Masters School China 2009

Photos from the Chuxiong Night Market

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:52:21 +0000

Dance performance on the street

More dancing

Enjoying the sights and sounds of the night market

Trying out an edible folk art: sugar in the shape of various animals

*Video clips from the Chuxiong night market forthcoming.

Photos from Dali

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:30:39 +0000

At the Three Pagodas

Three Pagodas and reflections

Chongsheng Temple

Roof of one of the buildings at Chongsheng Temple

Chongsheng Temple before the rain shower

Chongsheng Temple after the rain

View from the chairlift up to Cangshan Mountain

Contact with the "prosperity" tablet brings good luck (temple on the mountain)

Taking a break during our 8-mi trek that covered five of the nineteen peaks of Cangshan Mountain

Side of the mountain that looks like a face

At one of the many waterfalls in the mountain

Testing the water (very cold!) at the waterfall

At the bottom of the waterfall

View of Dali from Cangshan Mountain

Emily on Day 9 (Monday, June 15th)

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:20:26 +0000

Our trip in China so far has been interesting to say the least. From meal worms to getting drenched from the rain today, our trip abroad has been generally exciting and eventful, that's why the relaxing easy pace of yesterday was extremely welcome. Our day was spent first with our tour guide Johnny at a traditional Bai (the local minority in Dali) morning market and house, then on the bus finding our way to our next Yunnan destination. Lijiang, although similar to Dali, seems to be composed primarily of winding roads, crowded with shops, and scenic parks like the one we went to when we first arrived in the city. That and a museum of the Naxi people were the first activities that marked our stay in this traditional minority dominated city. The museum, though our stay was short, definitely left an impact on me and mirrored some of the traditional style items recognizable during our later shopping excursions.

At the park, along with scaring mussels in the pond and getting watermelon smoothies, our group decided to take on a mascot. This little dog, Bi Zee (or "water chestnut" in English) became the subject of many pictures and videos. We ended the day by looking in the little shops that are everywhere in the area of Lijiang near the guest house (though it's more like a hotel) where we are staying. Though in our little group from Masters we have many different kinds of people we all pretty much like to shop.

Mehran on Day 10 (Tuesday, June 16th)

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:25:36 +0000

In the morning, we visited the Nature Conservancy's HQ in Lijiang. There we learned about what the Nature Conservancy does in China in order to benefit the environment. In the afternoon, we visited a lake in Lijiang, which turned out to be an experience. Daniel and Ms. Tregar decided to ride horses while a few of us decided to take on a boat. Prior to this, Ian fell into a 3-ft deep stream, which made for a comical start. Griffin and I then proceeded to play some soccer with the vendors at the lake. We then got on the boat while a storm was approaching. While on the lake, the Himalayan rain came down like cold bullets and by the time we ran back to the bus, we were as wet as Ian was.

Rushell on Day 11 (Wednesday, June 17th)

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:43:09 +0000

Today we visited a local farm. The host and his family were very welcoming and kind. First, he invited us to share tea with him and to enjoy each others company before any activities. He invited us to pick golden plums from his tree in the courtyard of his house. We then headed out to the field and he pointed out his crops as we walked. We noticed he grew cucumbers and tomatoes among other crops. The area of land we were to work on was not yet cultivated. We were to till the soil, then plant some vegetable seeds. After working for a while we enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by his family and even tried yak butter tea. During our break away from the field, we exchanged dances and songs with the host and his family. We learnt a few traditional Naxi dances and got to play their instruments. In turn, we taught a range of hip-hop, jazz, and even ballet moves to them. We were met by the local television crew, who took advantage of this cocktail of cultures and recorded us for the local nightly news. We then were able to help prepare dinner by washing vegetables. The meal was spectacular and really was rewarding after our hard day's work. After dinner, our host took the time to write each of our names in the Naxi writing called "dongba" on their special paper. We appreciated this very much. Overall, we had an amazing day! One which I'm sure we will always treasure. The kindness and warmth our host expressed to us and his willingness to open his home to us was truly generous of him and touched each of us greatly as we felt somewhat at home. Tomorrow, we will visit Tiger Leaping Gorge as we continue our trip. We are all excited!

Back in Beijing

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:30:23 +0000

The group arrived in Beijing yesterday and is enjoying our last few days in China. Backlogged blog entries will be posted shortly.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:31:15 +0000

June 18th - Tiger Leaping Gorge is, according to the Chinese officials, the deepest gorge in the world. It is formed where the Yangtze cuts through the Himalayas. It is so beautiful! Our guide told us that the Yangtze is brown in the summer because of silt that is washed with it, but in the winter the water is blue. The rapids in the gorge are class 6 - no one who has tried to raft the water has survived. It was so powerful and the roar of the water was deafening. It was one of the most wonderful sites we have seen. The mountains around the gorge were beautiful as well - some were so high, their peaks were hidden in the clouds.

Maddy

June 19th (Day 13)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:40:21 +0000

Today we went to the Pudacuo Scenic Area, a national park in Shangri-la. We saw many yaks and cows. It was beautiful. We went to the Samzoling Monastery in the afternoon. We were enlightened. It was a good day.

Daniel

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Today we also went to a monastery. It's not everyday that one gets to talk to a monk and I had the privilege to have a conversation with one. Although the conversation wasn't very long and he was only six years old, I was truly speechless. His English was very good, I could hardly make out an accent. Also, there was something so spiritual and different about our encounter. It made me think about how he's going to be brought up among monks and how at such a young age he's able to speak so well and eloquently.

Vicky

June 20th (Day 14)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:44:36 +0000

Today we visited our second farm. Fortunately, this farm did not require grueling work in the field, however, it did require something that I never thought I would do. We milked yaks. It was an interesting and sticky experience and it was also a lot of fun. From the milk, yak butter was produced and then any milk left over was turned into yak cheese. Personally, I like my yak cheese dry and without sugar. After we churned some butter, we went outside and played some futbol and an interesting Tibetan game. The Tibetan game consisted of a rope tied in a circle, two people, and two bells. The people playing put the rope through their legs and then around their necks and then got on the ground. the objective was to crawl to the bell and hit it with your head. All of us have scars on our necks to prove how awesome that game is. We eventually played some soccer with two teams and no goalies. Griffin and I picked teams and in the end, his team won 8-5. Griffin has 8 goals, I had 4, and Daniel had 1. But, if it wasn't for the Hebrew Hammer, Sam Tregar, my team would have won that game.

Mehran

*Note from Lin: The "scars" on our necks are temporary - no need to worry!

Photos from Lijiang

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:59:53 +0000

View of Black Dragon Pool

Relaxing by the Black Dragon Pool

Another view of Black Dragon Pool

About to go out in a boat around Lashihai Lake

Admiring the view by Lashihai Lake

Riding around Lashihai Lake

Farm Day #1: Sporting stylish new looks (note the plastic bags over shoes) before heading out to the field

Farm Day #1: Working in the field

Farm Day #1: Learning a Naxi dance from our host

Farm Day #1: Our host teaches another Naxi dance

Farm Day #1: Teaching our host some American dance moves

Farm Day #1: Being interviewed about our day of farming for the local news

Photos from Zhongdian (Shangri-la)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:42:17 +0000

At Pudacuo National Park

Samzoling Monastery

On a yak

Farm Day #2: Making yak butter

Farm Day #2: Playing a Tibetan game

Farm Day #2: Watching the soccer game with "Mei Mei"

Elli on Day 15

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:58:53 +0000

June 21st - Today, we arrived in the city of Beijing once again after our journey from Shangri-La. After we arrived, we had dinner and then went to see a Chinese acrobatics show. It was breathtaking. The costumes were beautiful, the dancing was so very graceful, and the acrobatics were very skillful. I, personally, have mostly only seen acrobatic shows on television, so when I saw the live performance last night, I was just so amazed at the skills and how the whole show was pulled off. There were a couple of slip-ups, but overall, the show was very entertaining. What I found the most amusing were the silly poses that the guys struck every time they came on. The acrobats performed extremely dangerous stunts; however, all ended well and safetly for the performers. They all flexed into different and scary positions; at one point, it hurt myself to look at them. . . But all in all, the show turned out to be very beautiful and entertaining.

Photos from Beijing

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:39:28 +0000

With Frances Fremont-Smith, Executive Director of Future Generations

School Visit: Talking with some Chinese students

School Visit: Conversations with Chinese peers

School Visit: Basketball with the local students

School Visit: Group photo with the students we met

Finished product of the Chinese cooking class we watched

Tasting the dish (sweet and sour pork with pineapple)

Karaoke on our last night in Beijing (singing "My Heart Will Go On")

Also singing "My Heart Will Go On"

Bewildered by the love for Leonardo Dicaprio in Titanic

Video Clips from China

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:43:23 +0000

Dancing

Final Thoughts from the Group

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:20:28 +0000

June 24th – We’re on the plane, at the end of our trip, on our way home. As reflection is an important part of processing all the information and experiences gathered from trips such as this one, the group was prompted to share some of their thoughts on what they have learned during these past two and a half weeks. Below are their ruminations on this trip, varying from the conflict between environmental protection and economic development to the juxtaposition of tradition and modernity, from observations about urban and rural areas to yet unvoiced reactions to some of our activities.

Elli
On this trip to China, I realized many things about China and about myself that I didn’t notice before. When I first arrived in China, I noticed how much Beijing had modernized (mostly because of the Olympics). Everyone around me had mentioned how “far” China has come, and I didn’t really pay much attention back then. Now, however, I finally realize what people have been saying.

From our trip to Yunnan, I realized how much different each province of China was to each other. I saw many farms, and shed-like dwellings, but at the same time, I saw huge buildings and many construction sites. China has come very far since its open-door policy, a statement easily proven by just looking in the streets of cities: advertisements everywhere for every possible product. China’s economy is now booming at the speed of light, and as people have said, the 21st century is easily in their hands.

Something personal that I gained from this trip is a refreshing of who I am. Being Chinese and living in the USA, it is harder for me to embrace my culture than someone already living China. And because of that, it is easier to loose the connection to the Chinese part of me. However, this trip reminded me of the amazing culture that I am blessed to naturally be a part of. Seeing China’s progress since opening its doors, seeing China’s determination to help greener the environment, and seeing aspects of the culture, like food and cute products, which all make me smile inside, every one have shown me that I cannot let being and living in America overtake my Chinese heritage. I am very proud to be a part of a nation that has come so far.

Vicky
During out stay in China, the most prominent observation I made was how much China was aware and conscious on how it presented itself to the world.