Our vacation started on Wednesday because we didn't have to teach! Wahoo! I spent the morning talking to my best friend, Haeley, who is getting married in 2 weeks! I'm super sad I'm going to miss it, but it was a lot of fun to talk to her about her wedding and to hear how excited she is.
Our journey started off with a 25 hour train ride over night to Chengdu and Sichuan to see the biggest stone Buddha in the world. Once we got there, we checked into our hostel, which was super cute. It was called Mrs. Panda's hostel. We slept for a few hours and then woke up early to head to the Buddha's. I swear, there were hundreds of Buddha's. I tried to take as many pictures as possible! That park is one of the most beautiful places I have been.
Green water. Yum?
I have some pretty sweet ninja skills.
I loved all of the locks that were there. There were probably thousands of locks, some of which looked really ancient.
The biggest Buddha in the world. Look at all those tiny humans next to it.
"He has crazy eyes!"
Crazy eyebrow dude. I don't even know why this is necessary.
I am the fish whisperer!
Highlights from Chengdu:
-Kim's rubber band bracelet making
-Playing cards in the train
-Sleeper trains
-Talking to strangers on the train
-Kungpow chicken at the hostel in Chengdu
-Seeing the biggest stone Buddha in the world
The next stop: Xi'an. Xi'an was beautiful. We had a sleeper train from Chengdu to Xi'an and we got there in the middle of the day. We took an illegal car ride without knowing it, haha, and she charged us a little more than we wanted to spend. We got to our hostel, checked in, and then got ready to do some exploring. We were planning on going to see the Terra Cotta Warriors that day, but we didn't have enough time, so we decided to go see the wall around Xi'an. Xi'an has this ancient wall surrounding a good portion of the city. We climbed up and they had bikes that we could rent to ride around the wall. So fun! We then headed to the Muslim Quarter, which is a quarter of the city that is populated with Muslims. They had street food everywhere and really fun shops to barter at. We ate fried bananas, Chinese hamburgers, fried, eggs, pomegranate juice, spiral potatoes on a stick , a mixture of cookies, and so much more. So much good food! That night, when we were walking home, we saw a bunch of ladies dancing in the park. So, naturally we decided to join them. It kind of felt like we were techno line dancing with a bunch of Asian ladies. It was a lot of fun!
Muslim Quarter!
The next day we decided to take a tour to see the Terra Cotta warriors. They took us to the factory, the site of the Warriors, and to Emperor Qin's tomb. Be prepared because I'm about to give you your history lesson for the week. I just think it is all so fascinating, and my friend Liz was a genius and started writing down the stuff the tour guide was saying, so this is in Liz's words:
"2,000 years ago, Emperor Qin became emperor at the young age of 13. He standardized the Chinese language and money. But he was also very obsessed with his afterlife. Almost his entire life was devoted to preparing for his life after death. He ordered the Terra Cotta Warriors to be built to protect him after he was buried. He went to great lengths to make sure they would not be destroyed with the passing of time, and made sure that necessary measurements were taken to ensure their preservation. For instance, he had them buried 5 meters down to prevent water damage. He also covered them with wooden poles and bamboo mats. He had them buried just as he was buried. He did not want others to find his tomb or the warriors.
Then, in 1974, the Terra Cotta Warriors were discovered by pure accident by farmers who were searching for water. Dubbed as "the 8th wonder of the world," the Terra Cotta warriors are so named because they are made from the Terra Cotta clay that is found at the bottom of the Ling Mountain. There are five different types of Warriors: the high-ranking General, (wears pointed shoes, chain mail armor, and square helmet), the officer, (wise man who gave fighting counsel to the emperor), the footman and lower ranking individual, (defined by hair in a bun), the kneeling archer, and the standing archer. The Emperor looks like a priest.
Legend has it that after death and burial of Qin, peasants and villagers came and destroyed the Terra Cotta Warriors in rebellion to Qin's tyranny when he was emperor. That is why most of them were destroyed and had to be restored by the Chinese government. According to the history that was kept after Emperor Qin's reign, (he burned most of the Chinese historical records because he wanted to unify the Chinese people with one ideology) emperor Qin built a city underground for his afterlife. He had lights made out of whale so they would burn for eternity. He was very much a believer in "fung shway" or the idea that certain elements aligned to bring divinity and fortune. (Sort of like how the number 7 is sacred). That is why he insisted upon being buried in the west with the river in the south and the warriors in the east protecting him. No one had been inside Qin's tomb to this day. It is buried in the ground and is being preserved by the trees that were planted by the Chinese government after the discovery of the tomb to prevent it from sinking more.
Emperor Qin died of an illness as he was coming back from an expedition to find the elixir of life. To protect his body from enemies, his servants surrounded his body with fish so you could not tell that his body was stinking. When he died, many of his concubines were buried alive with him and were ordered to follow him to his grave. Many peasants and the servants who helped in the creation of Qin's underground city were also buried alive in attempt to keep in a secret. He did not want anyone knowing of its existence."
What an amazing opportunity to be able to be so close to this historical spot.
This was our guide at the Terra Cotta factory. This is a baby dragon. They symbolize wealth, because the baby dragon eats money and stores it for the family.
The wooden beams now look like waves because of the pressure from being buried.
Emperor Qin's tomb, that has never been opened, is right in the green hill.
Our tour guide, Richard, telling us about the city that is supposedly buried under that hill.
Highlights from Xi'an:
-Bike riding on the wall of Xi'an, especially when we were all making videos on our phones while riding our bikes
-Going to Muslim Quarter and eating delicious street food
-Techno dancing in the park
-Becoming friends with our tour group
-Our tour guide. He kept making really random and funny comments. On of our favorites was: The Cantonese eat everything with wings, except planes. And the Cantonese eat everything with legs, except tables.
-Lunch on our tour, because we got to eat some native Xi'an food
BEIJING! Our train ride from Xi'an to Beijing was probably one of the worst train rides I've been on. We didn't have sleepers so we were sitting for about 16 hours overnight. It was awful. None of us slept very well, and the next day all of our ankles were swollen. Beijing was nothing like how I expected it to be. It was so westernized. Everyone kept telling me that Beijing was very smoggy and full of pollution, but the sky was so clear and beautiful the whole time I was there. The weather was absolutely amazing and perfect. We got to our hostel, cleaned up, and then headed to The Great Wall of China. We got a private driver to take us there because we figured that was the fastest way to get there. It costed us quite a bit, but it was worth not spending time wandering around trying to figure out where we were going. When we got there, we got the tickets to take a cable car up and to take a chute ride down. We got up to the wall and wandered around for about 2 hours. It was so beautiful. I had no idea that it was mostly stair. Up and down, up and down, up and down. We ventured off to a part of the wall that was restricted because it wasn't restored and it was crumbling and over grown with trees and plants. We ventured that way for a while and got some cute pictures. Caley also wrote each of us a note that was so fun to read at the wall and to see how far each of us has come in just 2 months and to see some of the big decisions that we have made while being here in China. So many exciting things, and I'm so excited to see how far these girls go in life. They are all so amazing. God is good and he knew that i needed to be with these girls here in China. When it was time to leave we got to ride a little toboggan ride down. One of my favorite parts of The Great Wall was the man who was helping with the ride. When we walked up he started asking us where we were from and was guessing our ages. I was wearing my tiger shirt and as I was leaving in my toboggan he waved at me and said, "bye-bye tiger!" It made my day. I love China!The ride was really fun, and I made some fun videos on the way down.
China somehow knew about the love that I have for the 2 C's in my life!
It just goes on forever!
After The Great Wall we had the driver take us to The Silk Market, which is this huge mall with all different kinds of shops, and people ready to barter with you. Bartering is one of the funniest things to do. Cassie and I stuck together most of the time, and now we have some pretty funny stories. Every store we went into people tired to compliment us so that they would get a better deal. They were always saying things like, "Wow! Your eyes are so beautiful", "I love your necklace", "my friend, this price only for you." And when we would give them a counter price: "You got to be kidding me", "my friend, this price is impossible. No one give it to your for that price", "seriously, give me your serious price." It was so fun, we spent hours in there. I didn't buy anything the first day there, but all the other girls found some good buys. After that, we made our way back to the hostel for dinner. The hostel we were staying at had a good restaurant inside with some western food, so Cassie and I opted to eat there while the other girls wandered the streets around our hostel. I had some pasta and Cassie got a burger. One of my favorite moments from the trip was sitting with Cassie in the restaurant surrounded by people who were drinking and smoking and having a great conversation about the gospel with her. It was a testimony builder to me that we can make anywhere a holy place by being good people and talking about righteous things. Cassie and I then went to bed because of how exhausted we had become from all of our train rides.
Tuesday we woke up early to go to The Forbidden City! The Forbidden City was right next to where we were staying and it was only about a 10 minute walk. We walked over there and stood in line for tickets. We got in pretty quickly and got the automated guides that they had to hear about the history of the city. I also took pictures of each of the signs next to the buildings, so get ready for another history lesson. Each of the buildings has a distinct purpose, and I found all of them so fascinating!
Copper and Iron Vats:
Copper and iron vats were part of the fire-fighting equipment in the palace. They were filled with water to be used to douse fires. From October to February every year, the vats were covered with quilts to prevent the water from freezing, and on very cold days they would be heated by charcoal fires. The oldest vats were cast during the Hongzhi reign period (1488-1505) of the Ming Dynasty. Each of the Mind Dynasty vats has two iron rings, ancient, simple and natural. The Qing Dynasty vats had tow beast-shaped bronze rings, a big belly and a small mouth. The Palace Museum (The Forbidden City) has a total of 308 copper and iron vats of various sizes. Of them 18 are copper vats inlaid with gold, which are located on both sides of Tai He Dian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), Bao He Dian (Hall of Preserved Harmony), and Qian Qing Men (Gate of Heavenly Purity).
Zhong He Dian (Hall of Central Harmony):
First constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, Zhong He Dian was destroyed and reconstructed several times over the centuries. The existing hall was constructed in 1627 during the Ming Dynasty. In the early Mind Dynasty, this hall was called Hua Gai Dian (Hall of Overwhelming Glory) but was renamed Zhong Ji Dian (Hall of Central Extremity) in 1562 and Zhong He Dian in 1645 during the Qing Dynasty. This square building has a single pyramind-shaped roof, with a gold plated bronze covering. The floor is paved with high-quality square clay bricks, commonly known as "golden bricks." A throne is placed in the center of the hall and a board hangs above the throne with an inscription written by Emperor Qianlong. The inscription reads: "Yun Zhi Jue Zhong," meaning "The Way of Heaven is profound and mysterious and the way of mankind is difficult. Only is we make a precise and unified plan and follow the doctrine of the mean, can we rule the country well." This hall served as a resting place for the emperor on his way to attend an important ceremony or hold court. The day before the emperor held a sacrificial ceremony he would read the prayer tablet aloud in this hall. Before offering sacrifices at the Altar of the God of Agriculture, the emperor examined ceremonial farm tools here. After the revision of the imperial pedigree, which was revised once every ten year, the emperor read the pedifree out loud and held a grand ceremony at the hall. The words "Zhong He" come from the Book of Rites, meaning "when we handle matters properly and harmoniously without leaning to either side, all things on earth will flourish."
Large Stone Carving:
It is the largest stone carving in the palace, 16.75 meters long, 3.07 meter wide, and 1.7 meters thick, and weighs more than 200 tons, hence the name Large Stone Carving. It was carved out of a huge natural stone in the early Ming Dynasty, when the three main halls were constructed. IN 1761 (the 26th year of the Qianlong reign period of the Qing Dynasty), the old patterns on the stone were all thrown away, and new patterns were carved. With beautiful interlocking lotus patterns all around, the huge stone carving has curling waves at the bottom and nine dragons amidst clouds in the middle, as the dragon in an imperial signal. The stone was quarried from Dashiwo in Fangshan in the western suburbs of Beijing. It was transported to the Palace Museum by sprinkling water on the way in winter to make an iced road. Then it was pulled all the way to the Palace Museum along the iced road.
Nine Dragon Screen Wall:
The glazed screen wall facing Huang Ji Mean (Gate of the Norms of Government) was constructed when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty renovated the Ning Shou Gong (Palace of Peace and Longevity) area. There are nine dragons on the wall, hence the name. Nine Dragon Screen Wall has a double roof in wudian (thatched hall) style covered with yellow glazed tiles, and sits on a white marble stone base. This wall is composed of 270 glazed decorative bricks. With seawater as the background, nine dragons are encircled by waves and clouds, and separated by six groups of rocks. a yellow dragon is in the center, and eight dragons in blue, white, purple, and yellow dragons are on both sides. The dragons was the symbol of the emperor in ancient China. The roof has five ridges, each having a dragon, and the main ridge also has five dragons.
There was also a cool story about this particular dragon. You see how his belly looks different from the rest of his body? Legend has it that one of the servants who was entrusted to work on this mural accidentally broke the tile that needed to be placed there. But, he didn't have any time to remake the tile. So, instead of facing the emperors wrath he constructed an identical piece from wood, painted over it, and attached it to the wall. Over the years the wood has worn differently from the ceramic and finally exposed itself.
There are so many more facts and stories that were so fun to read and hear about. Other photos from The Forbidden City:
I have some really attractive friends...
After walking around The Forbidden City for several hours we walked back to our hostel and all of us took a nap for a few hours. We got up and decided to make our way to the night market. The night market in Beijing is well known for really bizarre foods. And, yes, I did eat some weird things. I ate a starfish and a...well actually you can just watch this video and find out!
Yes, that is indeed a tarantula. And, yes, I ate it. Surprisingly, the starfish tasted worse than the tarantula did. We didn't want to eat any more than the legs, but we thought it was a waste to just throw the rest of it away. So, we found another area that was selling some weird foods and we tried to get the vendors who were selling the foods to eat the tarantula. They had never tasted it before and thought we were crazy for actually eating it. We got one of the guys to try it, and he bit off the entire top half of it. It was crazy. By this point we had attracted quite a crowd around us and everyone was taking pictures and videos of us. We then tried to get the second vendor guy to eat the rest of it, and he kept refusing. Finally, Annie told him that if he ate the rest of the tarantula that she would give him a kiss on the cheek. When she said that he was practically jumping over the counter for her to kiss him. We told him he had to eat it first, so he did, and then Annie kissed his cheek. It was so funny, and it was really fun to be surrounded by the crowd. They all stuck around to watch me eat the starfish as well.
Wednesday morning we split up. Kim, Annie, and Liz went and explored Tienanmen Square and Caley, Cassie, and I went back to the silk market to do some more shopping. I bought some fun fakes of American products. And then we rushed back to our hostel to gather our things and head to the train station. Our train ride was supposed to be 21 hours long, but it kept getting delayed, so it turned into a 26 hour train ride. Luckily, we had sleepers. We got home, unpacked, and here we are.
Highlights from Beijing:
-Obviously The Great Wall of China
-Going to the night market
-Shopping and bartering
-Eating yummy food in the hostel and from the street carts
-Eating a tarantula and a starfish
-Annie eating bugs and kissing boys
-All the stories that we heard in The Forbidden City
-Everything!!!
It's back to teaching this week. I get to go back to teaching kitchen, which I am super excited about. Cassie and Caley are sadly sick this week, and I'm just hoping I don't catch whatever they have.
7 weeks from today I will be on a plane back to Arizona. Let's hope the time doesn't go by too quickly!
So awesome!! But the starfish/tarantula video won't play :(
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