A year in Wuhan, China: May 2013

Well it goes without saying that it has been quite a while since my last entry. I think after all the blogging, journaling, and reflecting on our 春节 (Spring Festival) vacation, I just needed a bit of a break. Since then, much has happened—we have travelled to 上海 (Shanghai), 北京(Beijing), and just this past weekend, 武当山(Wudangshan). And of course all the while I’ve been working my way through my various teaching classes, eating plenty of good food, and devoting a lot of time to studying Mandarin. This entry will consist mostly of pictures of our recent travels since I think it is often difficult to capture some of these experiences in words. As the end of my time here fast approaches I’m starting to realize just how much I’ll miss it. I have developed a surprising fondness for China.

Our first trip after the 春节 (Spring Festival) was to 上海 (Shanghai). We went as a fairly large group—five of us Americans as well as our Chinese friend 周亮, his English name being Aslan (yes, inspired by Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia). It was a long weekend for one of the random Chinese holidays, so we were gone for five days, one of which we spent visiting another Chinese friend of ours, Hao, in his hometown, 镇江 (Zhenjiang) which is only a two hour train ride outside 上海 (Shanghai). 上海 (Shanghai) was not terribly different from Hong Kong—a very Westernized, very big city. We ate a lot of good food there, including some Mexican food and Indian food which we had been seriously missing. In 上海 (Shanghai) we spent a lot of time walking around the city, visiting various tourist and cultural streets to soak up some of the local flavor. In 镇江 (Zhenjiang) we visited a local museum and had the privilege of visiting Hao’s home and meeting his parents. They were adorable and so very kind. Both his parents are artists—his father a calligrapher and his mother a traditional Chinese painter—and we spent most of the time trying our hand at some traditional calligraphy writing and admiring his mother’s art. It was the first Chinese home we had been to, so that was a very cherished experience.

A random street in Shanghai

A Taoist temple in Shanghai

Bamboo garden

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when we saw the famous Shanghai skyline lit up at night. But here is a daytime, hazy shot.

A European-influenced street

A tea break at a tea shop

Pig faces for sale!

Starbucks everywhere you go, even in China

A garden in Zhenjiang

Noodles in Zhenjiang--delicious!

With Hao's mom at their home in Zhenjiang

A few weeks later we went to 北京 (Beijing) for the weekend which, to be honest, I wasn’t particularly excited to see since I knew it is incredibly polluted and I haven’t been entirely impressed by the very Westernized big cities I’ve visited here thus far. However, I felt as though I should see it while I am in China. An added bonus—an certainly an impetus for my visit—was that a good, old friend of mine is currently studying there, so we were able to stay at her apartment and spend time catching up. And it turns out I liked 北京 (Beijing) quite a bit! Unlike the very Westernized cities of Hong Kong and 上海 (Shanghai), 北京 (Beijing) has retained a lot of its “Chinese-ness,” most noticeably in terms of its architecture and food. There are certainly international areas, but not nearly as prevalent as the other big cities. Our first day there we went to 天安门 (Tian’anmen Square) and 紫禁城 (Forbidden City). I was struck by a moment of awe as soon as we began to approach 天安门 (Tian’anmen Square), seeing the images I have so often read about or seen in the media. Just standing below the giant picture of 毛主席(Chairman Mao) and looking out over the square, still guarded heavily by officers, both in uniform and undercover dressed as tourists, gave me chills imagining the events of 1989. The 紫禁城 (Forbidden City) was incredible as well. As the imperial palace during the Ming Dynasty through the end of the Qing dynasty it has 980 buildings still intact and almost 10,000 rooms. Suffice to say we did not come close to visiting all the parts of this vast historical city, but the parts we did see housed gorgeous Chinese architecture and beautiful gardens. Our second day in 北京 (Beijing) we went to the 长城 (Great Wall) which I think is now one of my favorite places I have ever travelled to. The portion of the wall we went to was high up in the mountains, looping up and down the slopes, looking out over more and more mountains in the distance. It was also a less touristy part of the wall, which was very nice. We were even able to hike out past the usual “allowed” part of the wall that has been well-kept up, and made it to some incredible, lesser-seen peaks.

Approaching Tian'anmen Square

Entering the Forbidden city

A garden within The Forbidden City

The Great Wall

The "forbidden" section of the wall

We had no idea before we got to the wall, but the main way to get down is to ride down this chute. Nothing like a little carnival mixed in with rich history.

A view across the depths of the Forbidden City at sunset

This last weekend Nathan and I went to 武当山 (Wudangshan), a mountainous region famous for being the home of Taoism and a particular kind of Chinese KungFu. In the popular media, it is known for being the site where Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was filmed, as well as the 2010 Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith version of The Karate Kid. There are many temples and areas to hike around the mountain as you make your way up toward the ultimate destination, the Golden Summit. After a few hours of hiking around some of the other areas on the mountain, Nathan and I made our way to the start of the ascent to the Golden Summit. Four hours later we made it to the top. It was a trek that truly challenged both of us, up hundreds if not thousands of stone steps for hours on end. Reaching the peak was an amazing accomplishment and well worth the difficulties of hiking up. Of course there is the option of taking a cable car up, but where’s the fun in that? Standing up on the summit, the highest peak in the mountain range, you get a sense of your immense smallness in this world. Stretched out in front of you are miles and miles of mountains covered in trees, the borders of which were shaped many years ago by glaciers. Being there, I can imagine how it was the perfect setting for the emergence of Taoism, TaiChi, and KungFu.

Local villagers doing laundry in the river

Farmers picking berries on the mountain

Giant incense burners outside one of the temples on the mountains

All the garbage/recycling bins had these cutesy sayings on them

This area was called "Carefree Valley," and it was this site in particular (and the next few pictures through the swan picture) that was the site for the filming of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The Karate Kid