Dear Westridge School China Program Participants:

I began studying Chinese in preparation for a move to Taiwan with my family when I was twelve years old. I had no idea then how much time in Asia would direct the rest of my life. I have now been speaking Mandarin and spending time in Asia for almost thirty years. After graduating from high school in Taipei, I spent a year studying at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. My graduate work was done in the field of International Education, with my field work focused on the plight of Tibetan refugees.

Note: Friends and family of the Westridge China group are encouraged to
check back on the blog frequently over the next 10 days as there should be
plenty of exciting updates and pictures.

After a short layover in Seoul, we arrived in Beijing this morning, a little
bit tired, but very excited. There were some itinerary changes, so we ended
up visiting the Lama Temple as well as the site for the 2008 Olympics.
Located in the northeastern part of Beijing, the Lama Temple is a Tibetan
Buddhist temple and monastery that is known for its combination of Han
Chinese and Tibetan styles of architecture and artwork.

-Lin

Aquatic Center and Bird's Nest

The Juniors and Lily at the Lama Temple

The Seniors at the Lama Temple

Posing beneath the mother lion

Taking photos as the Lama Temple

Day 2 Mar 16 Sunday: Arrive in Beijing

Morning: Meet local guides at the Beijing International Airport. Global LAB leaders will lead the group in orientation activities including familiarization with Chinese history and culture as well as reminders of group and individual behavioral guidelines for health and safety.

Afternoon: Visit the Lama Temple, the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of Tibet and see Olympic sites.

The Lama Temple also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple", or the "Yonghe Lamasery”, is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing. It is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world, though many of the monks are Inner Mongolian and ethnicities other than Tibetan. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. Students will be encouraged to meet and talk with monks at the temple.

The students will see some of the venues for this summer’s Olympic Games including the new National Stadium (commonly referred to as the Bird’s Nest) and National Aquatics Center.

Beijing City

Morning: Visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Tian'anmen Square, is located in the heart of urban Beijing just south of the Forbidden City. Historic events with great impact on Chinese history and Chinese people have occurred in the Square and will be discussed with students both before and during the visit. Mao’s Mausoleum is located at the south section of the Square. The mausoleum is the largest of its type in China and one of the largest in the world.

Afternoon: Visit the Forbidden City and a unique art gallery on the edge of Tiananmen Square.

As the world's largest royal palace complex, the Forbidden City covers 74 hectares. Built between 1406 and 1420, the Forbidden City was the home to the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a period extending over 500 years.

Day 4 March 18 Tuesday: Beijing

Morning: Learn the history of the Great Wall and the emperors who had it built.

The portion of the Wall that the Westridge group will visit is Mutianyu. (As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section of Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs).

Afternoon: Visit Ming Tombs where 13 emperors were buried.

The Ming Tombs site at Dingling was chosen by the third Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle (1402–1424).

The Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs are located at the foot of the Jundu Mountains north of Beijing. This 40 square kilometer area - enclosed by the mountains in a quiet valley served as the necropolis of the Ming Dynasty.

Along both sides of Sacred Road are stone animals and stone human figures. The big statues are each carved from a single piece of white marble. All these stone carvings were the works of the early Ming Dynasty.

Go to Peking Opera.

Day 5 March 19 Wednesday: Beijing

Morning: A Taichi class will be offered in the Temple of Heaven.

Taichi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced with the aim of promoting health and longevity. Tai chi training forms are well known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks. The Temple of Heaven is one of most popular places for Beijing residents to do morning exercises.

The Temple of Heaven, literally “the Altar of Heaven” is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in southeastern urban Beijing. Construction of the complex began in 1420, and was thereafter visited by all subsequent Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Afternoon: Meet with Wildlife specialist to present introduction to the challenges facing wildlife in China. Visit to the Beijing Zoo with our Guest host to see giant pandas, red pandas, and other wildlife native to China and learn more about them and the attempts to preserve their habitat.

Evening: Supper of Beijing Duck

Late Afternoon/Early Evening: Attend a performance of the Beijing Acrobatic Show.

Day 6 March 20 Thursday: Beijing

Morning: Visit the Zhenhua Tourism School in southwest Beijing. The group will attend classes about the Beijing Olympics and Chinese Culture with Chinese students who are studying to be tour guides. (The class will be taught in English). There will also be opportunities for discussion between the local students and the Westridge students.

Evening: Enjoy a Chinese movie in a downtown cinema.

Day 7 March 21 Friday: Beijing / Xian

Morning: Take a walk through Beijing’s historic hutongs. These centuries old neighborhoods are the last remaining examples of life in “Old Beijing”. See what life was like for Beijing residents in the late Ming and Qing Dynasties, and take a stroll on historic Back Lake. Enjoy lunch in a traditional courtyard home.

Afternoon: Visit Beijing Shishahai Sports Academy, where a number of World Champions and Olympic Gold Medal winners graduated. Meet and observe the training of some of China’s (and the world’s) best athletes. Speak with some of the athletes and officials and perhaps receive some instruction in gymnastics.

Evening: Board the train to Xian and stay overnight on the soft-sleeper compartments.

Day 8 March 22 Saturday: Arrive in Xian

Explore Xian, one of China’s ancient cities and have an introduction to Islam in China and to the history of the region.

Morning: Arrive in Xian .Check into hotel. Visit the Bell Tower, the Ancient City Wall and the Wild Goose Pagoda.

Standing at the crossing of the East, West, South, and North avenues in the city proper, the Bell Tower is an important symbol of Xi’an.

The tower was originally built in 1348, but was moved to its present site in 1552, and rebuilt and enlarged during the Qing Dynasty. There used to be a huge iron bell hung in the tower, which would strike each hour, hence the name “Bell Tower”.

The original base of the City Wall was established in Tang Dynasty. It is the most complete and the largest ancient city wall in China.

The Wild Goose Pagoda was first built in 652 in the Tang Dynasty. It is located in the southern part of present day Xi'an, in what used to be Chang'an city during the Tang Dynasty.

The square, multi-storied, brick structure is sixty-four meters high.

Afternoon: Visit the Great Mosque of Xian and learn how to make Chinese dumplings.

The Great Mosque of Xi'an, located near the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) is one of the oldest and most renowned mosques in the country.

It was first built in the Tang Dynasty (reign of Emperor Xuanzong, 685-762) at the eastern end of the Silk Road, and renovated in later periods. It is still used by Muslims in China (mainly the Hui people) as a place of worship.

Unlike most mosques, the Great Mosque of Xi'an is Chinese in its construction and architectural style, though it does contain Arabic scripture and other Muslim-style carvings, the mosque has neither domes nor minarets.

Later in the afternoon students will participate in a session to learn how to make Chinese dumplings with a local chef.

Day 9 March 23 Sunday: Xian

Morning: Learn more about China’s first emperor through a visit to his final resting place.

The Terracotta Army was buried with the Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huangdi) in 210-209 BC. The purpose was to help him rule another empire in the afterlife. Construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 38 years to complete. The Terracotta army was hidden for many centuries but in the last few decades was re-discovered and has become one of the great archeological wonders of the world.

Afternoon: Visit the Shaanxi Historical Museum

Shaanxi Historical Museum contains over 300,000 items (murals, paintings, pottery, coins; bronze, gold, and silver objects). The modern museum was built between 1983 and 2001 and its architectural style is reminiscent of the Tang dynasty.

Evening: Enjoy a colorful Tang Dynasty Show and Dumpling Dinner in Shaanxi Grand Theater.

Day 10 March 24 Monday: Xian / Shanghai

Morning: Fly to Shanghai and check into hotel.

Afternoon: Visit the Bund to see the modern side of the city and also the Yu Garden to get a sense of the ancient flavor of Old Shanghai

The Bund, located by the bank of the Huangpu River, contains a rich collection of early 20th century architecture, ranging in style from neo-classical to art deco. A number of areas in the former foreign concessions are also well preserved and are interesting places to explore.

The Yu Garden located in the center of the Old City in Shanghai is considered one of the four finest Chinese gardens.

The garden was established in 1559 as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years building a garden to please his father, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty.

Day 11 March 25 Tuesday: Shanghai

Morning: A chance to explore the city. Split into groups and explore the Shanghai Museum, which houses one of the world’s finest collections of Chinese art and artifacts, or get up close and personal with Shanghai’s stunning skyline on a boat tour of the Huangpu River.

Afternoon: Get in some last minute souvenir shopping at one of Shanghai’s many historic antique markets.

Day 12 March 26 Wednesday: Shanghai / Los Angeles

Fly back to California and arrive in LAX on Day 12.

*What did you like most about our activities today?*

Jessica: I really like the Peking opera performance. It wasn't what I was
expecting; it was really cool, especially the acrobatics.

Shaina: I liked the detail of the Forbidden City and the bargaining at the
Silk Market.

Katia: I won't ever give a clock to anyone as a hostess gift. (Note: After
visiting the Hall of Clocks in the Forbidden City, the group learned that in
Chinese culture, one should never give a clock as a gift because clocks
symbolize death and thus would bring bad luck to the receiver.)

Ms. Greenstone: Definitely the Forbidden City, just walking around and
knowing that you're walking in the footsteps of the emperors.

Bridget: The size of the Forbidden City really struck me. It was just so
big.

Lily: I really liked the huge painting of Chairman Mao hanging in front of
Tiananmen Square.

Jessica: I didn't know how I would react being on the Great Wall of China. I
loved it. It was so incredible to see how far I'd walked.

Shelby: What really left an impression was what we saw outside our windows
on our ride to the Great Wall to China. You could see how people live.
And, a lot of buildings here are older than our country. It's weird to see
that.

Noura: I loved the statues and sculptures that we saw at the Ming Tombs.

Ava: My favorite experience has been dealing directly with the people here.
You get to do that a little bit when we shop with the vendors. It has
been good to see for ourselves and deal with local people ourselves.

Beijing Opera performer prepares

Guarding the tower

Laura enjoys a sweet potato break

Ming Tombs

The Great Wall

Shamu and Jommers on the Great Wall

Sundown on the Great Wall

Taichi Lesson in Temple of Heaven Park

Hall of Good Harvests

Ava practices jianzi

Baby explores urn

Temple of heaven water spout

Katrina gets up close and personal with Giant Panda

World's most photogenic panda

Ms. Greenstone gives a thumbs up to her tasty Chinese snack

Fast friend

Zhenghua students sample Katia's music library

Deidre and her crew

Traditional fan dance performance by third year student

Impromptu dance party

Many thanks to the Zhenghua Tourism School for a memorable visit!

Waiting for ancient clock to chime at the Drum Tower

About to set off on a bike ride around the city

Amanda biking on thr wall

Bridget with a dumpling

Ella riding on the old city wall

Imitating the hairstyles

Jessica making dumplings

Kitrina and Emily on the old city wall

Learning how to make dumplings

Ms. Weber making dumplings

Lily at the bell tower

Shelby and Ava completing the ride

Terracotta Warriors

Noura: The Olympic training school we visited was really cool. The kids
doing wushu (Chinese martial arts) was really incredible.

Jessica: Seeing the gymnasts [at the Shichahai Sports Academy] was really
sad. It made me so sad to see that little girl, who was so young and so
talented, crying because her foot was hurt.

Katia: I was really nervous about the train [overnight sleeper train from
Beijing to Xi'an], but I slept through most of it. It was a good
experience; I don't think that I would've done something like this
otherwise.

Ava: Xi'an is a fun contrast to Beijing. It seems like there are more young
people here and more people out and about.

Dragons and the pearl

Enjoying the sunshine at Yu Gardens in Shanghai

Huangpu River waterfront

Pudong development area

Stone relief at the Yu Gardens

We left Xi'an on the morning of Monday, March 24th and hit the ground running upon arrival in Shanghai: we went straight from the airport to visit the Yu Gardens, a classical Chinese garden that is more than 400 years old. Afterwards, we stopped by the Bund to view the impressive buildings on either side of the Huangpu River. The group took many pictures here, which I'm sure will be shared with friends and family back home. The following
day, our last full day in China, was one of museums and shopping. In the morning, we went to the Shanghai Museum and a silk workshop; after lunch, some visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum and others the
Shanghai Art Museum. The group then reconvened to shop at the underground mall beneath the People's Square before taking a brisk walk down Nanjing Road, the famous pedestrian-only shopping street in Shanghai. To cap off a full day, we took a boat ride along the Huangpu River and even though the skyline was dimmed,* we could still see the two sides of the river from the boat and thus, get a sense of the change and development that the city of
Shanghai has experienced and is still undergoing.

*The snowstorms in China last month disabled many power stations in the western regions of the country. The city of Shanghai has restricted power usage to light up the city skyline at night in order to conserve energy, which is why the skyline was dimmed. The energy saved is to be sent to the places still affected by the power outages that were a result of the snowstorms lat month.