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!