Vacation Part 1: Bejing

I don't know which is harder to believe: the fact that I've been here for almost nine months, or that I only have two more to go. The last few weeks have flown by: a week of vacation (more on that to follow), a movie week to ease back into teaching, and a week of only one class because of conflicts with the annual "Sports Meeting" on campus. That means I have only 6 weeks left in the classroom, two of which will be consumed by exams and review, and another might be used for a final movie, which means that I have only 3-4 weeks of real teaching left. Wow. Then I'm heading down south toGuangxi for a week to work on a research project with Vanderbilt, and then on to Hong Kong for a week for a conference, and then I'll be home!

OK, now on to actual items of interest. May 1 kicked off a week-long "Golden Week" in China, during which many of the millions of workers had vacations. This makes that week an incredibly insane time to travel (upwards of 350+ million people travel during that week), but it also coincided with the times Vanderbilt chums Matt and Andrew, as well as aunt and uncle Sandy and Phil, had available to come to China. I flew down to Beijing a little early to bum around and to check out a few lesser-known places that I hadn't visited before, such as Baiyunguan Si, an important Taoist temple:





And Ditan Park, where I saw some older women playing a game similar to croquet:



And around Chaoyangmen, where a small group had gathered to roll with their yo-yo's, yo:



Then, after months of waiting, I met Andrew and Matt at the Beijing to start a whirlwind tour of China. Matt was here for only 10 days, and Andrew for 17, so it was important not to bum around too much. Still, I think we managed to go at our own pace and not feel too rushed. It's hard to feel rushed then the transportation can be so inefficient and unreliable, so it;s best to take the attitude that there's little you can do to improve the situation. You may have read about by horrific bus story in February, and this trip did not disappoint in the public transportation department, either. On three occasions it took us more than five hours to travel the same 120 mile-stretch between Weihai and Qingdao, and I have vowed never to take a long-distance minibus again. Unlike larger buses, which are relatively efficient, minibuses stop along the route to pick up more passengers until the bus is packed, pick up and drop off packages, allow the bus driver to get lunch, and visit friends. But, because they depart more often than larger buses, chances are you'll end up on a minibus at some point during a stay in China.

Anyhow, after Matt and Andrew arrived, we dropped our stuff at the hostel, ate a quick dumpling lunch for 75 cents, and rented bikes to ride around some hutong, or small, old alleyways. But, so as not to make the transition to China too jarring, we went for a Texas-style dinner and trivia at a BBQ place in Beijing. In some way, it still manages to be authentically Chinese: all the waiters wear shirts resembling Texas flags, even though they probably have no idea of where or what Texas is. It's hilarious.

The next day was spent working off jet lag and replacing it with pure exhaustion. We departed the hostel at 6:30 and returned 12 hours later, after spending the day hiking from theJinshanling to the Simatai sections of the Great Wall of China, northeast of Beijing.




After we got back, I sent Matt and Andrew to meet up with Carmen, a fellow Vanderbilt alum, while I made my way across the city to have dinner with my aunt and uncle. They didn't come specifically because I was in China, rather they were on a tour of Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an with a group from America. Still, it's amazing that I've had as many visitors here as I did in Germany. Though Germany is certainly more accessible, I think the idea of traveling in China with someone who is relatively familiar with the place encourages people to visit when they otherwise would not. Whatever the reason, I'm enjoying it. When people do visit, I feel part of my responsibility is to be a mediator between China and visitor. It's very easy to have a bad impression of China initially, as people can be rude, ignorant, and intolerant. But that can be the case in America, too. I enjoyed showing my parents and other visitors around Germany, and I have also enjoyed planning people's visits here. Maybe it just makes me feel more important, but I also like to think that my presence makes the trip more authentic, enjoyable, relaxing, and comfortable. Verdict?

The next day we were supposed to meet up with Sandy and Phil for Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, but because both were so hot and bombarded with people, we quickly made our way north to Jingshan Park for a view out over the Forbidden City and greater Beijing.



Then, it was on to the Lama Temple, a large Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing, and to the Temple of Heaven, which was used for sacrifices and prayer for bountiful harvests.



That night we had perhaps our greatest meal of the trip, as we ate Xinjiang barbecue outside in a small hutong, complete with legs of lamb, kebabs, beer, the best fried potatoes I've ever had, etc. The next morning would be my last chance to see Sandy and Phil before we departed for Xi'an, so I made my way to their hotel for an incredible international breakfast and also transferred to their care a large suitcase that will make my packing and subsequent trip home a little easier and a lighter. Then Matt and Andrew joined me for a trip to the Summer Palace, which was also unbelievably packed. We made out way to the top of a hill with a couple of temples that afforded us a view of the rest of the park, including the Seventeen-Arches Bridge seen below, and then stopped for lunch near the hostel before departing for Xi'an, home of the Terra Cotta Soldiers.