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For this blog I am going to give you a few tastes of what the group has been doing daily.
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There are three apparent challenges China must face: A reform of its industrial structure both in terms of labor and economy, the social tension that will arise from the world’s greatest income gap must be addressed, and the foreign policy issues that are present with its current position in the world.
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We went to the Great Wall today and Ming tombs; unbelievable. John, Blake, Ben, and I walked the entire renovated portion of the wall. It was glorious. After a week stuck in the city it was freeing to finally be able to get out and stretch my legs.
Rural/Countryside China has a majestic landscape. The small taste of it today gave me an appreciation for historical China. Capitalistic tendencies are prevalent and emerging in the countryside, as exemplified by the slide cars and cable cars built at the Great Wall. It will not be surprising to see China submerged even more completely in capitalism than the United States soon.
Chinese tourists were heavy on the pictures today. The four of us that continued to walk the wall were stopped incessantly for picture opportunities. It has been fun being a celebrity for nothing but my skin color and hair.
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The Imperial Academy was an extraordinary place. The history of the training and civil service exams that took place there is astounding. The compound was beautiful and its history was wonderfully preserved (a rarity for our visit). Ironically, shops and stalls have flooded every historical and religious sight, even those where there are no pictures allowed because of their religious importance.
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The Christian Church was a very eye-opening experience. From common perception in America I expected the pastor to speak in a hushed tone. But instead, she had a confident/comfortable air, many services, and many bibles translated into Chinese. Now, there is no way to tell if it is a legitimate translation, but they were, in either respect, selling them for very little money. She did not seem to view the government as an obstacle that they had to get around.
Later on that night the guys travelled to the “Bardstown Road” area of Beijing. What an incredible atmosphere. There was good music, few cars, great shops, and fantastic food. It was one of the best nights of the trip so far.
— Zach Barnes, from the PRC, June 5
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There are three apparent challenges China must face: A reform of its industrial structure both in terms of labor and economy, the social tension that will arise from the world’s greatest income gap must be addressed, and the foreign policy issues that are present with its current position in the world.
…
We went to the Great Wall today and Ming tombs; unbelievable. John, Blake, Ben, and I walked the entire renovated portion of the wall. It was glorious. After a week stuck in the city it was freeing to finally be able to get out and stretch my legs.
Rural/Countryside China has a majestic landscape. The small taste of it today gave me an appreciation for historical China. Capitalistic tendencies are prevalent and emerging in the countryside, as exemplified by the slide cars and cable cars built at the Great Wall. It will not be surprising to see China submerged even more completely in capitalism than the United States soon.
Chinese tourists were heavy on the pictures today. The four of us that continued to walk the wall were stopped incessantly for picture opportunities. It has been fun being a celebrity for nothing but my skin color and hair.
…
The Imperial Academy was an extraordinary place. The history of the training and civil service exams that took place there is astounding. The compound was beautiful and its history was wonderfully preserved (a rarity for our visit). Ironically, shops and stalls have flooded every historical and religious sight, even those where there are no pictures allowed because of their religious importance.
…
The Christian Church was a very eye-opening experience. From common perception in America I expected the pastor to speak in a hushed tone. But instead, she had a confident/comfortable air, many services, and many bibles translated into Chinese. Now, there is no way to tell if it is a legitimate translation, but they were, in either respect, selling them for very little money. She did not seem to view the government as an obstacle that they had to get around.
Later on that night the guys travelled to the “Bardstown Road” area of Beijing. What an incredible atmosphere. There was good music, few cars, great shops, and fantastic food. It was one of the best nights of the trip so far.
— Zach Barnes, from the PRC, June 5