Matthew Bulow - China, 2017

Arrival

After a 14 hour plane ride from Detroit to Beijing, we immediately entered an airport full of commotion. We were approached by numerous locals asking for our business. From this moment on, we were treated as celebrities in every place we went. From the airport, we took a taxi and arrived at the hotel we would be staying at the night before we would meet our hosts. That night, or early morning in the United States, we were lucky enough to try the famous Beijing Roast Duck, a very unique and delightful meal. Extremely jet-lagged, our whole group went back to the hotel and tried to get as much sleep as possible before we would meet our host the next day. 

View from the Swissotel

Beijing

The following morning, we arrived early at Beijing No. 4 High School to meet our hosts and host families. The campus is quite small compared to MBA's, because it is hard to find much more space than they already have in such a populous city. After touring the school and campus, we were greeted by our hosts, who had just finished their final examinations of their school year. My host's name was Han Zhi Zhen. He is a very kind and intellectual person and it was a lot of fun to stay with him during my stay in Beijing. From the school, I rode with Han's dad and Han to arrive at his apartment, where I also met Han's mother. Han's family was very gracious and welcoming throughout my entire stay, making the transition into Chinese life much easier. As soon as I was settled, we immediately took off to begin our week long adventure through the streets of Beijing. When we arrived at our stop on the subway, we were greeted by Colin and his host Jonas. Colin and I visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and finished our long day by visiting a marketplace. At the market, Colin and I bought many cheap trinkets to commemorate our stay in Beijing. 

Forbidden City with portrait of Mao 

Beijing Subway

During the rest of my stay in Beijing, I got to see many other cultural landmarks, including the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Beijing Capital Museum. The Temple of Heaven was a very interesting place, as it used to be the place of worship for the ancient Chinese emperors. I was fascinated by the architecture of the Temple because of its intricate detail. I also really enjoyed seeing the Summer Palace, which used to be grounds for the emperor to live and vacation in the summer. The Summer Palace also had many amazing sights, including a covered walkway that had more than 1,000 ancient Chinese paintings. However, my favorite place that we visited during the entire stay in Beijing was the Great Wall. At the base of the lift to take us up to the wall, there was a small town and tourist venue that had many small shops and exhibits of ancient Chinese artifacts. The Great Wall completely surpassed my expectations, stretching much further than I thought any wall could. After nine days in Beijing, I arrived at the Beijing Nan Zhan (South Train Station) to meet Ms. Zhang and my other classmates. We boarded a bullet train and arrived in Jinan after 2 short hours.

Summer Palace

Ancient Artifact at Beijing Capital Museum

Temple of Heaven

Great Wall

View from Great Wall

Jinan

Da Ming Hu

Immediately at the train station in Jinan, I met my first host family. My host's name was Ho Xi Hao. He was very kind and fun, often making jokes with me. From the train station, this family immediately took me to a Sichuan style restaurant, where I got to try the spicy Sichuan cuisine for the first time. The following morning, Ho and I left very early to arrive at his school, Jinan Middle School. At this school, I meet my other classmates, and we got a tour of this school, a very pretty school with a large and spacious campus. When our tour was over, Ho and I went to his favorite gym, where I got to play basketball with Ho and many of his friends. After playing basketball, Ho and his parents took me to his uncle's restaurant, where I tried a very delicious dish called hong shao rou which translates to braised beef. To end the day, we visited Jinan's most famous landmark, a lake called Da Ming Hu. The next day, Ho handed me off to my next host, Yan Xing. I was only to stay with Yan for a single day, but it was very memorable nonetheless. During my stay with Yan, I discussed the differences between American and Chinese culture for hours on end. I met my final host, Peter Wang, the following day. During my stay with Peter, I visited Jinan's famous natural springs located directly in the middle of the bustling city. On the day of our departure from Jinan, I met with John and his host at his host mother's pottery shop, where I was taught how to make ancient Chinese pottery. A few hours later, my classmates and I boarded another bullet train and set off for the last city of our trip, Shanghai. 

Shanghai

After a 5 hour train ride, I met the last host of my stay in China. His name was John Chan. On the first day in Shanghai, my classmates and I met at Jiading Juyuan Liuli Xiaoxue, a school that houses children of migrant workers who work in big cities, but are unable to take their children with them. At this school, we taught these students English through many fun songs and dance. The next day, I went with John to the Shanghai's famous Oriental Pearl, a very interesting building architecturally. The Oriental Pearl is one of the world's tallest buildings, so I got to take a lot of pictures of the stunning views. On the day before our departure, my classmates and I met Ms. Zhang at the Shanghai World Financial Center, the second tallest building in Shanghai. While I have no pictures from the top of this building as I was too afraid to look around, I have pictures of these buildings on ground level. That night, we boarded the Shanghai harbor cruise, viewing the beautiful lights of the city. After 18 days of learning and experiencing, our trip came to an end as we boarded the plane to depart. 

Oriental Pearl

Shanghai World Financial Center on left, tallest building in Shanghai in middle

View of Shanghai from the Oriental Pearl

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Wilson family for the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the Chinese language and culture during my trip. This whole experience would not be possible without the help of the Wilson family, so I am very grateful. I would also like to thank Ms. Zhang for coordinating such a wonderfully planned trip.