This week, we had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to three of China’s great ancient capitals: Beijing, Luoyang, and Xi’an. Before DukeEngage, I never imagined being able to travel to any part of China in the near future. However, DukeEngage afforded me this once in a lifetime opportunity as I went to China for the first time and immersed myself with a Chinese host family. Naturally, when I was told that I would also travel to three of the great ancient capitals of China, I literally shook with excitement. What a wonderful opportunity to learn about and visit Chinese sites of great historical significance that date back thousands of years! As Professor Ku said at the very beginning of our week-long trip: “You cannot really know China until you have been to Beijing.”
The Great Wall blew my mind away (and possibly my knees). According to my phone, I walked well over 30,000 steps and over 120 floors the day we visited the Great Wall! The climb to the wall itself was long and arduous, but the wall is truly breathtaking. Even though I have seen many photos of the wall, climbing and seeing the wall in person is an experience that was well worth the scorching sun and strenuous climb. The uneven steps of the wall stretched on and on. As I looked at each carefully placed stone, I couldn’t help but think about the hundreds of thousands of people who died building the massive wall to prevent invaders from entering China. Through the architectural grandeur of the wall, I saw a symbol of the unification and enduring strength of China.
Of course, we visited renowned sites in each city such as Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, and Terracotta Army in Xi’an. We learned about the many dynasties up to the Qin Dynasty that contributed to China’s rich and intriguing history. We also tried local foods, explored popular shopping districts, and visited night markets. The Muslim District in Xi’an was impressive and one of my favorite places to walk around. As a huge fan of public transportation, I traveled mostly by subway in Beijing to save money, avoid getting ripped off by taxi drivers, and observe how the city is connected through its subway system. Their subway system is clean, efficient, and very large!
At the Zhuhai airport, I was once again met by the familiar wall of warm, sticky humidity. Home sweet home. I was excited to be reunited with my host family again. My five-year-old host sister squealed with excitement when she saw me, and I felt at home surrounded by my host parents, grandma, and two sisters once again. This next week, all of the middle school students will continue testing. My seventh grade host sister was clearly stressed about her exams, and after a quick greeting, locked herself in her room for the rest of the day to study for the next day’s big exam. After a truly valuable, eye-opening week of exploring Chinese historical capitals, I am eager to return to Zhuhai no. 9 middle school and see my students again, especially after their exams when they will have a bit more free time. As for now, it is time to work on final preparations for our big final performance next week.