Dinner at the Great Wall

Pictures I Never Posted

Last Day

Our last full day in Shanghai was Sunday and it blew by. The majority of my time was spent in the hotel working on my last individual project. Ariel and I worked on a video by combining our footage from the various destinations we visited throughout the trip. The idea I had was to put random Chinese activities to a track by Daft Punk. The part we got done was pretty good but I'll have to finish it for the final exhibition. We all met at 4pm in a conference room at the hotel to go over our projects. The meeting lasted until 7pm but it was really nice to see what everyone had accomplished during our three weeks in China. We headed out to a vegetarian restaurant where we had a delicious final dinner. After we got back to the hotel I convinced Ariel to help me find another bag for my souvenirs. We wandered for a bit until we found a massage parlor and Ariel twisted my arm to check it out. Surprisingly we found Steven was already there getting a body massage from a little Chinese lady who was standing on his back. We decided foot massages would be enough and for only 25 yuan it was a steal. We were a little skeptical when two guys showed up with hot water. We put our feet in the water and it was scalding. We got a back massage while our feet soaked.  At times Ariel and I were both wincing in pain but it was all worth it. Three weeks of heavy walking quickly melted away and my back, legs and feet felt like new. It was the perfect way to relax before the 16 hour flight home. We flew out at noon-thirty the next day but left the hotel by 9am. The flight was long but there were a few movies including Kung-Fu Panda, which was appropriate for the trip and made it go a little faster. We made it back to Eugene at 12 noon the same day, 30 minutes before we left. Time travel is exhausting. It's good to be back in the USA but I'll miss China  and my new friends at SUAD. We will have an art exhibit at the University of Oregon in late October and it will be nice to see everyone again from the trip. I'm really glad I got to know everyone we travelled with and had the opportunity to participate in this invaluable experience. Thanks Ying and Edwin for all of your hard work and persistence to ensure our amazing journey in China.

Shanghai and Suzhou Randomness

It's Always Sunny in Shanghai

So today we found out the hard way that it is NOT always sunny in Shanghai. We had a whole free day to enjoy the city so after breakfast at the hotel we ventured out to find some shops. Ariel got some directions to a store that was supposed to be good but it turned out to be a pretty average department store. The good thing was that it gave us a chance to walk from a different part of the city. We hoofed it up Huanghai road to get back to some stores we had visited a few days ago. We then headed up to Nanjing Road on a recommendation from Ying and Edwin. It was a really busy street and there were a lot of great stores and restaurants. We followed a lady into a shady little store selling fake ipods and watches and then we saw a taxi rear-end another taxi. It was all going so well until the sky went black, the lightning started and the downpour came. We ducked into a few stores and then finally took a cab back to the hotel. The rest of the night was pretty slow but it was a good chance to relax and catch up on our projects.

Humble Gardens and Bus Drivers

Today we visited the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou outside of Shanghai. A travel agency arranged for a bus to take us there but the bus and the driver turned out to be dysfunctional. What should have taken about 1.5 hours turned into 2.5 and the air conditioning only cooled the driver and the first two people in the front. By the time we got off the bus we were all pretty disgusting. Once we entered the garden we only had about an hour to explore. The gardens were really great and I'm just sorry we couldn't have stayed longer. Then plans changed after we discovered the next garden was under construction and so we visited the zoo. There were a lot of exotic animals but the cages were really small and it actually made me sad to see the local people throwing garbage in the crates, handing the monkeys cigarettes and poking them with umbrellas. Sounds ridiculous but that's what I saw. I did see one panda but it mostly had its back to me. We then split up into two groups and I decided to go with Edwin because he was taking the train back rather than the crazy bus. Stan, Christian, Braeden, Edwin and I all visited a really cool temple with a big Buddha sitting in front of it. We climbed to the top and had a lot of fun taking pictures and goofing off. We met up with Brooke, Silvan and Ila at the train station/KFC and discovered that we couldn't get a train back to Shanghai until 8:45. They had already managed to get earlier tickets so we broke off again to get something to eat without them. Edwin had a nice restaurant picked out but the prices were a bit exorbitant so we found another one where I got curry beef, Shanghai dumplings and a couple pijious. This is when the night really got interesting. Ready? After a good meal we hopped in a couple taxis to head back to the train station. Edwin took one and the rest of us another. The driver drove hard and crazy but we got back with only 10 minutes until the train departed. Where's Edwin? Braeden swore she saw him pass in a cab so while Stan scouted the station and Christian manned the taxi drop-off, Braeden and I ran to the other side of the square. With no luck we ran back to Christian and told him we would wait for Edwin inside. We couldn't get on the train because Edwin had all the tickets. Find Edwin.  Stan saw us and came running over. Just then Braeden sees Edwin with her eagle vision and burst into a sprint. I think Christian yelled something about Edwin running towards the station. Stan and Christian and I started sprinting to keep up with Braeden who had been jogging a lot before the trip apparently. I thought I would take a short cut only to be stopped by a rail and I saw everyone run past me on the other side. After maneuvering through a crowd of Chinese people like I was in a live action version of Frogger, I got through the turn-style and found everyone. I can only imagine what all those people thought when they saw five white kids sprinting across the train station. Uh oh! We had maybe a minute now and were relieved to find the line that was formed under our train number. We congratulated each other on making it in time and started joking about how ridiculous we must have looked. Edwin's face quickly changed however as it dawned on him that our line was actually waiting on the platform already. Once again we took to a sprint and flew down one flight of stairs and then up another. Thank god we made it. The train pulled up just as we stepped onto the platform and we saw our car number 14. Then we saw 13, and 12, and 11 and so on until we realized that we were at the wrong end of the train now. So we sprinted again down 14 train cars until we reached the other end and hopped on the train. Just in time. As we sat down the train was already going. After 40 minutes we were back in Shanghai and jumped on the subway to get a few blocks from the hotel. On the walk back we saw a giant LCD on the side of a building normally used for advertising. It read "Windows 2000 Professional It's now safe to turn of your computer." Hilarious! Maybe you have to be a nerd to appreciate this but it made my day 100x better. What a night.

More Pics from Shanghai Today

Shanghai Today

Today we enjoyed a western style breakfast at the hotel complete with bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns. It was a good start to a long day. We headed off to the Shanghai Museum and spent a couple hours there looking at amazing exhibits of calligraphy, painting and sculpture. The artifacts were really incredible but only some of the descriptions were in english. Ariel and Ryan helped me figure out the aperture and shutter speed on my camera finally with only 4 days left of the trip but I put it to good use in the Shanghai Beinali, a contemporary art gallery. Later I split off with Brooke and Sylvan to visit an art district. We walked for a bit and found some little shops that were fun including a bakery where we picked up some pastries. We took a cab back and I met up with Ariel and Ryan again to grab some dinner. We found a guy cooking with a wok out on the street. We took a gamble but it was a good one. The food was great and only 5 yuan which is less than a dollar. Right now I'm watching an Adam Sandler movie on HBO because it's in english and not news.

One Night in Shanghai

Yesterday was our first day in Shanghai but we didn't have anything scheduled until 2pm. It was really nice to have a little R&R time before heading out into Shanghai for the night. It is a beautiful city but it is more humid than I expected. Our group headed out to a shopping center not far from our hotel where we saw lots of counterfeit stuff. Rolex anyone? It was actually pretty neat because it looked like a little village with water features and coy. We had some free time to wander around so Ariel, Ryan and I walked for a bit until we ran into Braeden and Madelyn and convinced them to follow us which they probably regretted. We set out to find the Bund but thought it would be much easier to get to then we later discovered. After a little trial and tribulation we made it to our destination. The architecture on the water is incredible and it was well worth the walk. We ended up there again later that night but it looks a lot different all lit up at night. Before that though we got a chance to visit the Jin Mao Tower and travel to the observation deck. Shanghai is amazing at night and there couldn't be a better place to view it from. It's 88 stories tall and there's a super fast elevator that shoots you to the top in seconds. We travelled back across the river in a ferry and walked back to the hotel from the Bund. Our hotel is really first class and the manager has gone out of his way for us a lot including giving us free internet (normally 20RMB per hour per room). We also have a great view of the city from our room on the 10th floor and a western toilet and plenty of hot water; now that's living!

Cultural Collaboration

Okay so maybe this isn't what I thought it would be but you have to admit it's entertaining. Making a movie in a foreign country on non-english software and with a non-english speaking student (for the most part) is a mental and emotional challenge. I chose the name Foreign Communication because I think it appropriately describes the theme of the trip and the process of creating our project. When I put the word "foreign" into a translator to see if Guang (my Chinese partner) understood the title he said "but foreign means not Chinese." Perfect! To Guang it meant not Chinese but to me it means non-American. I can't think of a better example of the cultural and language gap between us. I decided the title stayed. The out-takes are fun but they also serve the purpose of showing the interaction between our cultures. There were many times that I gave up trying to explain something relatively simple due to the tight schedule and limited patience. I think we both learned a lot from this incredible experience.

Exhibition Day

Yesterday was our last day in Jinan and it was a whirlwind. I spent most of the morning trying to configure several of our movies onto one projector but I finally had to ask Ying for help because I was at a loss. We still had a little trouble but she figured it out on FCP and it turned out well. We got the projector going just in time to meet the school president who is a very traditional looking chinese man. He gave us a couple gifts and then we headed to the exhibition with our partners. My movie drew a good crowd although I'm not sure if everyone knew what it was really about. Many people said it was really funny which is good I think. We had a little ceremony where the school gave us certificates for our participation in the program and everything was very nice but we left all too soon. I found it surreal to know that we might never see any of these new friends ever again but in only a few minutes we had to say goodbye. We had an amazing dinner with a few of the faculty and headed off to the night train at 9pm. We arrived in Shanghai at 6 this morning and settled into the hotel. It's really nice here and I can't wait to use the pool. I didn't have my camera with me for the exhibition so I'll have to find some pictures from other people. Goodbye Jinan. Goodbye Mansion.

Celebrating Good Times

Today we went to a famous Chinese city that was known for its success in the time of the silk road trade. We saw a celebration concert with many Chinese performers and interesting acts. There were a couple little kids that were hilarious because the boy was like a Chinese version of a young Michael Jackson. I'm pretty sure most of the acts were lip synched but they were fun and it was entertaining. I especially enjoyed the Spicy Girls. We spent a few hours on the new campus today and I think our project is just wrapping up. Guang has done an excellent job editing and I'm really impressed with his skills on Premier. It should be a fun exhibition tomorrow.

Mid-Autumn Festival, Ancient Springs, a Golden Buddha and Karaoke

Today was a much needed break from the group projects. We finally got the opportunity to have a little time with our Chinese partners outside of the classroom. It is also Mid-Autumn Festival today so it was a great time to experience more of Jinan. This morning we visited the Baotu Spring which is supposed to be one of the largest tourist attractions in Jinan. It was really busy and there was a lot to see but the springs and ponds were really nice and filled with coy. We then met up with the Chinese students at the 1000 Buddha Mountain (Qianfo shan) where we saw an awesome giant gold Buddha. We all went to KTV, a karaoke place where you rent a room that looks like a tiny theater to sing karaoke with your friends. I really think these could be a hit in the states. I decided to go back to the old campus and my partner went back to the new campus. I took a stroll around Jinan and probably walked for over an hour. It's just really neat to walk around such an extremely foreign environment and see people's reactions, most of which are smiles.

Project Day Continued

Saturday was another full day dedicated to doing our project. I think it went really well but we had to reshoot some scenes because my blue shirt didn't work on the blue screen, duh. I think it looked a lot better shooting outside anyhow. The language barrier is still tough especially when we're talking about technical stuff but I think it's getting easier. My partner is doing all of the editing but I was able to help by selecting the music and backgrounds for the blue screen scenes. It's looking really good and I can't wait to see how this monster turns out. What a crazy project!

Project Day

Friday was completely dedicated to the group project for me. I decided to stay on the new campus a little later to get more done. So far my project has drawn a bit of attention and I'm a little apprehensive to know what the response will be. Imagine a cowboy doing Kung-Fu in an illusionary dreamscape, battling it out with a Chinese martial artist and using random devices like dart guns and frisbees. That's my movie. Yeah, it's definitely going on Youtube. It was mostly my partners idea but the cowboy was my own but that was before I knew I was playing him. If nothing else it's been a riot shooting this thing. I had two guys teaching me Kung-Fu and choreographing a couple fights. My partner definitely has a wild imagination but he has some great editing skills too so hopefully it will all work out.

Weifang Kites, Wood Cuts and Dogs

September 11th we travelled about 3 hours to Weifang, a town known for it's kites, wood cuts and paper cuts. The kite shop was really amazing. Ying said that they have something around 85 emloyees which I think is pretty astonishing when you see the shop. The kites were absolutely beautiful and it was hard to walk out of there without buying a few. There were a couple of dogs at the wood printing shop we visited and they were stealing most of the attention. The wood block printing was really great though and I couldn't leave there either without a few mementos. Later that night we had a farmer's dinner not too far from the Old Campus and it was a really nice meal. I was a little distracted by the dogs chained up down the hill from the terrace where we were eating but the food was simple and really nice. I was actually just talking to someone about the food we've been eating and it's hard to believe that the Chinese eat as well as we have been every night. I know they are spoiling us but it's definitely a cultural thing.

Return to Shandong University

Today was our second day working with the students at Shandong University. We arrived early in the morning and immediately exchanged gifts. The students gave all of us t-shirts with their school mascot on them, they're really great. We worked on our projects for a few hours and then toured the museum. There are artifacts in their campus museum that go back 6000 years and feature pottery found in the local region. They also have an exhibit of clothing, paintings, and calligraphy. There are really some spectacular works of art. We took a calligraphy class after that and I practiced my characters with ink and a brush. It was a rough start but I think I could get the hang of it. We returned to our projects and then dinner and ended the day with a quick game of basketball that I think totaled a whopping 2-2. Goodtimes!

Confucius and the Mountain

Today we took a bus to Qufu, an ancient city that existed since before the Han dynasty and is also the home of Confucius. It was really amazing to see such a historic city and the ancient buildings of Confucius. We also saw the graveyard and tomb of Confucius and his ancestors. I picked up a cowboy hat there for a project, I wonder what Confucius would think of that? Afterwards we took the bus to Taian where we rode a gondola to the top of the famous mountain there. There were spectacular views from all around and a nice cool breeze coming up the mountain. The climbing this time was limited but that was okay with me. The school catered a beautiful dinner once again of fish, locusts, prawns, and many other fancy dishes.

Shandong University of Art and Design

Today we met our partners at the university. I am partnered with Guang Li who is from Jinan and studies television media and documentary. The university did a spectacular job at pairing the students and I really think Guang and I hit it off. We already have a definite plan for our project on the first day and it should be pretty cool. He doesn't speak much english but he understands well and it's better than my Chinese. This should be a really great experience here and I'm really excited to dive into this project. I brought Guang a frisbee from the UO bookstore but he didn't know what it was. I never considered that they don't play with frisbees here but I have found it to be my obligation to teach them now. I brought 8 for the students so I think it should be a lot of fun. We will be hiking again tomorrow but I'll remember to stretch this time because the Great Wall was pretty brutal. I'm typoing in a smokey internet cafe just down the street from our dorms so I'm going to cut this short and pick it up when I get to a lab.

Bye Bye Beijing!

Ni hao! Yesterday we left Beijing and headed into the Shandong province by train. The transportation is actually pretty amazing and the train ride was a breeze, not like the trains we have in the states. I was sorry to leave Beijing but excited to see something new. I had many great experiences there and yet I feel like there was so much more to see. We made it safely into Jinan that evening and were welcomed by professors from the Shandong University of Art and Design. We then went to the old campus where we unpacked and went off to a giant banquet where we were joined by the president of the university and other faculty. We toasted many times to our visit and drank some really strong alcohol that woke me up quick. We also enjoyed Shandong's famous beer and a few people decided to sing for us from both groups. It was quite a day but a slower pace than the previous few days have been. I will miss you little black cat!

The Great Wall

Yesterday, we walked the Great Wall of china. We went to a section of the wall that a lot less touristy. Although we didn't get to spend the night like originally planned it was still quite the day. Actually I think "walked" isn't the right verb. It's more like I hiked, climbed, struggled and and nearly passed out on the Great Wall. The combination of rolling hills and loose stones make it quite the trek. Luckily I had a lot of support from some friends and Silvan gave me a bottle some sort of Chinese gatorade. I must be really out of shape though because I was exhausted by the end. I think we walked for about 4 hours but it was an amazing thing to do. At times I would find myself stopping and looking back in awe and just thinking WOW! I'm on the Great Wall. We zip-lined down to the bottom of the last hill we stopped at and took a little boat across back to the bus. What a surreal experience!

We passed  by the Nest and the Water Arena on the way back just as the ParaOlympics were beginning. Both stadiums were beautifully lit and when we got back to the hostel I could hear the fireworks from the opening ceremonies. What a great time to be in Beijing!

Temple of Heaven September 5th

The temple of Heaven was another amazing experience. The buildings are beautiful and the courtyards are filled with people exercising and socializing. Once again there was too much to see in a couple of hours but I saw all the important stuff I think. 

There were a few people practicing calligraphy which was really cool and some people waltzing while others were doing choreographed aerobics. Public exercise is very popular here especially with the older generations. It is also very common to see huge groups of people practicing Tai-Chi in the parks. There was also some great musicians and actors in the park, what an amazing place to be. 

Afterwards a group of us went to the counterfeit mall where I was physically pulled on by several Chinese girls wanted me to by something. Apparently they can tell I'm gullible. One girl held on so tight that I pulled her across three shops until she let go. I bought some sweet shoes from one of them finally and they're pretty awesome I think. I just wonder how people would react if the employees at Nordstrom's pulled on our arms and literally dragged you into their department.

Forbidden City

I got a little behind on my blog but here's the update. On September 4th we visited the Forbidden City. It's hard to explain the scale of this especially since we only saw a small percentage of it in about 3 hours. There's way too much to possibly see but I basically walked in a straight line from the entrance to Tiananmen Square. There was an exhibit with the Emperor's clothing that was really cool and we did some group photos in front of Mao's mausoleum that attracted alot of attention.

I think the most interesting part of the day was wandering through Beijing afterward. A small group of us went into a restaurant and ordered by pointing at the pictures. We got something really strange that we know we hadn't ordered so we sent it back for something else really strange. Since the menu was all in Chinese we had no idea what we were eating but we took pictures of the characters to have it translated. Ying later told us that the first dish was duck tongue and the dish that we replaced it with was duck heart. Yum!

Later we all met up at a Tea house to drink tea and watch some performances. It was a great experience. There was traditional Chinese opera, a couple of guys doing vocal sound effects, a painted face character that could switch faces in a split second and I still have no idea how, and some sweet kung-fu that completed the long day.

Art Districts

September 3rd was a big day in Beijing. It is now 11pm here and we left on our trek this morning at 9am. We toured several art districts which were phenomenal including Caochangdi, the 798 Factory, the Central Academy of Art and the Jiuchang art District. We finished the big day with an even bigger meal. Tomorrow is another big day as we are touring the Forbidden City! Many things to say about today but little time to say it. Maybe some pictures can do the talking. Zai jian!