These past two weeks in China have been full of so many amazing experiences that it's really reminded me why I decided to take the semester abroad. Since the last time I posted, I've zoomed around rural China on a motorcycle, seen giant pandas, climbed to the top of Mount Emei, and I've even seen the first ever Major League Baseball game in China.


Chengdu


Two weeks ago, I left for Chengdu, which is in the southern province of Sichuan. The trip was planned by ACC, so I went with about 40 fellow students.


On the first day, we all went to the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center, which was extremely impressive. The center was a park that stretched over a few dozen acres- it was amazing to stretch our legs after the train around, and to walk through trees and breathe fresh air after over 6 weeks in Beijing's urban sprawl.


Of course, the best part was the pandas. I've posted some pictures to a photobucket account (because posting pictures to this blog directly has been a huge headache), and I hope it works.
Giant Panda Reserve Photos


On the second day, we left for Leshan and saw the Grand Buddha there. This Buddha's toenails are big enough to have a picnic on. Even more impressive is the location- carved into the side of a mountain just metres from the sea. After checking out the Grand Buddha, we got a good night's sleep in order to prepare to climb Mount Emei the next day.


Climbing Mount Emei was a grueling experience- three of my friends and I climbed seemingly neverending stairs for almost 7 hours. And although the weather at the foot of Mount Emei was fairly warm, by the time we were halfway to the top there was a bit of snow, and for the last hour the stairs were coated by a fairly slick layer of hardened snow. After such a grueling day, we decided not to stay in a monastery, partly because they weren't that cool (they just seemed like cheap hotels where the owner wears a robe), and partly because we were too exhausted to deal with all-night chanting.


The next morning we made it to the summit of Mount Emei to take a few pictures. And then we found out you can take a bus to the top of Mount Emei. Our feet blistered and soaked, we decided to take the winding 2 hour return bus back to the bottom of the mountain.


The next day, my friend Jon and I decided we wanted an authentic rural China experience, and took off for Honglongxi. At first, we were a little disappointed- the town seemed like one big tourist trap- although everything was decorated very traditionally, there were lots of restaurants, shops selling DVDs, and many Chinese tourists. However, it turned out we had the best of both worlds- after settling into a comfortable hotel, we crossed over a nearby river and found ourselves in a real rural setting, filled with dingy buildings and fields.


There, we convinced a couple of farmers to let us ride their motorcycles around for an hour. The weather was beautiful and the riverside fields and scenery was incredible. We zoomed past houses and kids getting home from school- it was really an amazing time, and the best part of the Chengdu trip overall.

Photos from the rest of Chengdu

Back to Beijing


All good things must come to an end, and on Sunday, I was back at ACC studying for the next day's dictation all over again. But I had two great events to look forward to at the end of the week. The first was an Incubus concert in a small venue. Incubus is an American rock group whose shows sell out whole arenas in the US... yet we were lucky enough to have the chance to see them in a small club, up close in Beijing.


Then this Saturday afternoon, I had the opportunity to watch the San Diego Padres play the Los Angeles Dodgers in Beijing's brand new Wukesong Baseball stadium. It was the first Major League Baseball game to happen in China.


I found out about the game when I was visiting friends at the Grand Hyatt hotel a few days earlier and ran into hall of fame baseball player Dave Winfield. He told me about the games on the weekend, and even autographed my Chinese homework.


The game itself was so-so, but the experience was totally worth it. They did a great job of imitating the American baseball experience- there were national anthems and hot dogs, and they even played “take me out to the ball game” in the seventh inning. But there were a few additions- including cheerleaders, a dust storm in the bottom of the first inning, and garbage from the stands occasionally blowing onto the field.


The crowd was about 50% expats and 50% local Chinese. I asked a few Chinese after the game what they thought about game. Comments ranged from “not as good as basketball,” “didn't understand the rules,” and “why do the players just stand around most of the time?”


So it might be a while before baseball catches on in Beijing, but at least it was a nice taste of Western culture in a very Eastern city.


Photos from the game: