My Trip To China This Past Summer In Photos

[boys noize]

I was inspired by Jordan Novice' post of his own trip to China so I decided to post some pictures of my trip. I don't have anything better to do today and it's raining so I'll probably put them all up today 

A little background:

I'm a college student at SDSU and this past summer I went on a month long teaching/cultural exchange trip to China. I visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The teaching portion of my stay was in the town of Fu'an in Fujian province. China is one of the most amazing places I've ever been to and I'd recommend anyone to go. Hopefully these pics will show you a side of China you don't just see in the news.

There's going to be a lot of pictures so I'm going to break each post down into different sections of my trip.

Part 1: Arriving in Beijing

The first thing I see getting off the plane coming from San Francisco. This is one of the terminals at the Hong Kong International airport. Waiting for my flight to Beijing.

During my short time in Beijing, we, the international students, stayed in the dormitories of Tsinghua University. The university is regarded as the MIT of China. All of the Chinese look up to the students that attend Tsinghua and Peking University because they are regarded as the best of the best. The university enrolls about 30,000 students, a tiny fraction of college-aged people in this nation of 1.3billion. The vast majority of China's leaders are alums of this school, including the current president Hu Jintao. This is the lily pond behind the university president's office. Simply beautiful.

Tian'anmen

Enroute to the Great Wall. A couple boys eating some kind of jerky type thing on skewers. Possibly seeing a white person for the first time?

Great Wall. I mean, yeah, you have to visit it if you're in China since it's an important cultural landmark but... it's a claustrophobic cluster-%*%+. Thousands of people pushing and shoving their way past you on this narrow, and sometimes very steep, path with no two steps the same height.

Karaoke with the other US students 

 If you didn't know, Asians LOVE karaoke. During my month and a half there, I probably hit the karaoke bars like ten times. I "perfected" Usher's 'My Boo'. 

Our team to Fu'an. Consisting of two US students and six Tsinghua students and grad students. Our team leader was a 17 year old genius girl. She spoke perfect English and two other languages other than Chinese fluently. Her favorite thing to do is play UNO. 

 

[boys noize]

I was inspired by Jordan Novice' post of his own trip to China so I decided to post some pictures of my trip. I don't have anything better to do today and it's raining so I'll probably put them all up today 

A little background:

I'm a college student at SDSU and this past summer I went on a month long teaching/cultural exchange trip to China. I visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The teaching portion of my stay was in the town of Fu'an in Fujian province. China is one of the most amazing places I've ever been to and I'd recommend anyone to go. Hopefully these pics will show you a side of China you don't just see in the news.

There's going to be a lot of pictures so I'm going to break each post down into different sections of my trip.

Part 1: Arriving in Beijing

The first thing I see getting off the plane coming from San Francisco. This is one of the terminals at the Hong Kong International airport. Waiting for my flight to Beijing.

During my short time in Beijing, we, the international students, stayed in the dormitories of Tsinghua University. The university is regarded as the MIT of China. All of the Chinese look up to the students that attend Tsinghua and Peking University because they are regarded as the best of the best. The university enrolls about 30,000 students, a tiny fraction of college-aged people in this nation of 1.3billion. The vast majority of China's leaders are alums of this school, including the current president Hu Jintao. This is the lily pond behind the university president's office. Simply beautiful.

Tian'anmen

Enroute to the Great Wall. A couple boys eating some kind of jerky type thing on skewers. Possibly seeing a white person for the first time?

Great Wall. I mean, yeah, you have to visit it if you're in China since it's an important cultural landmark but... it's a claustrophobic cluster-%*%+. Thousands of people pushing and shoving their way past you on this narrow, and sometimes very steep, path with no two steps the same height.

Karaoke with the other US students 

 If you didn't know, Asians LOVE karaoke. During my month and a half there, I probably hit the karaoke bars like ten times. I "perfected" Usher's 'My Boo'. 

Our team to Fu'an. Consisting of two US students and six Tsinghua students and grad students. Our team leader was a 17 year old genius girl. She spoke perfect English and two other languages other than Chinese fluently. Her favorite thing to do is play UNO. 

 

[airkeung88]

Boys Noize wrote

Girl all the way on the right, she mix-asian?

 

[airkeung88]

Boys Noize wrote

Girl all the way on the right, she mix-asian?

 

[damn its me]

i love these...please continue...im an illegal in america so i cant travel, although its great to see what others are doing!
EDIT: you posted in the electro thread with me... whattup son!

 

[damn its me]

i love these...please continue...im an illegal in america so i cant travel, although its great to see what others are doing!
EDIT: you posted in the electro thread with me... whattup son!

 

[ginzo]

Originally Posted by damn its me

im an illegal in america

Great stuff OP.

 

[ginzo]

Originally Posted by damn its me

im an illegal in america

Great stuff OP.

 

[damnitzdom]

When I was crossing the border form Cambodia to Thailand for the day, I was beside a black man and it felt as if the entire city stopped dead in its tracks and stared at him.

 

[damnitzdom]

When I was crossing the border form Cambodia to Thailand for the day, I was beside a black man and it felt as if the entire city stopped dead in its tracks and stared at him.

 

[boys noize]

Part 2: Fu'an

As the days went by, I began to notice a theme. You read about how many people are in China but you will never understand it until you're actually there. We take for granted walking down the street with open sidewalks and not brushing up against people. In China, that kind of open space doesn't exist. You're constantly being jostled and running into people everywhere. And it's completely normal. This is a picture of one of the main train stations in Beijing. Being the college students we are, we can't afford to fly to Fu'an so we took the train. The train ride to Fu'an from Beijing is 20 hours long.

UNO 

First thing after we get off the train was to go get food. We stopped at a nearby canteen and had noodles. Fuzhou, the main city in the province of Fujian, is famous for it's fish balls. The insides have pork. This bowl of noodles is honestly one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten in my life. And it only cost 5RMB which is about $0.75.

After another 4 hour bus ride, we finally arrive in our town, Fu'an.

The hotel we stayed in during our time in Fu'an. Miserable in comparison to the hotels and motels we're familiar with in the US but pretty damn awesome by rural Chinese standards. We had running water, mattresses, toilets, and even internet. After the trip, we heard that some other groups that went to more far flung places slept on hay or took weekly showers from water they had to boil themselves 

Our first night there, the town leaders and education officials took us out and wined and dined us. This is another common theme of the trip. Like I said earlier, the Chinese really look up to the students of Tsinghua students. They're like mini-celebrities. They could really give a damn about us US students but they were like 

 at the Tsinghua students. Other common themes I noticed on my trip is the Chinese affinity for awful beer (Budweiser Ice) and worse hard liquor (bai jiao, which is basically rubbing alcohol. Moonshine really.) Also, American's really take for granted fresh orange juice. Such a luxury is hard to find in China. That bottle of Minute Maid isn't even "orange juice from concentrate". The stuff tasted like Tang.

We were served this bagel looking thing during dinner. I was like

 Jewish influence is everywhere but apparently this thing is a Fujian original. Cut it open and put a stir-fry of bean sprouts, peppers, and pork inside. Delicious.

The view from the school we taught at. Just beautiful. A place hardly touched by the industrialization going on everywhere else in the country.

The schools basketball court. The Chinese students I taught were huge NBA fans. Everyone loves Kobe. 

 

This amazing woman cooked all our lunches and dinners everyday. Fresh vegetables, seafood, and meats every meal. Another evidence of the Tsinghua student's celebrity.

First day on the job a success. This herbal tea stuff is crack in a can (and not in some 4Loko way.) If I could have, I would have brought back a case of this stuff.

My favorite Tsinghua student, Martin, giving a riveting lecture to about a hundred students. He gave a really inspiring speech about working hard in school and making sacrifices so as to carve out a better life for themselves. Told his own story of how he came from a small town and worked his way into Tsinghua. The thing that blew my mind was that Martin is 18 and these students, while looking like babies, were only a year or two younger. The genius girl that was the leader of the group was YOUNGER than some of these students.

Each tiny classroom held about 50-70 students.

I LOVE this guy 

 Absolutely would not surprise me if he someday ended up the president of China. Throughout our trip, we would have really engaging discussions on everything ranging from politics, the differences growing up in China and the US, international policies, girls (or the lack thereof

), and everything in between. 

Our kids 

 I played one on one with the kid on the left holding the ball. He broke my ankles so hard that I had a limp for two days

Before I left, I wanted to give the kids something. Anything. They honestly made the entire experience so fulfilling that I felt indebted to them. So what I did was I went into the town and bought as many blank CDs as I could (surprisingly difficult in rural China) and made as many mixtapes of my favorite songs as I could. Once I gave all those away, I started drawing caricatures and portraits of the students. I just wanted to give them something personal.

A couple of my CD's floating around 

I drew a portrait for this old man that really moved Martin. For a week, Martin would go and talk with this guy during our lunches and he'd come back everyday in tears. He told us how the man had fought in the Vietnam war (with the communists) and how his life unfolded. His wife died and his children moved away to the big city. Really sad stuff. I wish I drew a better portrait.

Kids just walking in the streets in the town.

Tea.

My other US teammate, Susan, trying out how to prepare tea.

Last night in Fu'an, Susan and I decided to teach the Tsinghua students how to play beer pong

.

Before we departed for Beijing, the town leaders took us on a sort of field trip. We went to check out a local waterfall and caves. Breathtaking. I felt like I was back in Hawaii.

Going back to Beijing. 

 

[boys noize]

Part 2: Fu'an

As the days went by, I began to notice a theme. You read about how many people are in China but you will never understand it until you're actually there. We take for granted walking down the street with open sidewalks and not brushing up against people. In China, that kind of open space doesn't exist. You're constantly being jostled and running into people everywhere. And it's completely normal. This is a picture of one of the main train stations in Beijing. Being the college students we are, we can't afford to fly to Fu'an so we took the train. The train ride to Fu'an from Beijing is 20 hours long.

UNO 

First thing after we get off the train was to go get food. We stopped at a nearby canteen and had noodles. Fuzhou, the main city in the province of Fujian, is famous for it's fish balls. The insides have pork. This bowl of noodles is honestly one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten in my life. And it only cost 5RMB which is about $0.75.

After another 4 hour bus ride, we finally arrive in our town, Fu'an.

The hotel we stayed in during our time in Fu'an. Miserable in comparison to the hotels and motels we're familiar with in the US but pretty damn awesome by rural Chinese standards. We had running water, mattresses, toilets, and even internet. After the trip, we heard that some other groups that went to more far flung places slept on hay or took weekly showers from water they had to boil themselves 

Our first night there, the town leaders and education officials took us out and wined and dined us. This is another common theme of the trip. Like I said earlier, the Chinese really look up to the students of Tsinghua students. They're like mini-celebrities. They could really give a damn about us US students but they were like 

 at the Tsinghua students. Other common themes I noticed on my trip is the Chinese affinity for awful beer (Budweiser Ice) and worse hard liquor (bai jiao, which is basically rubbing alcohol. Moonshine really.) Also, American's really take for granted fresh orange juice. Such a luxury is hard to find in China. That bottle of Minute Maid isn't even "orange juice from concentrate". The stuff tasted like Tang.

We were served this bagel looking thing during dinner. I was like

 Jewish influence is everywhere but apparently this thing is a Fujian original. Cut it open and put a stir-fry of bean sprouts, peppers, and pork inside. Delicious.

The view from the school we taught at. Just beautiful. A place hardly touched by the industrialization going on everywhere else in the country.

The schools basketball court. The Chinese students I taught were huge NBA fans. Everyone loves Kobe. 

 

This amazing woman cooked all our lunches and dinners everyday. Fresh vegetables, seafood, and meats every meal. Another evidence of the Tsinghua student's celebrity.

First day on the job a success. This herbal tea stuff is crack in a can (and not in some 4Loko way.) If I could have, I would have brought back a case of this stuff.

My favorite Tsinghua student, Martin, giving a riveting lecture to about a hundred students. He gave a really inspiring speech about working hard in school and making sacrifices so as to carve out a better life for themselves. Told his own story of how he came from a small town and worked his way into Tsinghua. The thing that blew my mind was that Martin is 18 and these students, while looking like babies, were only a year or two younger. The genius girl that was the leader of the group was YOUNGER than some of these students.

Each tiny classroom held about 50-70 students.

I LOVE this guy 

 Absolutely would not surprise me if he someday ended up the president of China. Throughout our trip, we would have really engaging discussions on everything ranging from politics, the differences growing up in China and the US, international policies, girls (or the lack thereof

), and everything in between. 

Our kids 

 I played one on one with the kid on the left holding the ball. He broke my ankles so hard that I had a limp for two days

Before I left, I wanted to give the kids something. Anything. They honestly made the entire experience so fulfilling that I felt indebted to them. So what I did was I went into the town and bought as many blank CDs as I could (surprisingly difficult in rural China) and made as many mixtapes of my favorite songs as I could. Once I gave all those away, I started drawing caricatures and portraits of the students. I just wanted to give them something personal.

A couple of my CD's floating around 

I drew a portrait for this old man that really moved Martin. For a week, Martin would go and talk with this guy during our lunches and he'd come back everyday in tears. He told us how the man had fought in the Vietnam war (with the communists) and how his life unfolded. His wife died and his children moved away to the big city. Really sad stuff. I wish I drew a better portrait.

Kids just walking in the streets in the town.

Tea.

My other US teammate, Susan, trying out how to prepare tea.

Last night in Fu'an, Susan and I decided to teach the Tsinghua students how to play beer pong

.

Before we departed for Beijing, the town leaders took us on a sort of field trip. We went to check out a local waterfall and caves. Breathtaking. I felt like I was back in Hawaii.

Going back to Beijing. 

 

[mangudai954]

Edited: May come off as racist.

 

[boys noize]

Originally Posted by airkeung88

Boys Noize wrote

Girl all the way on the right, she mix-asian?


She was the other US student in our group. She's Cambodian I believe.

 

[boys noize]

Originally Posted by airkeung88

Boys Noize wrote

Girl all the way on the right, she mix-asian?


She was the other US student in our group. She's Cambodian I believe.

 

[mangudai954]

Edited: May come off as racist.

 

[boys noize]

Originally Posted by Mangudai954

Did you see any students rebel against their evil sifu in the mountain tops? How awesome would that be?

I know this is a joke but I do want to talk a little bit about education in China. The kids in China REALLY appreciate education much more than the students I encountered growing up in the US. It's not uncool to be smart or a nerd or whatever. All the kids want to go to college but it's very difficult. The equivalent of the SATs over there is the Gao Kao. All Chinese students graduating high school take the Gao Kao and the best of the best go to college. Unlike the SATs where you can take it like seven times in a calendar year, students only get one shot. Coupled with the One-Child Policy, you can begin to imagine the pressure these kids face from their families and society.

 

[boys noize]

Originally Posted by Mangudai954

Did you see any students rebel against their evil sifu in the mountain tops? How awesome would that be?

I know this is a joke but I do want to talk a little bit about education in China. The kids in China REALLY appreciate education much more than the students I encountered growing up in the US. It's not uncool to be smart or a nerd or whatever. All the kids want to go to college but it's very difficult. The equivalent of the SATs over there is the Gao Kao. All Chinese students graduating high school take the Gao Kao and the best of the best go to college. Unlike the SATs where you can take it like seven times in a calendar year, students only get one shot. Coupled with the One-Child Policy, you can begin to imagine the pressure these kids face from their families and society.

 

[shaunhillftw49]

 

[shaunhillftw49]

 

[stuntman mike]

what's kingcrux doing in china? 

 

[stuntman mike]

what's kingcrux doing in china? 

 

[damnitzdom]

That girl looks Cambodian 

I wanted to comment on every single picture but you look like you had a blast.

 

[damnitzdom]

That girl looks Cambodian 

I wanted to comment on every single picture but you look like you had a blast.

 

[marath0n]

Wow man thanks for sharing. I'm seriously touched. Earlier this year I made it my mission someway somehow to work in China for a few years on the finance side. Planning on becoming fluent in Mandarin and everything. Can't wait to go.