Day 22: Chinese Song "Competition"

Tuesday, May 29th

Yesterday was so exhausting, and it seems that all of our Chinese teachers let us have a comparatively easier day than normal. Perhaps the highlight of the day was when every class came together to learn a Chinese folk song called "在那遥远的地方" （"At That Remote Place"）.  I was really shocked upon hearing the singer's version because he sings really high and I didn't believe we could actually hit those notes. Intermediate 2's teacher is a soprano and taught us all the tune of the song. She's a great singer, though it might not seem that way when you hear all of us sing. 

When learning the lyrics of the song, we were all super surprised by the lyrics of the fourth verse. In Chinese the lyrics are "我愿做一只小羊/ 跟在她身旁/ 我愿她拿着细细的皮鞭/ 不断轻轻打在我身上。" Translated into English, this means that the singer wants to be a sheep (the Mongolian girl he thinks about is a shepherd) in order to stay by the girl's side. He's willing for her to use her whip to lightly hit his body. All that the teachers could say is that love makes people crazy. Huge shout out to my class's teacher, 陈老师actually quietly sang with my group thanks to our persistent persuasion.

This week is the main time for us to start working on our research projects, which means that we had the afternoon free in order to start working on our projects. Admittedly, many of us took this time to go out and shop for both personal items and souvenirs. A group of us went out to Chunxi Road and stopped by the bookstore (Fangsuo Commune). There are so many great underground malls in China, and there is a great variety of things you can find in them. For example, the underground mall with the bookstore is in a super luxe area, so many items are on the expensive side (think 900 RMB for one shirt). In comparison, I know that other people managed to find clothes that sold for around 48 RMB for a dress, so shop around in order to find the best deals. Depending on the place, you can haggle and bring the price down, so act confident and practice your Chinese!

- Michelle W.

Day 21: Ancient Qiang Village

Monday, May 28th

After climbing down Mount Qingcheng, visiting the Xuankou Middle School (which was destroyed in the 2008 earthquake), and experiencing a lot of traffic the day before, our nights' rest at a beautiful hotel near the Qiang ethnic village was well deserved. A typical breakfast of hardboiled eggs, lots of vegetables, bread, and, of course, soy milk, was served from 7:30am-9: 00 am and after eating we made our way to the village. 

In order to protect the integrity of the two-thousand-year-old village, hotels and other businesses are not allowed within the walls. We had our tickets checked and proceeded past the checkpoint to meet our tour guide, an older Qiang woman who had married into the village over twenty years earlier. We began our tour by learning some background on the Qiang people, their long history within the region, language and customs, and current way of life. The actual entrance to the main houses was dark with special windows for defense and telling time, with a narrow passageway to protect against large numbers of attackers. The entire village was built on top an intricate waterway system that flows under every house to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter, protects against fires, and even allowed for people in the past to hide underground in case of invasion. 

The entire village is built like a maze (a feature our hotel also drew upon which had me lost a few times) with 90+ households being completely connected and more on the outskirts which were not. The Qiang also use a special wooden lock specific to each home which requires wiggling and maneuvering that I had a hard time figuring out, but we were told they mostly leave their doors open so everyone can move freely throughout the village. 

The typical house consisted of ladders that led to the many floors and the central kitchen/dining area contained a place to cook and eat, with a small altar to worship their ancestors, although they only have one god represented by the white rocks owned by each family which is scrubbed white and celebrated yearly. The embroidery made by the Qiang is truly beautiful and the skill has been passed on from generation to generation, with some of it being made completely free hand.  Before a young woman can be married off, she must be able to make shoes, usually made of hemp like most of their traditional clothing, which can be heavy. One thing that was unfortunately not passed on was the Qiang's written language, so they use Chinese characters to represent the sounds of their language. We went through most of the village via the houses and ladders connecting each floor and ended up on a roof with a fantastic view of the rest of the village and the mountains surrounding us on all sides. It was a truly beautiful location and I'm really glad we got to see into the lives of one of China's ethnic minorities. 

We ate lunch and hung around the village a little longer, which resulted in me buying 3 different kinds of cherries from the countless people selling them, then headed back to campus, which took about 3 hours. Overall, it was a relaxing and informative day.

- Taylor K.

Day 20: Pandas, Earthquake Relic, and Dinner

Sunday, May 27th

To start off the day we first ate breakfast as a group at a restaurant just a slight hike down from our inn. Visiting the birthplace of Taoism and sleeping on top of the Mount QingCheng (青城山) was a surreal opportunity and yesterday's tough climb to the top made the experience even more rewarding. After breakfast, I and a few others hiked up to the peak. There, we were greeted by a 360-degree view of Chengdu's mountains as well as the gorgeous LaoJun pavilion (老君阁). Following our hike to the peak, we made our descent down Mount QingCheng. The climb down was serene and luckily a lot less sweaty than the climb up. 

Next, we got to visit China's national treasures at Panda Valley. Despite today's hot weather, we got lucky and were, fortunately, able to see some of the pandas actively moving around their habitats. We got to see the pandas eat, sleep and even poop. While observing the Pandas, a few of us got interviewed for a Chinese travel T.V. show (so keep an eye out for Chris and Leah when the episode airs)! After admiring the pandas, we ate lunch in a nearby town. 

We then headed to Yingxiu (映秀), the epicenter of the tragic May 12th, 2008 earthquake. The earthquake tore through Sichuan Province and could be felt from as far as Beijing and Shanghai. The destruction that the earthquake caused was devastating. At Yingxiu we observed a middle school that had collapsed killing 43 students, 12 teachers, and two family members. Walking through the destruction was extremely emotional. We walked through the site in silence, listening to our guide recall what tragically occurred. 

After visiting Yingxiu, we made our way to Wenchuan and checked into a gorgeous Qiang ethnic minority style hotel. We then headed out for dinner and ate at a local restaurant that specialized in tofu fish (豆腐鱼). Upon entering the restaurant, we were ushered into the kitchen where we selected our fish and watched as the chef chopped up the fish! Following dinner, we had our weekly group discussions where we discussed and reflected on the past week. 

Thanks for reading! 

- Leanne D.

Day 19: Landlord's Manor, Dujiangyan and Mt. Qingcheng

 May 26, 2018

Today was really an event-filled day!

We started off the day early, packing up our things and getting ready to leave our hotel by 8:45, to head to Landlord Liu's Manor.

The manor itself has been turned into a museum and has been used for a variety of purposes throughout the years. During the age of Mao, it was used to showcase the gross exploitation and cruelty of the landlord on its tenants. The landlord was Liu Wencai and he was used as a symbol for all landlords.

It was so interesting to see all the various luxuries showcased in the manor. Some of which included porcelain from China, England, Japan, jade and ivory carvings, silver, rosewood furniture with precious gems encased in it. It was almost hard to imagine how much wealth a person must have to have all these precious items.

It is also a really big property, boasting 506 rooms total, with Liu's own home having 106 of them. Between the rooms, there were many courtyards and gardens. Liu's own bedroom had an enormous bed with gold decor. He also had an opium storage room and two smoking rooms, one that is cooler for the summer time and one that is warmer for the winter time.

We also toured the famous statues, depicting the process of the landlord collecting rent and the ultimate unhappiness of the peasants working under him. It was very carefully designed to make the have the greatest effect on its audience and even included many theatrics such as the lighting.

Touring the whole place took around 2 hours and that was with our tour guide helping us move through the complex fairly quickly. The area around it truly became a tourist attraction, with food stalls boasting "landlord noodles".

Afterwards, we took the bus to Dujiangyan Irrigation. It's a UNESCO certified world heritage site showcasing a more than 2000-year-old irrigation system. It was so amazing to see that this irrigation system hasn't been neglected and still plays a crucial role in bringing water to the Chengdu Plain today.

The atmosphere was almost like visiting Niagara Falls. With the rainy weather, almost everyone was wearing a poncho and posing in front of the water, and the mountains in the distance, to take a picture. Surrounding it was a lot of beautiful architecture in the typical Chinese style. We were free to explore the area ourselves and it was nice taking a more relaxing pace and just enjoying the view.

The afternoon brought us a hike! We boarded the bus again to go to the main gate to hike Qingchengshan, the birthplace of Taoism. Many of us braved the hike up and some of us took a cable car. Either way, the route up was serene and scenic, a breath of fresh air (literally) compared to the hustle and bustle of the city.

Our hotel was atop the mountain and had we not been told that it was a hotel, I don't think we would've have noticed. It is so unlike any other hotel that we have seen before. The surroundings are so quiet and relaxing (much needed for those of us who hiked up!)

Lastly, we had a group dinner and spoke with a Taoist Abbott about Taoism. He truly seemed to embody the Taoist spirit, speaking his mind freely but also never imposing his thoughts on us.

It really was a long day, but very rewarding and fulfilling!

- Winnie N.

Day 18: Midterm & Anren

Friday, May 25

Today was midterm exam day! Instead of having a full morning of class, everyone took their respective midterm exam before packing up and heading to the bus. Thus beginning a well deserved long weekend break. After an hour and a half bus ride, we finally arrived in the ancient town of Anren.
Our first stop, was the the largest private museum complex in China, the Jianchuan Museum Cluster. We visited three of the many museums on the premise: the Red Age Necessities museum, the Earthquake museum and the Flying Tiger museum. As this group of fifteen museums hold China's largest collection of artifacts, we were able to get a very in-depth view into China's past.
We were also fortunate enough to meet and ask the museum owner, Dr. Fan Jianchuan, questions about all of his museums. He took us into his large home and gave us a personal tour of other parts of the complex that we didn't have the time to visit during museum hours. He told us many stories about how the struggles he went through in order to collect so many artifacts, what famous people had visited the complex and his future plans to increase the number of museums he owns from fifty to one hundred before he passes away.
We then checked into our Red Age-themed hotel which is also owned by Dr. Jianchuan. Because the hotel is located in a "museum town" who's economy is highly dependent on tourists, most of the restaurants were closed by the time we headed out to get dinner. After finally finding an open restaurant, we were able to eat and head back to the hotel. No matter how long and exhausting the day was, everyone had fun and learned a lot!

Leah S.

Day 17: Classes and Alternative Education

Thursday, May 24th

Today started out like any other day at Sichuan University. While many students ride bikes to class, I enjoy the walk. The building where we hold classes is across the street from a 小学 (elementary school), so every day you can see parents dropping off their kids at school. I found myself growing somewhat jealous of the simpler lessons that they would learn. 

In my class time was spent reviewing for our midterm tomorrow. My class, Intermediate I, only consists of four students, so we all get plenty of time to practice our speaking. We went over our homework from the night before and then played a game of charades to help us review the vocabulary for tomorrow's midterm. We had a hard time trying to portray less concrete nouns like 北 (North) and 东 (East)! We then practice the sentence structures that would be on the midterm.

Class ended around noon, and at 1:30 we all met up at the bus in order to go to our site visit for the day. Unfortunately, some students were late so we didn't end up leaving the university until about 1:50. Beforehand, we read an article about alternative education in China. We learned that a number of parents want to give their children opportunities outside of China's strict education system, so they sent them to alternative schools. Our site visit took us away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into the more rural areas of Chengdu to visit one of these alternative schools.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Mr. Chi, Xiao, the Principal of the Curionesty School (whose name is a combination of the English words "curiosity" and "honesty") and were immediately introduced to a strange site: an old bus being hollowed out! He informed us that the students were turning the old bus into a library with three levels as their engineering project for the year. Scattered around the schoolyard were construction tools and slabs of wood.

After a few minutes of looking around, we were lead into the school building. Representatives from four different schools explained to us what their schools taught. The first was the Principal of the Curionesty School, who explained that his school teaches the principles of curiosity, courage, and awareness. They teach students the classics, put that knowledge into action, and have students reflect upon what they were doing. The next speaker was Principal Liu. He explained that in his school, the Pioneer School, the curriculum is decided entirely by the students. He explained that this way, students will be doing things they actually enjoy. The third speaker was Teacher Yuan, who teaches Drama at Chengdu Play House. She said that by participating in the two-hour-a-day Drama program, students are able to explore themselves and what they really enjoy. Our final speaker was 风哥, Brother Wind, the founder of Shanhai Academy, an alternative college program. He explained he plans to expand his program into a major liberal arts college.

After all the speakers, the students allowed us to climb on top of the library bus and gaze out into the distant. We were quite scared that we were going to fall! After we were finished at the Curionesty School, we returned to campus. Most of us returned to our dorms to study for midterms and pack for our long weekend tomorrow. Wish us good luck!

- Carolyn B.

Day 16: language partners and museum

Wed., May 23rd 

The first part of the day was like most -- studying hard with a half hour break for some bubble tea around 10:15. The advanced class started this morning with a little oral exam, which from what I hear went well for everybody. Lunch for some of us was Shao Kao (烧烤），a barbecue stand at which you select skewers of food, which they then fry with rice and various sauces, and put into a bowl for you to conveniently eat while you walk around.

Today we also had both our language pledge as well as time allocated for our language partners. I always find the language pledge to be an interesting experience because of the different ways that people put what they are trying to convey to words (especially because most people commit to the language pledge quite well).  The following language partner time was entertaining as always. Now that everyone has gotten to know their language partner well, I feel that the conversations flow a lot more smoothly and are generally a lot more relaxed and fun. In my experience, and from what I hear from most people, the language partner time consists partly of looking over the lessons and vocabulary that we learned in class that morning, as well as a lot of general chit-chatting. Personally, I think that two hours a week for the language partner is not enough, as I think it's the most efficient way to soak up vocabulary quickly. Luckily, a lot of other Sichuan University students around campus are also very willing to have a casual conversation if you are willing to initiate it. 

Following the morning's language activities, we went to the university's on-campus museum. There was a special exhibit of the photographs by a British missionary and archeologist, Rev. Thomas Torrance (1871-1959), in the west of Sichuan, where we are going to visit this weekend. The photos were taken almost 100 years ago of various Tibetan and Qiang (pronounced as Ch'iang) ethnic groups and portrayed their culture and lives. This is a special limited time exhibit at the museum, and we were lucky to have a volunteer at the museum show us around and tell us the backgrounds of each image. In some of the rooms, he showed us were artifacts and tools used by specific ethnic groups in Tibet in the past. One which I found particularly interesting was the tradition of the Qiang people to have their 'master of language' wear a sheepskin jacket. The story behind this: in the past, language was only passed down orally, however, scripts of texts were sent down from the heavens; these scripts were consumed by sheep, so by wearing the sheep, the wisdom was bestowed to the master of language. He also showed us Thangkas of Buddhas, such as one with a Blue Buddha, which is supposed to bring you good health. 

Speaking of good health, monks back then would donate their skulls (post-death, of course) to temple, which people would drink from for better future health. The museum also contained various statues and elaborate carvings salvaged from all areas of the Sichuan area. 

As always, thanks for reading!

-- Gustaf P.

Day 15: Game, biking, Consulate and Birthday!

Tuesday May 22, 2018

The day started like most -- roughly 3 hours of class until noon. This morning's activities were slightly unusual, however. I felt that the teacher of the Advanced class (which I take part in) could tell that we were a bit less energetic than usual -- resulting in her challenging us to a game of 'never have I ever' (in Mandarin of course), upon which the loser had to complete a dare. The result of this was a spontaneous yet beautiful rendition of Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' by our very own Eliot Smullen in front of the intermediate class, as the class drew to an end. 

Shortly after class, we had Jianbing (煎饼), a savory pancake that we're eating so frequently I think it is fair to start calling it 'the usual' lunch. Following that, it's our Dialogue at the U.S. Consulate, which is 2 km away from the university, so we all showed up at the Consulate on the yellow OFO bike in our business casual.

Entering the Consulate thereafter was pretty standard security procedure. Although I, unfortunately, couldn't take any pictures of the visit, we were fortunate to have a panel of three diplomats to have a conversation with us about their jobs and answer any of our questions. We had a discussion for about an hour and a half about everything from the current commerce and economic situations of China, to their experiences in political dealings with local government officials. It was interesting to get some wisdom from people who have directly been working within the Chinese political system for a while now; some thoughts and stereotypes were confirmed, but what surprised me most was the details they shared about how reactive they were to each other's actions ("keeping score" one of the panelists called it).

After the consulate, we split up to do different things. My roommate Cedrick and I went to the small yet well-equipped gym on campus, while other students explored a range of activities from going back to their room to study, to finding a local clinical at which they could get some acupuncture or 'cupping' done. We ended the evening by celebrating Chris' 20th birthday -- involving a large fruity coconut cake, singing happy birthday in both English and Chinese, and then a short debriefing of the activities to come.

As for a little update on what the readers of this blog can expect in terms of big events: Thursday we will be having a discussion with a group of educators on their education innovation initiatives; on the weekend we will be going to Anren, an ancient town, followed by Dujiangyan, a 2,000-year-old irrigation system, and Mount Qing Cheng, the birthplace of Taoism, and Wenchuan, the epicenter of the devastating earthquake in 2008 that killed 70,000 people, and an ethnic minority village. I'm excited.

- Gustaf P.

Day 14: Classes and Mexican Food

Monday, May 21, 2018

Today marks exactly one week since we started classes here at 川大 (Sichuan Universtiy) but honestly, it feels like we've been here for much longer! Each school day starts at 8:30 am and ends at 12:00 pm, with a nice 30-minute 休息 (rest) separating our morning and afternoon classes. This morning, my roommate, Francesca, and I woke up a little later than normal and had to rush over to quickly eat breakfast before biking to class. Most days, we walk to class, but we decided to switch it up and bike there, which was much faster. It's interesting to see the number of bike sharing options available here in Chengdu, but to me, it seems the yellow OFO bikes are most abundant, followed by the orange Mobikes, with the various other colors trailing behind them. 

Within our高一班 (Advanced I class), we have 2 different teachers who teach our morning and afternoon classes. 高老师 (Professor Gao) teaches our morning class, which focuses reading, writing, speaking, and generally learning the lessons from our textbook, while 陈老师 (Professor Chen) focuses more on using what we learn in fun games and activities, allowing us to apply our knowledge more freely. During our 30 minute break, I like to walk around near the school's 小北门 (little north gate) and grab bubble tea or snacks from the 超市 (supermarket). Today, I got lucky and caught a peek of the nearby primary school children out on a walk and I had to snap a photo because they are all so little and cute!! 

After class ended, we were hungry for lunch and decided to bike over to a Tex-Mex place near the 西门 (west gate). I love Chinese food a lot, but after a week of eating at the same few noodle shops for most meals, cheese and sour cream were a nice break. After our nice little lunch, we biked back to our building to meet with our 语伴 (language partners), who we see twice a week, around 2 pm to review information from class and improve our listening and speaking skills. Around 3 pm, we parted ways with our language partners and some of us really wanted fruit. After walking around contemplating the various locations that sold fruit, we finally pick one and bought some. I ended up eating fresh pineapple on a stick which was really cheap and really delicious. The heat of the late afternoon called

for a short nap, and by early evening we were hungry again. Also near the west gate, we went to a family-style restaurant that serves tasty dishes and lots of rice. I think after two weeks of being here in China, I can confidently order food for myself, which I definitely couldn't do before this trip! After dinner, we walked around campus a bit more, and the rest of my night has consisted of reviewing past words, learning new ones, and writing this blog! Thanks so much for reading!!!

Taylor K.

Day 13: Free Time and Discussion Meeting

Sunday, May 20, 2018

It's our second Sunday here in Chengdu and classes along with homework are in full swing. Today was a free day for us to explore Chengdu and catch up/get ahead with homework for the coming week since we have already had many exciting activities on the agenda! 

Since we only have a few opportunities to sleep in, Eliot and I took advantage and got up late to grab some breakfast/lunch at our favorite local food cart. This spot is just a 5 min walk from our dorms and I won't deny that I've grabbed at least one meal a day from there each day this week… It's operated by this sweet lady who (besides gives me extra fillings for free) makes authentic Sichuan snacks, specifically Jianbing and Rou Jia Mo. The best way to describe Jianbing would be to say it's the Chinese version of an Indian Dosa (a thin outer dough cooked fresh on a skillet- with a vegetable/and or meat filling), while the Rou Jia Mo can be best described as a pita bread pocket with a pork and vegetable filling. 

After a quick bite, we then used OFO to bike over to Starbucks to prepare for our second weekly discussion meeting. To be honest, good coffee is a hard thing to find in China, but you'll always be able to trust in Starbucks to be there for your quick fix and free Wi-Fi. On our way back, we decided to try out a new local spot that specializes in Chaofan, or mixed fried rice. The thing I found particularly unique in these types of stir fry spots is that they allow you to pick out your own meat and vegetables. They offer about 10-15 different types of raw meats, marinated in varying seasonings and then mix it all together for about $2 or 15 Yuan. For those with dietary restrictions, this is definitely a good place to get a hearty meal. 

Around 7 pm, we all congregated in a conference room in our dormitory to have our second weekly discussion meeting. This week, the topics on the agenda were about our trip to the Chengdu Planning and Exhibition Hall, GuiBao (a large private Chinese silicone manufacturer), and Early Rain Church. We further discussed topics involving the feasibility of Chengdu's rapid development plan as well as potential effects they may induce. We compared state-owned enterprises versus privately held companies and their effect on economic growth. And ended our discussion with Early Rain Church. In China, religions (the most significant Christianity) are under scrutiny by the government. Consequently, we further discussed our views and analyzed the government's responses as well as the status quo of these home churches. It's really engaging and productive to discuss and compare our personal thoughts and insights on an open forum. Additionally, given the sensitivity of this week's topics - it ended up being a lot deeper of a discussion than last week. 

Now that week 2 has come to an end, time seems to be flying by…excited to see what this next week has in store for us!

- Kush P.

Day 12: Mystery Chengdu!

Saturday, May 19, 2018

11am, text from Dong Laoshi, scavenger hunt moved up an hour. The goal was plain and simple; through a list of 70 potential items, we were become more familiar with the city of Chengdu by completing as many items we could within the five-hour window with a small team of four (all the while getting an opportunity to practice our Mandarin in a very practical setting). Activities were set up with different values depending on their varying levels of difficulty. Items involving straying far from the city center were worth upwards of 50 points while items that could be completed anywhere such as trying different foods were worth only ten.  

Initial irritation of a lost hour of rest after a long week of classes turned into jianbing "breakfast", and team spirits were immediately on the up and up. After going through a few activities that could be completed on campus, my team's plan was to first make our way to Tianfu Square, the very center of the city, and start working our way out from there. We took a 15-minute subway ride from campus to the square and were able to take a picture in front of a statue of Mao (10 points), buy something from a bakery (10 points), and busk as a musician (10 points). We (Cedrick) even got paid, but a lack of evidence brought the point value down. If Cedrick ever comes to a point in his life where he looking for direction, he could easily make it as a street musician in China; I am also wondering why he never comes out to karaoke–anyways I digress. 

From Tianfu Square, we rode Ofo's, the popular dockless bike-sharing service, to Chengdu's Little Lhasa where we got a picture with a Tibetan Monk (a cool 50 points). Bikes were certainly the key to our team's success. It provided the perfect balance between being an efficient mode to get from point A to B while also allowing for the freedom to spontaneously diverge off our planned course of action to complete simpler tasks including getting WeChat QR codes for specific types of stores and trying different foods. 

With about an hour left, we made our way to Chunxi Road, the meeting point for the end of the scavenger hunt. With time winding down, we seemed out of luck. We wanted to find places to try the over a dozen street snacks on the score sheet, but it seemed improbable that we would find anywhere that sold such faire in quite a ritzy area. Our saving grace was a grocery store with a food court in the basement. The last-second flurry of food-related points pushed our team into first place total of 335 points on the day. Our efforts were rewarded with wonton soup, dumplings, spicy noodles, and the promise of free, hour-long, foot massages for the winning team. We have yet to make up our mind whether to go that route. Stay tuned! 

Eliot S.