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!