops, and usually are the ones trying to hock their knockoff wares on the side of the street.

4)      The Elderly – This group honestly interests me the most because of the personality they seem to take. You know that one old guy who, because he was in the war, feels like he is entitled to the best treatment in the world? Yeah, now multiply that by a few million. That is the elderly. Far too often have I been standing in line, only to get shoved by a lady probably four times my age who does not feel like shifting to the side to the gap in between two people. I have also seen some elderly people simply basically cut to the front of a line and start yelling at the cashier to serve them (or at least that is what I assume they are yelling, we haven’t covered that part in Chinese class). One other note I have to make on this group is that they seem to make up the majority of the beggars in the city, and unlike in other cities, they do not have any regard for personal space in this matter. Beggars will get in your face and  will not leave until they have achieved their goal. And to those of you saying just walk away…nope, it doesn't work like that. They follow you. I have basically had to yell at people that I don’t have money (in Chinese) to get them off my back, and even then they still will shake their cup in my face and ask for change. I am not saying they are bad people, but they are a group you will have to look out for if you intend to come to China.

Worse comes to worse, just interact with people as best you can, and you will be fine. It’s worked for me so far.

Further Away From Home

Oh. You’re back. You want to hear about stuff that is going on, I take it. Fine, pull up a chair and I shall regale you with tales of merry and fun. Oh, and pictures. Those too.

This past weekend was one of our major excursions of the Alliance program. We took off of classes on Friday in order to go to some cities outside of Shanghai. After a few hours, we arrived at our first location, which was Shaoxing. The main draw of this city is that it was the birth place of Lu Xun, who was one of the most well-known writers in Chinese history. Well, that means we had to go see where he lived, right? Right!

After this, we went to take a black-awning canal ride. Think of taking a gondola ride through Venice, with the people looking out at you on the water and the sights slowly passing you by. Now, put it in China. It’s kind of like that. Sort of.

The next day, we made our way to Hangzhou, one of the largest tourist cities in China. Along the way though, we stopped at a valley for a hike and local lunch. This valley was amazing to walk around, with plenty of scenery to enjoy.

One of the things that we had been looking forward to during this part of the trip was the crossing of the bridge. Basically, this was a small bridge over the water outside of the valley in order to get back to where the bus was. Well, we made it to where the bridge was, but it wasn’t there. Instead, there were rafts:

So comfortable. When we got to the other side, we found out where the bridge went:

The wind had apparently blown over the bridge. Really glad I wasn’t on it.

After the valley hike, we arrived in Hangzhou, and then went to one of the most popular streets in the city. This street is set up like a pedestrian mall. We were all starving so we went down a side alley which acted like a food court for local delicacies. The popular food we had to try was “beggar’s chicken,” which is basically a whole chicken wrapped in mud and paper, buried for a while, then cooked. It is very tasty, as soon as you get rid of the head first. After that, we took the chance to look around the area, which allowed me to get my first real souvenir of the trip: Two pairs of decorated chopsticks. There was a whole store devoted to chopsticks, an entire store for fans, one for…well, you get the idea.

The next day, we went out to West Lake, the main tourist draw of Hangzhou. This joins the small list of places that have been able to take my breath away. I cannot think of any place to really compare to the lake, so I will just put up some pictures so that you can make your own opinions:

After that, we went to a restaurant to sample some local food, including the tea, which is among the best in China. It was here that I ate what is most likely the most disgusting food I have had in my life thus far: fish eyeball. There, I said it, let's move on.

After that delightful meal, we went to a local spring, which boasts powerfully pure water. I have been to Chalice Well Spring in London, so I was skeptical at first. However, I did sample some of the water, and I was impressed with what I had. The spring is very serene, and the area surrounding it seemed to be set up for meditation.

Most of the time here was spent taking pictures of the sights, and I could not resist the chance to make a “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” reference:

This marked the end of our trip, but I have heard from a few people (myself included) who would love to return to Hangzhou for a weekend. Who knows, maybe there will be another post about the city in the near future.

Until next time…

What's the Deal with Clubbing? Ohhhh....

So I realized I should probably put a blog post up before we leave for our long weekend tomorrow. After wracking my brain for ideas on what to write for the past week or so, I had to take my mind off it. Luckily for me, some students from Arcadia, my home university, were in Shanghai for spring break. I knew someone who was on this program, so I met up with them a few days ago and brought them to a nightclub.

And it was then that I knew what I could write about.

It was so obvious. What hadn’t I thought of it before?

And so, without further ado, I present: The long weekend trip!

Um, wait. Hold on. This isn't right. That’s next week’s post. Hold on just a second, I know have this week’s topic around here somewhere…

Oh, right. Nightlife. Duh.

I know some people will wonder why I am choosing to write this topic. Well, I figure that a lot of people who read this are either family and friends or people that were recommended to this blog by the Alliance Facebook page (If you are reading this from there, then hello to you!) No matter who is reading this, though, my goal for this blog is to give insights into the culture of Shanghai. At the same time, I know that I should be giving some advice of some kind for people who plan on going to this fine city; since my target audience is people around the same age as me, these people are naturally going to be interested in the nightlife. I am just filling a simple need here. 

Consider it a public service. 

You're welcome.

Anyway, I can say with 100 percent certainty that I am not normally the person to go out to clubs. I normally like spending time in with friends and family, I do not usually go into large crowds of strange people, and I certainly do NOT dance.

Then again, this whole experience is meant to open my eyes to the world, and if people go out to clubs to have a good time, who am I to disagree? So I was going to go to clubs while I was here, but I was still NOT going to dance.

I have been to quite a few clubs already, and I have really enjoyed my time there. I do not know exactly what the club scene is like back in America, but from what I can glean, it is very similar to that of Shanghai. There are two basic crowds in every club I have been to: those people who are there to drink, and those who are there to dance. Everyone falls within a spectrum of those two groups.

One thing that has really stood out to me is the fact that the nightlife in Shanghai tries to cater to as many people as possible. There seems to be a club or bar here that covers every type of person imaginable. If you want a powerful, upper-class style experience, go to Zeal or Muse. For a classy bar experience right on the main river, you have to go to the newly renovated Bar Rouge. For the stereotypical hipster, go to Shelter, which is a bomb shelter converted to a club (insert hipster and underground joke here). For a more relaxed time, Mural is a good choice. And if you are someone who wants to go out and have a good time without destroying your credit rating, I recommend my personal favorite, No. 88 (no cover means good times). I am not going to say that I am a nightclub connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, but these are just a few I have been to or have heard about. There are still many more clubs to see here, but that is something I do not need to worry about right this moment.

And yes, I have danced. I am really bad.

Until next time.

I Got Sunshine. I Don't Need Much Else.

Today, two very interesting things happened. First, we had a sunny day. This is kind of a huge deal for us, as we have nothing but rain, rain, clouds, rain, rain, snow, rain, more clouds, rain, rain, and did I mention rain? I was starting to feel waterlogged, so when I walked out of class for a break, I was amazed by the large glowing orb in the sky. I am not going to say that the weather was perfect (the wind was a little bit stronger than usual) but on the whole it was an improvement over most of the days we have been having. I figure I should enjoy this day, as it is probably the only nice one we will get all month.

This positive turn of events fit in nicely with the second interesting event of the morning. We have been writing essays for the past few weekends on a variety of subjects. This week, the topic was “Report,” which confused us. Our professor explained that we would be going to a neighboring university, and we would be asking people questions about themselves…in Chinese. This combined my two most favorite things in the whole wide world (note the dripping sarcasm): talking to people I do not know, and talking to people in a foreign language. 

Needless to say, I was not completely ecstatic about the assignment.

Still, at least I was with a group of people, who were as experienced in Chinese as I was. When we got to the university, we split into small groups. I was working with Nikolaj (yes, that is how you spell his name) and Weston, and we were initially just trying to find people who were on their own and did not seem to be in any hurry. Eventually Nikolaj was able to wrangle a person to talk to; at the same time, I noticed a young lady walking behind us. I did an about face, and started to ask her questions. She seemed a little confused at first, but was able to settle in, and we had a nice conversation about the questions. I am sure she was likely disturbed a little bit by the questions I had to ask, but I didn't pick them.

So, I ended up talking to a girl named Rane (Chinese name Liu Xueying). She is from Shanghai, and is a general studies student. She has 5 family members, and no pets. Her birthday is January 14th. She has a lot of American friends (I had to ask her how many, and it turns out she studied in America for a while along the East Coast. Small world.)

On the whole, it was a very interesting experience talking to Rane. It was the first extended conversation I have had with someone in Chinese. Before this conversation, I think my longest conversation was along the lines of "Can I get an order of that over there?" I am glad that I was able to be understood, and it gave me a huge boost of confidence that I could understand her responses. I now look at the work I have to do for that class with a renewed vigor.

On a side note, next weekend is our long weekend. I will be sure to give some kind of a update soon after the weekend ends.

Until next time, Zaijian (Goodbye)!