Today was a really weird day. I returned to the Great Wall (长城) but I had a very different time there then I did the first time I went last year, I still had a good time it was just very different. I did not go to the end of the south side of the wall this time. I went part of the way south, then turned around and returned north because one guy in our group said there was a slide down. There actually was a slide down and it was kind of terrifing in that Jersey Shore "I think this ride is held together with ductape qnd I don't know how long it will stay together" kind of way.
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Saying anything about such well traveled sites like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, or the Temple of Heaven is very diffcult since there is not much too new to say. So I will only say that Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, or the Temple of Heaven are all very impressive sites. Tiananmen is abnormally secure, even for China. The "insident" is only talked about in a round about way, never direcrly refered too. We took out an ECNU banner for our group photo and were quickly shut down by a member of the People's Armes Police AKA the Chinese military. I did get a Russian hat with a red star that is extreamly warm and very helpful in Beijing's current weather. I also don't know how anyone did any work in the Forbidden City, it is too cold in late-Fall and too hot in the Summer. Since I am a 20 something American in Asia, I ate a scorpion or three tonight. Basically, some poor fellow sticks live scorpions on a stick, they are flash fried alive, then served. In the words of the guy selling the scorpions "scopion very good," but it is not an item I would eat often. Finally, I got some Peking duck which I would recomend over the scorpion unless you are trying to scare your friends and class mates.
Shortly after getting to Beijing and putting our stuff down we quickly went back out to go to the hutong (胡同) behind Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) for dinner. I should have brought a heavyer jacket to China because Beijing is actually cold. The hutong was OK, it had a Madam Tussauds so it was a bit touristy. We got some hot pot and hot pot is always fun, but this was not the best hot pot I ever got. Beijing at night does not feel nearly as lively as Shanghai at night. Beijing at night feels kind of closed while Shanghai feels like I can do 50,000RMB worth of trades on the New York Stock Exchange, buy a new suit as a reward to myself, then go out to a rooftop bar overlooking the Bund for dinner and drinks all before the sun comes up. Tomorrow is my first full day in Beijing so we will see how that goes.
I have arrived in Beijing safe and sound and am currently sitting in my hotel room at the Beijing Penta Hotel. I went via high spead train which is an experance I can wholely recomend. It is really interesting to go from rural countryside to a development of what seems like 50 identical highrise buildings so quickly. If you are taking the train, don't do what I did and buy food on the train. China Rail's food is both expensive and bad.
The University has orgnized a fieldtrip to Beijing. We are leaving today at 7:45AM. I have post or two planned but will see if the train stations even have internet. I will see y'all in Beijing.
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AuthorI am a junior at Juniata College spending a year studying abroad at East China Normal University. Please feel free to join my on my journey to China and beyond. Archives
November 2021
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