James Throckmorton: China

2013

One of China's most iconic images: The Forbidden City

          Visiting China was one of the greatest experiences in my life, but I admit that I was quite nervous. I had never flown over an ocean before or been out of the country before. As the plane was landing, hundreds of thoughts rushed into my head. What if I offend someone? What if I did something wrong? I took a deep breath and relaxed. I reminded myself that this amazing trip would change my life forever.

            The first city that I visited was China’s capitol, Beijing. After disembarking the plane, my group was greeted by four students who attended Beijing Number 4 high school. They were all eager to meet us. Their names were Harry, Peter, Anna, and Biscuit. 

(Left to Right) Harry, Jackson, Biscuit, Anna, Penn, Steve, myself, and Peter

They introduced me to my first authentic Chinese meal consisting of things I have never even attempted eating. They also gave me great insight into the way Chinese people go about their daily lives. My introduction to China had begun.

            We saw many fascinating sites while staying in Beijing such as a Chinese Museum, Tienamen Square, The Forbidden City, The Great Wall of China, Beijing Number 4 High School, The Temple of Heaven, The Summer Palace, and the Silk Market. 

The Forbidden City: The former palace of the Emperor

 I was able to vastly improve my Chinese at the Silk Market where customers had to haggle for items. I was able to use my Chinese skills to talk to the salesmen and purchase small trinkets for a very low price. However, visiting Beijing Number 4 taught me about Chinese culture. I was able to converse with several Chinese students and learn how they go about their day to day activities. 

Standing atop the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall winds across the landscape for as far as the I can see.

 Although everything that I saw in Beijing was mesmerizing, The Great Wall will have a very lasting impression on my life. My group of MBA students hiked about four miles of the Great Wall during our visit. It towered over the land scape and seemed almost mystical. As I was standing atop the tallest portion of the wall that we could go to, I was awestruck by the majesty of the great structure. The fact that the wall had been built by men over many generations and that many of the workers were buried underneath the wall made my knees weak. The wall had stood the test of time and defended the land from conquerors throughout the dynasties that have ruled China in the past.

            Beijing was not the only place that I visited. I also explored the city of Jinnan, which is the hometown of my Chinese teacher, Zhang Laoshi. We traveled to Jinnan by train, and it was the first time I had ever been on a high speed train.   

My first experience in a high speed train.

The city was tiny compared to the bustling city of Beijing (It was still much bigger than Nashville). My host brother, Tom, was an incredibly nice guy who accepted me into his family. His cousin, Lien, also lived with him, they went to the same school. This experience was the true test for my Chinese skills because Tom could not speak English very well nor could the rest of his family. I had to really concentrated and try my best to understand what others were saying, and I had to make sure that they could understand me. I learned so much about Chinese culture from shadowing Tom and talking to him and his cousin. One thing I did learn was from pure dumb luck. At the first dinner I had with my host family, they raised a toast. We all clinked glasses, and I clinked glasses with Tom's grandfather. I did not know it at the time, but I had dipped the top of my glass underneath the top of his glass. The old man was shocked by this action because it is a great sign of respect. For the rest of my time in Jinnan, Tom's grandfather wanted to converse with me to test my Chinese skills. 

(Left to Right) Lien and Tom saying goodbye to me on my last day in Jinnan.

           

             When it was finally time to leave my host family, we had a heartfelt goodbye. I then re-boarded the train and traveled to Shanghai. Shanghai was an amazing experience. All of the buildings towered above me. It is such an advanced city and yet it has such a vast history. Several buildings of British origin dot the curve in the river known as the Bund (The bend in the river). 

The soon to be second tallest building in the world

The Bund: One of the most iconic spots in all of Shanghai

The best part about Shanghai was meeting my host brother Owen. Owen had visited MBA in the winter, and I had met him during his exchange. He is a really great guy, and we share many of the same interests. 

Owen and his mother saying goodbye to me as I departed Shanghai

While in Shanghai, Owen and I were both quite busy because we were preparing for the international conference that was taking place at Owen’s school. He had to prepare for the events, and I had to prepare for my role as a director and presenter. Even though we both had very busy schedules, we always talked with each other. Every night, we would play video games together. Owen taught me a valuable lesson while I was staying with him. Even though American students seem to be very different from Chinese students and vice versa, we can still enjoy the same things and enjoy each other’s company. 

            This trip was one of the greatest experiences in my life, and I will never forget it for as long as I live. The Wilson Family has given me so much, and I offer them my sincere gratitude. I also would like to thank my host families for putting up with me. I know that it must have been difficult to change your daily routine, and I and truly grateful. I would also like to thank Zhang Laoshi for taking such good care of me and the other MBA students as we traveled across China. I also give my sincere thanks to Mr. Gaither and Mr. Paolicchi for making all of this possible.