Highlights of October

School:

Classes this week were encouraging for my confidence as a teacher, in that the students were more spontaneous and poised, but also a little discouraging to me when I realized that I have overlooked some students.  We have 180 students.  We were doing an activity called deserted island.  We put them in groups of 3 and they had to decide on 8 of the 15 items listed to keep with them on the island.  As I walked around listening to their discussions, I sat with a group of 3 girls.  I looked at their names and their faces and I honestly couldn’t remember even seeing them before.  I focused on one student named Mia.  When she wasn’t watching, I just looked in her eyes and felt so bad that I had overlooked her.  She is pretty, quiet, soft-spoken, and thoughtful when she talks.   Somehow, I connected with her and felt great admiration.  I want to do better and try to connect with each student. 

Dining:

Local noodle dishes in Xi'an.

We have met such interesting students.  We met 3 students from Turkmenistan.  They invited us to dinner where they cooked us an authentic Turkmenistan meal of Turkmen dumplings filled with beef and sweet potatoes named Manti.   We talked for a couple of hours and they answered our questions and it was just so fascinating.  They were so friendly and kind. 

One of the sweetest girls in one of our classes kicked the American Teachers Teaching English in China off the lifeboat during an activity.  When we teased her that she was kicking us off the boat, we all laughed.  But, at the end of class she sprinted out of class and came back with a bag full of Dove Chocolates!  She was so sorry.  We ended up going to lunch with her.  So funny!

We went to lunch with a girl from Iran.  Her name is Gina and we went to a Turkish restaurant near campus.  She called herself a modern Muslim.  She is here studying medicine.   

Chicken stew dinner at a kiwi farmer's house/restaurant in the mountains.

Travel:

We went to the production, "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow," rated as one of the best shows in China.  It is at the foot of Mount Li. During the production the entire mountainside lit up with star-like lights.  Lighting and shadows create a river that appears to be flowing down the mountainside. There are hundreds of dancers.  It is just stunning and spectacular.  The setting is around Huaqing Palace, with a history of thousands of years.  We went early in the day and visited the Palace and took the cable car up the mountain. 

Research Center for the Qinling Giant Panda – Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue Base.  

This area is also famous for the beginning place of Taoism.  Taoism was created by philosopher Lao Zi, during the Zhou Dynasty (1111 – 249 BC). Taoists believe that a universal force guides all living things and the natural order is more important than the social order.  

There are tablets at the temple.  Dr. Feng explained one tablet and how the emperor had a ring or halo around his head.  People rub his face when they walk by.  He said the name of the ring is Circle of Light.

Kiwis grow wild in the mountains.  We stopped at a guy’s stand and he had Chinese medicine on his truck bed lined up.  He also had boxes of wild kiwis.  We bought a big sack full for 10 yuan.  ($1.40)  The kiwis are sweet and tangy.  Really delicious. 

We stopped at one last place and saw the Ginko tree that is 1700 years old.  I just can’t believe the age of something still living. 

We took a high speed train to Emei Mountain.  It is an area of exceptional cultural significance as it is the place where Buddhism first became established on Chinese territory and from where it spread widely through the East. The first Buddhist temple in China was built on the summit of Mount Emei in the 1st century.   It is a long day to get to the top of the mountain – a 2-hour bus ride up the mountain.  30 minutes of hiking up to a cable car.  15-minute cable car ride up the mountain.   We had foggy weather, but at one point when we made it to the top and we were looking at the golden buddha, the sun came out and we got a perfect view.  All the people cheered.  

We took the train to LeShan, where we visited the most remarkable Giant Buddha.  It was carved out of a hillside in the 8th century and looks down on the confluence of three rivers. At 71 m high, it is the largest Buddha in the world. We hiked up the mountain to get to the top of the Buddha looking down.  It is quite impressive. 

 Celebrate!

We celebrated the National Day holiday in China from October 1 – October 7.  This year is the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. 

Xi’an City Wall:

The Xi’an City Wall is the largest-scaled, best-preserved, and most complete ancient city wall in China.  It was built in 1370.  We love spending time at the wall – inside, outside, and on top.

Wild Goose Pagoda – Xi’an:

It is one of the landmarks in Xi’an as well as the oldest and largest square brick tower in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The Pagoda was  built in 652 AD to house Buddhist scriptures.  We walked to the top and marveled at the historical significance. 

The Red Wave Valley Danxia Landform:

There is a sign at the site comparing this site to the “American Antelope Valley,” and the Arizona “Wave” natural landform.  The trail started with a glass bridge spanning a huge canyon. Terrifying!  The formations were unique and stunning, with slot canyons and deep gorges.

Yulin City Great Wall of China:

We drove to a city north of Xi’an called Yulin.  We went to a section of The Great Wall. Most of the parts of the Great Wall in this area were built between 475 BC and 221 BC. There is a famous tower that we climbed that was built during the Ming Dynasty.  A lot of The Great Wall is just natural rammed earth.  It is fascinating to see how it runs right through farms and is still intact.

Hong Shi Xia

A place where caves (grottos) are built into the cliffside. The caves are temples and shrines.  Some still have colored paintings inside the caves. Also along the outside of the cliffs are many famous calligraphy works carved into the walls.  The 44 caves are intriguing. 

Red Cow Village – North China along the Yellow River

We visited a small village that is known for jujube farming and living in caves.  The mayor took us to the village museum in the caves.  It was an amazing museum in that it was just the local people’s lives on display.  They had a cave full of valuable treasures.  Some of our favorites: ancient wooden containers, wooden desks used in a school room, a collection (hundreds) of rare abacuses, a family genealogy cave with family histories painted onto the cave walls.   A production started at 1:00.  Hundreds of old villagers marched in carrying farm implements.  A big cow was the leader.  The mountainside was the backdrop and stage.  The old people presented songs and dances with their implements and had action going on all over the mountain.  Such an unforgettable experience.  We ate a buffet lunch consisting of local vegetables, fruits and grains. (millet porridge, jujube cake, sweet potatoes, corn bread)

Visiting this village was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.