China Summer 2009

Written by Melanie Cohen

May 29, 2009: Today one of my dreams finally came true. Since my dream of becoming a top athlete doesn’t look too promising, I might as well dream to step on the ground that the best athletes in the world compete on. Yes, today was the day that we visited one of the most beautiful Olympic venues thus far. We sat in the building where Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals and laid on the ground where Usain Bolt was crowned the fastest man in the world.

After eating breakfast at 7:15, we eagerly boarded the bus to head to the Olympic venue. As we approached the Olympic venue, a sense of excitement filled the air of the bus. The first sight of the Water Cube and the Bird’s Nest were absolutely amazing. I could not believe that I was finally at the Beijing Olympic site. We wasted no time to start our shopping as soon as we departed the bus while waiting for our tickets. The one really neat item that I bought was a key chain that had part of the Water Cube (the left over material used to make the Water Cube) in the key chain. After our quick ten-minute shopping trip, we made our way into the Water Cube. Walking up to the entrance were beautiful glass windows with water flowing down them. The water appeared as if it was flowing right down from the water cube itself. After entering the water cube we walked less than 100 feet to enter the pool area. The first thing that I saw while entering the pool area was the diving well which was enough to take my breath away. Being a swimmer myself, I never felt so excited to smell chlorine than I was today. After taking many pictures of the diving well, I turned to the right where the pool was located. I honestly stared at that pool for a couple of minutes. It is the most beautiful pool I have ever seen. I could not even believe that I was standing in the Water Cube. Words cannot describe how badly I just wanted to stick my finger or toe in the water. After leaving the competition pool, we saw the practice pool, which was another long course (50 meter) pool. Wow, having two long course pools in one facility is unbelievable.

Next, we headed to the Bird’s Nest. Watching the Olympics on television does not give a good perspective on how large the Bird’s Nest actually is. As we walked towards the track, the size of the inside once again took my breath away. We quickly ran down onto the track and got into the track start position and took a picture. It was unbelievable how many people take pictures of us when we pose for our own pictures. There were so many people when we all laid on the ground to spell out HSHP and IC with our bodies. It was such an amazing experience lying on the ground of the Bird’s Nest and just looking up at the sky.

After stepping foot in the Water Cube and the Bird’s Nest, I now understand why so many records were broken. The atmosphere today was enough to get my adrenaline pumping. I cannot even imagine what the Olympic athletes feel as they enter those venues to compete for a gold medal.

After shopping some more at the Olympic Venue, we headed back for lunch for very nice surprise. We were actually served FRENCH FRIES at lunch. Yes, no more duck bodies, fish heads, shrimp with eyes, just plain french fries. Of course we had to get refills on the french fries because they were gone in the first few minutes of lunch. As lunch ended we had a break before we headed to the Summer Palace. Many of us uploaded all of our Olympic Venue pictures because we still could not believe we actually went there.

At 2:30 pm we headed to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is the summer home of the empress. The Summer Palace was so impressive because it was not only on a beautiful lake, but the buildings were decorated with elaborate paintings. When walking through the covered walkway, we found a picture of the Dean painted on the wall. Who would’ve thought the Dean was that old to be painted on the empress’ pathway! I really enjoyed the summer palace because it was so serene and calm. I would love spending a day out on the lake or out on the dock relaxing. The view from the top of the palace was amazing. We could see almost all of Beijing. It was amazing to be up that high and see the whole city so clearly.

Tomorrow we head to the Forbidden City, the Pearl Market, and the Silk Market. Our bargaining skills will definitely be tested tomorrow!!

Written by Alicia Harper

May 29. We started the day off with breakfast and then went to the Olympic Venues. We visited the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube! The main theme for the Beijing 2008 Olympics was “One World One Dream”. We did some shopping for Olympic gear and then went into the Water Cube. Upon entering the Water Cube we were able to dip our hands in the waterfall surrounding the Water Cube. Inside the Water Cube we looked at the competition pool and the practice pool. In the competition pool we were able to see the diving section and the swim lanes. The Water Cube was an amazing experience.

After the Water Cube we went to the Bird’s Nest. The Bird’s Nest held competitions for track and field events. Once we got into the Bird’s Nest we were able to walk on the covered track. We took multiple pictures on the field such as the group spelling out HSHP and IC with our bodies. I am pretty sure that I can speak for the group and say that we felt honored to be visiting the Olympic Venus.

After the Olympic Venus we came back for lunch and then went to the Summer Palace.  The Summer Palace or Yihe Yuan in Chinese means Garden for Maintaining Health and Harmony. The Summer Palace contains includes gardens, natural landscape, temples and bridges. The Summer Palace is a great place to relax with its gorgeous views. Kunming Lake is located in the Summer Palace and visitors can rent paddleboats to take out on the lake. We had beautiful weather for sight seeing.

After the Summer Palace we returned to Beijing Sport University and played soccer. We had an awesome time until we got kicked off the field because we didn’t have permission to play on that field.

After soccer we ate dinner and then Shona performed her traditional Scottish dances for the group on the front entrance outside of our dorm. Shona did an outstanding job. We had no idea that Shona was so talented.

After the performance we all showered because we were so dirty from soccer and then we walked down to the river/canal with Nick to hangout and play games. It was a great evening to fun filled day.

Written by Michelle Danley

May 28th.  This morning we woke up on the train, eager to finally arrive in Beijing. We packed up our little sleeper car rooms, made sure we had all our bags and headed into the train station to meet up with Gracie and Chwan, our guides for our stay at Beijing Sport University (BSU). We loaded our luggage onto the bus and began our drive to the 5^th ring of the city where BSU is located. The trip wasn’t too long, and we didn’t run into any major traffic. When we arrived at BSU we had time to settle into our rooms, take a shower, and relax before lunch. Lunch was good but the food was much more similar to Chinese food you would get in the United States than what we had been eating previously on our trip.

After lunch we piled back into the bus and headed off to the Great Wall! The drive to the wall took about an hour, and as we got closer we could see remnants of the wall from the bus, and we got even more excited. When we finally arrived we got off the bus and had to walk up the hill a little ways to get to the entrance for the wall. As we walked we had all the vendors along the way asking us to buy different things, but we had to wait till afterwards. Even though it was raining lightly, and there was a fog over the mountains we all couldn’t wait to start climbing the Great Wall! Nick decided that we were going to walk up the harder of the two different paths that we could choose from since it usually had less people. It was a pretty tough climb at times, with one section which felt like almost an 80 degree angle with varying sized steps. Other sections were just very steep inclines. The view was amazing despite the weather. When we finally reached the top/where we had to turn around because the wall was decaying, we were so excited and began taking our group pictures. At the top we also saw some people trying to sell us souvenirs. I didn’t buy anything from them, but some of the other girls were going to, but all of a sudden they packed up their stuff and jumped over the edge of the wall! It turns out they didn’t have a permit to be selling things on the wall and the police were coming. We were all really curious as to what was happening, and peered over the wall after the police went over after them, but we never did find out what ended up happening.  The climb back down was almost as difficult as the climb up because we had to go really slow so we didn’t lose our footing and fall forwards down the steep slopes. At the bottom we took another group photo in front of the monument of calligraphy by Chairman Mao, which translates to “You are not a true man/hero until you have climbed the Great Wall”. We then had a chance to do some shopping, and practice our bargaining skills. Most people found some things to buy and we all got some pretty good deals, so it was a successful first attempt at bargaining, and we couldn’t wait for another chance to go shopping!

When we got back to campus we had dinner and all took a look around the grocery store on campus. We then headed back to the rooms and hung out for the rest of the night. Hongwei and his friend did take on Kelly and Melanie in a late night tennis match. Each pair won a game and they had a good time, and they said the facility was really nice! We all then went to bed tired from our long hike up the Great Wall!

  Alise Zirilli writes

Early this morning we all awoke aboard a train that was taking us to Beijing.  We spent about 12 hours traveling overnight in a train.  We also all got the first class treatment on the train with four soft beds in a room compared to either having to sit in a chair or lying on a very hard bed.  On the bus ride to Beijing Sport University we were introduced to Gracie and Wang Chuan. 

Once we arrived at the university we unpacked, ate lunch and got ready for the Great Wall.  It took us about an hour to arrive at the Great Wall.  The second we stepped off the bus we were surrounded by people trying to sell us stuff.  This was a bit overwhelming because a lot of people have never experienced such aggressiveness with people trying to sell things.  After getting way from all the vendors we began our hike up the Great Wall.  We decided to take the more challenging, but shorter climb up the Great Wall.  We climbed up many stairs and very steep slopes until we reached the end point.  At the end point there was some people selling plaques stating we climbed the Great Wall.  Only Natalie was able to get her’s personalized and paid for before the police came to look for them, because they did not have permits to sell stuff on the Great Wall.  So as the police officer started to walk up the Wall, the illegal vendor climbed over the Great Wall into the woods to hide.  After many pictures we began our descent of the Great Wall.  It was a slow walk down because it had been raining and the ground was slippery.  At the bottom of the Great Wall we were given time to shop and practice our bargaining skills for the first time in China.

When we arrived back at the University we cleaned up a little bit then headed to dinner.   After dinner we all just went back to the dorm and had some down time.  We worked on getting the Internet to turn on and just hung out with one another.  At 10:00pm Hongwei, Kelly, and Mel headed to meet Hongwei’s friend at the tennis court for a friendly match.  Hongwei and his friend beat Kelly and Mel in doubles 6 to 2. Kelly and Melanie say their rackets were worse then the guy’s rackets, but Hongwei insists that all the rackets were bad.  So who should we believe? Even though Kelly and Melanie lost in the doubles match, when Hongwei played Melanie, there was a new winner and that was Melanie. 

Written by Alex Dailey

May 27^th 2009.  Today is our last day in Changzhi, China. We woke up for 7 A.M. and got ready for breakfast. After our quick meal we headed off to visit the castle and mansion of the PM. Yet we ended up getting lost due to construction and made it to the museum quite late, but the extra hours gave us a chance to rest and get prepared for the day ahead. Once we arrived we were faced with this massive and majestic structure.

The castle slash mountain was the home to the PM also known as Chen Tingling. A first rank court official who held power over several offices within the Chinese empire. His majestic and mesmerizing castle is what is left of his vast domain. The Castle itself is breathtaking, high towers, beautiful gardens, and amazing homes are held within the walls of the mansion.  We also were informed that the mansion/castle is home to the first Chinese dictionary, known as the Kangxi Dictionary. The mansion holds rare treasures and books spanning from publication in the Qin Dynasty to the present. We also watched a performance of typical music played within the time period. It was quite beautiful.

After our visit to the museum, we were off to find lunch.  We ended up at another hot pot restaurant. It was quite an experience we were given personal hot pots to place our food in and prepare our meal. The best part of the meal was the noodle makers. They personally made the noodles right in front of your eyes by using throwing and swaying techniques similar to making a pizza but way more interesting. Following dinner we were rushed back onto the bus to head back to the hotel and get ready to get to the train station for our 6:40 departure.  Once we arrived we were quickly ushered into the VIP lounging area where we could sit and relax until the train had arrived.

Finally, the train ride was so interesting. We were all given a tour of the train to experience the different areas and ways of travel. Being that this was my first sleeper car experience I was excited. We all hung out in our rooms and played card games, listened to music, or slept. Tomorrow will be so exciting our train leaves us in Beijing where we will be staying at Beijing Sport University,and visiting The Great Wall of China!

Written by Emily Cross

May 27, 2009.   Today was much less busy than yesterday.  There was only one major event planned and that was to visit the Prime Ministers Mansion and Castle which was a few short hours out of Changzhi.  Due to construction on the highway we got a little lost and it took longer than expected to get there; however, I don’t think any of the students minded because we were all tired from the previous day’s activities. 

We reached the mansion a little after noon, as it was just starting to rain.  We began the tour learning about the history behind the mansion; it was originally known as Zhongdaozhuang Village.  The primary entrance was named Yushu Lou and it was built in the 53^rd year of the Kangxi Period (1714) in honor of Chen Tingjing.  The mansion was filled with many different structures including the house itself along with other buildings and courtyards, which were all gorgeous.  We were able to tour the basement of the prime ministers home which had a well in the bottom and an escape route if the city was ever under attack.  In another part of the mansion we listened to two traditional pieces of Chinese music; there we were introduced to many instruments and were able to take a picture with the musicians afterwards.

We ate our last meal in Changzhi at a hot pot restaurant close to our hotel.  We were all able to have our own individual hot pots and the food was delicious.  Hot pot restaurants are a special treat for us because it is some place we cannot go to in the United States.  Towards the end of our meal certain employees came out to make homemade noodles by spinning them around in the air to stretch out the dough; it was quite an extraordinary show—something I have never seen before.

After the hot pot we returned quickly to the hotel to grab our baggage and leave for the train.  After settling in and rearranging our luggage, Hongwei took us on a short tour of the train.  We were able to see the main seating area, the hard beds, and the soft beds.  It was obvious to all of us that we were very fortunate to have the soft beds, which were the most luxurious tickets available on the train.  The train was a great experience and a wonderful way to see the country side of China; the few hours of sunlight we had left allowed us to do this.  After the sun went down we hung out together in our rooms, occupying our time by drinking pijo and playing card games. 

Written by Alise Zirilli 

Today was our last day in Chengdu. For the first time since we arrived in China we were able to get a little extra sleep and meet for breakfast at 9:00 am instead of our normal 7:15 am.  After breakfast we headed to Wuhou Temple, which was located right next to Chengdu Sports University. It is a temple commemorating Zhuge Laing and Liu Bei, along with many important generals and statesman of the time.  In the temple we saw amazing calligraphy and HUGE replicas of Zhuge Laing and Liu Bei and many important generals and statesmen.  This temple is one of the main attractions of Chengdu and honors many respected men from Chinese history.  It reveals the rich history of the Three Kingdome era and the great men who lived during this time.

After visiting the Wuhou Temple we were a little behind schedule (girls like to take a lot of photos).  We had to rush back to campus eat lunch, which was our last meal at the university canteen. Immediately after lunch we grabbed what we need for our next adventure and jumped on a bus to Mount QingCheng.  The bus ride up to the mountain was about a hour and a half.  This gave use all time to relax, especially the Dean who was heard snoring on the bus.  When we finally reached Mount QingCheng, it had begun to rain.  Luckily John, our amazing coordinator and translator, got us all rain jackets.  Many of us looked very similar smurf in our blue rain jackets, but it did help us stay dry. Before starting our hike we saw a three wheeled car.  Kelly and I ended up chasing this three wheeled car to get a picture of it. Now even though there was some rain we all were looking forward to the hike, but as we started walking up the hundreds of steps we weren’t so sure about the hike.  Now we all know Ithaca is full of stairs, but this hike was put the stairs at Ithaca to shame.  After our long hike up and a slipper hike down we headed back to the university around 4:30. 

We arrived at the university at 6:00 pm and had to be ready for dinner by 6:30pm, so quickly changed for our hot pot dinner with the president of Chengdu Sports University, President Chen.  Hot pot is when many different meats, vegetables and other Chinese food is cooked in boiling broth in front of you.  There was the bei or white hot pot which was not spicy and then the spicy hot pot.  During hot pot President Chen played rock, paper, scissors with all of us students and many toasts were made through out the night.  After dinner many of the girls put on a mini Kungfu show for our Kungfu/Taiqi teacher, Mr. Yang; this made for some very funny pictures. 

After dinner we invited some of the Chinese students over to hang out with us.  They ended up teaching us a Chinese card game, which many of us already knew.  It was a really fun night just hanging out with everything in Chengdu for the last time.  After the Chinese students left we all still needed to pack for the next day.  Everyone got about four hours of sleep that night, but it was worth it.  We all already miss Chengdu and all the amazing friends we meet there!

Written by Shona Craig

May 25, 2009.   After a long night of saying goodbye to our friends in Chengdu, we woke up at 4 a.m. to leave Chengdu for Changzhi.   Our plane ride to the Taiyuan Airport was very short, but we had quite a long bus ride on a very small bus to the Caiyuan Hotel. Right after we arrived, we ate lunch.  Changzhi is known for its hand-made noodles and its delicious vinegar.  Most of us tried this tasty meat before we knew that it was donkey!!  Everything was great, but I’ve decided it is better to not ask what I am eating.

After lunch we went to the Heping Hospital.  Right as we stepped off the bus, we felt like celebrities.  We had our very own paparazzi!  They followed us around snapping pictures and filming us, and all the people we passed stared and also took pictures.  I have never felt so eminent before!  So while we were being followed by our paparazzi, we learned about the history of hospital and what they’ve done for the community recently.  One of the main things they talked about was the SARS epidemic, which they were greatly involved with.  We were also allowed into the blood lab where they centrifuge and test blood samples.  Before we left, we signed a book for the hospital and Elissa made up a great quote to write: “Separated by seas, together by hearts: Ithaca and China forever.”

Next we visited the Orient Company that makes fitness equipment and got to see the machines being made.  We then had a discussion about placing fitness equipment on playgrounds and doing a study in the U.S.

That night we had a banquet and more welcomes from the people from Changzhi Medical College.  After dinner we took many pictures with the staff, relaxed, and played water pong in the Dean’s suite.

Written by Emily Cross

May 25, 2009. Today was bittersweet; we awoke early in the morning in order to leave Chengdu and travel by airplane to Hongwei’s hometown, Changzhi.  We left Chengdu Sport University five in the morning; we had a quick bus ride to the airport where we became both anxious and excited—we were ready to experience the other cities within China.  However we were also hesitant to leave our new Chinese friends: Cathy, Starry, Vanja, and Chris.  After we said our goodbyes we boarded the airplane for Changzhi.  We soon arrived at Taiyuan airport, claimed our baggage, and headed to the bus.  After seeing the size of the bus we questioned how we would all fit in it with our luggage; we ended up modifying the space on the bus by sitting on suitcases and in the aisles.  We arrived in Changzhi around 12:30 p.m.

We first checked into our hotel and ate lunch.  After lunch we boarded the bus to visit the Peace Hospital.  We began a tour on the top floor with the vice president of the hospital, learning about its history.  It was founded by two generals in the mid 1900s.  It also held its x-ray machine—an invaluable antique.  We then signed a book to display the friendship between Ithaca College and the Peace Hospital.  After that we were allowed to tour the lab where blood and other substances are screened.  The first floor held a pharmacy with contained a variety of medications.  When we exited the hospital there were many ambulances outside.  There was a patient inside of one of them and it became very clear that Chinese ambulances are very different from those in the United States.  American ambulances are much more advanced than those in China which made me realize again how fortunate we are in the United States.

After the hospital we got back on the bus and went to Orient.  This is a business that makes fitness equipment similar to the Cybex and Precor machines at Ithaca College.  We were able to view the fitness machines and the factories in which they were made.  The factories reminded me of something we would have seen in the United States in the early and mid 1900s.  The machines were very old looking and all the parts are made by manual labor.  Orient also makes fitness playground equipment for both adults and children.  After getting a tour of Orient we then listened in on a conference between Dean Siconolfi, Dr. Guan, Dr. Quarrier and the owner of Orient.  This meeting opened the doors for the opportunity to do research on this equipment and if it affects Americans physical activity levels.

After the conference we returned to the hotel to eat a banquet style dinner with the president of the Peace Hospital.  Some of the food was a new experience for us and it was very good; that day many of us tried foods such as donkey meat and chicken claws among other new foods.  After a long day we chose to hang out in our hotel rooms with some pijo and we taught the professors how to play another college game, Kings. 

Written by Alex Dailey

May 24. Today we got to sleep in an extra hour! After a quick breakfast we headed off to the Wuhou Temple, which is located just a short walk from Chengdu Sport University, to learn of the culture and history of the Sichuan province. We were also were accompanied by scouts from Arkansas University, they tagged along for the tour. While there we were shown several tablets depicting ancient writings as well as several statues of prestigious, generals, officials, and others of high ranking during ancient times. The Wuhou Temple consists of several buildings and gardens which were quite beautiful, and we all went a bit picture crazy with statues and gazebos throughout the temple. We also have quite a fascination for Chinese babies. We were told many times to pay attention to the tour guide, yet we were to busy smiling and waving to the little ones. They are just so adorable we can’t help but get distracted. At the end of the tour we got to see the garden and wall that protects the emperor and his two wives tomb.

After the Wuhou Temple we were off to lunch and then for our afternoon break where some of us took the time to rest or others chatted amongst ourselves about today’s activities. Later that afternoon we were off to do some hiking on Mount Gingcheng. This time we were accompanied be Professor Gao and Professor Yuan as well as our friends from Arkansas. During our hour and a half ride it began to rain so once we arrived we were given rain jackets and we began our hike.  It was during this time that we got to experience the beauty of Chengdu as well as getting wet in the process. The hike mainly consisted of several flights of stairs which all gave us a chance to chat while climbing the steep and slippery mountain. It was a lot of fun except for a few areas where the steps were really steep. We stopped at a temple towards the middle of the climb where we got to sit and rest while taking in the scenery. Although misty and foggy the view was breath taking, and it was nice to get away from the busy streets of Chengdu.

Once we were finished with our hike we made our way back to our dorms to quickly get ready for our hot pot experience. A hot pot dining experience is very eventful. We were given an assortment of meats, eggs, and vegetables to be placed into boiling oil. Once cooked its time to eat. From personal experience definitely make sure you let your food cool before taking a bite it will burn! The hot pot was also our last meal with our professors and student guides so we had several toasts in their honor. After hot pot we wanted to show Profesor Yuan our Wushu Technique (Kung Fu) for the last time and did it right outside of the hot pot restaurant it was so fun, and he seemed so proud.

For our last night we decided we wanted to spend it with Vanja, Starry, Cathy, and Chris. So we treated with snacks and drinks and played games and exchanged emails and contact information to all keep in touch. All in all a great way to spend our last night in Chengdu. Overall, my experience in Chengdu is one I will never forget. I had the opportunity to experience so much and meet and make so many amazing friends I could not have asked for anything more!

Written by Shona Craig

May 23. Today was, in my opinion, the best day thus far.  We had breakfast again at 7 a.m.  The food was mostly the same, except there was a new dish that consisted of simply tomato with sugar, which I enjoyed very much.  Our last TCM class began with exploring the herb room.  There was a great variety of herbs preserved in jars including genseng and even sea horses!  We then learned about and experimented with cupping on each other, including Hongwei and our professor Gao Hong.

Today was also our last Wushu and Tai chi class.  We began with some fun Chinese games to warm up.  By this time in the week, we all have memorized a routine for Wushu and Tai Chi. Watch out! We are kung fu masters now!  After we showed off our skills, we introduced Ultimate Frisbee to our instructor and the Chinese students.  It was the most intense game of Ultimate Frisbee I have ever played!  Just like at water polo and pool races, Hongwei was the most competitive player!!  Just so you know, it was a tie game no matter what he tells you. 

After lunch, we visited the Jinsha Museum, which is for it is for the protection of, research into and display of Jinsha relics and archaeological finds.  It is very modern and new and is the most amazing museum I have ever visited.

After dinner, we walked around the city of Chengdu for a short while.  It is very much like NYC in that it has many tall buildings, a variety of shops and restaurants, and bright lights.

At the end of the day, we had a gathering that included Nick, Hongwei, the dean, many of the Chinese students we met in class, and us.  The students brought us some traditional Chinese snacks and we taught them how to play water pong.  I am beginning to realize now, as our trip in Chengdu quickly draws to a close, that the places we have experienced and the friendships we have made are something to treasure and remember forever.

Written by Shelly Danley

May 23.  Today was another exciting day in China! Today was our last day of classes here at Chengdu Sport University. After another early breakfast we went to our last TCM class, where we got to see all Chinese herbs used in traditional medicine and learned about the practice of cupping. Cupping is a therapy in which a jar is attached to the skin’s surface to cause local congestion through the removal of the air in the jar created by introducing heat in the form of an ignited material. After learning about the techniques we got to practice cupping on each other. It was a lot of fun and we all now have big round bruises on our backs from all the practicing! As our final class drew to an end we presented Professor Gao with an “Ithaca is Mei Li” shirt as a thank-you for working with us this past week. We also gave the Chinese students who had been helping us in the class HSHP pins as a thank-you gift.

We spent the short amount of time between the end of TCM class and Wushu to talk with the new friends we had made among the Chinese students in the TCM class. We then headed over to the track for our final Wushu class. In the class we reviewed everything that we had learned throughout the week and then we all performed the Kung Fu sequence we had learned in pairs for Professor Yang. During class we also played Ultimate Frisbee with everybody, including Hongwei and Nick. It was so much fun and many of the Chinese students were really good for their first time! The game ended up in a tie even though Hongwei would say his team won. Hongwei is an extremely aggressive player and sometimes played dirty, knocking myself and all the other girls on my team to the ground while pulling the Frisbee out of our hands. He really wanted to win, but it was really fun despite Hongwei’s cheating! At the end of class we presented Professor Yang with a shirt as well and took a group photo.

After lunch and our rest period we went to the Jinsha Museum. The museum included two different buildings that included artifacts and dig sites where they unearthed the artifacts from the ancient culture of the Shu Kingdom from 3,000 years ago. Many of the relics were really well preserved and really beautiful. We then returned to CSU’s campus for dinner.

After dinner we went to Chunxi Commercial Road. This road was really a series of streets that is a much larger version of the Ithaca Commons, but with lights more like Las Vegas. We look through some of the stores and a mall, which was a little overwhelming because there were so many people and so many things to look at. On our way back to the bus Kelly begged Hongwei to let us stopped at McDonalds so that she could get some “American food”; which she devoured! We then took another group photo before the bus arrived to take us back to the university.

Once back at the university, we had a party with all the Chinese students we had met here at CSU. At the party we got a cake for Cathy, since her 21^st birthday is on Monday (but we are leaving Monday morning so we won’t be able to celebrate on the actual day). She was really touched by the cake and we all enjoyed eating it, it was delicious! We also wanted to teach the Chinese students a typical game that Americans play at parties, so we modified a drinking game and played water pong. It was a lot of fun and even the Dean, Hongwei and Nick played a game of water pong, which got really competitive! Hongwei again was really aggressive but the Dean held his own against him, the Dean even hit Hongwei in the face with one of his shots! It was a great night that gave everyone a fun time to hang out one last time before we left Chengdu, since we are going to be sight-seeing all day tomorrow. It was definitely a day I will never forget!

Written by Alicia Harper

May 22, 2009 – In our morning Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) course, the class learned about acupuncture points in the lower extremity. Professor Gao Hong demonstrated acupuncture on some students and then we were given the opportunity to practice acupuncture on ourselves and our classmates. Everyone in the class experienced acupuncture whether it was done by the professor or themselves. The majority of the class was a little nervous but once you did it you learned how to prepare your body for the experience. Just about everyone did or would have liked to acupuncture more points on the body. After acupuncture Professor Gao Hong demonstrated cupping on some students. Professor Gao Hong defines cupping as “a therapy in which a jar is attached to the skin surface to cause local congestion through the removal of the air in the jar created by introducing heat”. We will learn more about cupping tomorrow.

After our morning TCM course we went to our Wushu (Tai chi) course. We got to experience an indoor practice room for martial arts because it was raining outside. Before the class started we were able to watch the end of a martial arts competition.  In class we reviewed the Kung Fu from the previous day and then Professor Yang Xiaoyuan added a few more steps to the routine. He then moved on to teaching the class about sword Kung Fu. We used two types which were called the broad sword and a longer sword. Professor Xiaoyuan ended the class with Tai chi.

After our Wushu course we went to lunch and then attended another TCM class. In this class Professor Hong taught the class about moxibustion. Professor Hong defined moxibustion as “an external method of preventing and treating disease by igniting the moxa to stimulate the acupuncture points”. Professor Hong demonstrated two types of moxibustion which were moxa cones and moxa sticks. After the demonstration the class got to practice with the moxibustion sticks on ourselves and on our classmates. The class found out real soon that the moxibustion sticks produce an odor similar to weed when they are burned for a while.

After our TCM class we went to our Wushu course. Instead of practicing Kung Fu and Tai Chi moves Professor Yang Xiaoyuan taught us the theory of Wushu. We learned and watched the many different styles. We also learned the basic concepts, functions, characteristics, and categories of Wushu.

To finish off the day, we went to the Shunxing Ancient Teahouse in the evening to drink tea and watch Face Changing (Sichuan Opera). This was an experience because we did not know what to expect. When we got there we learned some of the history through John and then watched the show. There were two smaller shows that lead up to Face Changing. The first show was about a black and white cat who was trying to catch a mouse. The second show was about a married couple and the wife was making her husband do embarrassing and difficult tricks with a flame on his head.  Both of the smaller shows were in Sichuan dialect so we couldn’t understand any of them.  Face Changing was astonishing because the masks changed so fast on the actor and actress. It left us wondering at the end, how the masks could be changed so fast and where they went.

Written by Kelly Davis

Today during our traditional Chinese medicine course, we were able to test acupuncture ourselves.  A lot of people were really brave and tried it.  Some of us asked the professor, Gao Hong, to do some acupuncture for us.  I had her do it on my ankles for achilles pain.  It isn't really painful, and it actually gets rid of the pain!  The needles stay in anywhere from 2-20 minutes, and they must be rotated every 5.  It tingles and feels kind of rubbery.  

Later, a few people wanted to try cupping.  This ancient technique involves a glass jar.  You light a flame, and put it in the jar to remove all the oxygen and then attach it to the injured/sore part of the body.  It will suction to the skin, sucking it up.  It pulls the bad qi or the toxins out.  It leaves giant circular bruises on your skin, though.  

The third style of traditional Chinese healing we learned is moxibustion.  The herb, moxa, can either be in a cone or a stick.  It is lit on fire and held near the skin on the acupoint.  One of the coolest moxa points we learned is used to turn around a fetus!  The cupping stays on for about 5 minutes.  

The Wushu course today was about the theory behind it.  We learned all the different types and styles, along with cultural implications of Wushu.  Professor Yang had really cool video clips of each type.  

After dinner, we went to an ancient tea house to see the Sichuan Opera.  The building was beautiful, the tea was very good, and they refilled your water for it frequently.  Some of the acts at the opera were Chinese dancers, a musical skit, an entertaining skit where a man did tricks with a flame balanced on his head, shadow puppet presentation, and the mask changing.  The changing of the masks was incredible -- I have no idea where the masks went or how they came off that quickly.

Written by Natalie Hernandez-Pachon
2nd Day in Cheng Du - May 21

Today, I woke up at 6:00 AM so I could be ready in time for breakfast that started at 7:15 AM.  I haven’t woken up this early in a very long time, so one can imagine how much I wanted to stay in bed.  We made it to breakfast and the dishes of course included rice, dumplings, veggies, and fruit.  However, we were also offered a couple things that were more familiar – fried eggs and fries.  I cannot get past how delicious the food tastes here and I am doing my best to try new things because it is important to do so when emerging yourself in a different culture.  I would say that their fried eggs tastes much better than the ones back home, so I am guessing their cooking oil adds to the yummy goodness.  The fries were interesting – not the typical fries you find in the US – these were more potato-y flavor. 

After breakfast, we went to our first class at CSU (Cheng Du Sport University) called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  Our professor, Gao Hong, began the class by explaining the meridians (meaningful pathways that run longitudinally and interiorly exteriorly within the body that allows for circulation of chi within and near the body surface).  She mentioned the twelve meridians (lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, pericardium, sanjiao, gallbladder and liver).  We did not know what sanjiao was but since we had had an introductory course while at Ithaca College, we were able to conclude that the sanjiao meridian is a synonym for the triple heater meridian.  I also met Neco, who is a CSU student, who came to the class so she could help us with the information.  Neco was learning as was I and it was very helpful to learn extra details about different acupoints (information was found in the class textbook).  We also learned that there are 150 acupoints (sites through which the chi of the viscera and meridians is transported to the body surface) that can cure all “diseases”.  After sitting through this initial class, I realized that I was extremely interested in the lesson and was making a correct decision in wanting to pursue a doctorate in alternative medicine.  Class had ended and I was already looking forward to the afternoon session.

Our introductory course to Kung fu and Tai chi commenced.   We started with arm coordination, kicks, and stretches.  When our professor, Yang Xiaoyuan, realized that we were not that flexible he asked us to please run a lap around the track.  I have not run in a long time but instead of worrying about not having the endurance, I tried to think positively and run at a comfortable pace.  After doing so, I surprising felt great and not out of breath.  The Kung fu was invigorating and it was definitely a workout.  Some of the positions were hard to learn, however, practice makes perfect which is most likely why our professor made us do the steps more than once.  Then we proceeded to Tai chi closer to the end of the lesson.  Most of the girls were extremely tired and were yawning – including myself.  Tai chi is very relaxing and thus could make one very sleepy while one exercises.  Many of us were yawning and the slow rhythmic movement/breathing of Tai chi did not help the situation at all.  However, all in all, I loved double-parted session because it introduced me to a new way to stay physically, mentally, and emotionally fit.  I hope to continue these practices throughout my lifetime.

After the workout, we were all very hungry and were happy that lunch was the next scheduled activity of the day.  For lunch I had rice, dumplings, fruit, and various veggies – I must say that my favorite food so far is the broccoli (it has great flavoring and it being healthy for you is an added bonus).  During mealtimes, we are provided with the opportunity to debrief and talk with one another about the day’s events and compare student experience at Ithaca College and student experience at CSU.  The four student guides that we have – Cassy, Christopher, Starry and Vanja – are the sweetest people I have ever met.  I can tell that they want our experience to be special and that we feel comfortable at all times.  It is great to compare our different lifestyles because in this way we could all learn more about the different cultures and change the common stereotypes. 

Rest – can you imagine?  We had a rest time scheduled.  I went back to my room and instead of resting, Kerry and I talked about all the experiences, what we learned throughout the day, the food, and how much fun we were having and before we knew it, it was time to walk to the afternoon session of TCM. 

During this lesson we learned about the acupuncture points in the upper extremeties.  Professor Hong demonstrated acupuncture on a few students, including myself.  I wanted her to provide acupuncture so I could in turn tell you all about my experience.  I asked to receive acupuncture in point “Hegu” or better known as “LI 4” – this point is on the skin between the thumb and index finger and relieves headaches, pain/swelling of the eyes, injuries and pain of the hand, and toothache to just name a few.  It was also noted that this spot is not recommended for women who are pregnant because it would lead to abortion.  I was very worried at first because I was not sure how much it would hurt.  The next thing I knew the needle was in my acupoint (painless) and she lifted, thrusted, and rotated the needle in my skin.  I did not feel any pain whatsoever, so I let her lift and thrust multiple times. 

However, the saying “with beauty comes great pain”, this is true.  After class, I realized that my hand started to hurt more, which was a slight problem because we had our afternoon session of Kung fu and Tai chi next.  I could barely clench my right hand into a wrist, so therefore the punching became harder for me.  I had to be careful not to hurt myself because I did not want to cause an injury.  We made the decision to leave class early and add swimming in the schedule.

I have not been swimming for over a year and a half and was extremely excited to have the opportunity here in China.  We had a race and were joined by some members of the CSU swim team and I am proud to say that the team I was on, won both times (though we did have the advantage of having more of the swim team members to compensate for the lack of racing swimming abilities Alise, Kerry, and I had).  After the races we swam to the deep part of the swimming pool and participated in a water polo game.  It was lots of fun!  I had such a great time with the swimmers and a great workout. 

I was very tired and hungry, so I was glad that dinner was next on the schedule.  I quickly ate and then we all went back to the hotel so we could go to Jianli Street.  This area reminded me of the Ithaca commons and the streets in Morocco.  They were selling different items (ranging from food, to paintings, silk Chinese clothes, and other souvenirs) at very good prices.  I bought a wood flute, which I am extremely excited to learn how to play (hopefully playing flute for twelve years will make it easier to learn).  We learned that some of the little stores had scrolls that told Chinese family history, which was really interesting because it made me realize how much the country is tied to its culture and tradition.

Words can only say so much and pictures are worth a thousand words, so please look through them and enjoy!

Written by Kerryellen Willard

After arriving exhausted from a long day of travel, the idea of sleep sounded wonderful to all of us.  Unfortunately, due to jetlag we all seemed to wake up quite early. I woke up at 7 in the morning when we didn’t have breakfast until 9.

Prior to breakfast we met in the lobby of the International Student Service Center and walked about 4 blocks to the canteen where we eat most of the time.  The breakfast was a traditional Chinese breakfast, and though it proved to be delicious it contained many foods we wouldn’t think of as breakfast food.  Some of the foods we had were (to the best of my comparing abilities): pumpkin crackers, spicy noodles (the spicy food in the morning threw me off a little bit), dumplings, rice porridge, sponge cake, veggies and warm soy milk which is sweetened and quite tasty.  They served an orange drink similar to Tang in place of fresh squeezed orange juice (something I’m starting to miss).

After breakfast we bonded with our four AWESOME student guides: Chris, Starry, Cassie and Venya (?).  We learned a bit about their lives as compared to us.  They really enjoy American T.V. shows, such as Gossip Girls or Desperate Housewives.  They were also interested to hear that we don’t all party and live like the Gossip Girls.  We learned that they have some stricter rules about dating, as in high school they are not allowed to date. Even in college they feel they need to hide their relationships, claiming they are just “teaching English.”  Chris told us he had a crush on a girl at school. We are determined to help him ask her out!

We then met with the school’s president and our teachers for this week.  We will be taking Traditional Chinese Medicine (including acupuncture!) and Martial Arts (Kungfu and Taijiquan).  We presented the president and teachers with gifts from home.  The president received a baseball bat with his name engraved on it and Ithaca College shot glasses.  We gave the school as a whole a Corning plate that we signed with the School of Health Science and Human Performance logo in the center. We got a group photo in front of a building that resembles the White House, and even shares its name.  The president then took us on a tour of the campus.  Being with the president gave us the opportunity to see a couple private demonstrations on campus.  The first demonstration was Kungfu and Taijiquan.  The performance of Kungfu was so powerful.  It was really quite stunning.  We also got to see a few dance routines done by the school’s competitive team. 

I’d like to make a comment about the hospitality here.  The Chinese people have made us feel so welcome.  They refused to let us sit on the floor or stand while watching them perform, and did everything they could to make us comfortable.  They have really made a great impact on how I view hospitality.  After the performances we saw the hospital that was formally part of CDSU (Cheng Du Sports University) and is now affiliated with the college.  A great thing about the hospital was that it was highly geared towards keeping healthy people healthy and fit as well as treating people who are ill.

We then had our second meal in Cheng Du.  It was a banquet with the president of the college.  We arrived  at the banquet and there were about 8 dishes on a large lazy susan at each table.  We were amazed just by this, but by the end we had seen over 20 different dishes.  It was absolutely incredible.

Written by Elissa Goldman

Today was our first full day in Chengdu, China.  We woke up this morning to devour a satisfying breakfast buffet.  The Chinese students who have joined our group showed us where the canteen was, where we ate.  Breakfast consisted of “dinner-like” foods that are typically eaten in the U.S., including vegetables, pasta, orange/mango flavored juice whose taste resembled that of tang.  Upon completion of breakfast, we embarked on a tour through the campus.  Our first stop was meeting the “big cahunas” of the pack, in front of the White House.  This was our first group picture of the day.

We then walked to the gymnasium where we were able to watch young, talented athletes presenting their dances and routines.  Everyone from our group was so impressed! We saw three different “groups” perform: the first was a class of various aged, co-ed students who performed mostly routines with tai chi, swords, and other forms of dancing.  After we were lucky enough to experience this once and a lifetime chance, we headed to the Affiliated Hospital.  When you first enter the hospital, there is a place set up for Chinese medicine, where a woman was preparing herbs.  If you kept walking, you would come to where the western medicine is located.  We visited various rooms, which included an exercise physiology room, a bone density room, and several others.

Nick told us that we will understand why our group bought shot glasses for the professionals here after lunch.  He was certainly not lying, they surely can manage their alcohol!  Lunch was “family style,” where we sat in two different circle tables with a “lazy susan” type device in the center which spun around with the food. There were over ten dishes served, with continuous re-filling of everyone’s glasses.  Following this ten-course meal, we headed to the Panda Reserve.

After about an hour tour through Chengdu city, we arrived at the Chengdu Panda Center.  We unfortunately did not run into many pandas during our visit.  We did, however, get to visit the gift shop, see red pandas, and watch an informative video about pandas. 

When we got back, we headed to dinner.  Dinner consisted of turtles, broccoli, and the usual pasta with vegetables.  Surprisingly, nobody attempted to try the turtle stew.  Following the delectable dinner, we prepared for our show.  Throughout the afternoon we were all in debate about whether just to do the Ithaca almamateur or to demonstrate some of America’s well known dances: the macarena, cotton-eyed joe, and the cha cha slide.  Everyone from the university thoroughly enjoyed our performance.  After the performance, we all headed back to our rooms and got some much needed sleep. 

Kelly writes...

Our journey to China began at 8 in the morning when we went to Ithaca airport.  We took a propeller plane to Newark airport.  After we checked in at Newark, many of us went to the food court to get our "last American meal."  The Continental Airlines plane was very nice.  There were individual TVs at each seat which had over 200 movies and 100 TV shows to choose from while in flight.  There were also games and music to listen to. 

During the flight, we had to fill out a health questionnaire.  After the extremely long 12 and a half hour flight to Beijing, we had to sit on the plane for another 20 minutes or so while two doctors came around and took our temperature with a laser.  We all passed, and moved on to the first passport check station.  We turned in our health forms, and if any of us put down that we currently had any of the symptoms, we got pulled aside and quarantined for further inspection.  Three of us put down "cough" as a current symptom and went to the location.  They checked our axillary temperature and asked about a million questions regarding our symptoms.  After a while, they released us and we moved on to customs.  The bags had all been gathered, and we took a bus to the other terminal in Beijing airport.  The building was absolutely huge and beautiful.  We stood in line to check our bags in for our Chengdu flight.  A group of Chinese people began taking pictures with us, excited to see Americans (especially blonde hair). 

We got some food in the food court, which surprisingly had American food, as well, then made our way to the gate for our flight.  The flight itself was very turbulent and the lights kept flickering, but we made it safely to Chengdu.  There weren't many people on the flight, so many of us were able to spread out and lay down to sleep. When we arrived at Chengdu, we got our bags and were greeted by three students from Chengdu Sport University.  We made the half hour bus ride to the school, and checked into our rooms.  The rooms are very nice and pretty big, and each room has its own bathroom.  The power outlets are kind of tricky to figure out, but the internet worked well.  Overall, we had 26 hours of travel, and I think all of us were just exhausted by the time we got here.

Allison writes....

After 26 hours of travel we have finally arrived in Chengdu.  The day started off with everyone meeting at the Ithaca airport at 8:15 am for a 9:45 flight in to Newark.  Everyone was excited and as the group said goodbye to their families we all walked through security and started off the trip.  The flight to Newark was around an hour and that was my first time on a very tiny propeller jet.  Getting in to Newark was a pretty easy check in and soon we all boarded the plane that would take us across the Globe.

The plane was huge and very well equipped for a twelve and a half hour flight.  Each seat had their own personal touch screen TV  with over three hundred movies, TV shows, music and interactive games.  It was enough to keep anyone busy.  The flight was a long one but soon enough we were Beijing.  The country has taken extreme precautions on containing the swine flu and being a flight from the United States we were closely examined.  Before any one even left the plane everyone’s temperature was taken and three of our girls who had coughs were quarantined and further examined for about 20 minutes.  You have to respect the country’s concern for there citizens but I did find the whole process very entertaining. 

When we first arrived it really didn’t feel all that different from a large airport in New York, except for all the Chinese characters of course and we had to take a bus to terminal 3, where we would catch our flight to Chengdu.  While checking in there was a group of Chinese people standing in front of our group taking pictures.  At first we tried to get out of the background of the photos but we soon realized that we were purposely being put there.  One of our girls is very blonde and once she agreed to take a picture with a woman, then there was people surrounding her and taking pictures with her.  It was very funny to watch and it was a different view because I have not really traveled all that much and am not used to being a foreigner.  The people here are all very, very kind and seem to want to know us. 

In the Beijing airport we had a five-hour layover and decided to sit and eat.  I ordered my first real meal in China.  It was a rice and vegetable dish that came in a sizzling hot dish with a raw egg on top.  I was told to stir quickly so that the rice on the bottom didn’t burn and as I did the hot dish cooked the meal and was delicious.  The flight to Chengdu was only about two and a half hours most of which I spent sleeping.  We were all pretty exhausted from the long day of travel.  In Chengdu we were met by a bus and two students that are in the English Department at the Chengdu Sports University.  I talked with a 22 year old named Starry.  He was very nice and invited us all to the English Drama Festival that will happen tomorrow night.  It was dark when we finally reached the campus but as far as I can tell it is beautiful and I am very, very excited to explore it tomorrow.