First day in Xion

We woke up early to meet with the group for our Semester at Sea 6 day trip. Our flight was destined for Xion, the original capital of China. Our flight was about two and half hours, and I enjoyed watching season 2 of true blood throughout it. I had forgotten how much I miss American television. When we got to Xion we had an hour drive to an art museum where we would practice Chinese calligraphy. The drive was interesting. Periodically there would be large mounds of earth on the treeless fields, which were tombs for the dead. Although I also viewed this in Shanghai, the disparity between rich and poor became very evident. Cardboard shacks, dirty children walking the streets, and people commuting on rusty bicycles could all be seen from the bus. At the same time, we saw dozens and dozens of high rise apartment buildings and other various construction projects going on.


The art museum was very beautiful. It displayed traditional Chinese shadow puppets, masks, and art. We learned how to do Japanese calligraphy, using the standard brushes and ink pallets. I bought a beautiful hand made painting of the national flower of China. After we left, we stopped off at the hotel to drop our bags off and regroup before dinner. The hotel was very nice, and very accomodating for Westerners. We had randomly assigned roommates. Of course I would get the girl who dyes her hair green, wears black leather, and harry potter sweatshirts.




At 6:30 we left for what is acclaimed to be the best dumpling restaurant in Xion. I’m going to venture to say that it is the equivalent of an American tour company taking a group of Chinese tourists to a Golden Corral and saying this is the essence of American food. The restaurant housed over 500 people, and they would just throw the dumplings on the table at you and walk away. One of the major differences I have noticed between the Japanese and the Chinese is in terms of manners. The Japanese, no matter what position they hold, put major emphasis on excellent customer service. I would not say the same for the Chinese. After perhaps eating ground dog and horse, we luckily had a friendly fellow at our table who bought us all a round of beers. This made the dinner taste a little better.

Don't let the fancy table and place settings trick you:



After dinner Jason and I walked the streets of Xion. We are here during the midst of the Chinese New Year, which is the Year of the Tiger this year, so the streets are filled with beautiful lights and incredible decorations. The skies are filled with lanterns that people have bought and set off. Fireworks go off in every decoration. It is an amazing experience to witness such a celebration.




We took a cab from the city back to our hotel and watched the Olympics before calling it night. It was kind of weird joining in the crowds cheering for China.


Annecdote

2/17/2010: So my friends, it is official. I am an ogre, not just to the Japanese, but to all Asians. While at the dumpling restaurant I had to use the bathroom. In China, they have no toilet paper in the stalls, but you have to retrieve it from a wheel attached to the wall next to the sinks. I was standing next to a small Chinese woman, and I ripped off my portion of toilet paper. The Chinese woman, who I towered over, looked up at me with wide, astonished eyes and in a completely serious voice said “You so strong!”. I just can’t believe my ability to rip thin paper from a wheel is an impressive feat.