Beijing
Haven't posted in a while; I've been busy exploring Beijing. Last Sunday I went with host mom and host sis to the Forbidden City, which was the Emperor's palace throughout the Ming and Qing Dynasties and is now open to the public. The day started out rainy, and it drizzled on and off allday, but this didn't deter the huge crowds from showing up--all of the umbrellas just made navigating gates and walkways that much moreinteresting. The architecture of the Forbidden City is beautiful, and with a little effort ¡t's possible to get a sense of the immense history of the place in spite of the crowds. I don't think I'd go back, though. Dealing with that kind ofcrowd on the subway isn't too bad, but it gets old after a few hours at a place like the Forbidden City. And, like I said, the umbrellas complicatedthings even further. Oh well--at least it wasn't hot.
Monday I went to watch a Wushu (Chinese martial arts) class. I found the school through the internet, and had my host dad call about specifics; the owner ended up speaking excellent English, so I talked to him myself. On Monday afternoon he met me at a bookstore on one of the big market streets and took me to the school, which I never would have found on my own, even with directions. The school is in what's called a Hutong--a reallynarrow street between buildings that sometimes leads to a courtyard or larger space between buildings. The old building, built in a traditional Chinese style, is a really neat atmosphere for a class. The school teaches several styles of martial arts. The style of the class that I attended wasa combination of several Chinese techniques as well as techniques from other styles--designed to enable Wushu students to fight in international competitions. I ended up participating and was able to at least keep up, if I didn't get everything exactly right. The teachers, one older Chinese man and one in his early twenties, were thankfully both very patient, and there was an American lady taking the class that could translate when necessary. (My vocabulary just can't handle 'sidestep at a 35 degree angle and and kick with the instep of the foot to the upper calf of a rushing attacker.) I got a good workout, as well as an interesting cultural experience.
Yesterday I had lunch with Patty, the girl that I sat next to on the plane ride from LA. Patty's parents are Chinese, but she didn't speak itat all when she came three weeks ago; she's learned a lot, but my Chinese is still a lot better than hers is. We laughed when the waitresses kept addressing her and I had to translate. After lunch, we went to Hong Qiao, the pearl market. This was quite an experience. The indoor market is massive; three floors of booths that cover an area of at least a couple of blocks. The first floor has electronics,'soo-vih-neers,' toys, etc., it's a random hodgepodge of items. The second floor has suitcases, bags, clothes, jackets, silk...if you wear it or carry it it's probably sold here. The third floor is divided into an antique/crafts/paintings section and a huge pearl and bead section, from which the market gets its English name. Patty and I spent all afternoon in the market, only leaving when it closed, around 7:00. We both practiced our bargaining skills and our Chinese, although almost all of the vendors spoke at least some English. When we climbed into the taxi to go to the subway station, each with full backpacks and other bags besides, we pronounced our excursion a success.
Monday I went to watch a Wushu (Chinese martial arts) class. I found the school through the internet, and had my host dad call about specifics; the owner ended up speaking excellent English, so I talked to him myself. On Monday afternoon he met me at a bookstore on one of the big market streets and took me to the school, which I never would have found on my own, even with directions. The school is in what's called a Hutong--a reallynarrow street between buildings that sometimes leads to a courtyard or larger space between buildings. The old building, built in a traditional Chinese style, is a really neat atmosphere for a class. The school teaches several styles of martial arts. The style of the class that I attended wasa combination of several Chinese techniques as well as techniques from other styles--designed to enable Wushu students to fight in international competitions. I ended up participating and was able to at least keep up, if I didn't get everything exactly right. The teachers, one older Chinese man and one in his early twenties, were thankfully both very patient, and there was an American lady taking the class that could translate when necessary. (My vocabulary just can't handle 'sidestep at a 35 degree angle and and kick with the instep of the foot to the upper calf of a rushing attacker.) I got a good workout, as well as an interesting cultural experience.
Yesterday I had lunch with Patty, the girl that I sat next to on the plane ride from LA. Patty's parents are Chinese, but she didn't speak itat all when she came three weeks ago; she's learned a lot, but my Chinese is still a lot better than hers is. We laughed when the waitresses kept addressing her and I had to translate. After lunch, we went to Hong Qiao, the pearl market. This was quite an experience. The indoor market is massive; three floors of booths that cover an area of at least a couple of blocks. The first floor has electronics,'soo-vih-neers,' toys, etc., it's a random hodgepodge of items. The second floor has suitcases, bags, clothes, jackets, silk...if you wear it or carry it it's probably sold here. The third floor is divided into an antique/crafts/paintings section and a huge pearl and bead section, from which the market gets its English name. Patty and I spent all afternoon in the market, only leaving when it closed, around 7:00. We both practiced our bargaining skills and our Chinese, although almost all of the vendors spoke at least some English. When we climbed into the taxi to go to the subway station, each with full backpacks and other bags besides, we pronounced our excursion a success.
posted by Mike and Jean Anne at 8:41 PM
<< Home