The Great Adventures of Beijing, China

International Marketing (China Study Abroad) Travelogue

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot

be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” - Mark Twain, “Innocents Abroad”

This quote from Mark Twain speaks in volumes. Traveling the world exposes individuals

to new cultures and new ideas. It also leads to unforgettable experiences, which in turn leads to personal learning and growth. Traveling creates an opportunity for people to broaden their perspectives on life and issues which impact life. Traveling opens the minds of individuals by exposing them to the diverse lifestyles, customs, practices and beliefs. Traveling provides an opportunity for people to learn more about themselves by interacting with other cultures. Once a person has journeyed through the positive experiences of traveling, he or she can make his or her home surroundings a better place filled with the diverse richness of ideas, experiences, and perspectives received from traveling abroad. This is exactly what I experienced during my two-week study in Beijing, China!

Before leaving for Beijing I had no idea what to expect, all I knew is that I was

embarking on an experience that I would remember for a lifetime. Beijing is the People’s Republic of China, and the nation’s political, economic, cultural and international trade and communication center. Beijing is also the home to 21.7 million people.

Not realizing, I fell in love with China as a study aboard student at the China University

of Geosciences. Each destination traveled was as remarkable and exciting as the last. As well as the unique friendships made throughout the journey. My time included visits to the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest), the Temple of Heaven, the Beijing Zoo and much more.

Day 1 – Wednesday, May 18

Arrive in Beijing Dinner at the Campus Restaurant on the 4th floor This was the very first introduction of the “Lazy Susan”. The “Lazy Susan” is a table that makes a 360 degree circle. This was used at almost every restaurant to help circulate the food to each person. This was also the first time being introduced to the amount of food being served. The waitress and waiter kept bringing out food. We were definitely amazed. Outing with University of North Carolina – Pembroke We went on an outing with the group from UNCP and their Chinese friends. They shared their experience, and gave us an insight on what we had to look forward to for the next two weeks.

Day 2 – Thursday, May 19 Breakfast at hotel

Join the class with UNC-P Tour the campus

The campus was absolutely amazing. I had a chance to visit the library, the gymnasium, the soccer fields and the dorms. The most interesting aspect was the dorms. There were eight students to one small dorm. This is different than what I was accustomed to. It’s hard enough having one other roommate, but imagine seven. I asked them I how it was…the response received was, “I’m only in my room to sleep. I don’t spend much time in there.” Another interesting thing about the campus and student life is the shower facilities. The showers aren’t located in the dorms. Students must travel to another building to shower. I also had a chance to eat in the cafeteria. The food was much better than the American cafeterias, and they also offered a greater variety than I’m typically accustomed to. Overall, the campus life was similar. I’m glad I had the opportunity to see something different.

Day 3 – Friday, May 20 Great Wall of China

Comprising of 13,000 miles of brick, stone and wood the Great Wall of China built was

for protection against raids and invasions. I must say it was nothing short of amazing. The Great Wall of China is a must-see China attraction with more than 70,000 visitors per day. As you can imagine, it was crowded when we went. However, we managed to hike up the steep steps and high slopes. We found ourselves stopping all along the way for a photo opportunity, or “selfie” because each angle and each location was breathtaking. Literally, breathtaking! There is no such thing as “strolling” or “walking” up the Great Wall of China. In actuality it’s climbing up the Great Wall of China. I had been training for a 5k, but this trip was quite challenging at certain times. Once done I had a satisfying feeling and I was truly proud of myself for “climbing” the Great Wall of China. Thankfully, they had a sliding car that took us back down. That was well worth the yuan for it. By the way, I bought a medal and T-Shirt to sport my great accomplishments.

Other Highlights: • Celebrity Status – People wanted to stop and take pictures with us • Vendors – Many vendors located along the wall with souvenirs • Great Wall of China Black Bear • Ate a “boxed” lunch also known as a snack lunch: Banana, apple, chicken

stick and boiled egg with bread

Tea Shop After a stimulating time at the Great Wall, we went to Dr. Tea for a tea ceremony. Teas

are very important to the Chinese tradition. The Chinese culture believes that tea refreshes the mind, clears heat within the body, and helps with weight loss.

Our extremely informed tea lady demonstrated the proper way to steep the tea for deliciousness. We sampled Jasmine tea, Oolong tea and a fruit tea. All of them were delicious! I even brought a few home as souvenirs. Our trip concluded with a picture in front of the store.

Day 4 – Saturday, May 21 Class Day This was our first class day in International Marketing. This was actually our first time meeting the Chinese students. We formed our teams. In my team I had Vanessa, Luvian, Sunny, News, James and Faye. I was fortunate enough to be placed with great Chinese team members. I quickly learned that they would be there to help and assist in anything I needed.

Banquet at Silk Road – Xinjiang Restaurant The group had an opportunity to attend a banquet. This was a time for us to dress up. The restaurant had the same name as the Silk Road, which played a significant role in trading between China and other Asian countries during ancient times. As its name implies, the restaurant primarily offered the tasty and fragrant food with Xinjiang special cuisine. The food was very tasty. We indulged in braised lamb chops, braised chicken and Chinese wine! We were also entertained with dancing entertainment. This was definitely a nice way to conclude the night.

Other Highlights • Wedding crashers: I

got invited to an authentic Chinese wedding reception. My favorite part

was the attire! • WHOO Night Club –

So much fun! The DJ was on fire! We started the fun on the dance

floor.

Day 5- Sunday, May 22 Class We kicked off the next day by attending class. We learned about International law and business, the 5’Ps in Marketing and began our conversation on our group project. The purpose of the group project was to introduce an American project to the Chinese market. My group decided to introduce the garbage disposal unit. What I realized is that we take some products for granted in the United States, and the garbage disposal unit is one of them. Wangfujing Street Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to visit Wangujing Street. I wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed in a rested. From what I heard it was fun. Wangujing Street is a famous shopping street that has the popular night market featuring unique and exotic cuisines. Foods included scorpions and deep fried starfish. From the pictures everyone took part in embracing the new unfamiliar foods.

Other Highlights

• The Pizza Bar – The pizza was good, just no pizza sauce… Day 6 – Monday, May 23 Tian’anmen Square Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the centre of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen ("Gate of Heavenly Peace") located to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City. The square contains the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. This is where the group initiated the term “Banner Time”. When we heard that we knew it was time to take a group photo with the TAMUC Banner. Forbidden City (Palace Museum) The Forbidden City was the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming Dynasty. It is the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. To represent the supreme power of the emperor given from God, and the place where he lived being the center of the world, all the gates, palace and other structures of the Forbidden City were arranged about the north-south central axis of old Beijing. The Forbidden City covers an area of about 72 hectares (178 acres) with a total floor space of approximately 150,000 square meters (1,600,000 square feet). It consists of 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms. The most interesting thing was hearing about their concubines...Thanks to our tour guide for showing us around and explaining everything is detail.

Day 7 – Tuesday, May 24 Temple of Heaven One word…CROWDED! The Temple of Heaven was very crowded. If you didn’t move quickly enough, you would get pushed around. The Temple of Heaven is considered the most holy of Beijing's imperial temples. Once a year, at winter

solstice, the emperors came here to worship Heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. The design of the Temple of Heaven complex, true to its sacred purpose, reflects the mystical cosmological laws believed to be central to the workings of the universe. Both the overall arrangement and the buildings themselves reflect the relationship between sky and earth, the core of understanding of the Universe at that time. We had a chance to look into each room located in the museum. Beijing Zoo A quick trip to see the Giant Pandas! Everybody loves the giant panda! With its black-white coat, the adorable fluffy animal is one of the most precious animals in the world. It is native to China, proudly called the 'national treasure'. Apart from The Great Wall, Terra-Cotta Warriors, and Forbidden City, it has also become an important temptation to world-wide tourists. Well we had a chance to visit the giant pandas. I think Dr. Mintu was the most excited about seeing the pandas. I’m glad we had a chance to see them.

Silk Market Where does silk come from? Well we found out. We did a tour of silk market, and how the silk is transformed from the silk worm to actual silk. This is one of the most visited markets in Beijing. All sorts of silk products are sold ranging from ties, tablecloths, linens, bedding, traditional clothes as well as dressing gowns. I actually had me a custom Chinese Qipao made at the silk market. I had been waiting for that purchase the entire trip! Day 8 – Wednesday, May 25 Class Attended class most of the day

Peking Duck for Dinner The Peking Duck is a famous duck dish in Beijing. The meat is prized for its thin, crisp skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks bred specially for the dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is eaten with scallion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce with pancakes rolled around the fillings. Sometimes pickled radish is also inside, and other sauces (like hoisin sauce) can be used. This was very tasty.

Day 9- Thursday, May 26 National Museum of China The museum is the third most visited museum in the world. This was an enormous museum. This museum houses the most cherished and topmost level cultural relics of the whole nation, which can be seen in history schoolbook. The oldest exhibit is the teeth of Yuanmou Man 1.7 million years ago. There are also the stone tools and ancient jade ritual objects of prehistoric times. Other permanent exhibits were on display to view. The thing that I liked the most was the display of gifts given to the dignitaries.

Acrobat Show One word to sum this up was…WOW! We had a chance to attend an afternoon performance of an acrobat show. This had all of us in AWE. The performance was similar to a Cirque De Soli performance. The stunts were amazing, and the girls were very flexible.

Other Highlights • Western BBQ

Of course, the food was yummy. We had a chance to cook it ourselves. • Massage

A few of us went for a traditional massage. So, relaxing…especially after all the walking we had done.

Day 10- Friday, May 27 Pearl Market – Hongqiao Market

Shop…Shop…Shop!!! This is the place where I went crazy. Everything was a deal, and all you had to do is barter. I did have buyer’s remorse a few times because I felt like I overpaid for certain items. The people were very aggressive when trying to seal the deal. The Pearl Market had three large floors of purses, electronics, watches, scarves, ties, jewelry and everything else. This was where you could get most of your souvenirs.

KTV

SO MUCH FUN! KTV is a karaoke place. KTV is quite different from traditional western karaoke which is usually just a big screen at the front of the bar. KTV is a private room with a big flat screen TV, a fancy entertainment system, big plush couches. The song selection is good with the newest and greatest hits. What I found out this night is that the Chinese students could really sing. The American students not so well. We just sang for fun and had a good time. This opened the Chinese student’s eyes, and showed them how relaxed we were and enjoyed having a good time.

Day 11 – Saturday, May 28

Summer Palace The Summer Palace (Chinese Pinyin: Yí Hé Yuán), northwest of Beijing, is said to be the

best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in China. It covers an area of 70 thousand square meters and holds over 3000 houses. The Summer Palace is one of the loveliest spots in Beijing. Not all the buildings are open

to the public, but many are, and the others continue to enhance the park with their design and decoration, nestled into the landscape.

After hiking up to the top of the palace, we took a short boat-ride across the beautiful lake. I enjoyed this place because it sat on water and it was gorgeous. Very relaxing and peaceful.

Hot Pot – Haidilao Hot Pot Hot Pot is a popular cuisine in

Beijing. The meat is usually sliced frozen so that it curls up into a tube shape. Then you place the meat into the hotpot, which is a copper pot containing a boiling soup base. After a few seconds the meat is cooked and you dip it into a sauce. There are two pots, one for spicy and one for mild. We tried shrimp, pig intestines, tofu, cow stomach, vegetables and other food. It was different…but good.

Day 12 – Sunday, May 29 Pearl Market Went back to Pearl Market to make our final purchases Birds Nest and Water Cube

The Bird’s Nest is Beijing’s National Stadium, also where the 2008 Summer Olympics were held. The Water Cube is an aquatics center that was built alongside Beijing National Stadium in the Olympic Green for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Day 13 – Monday, May 30 Class

We finished up our last class by making our final presentation about our American made project. The Chinese students also made a presentation about their experience. They all had nice things to say. They said that American students are more playful, and that we showed them how to have a good time. We also learned that the class format is different from what they are accustomed to. We have the opportunity to ask more questions. Overall, the class setting was great. We really had an opportunity to learn more about them in the classroom setting.

Party The Chinese students hosted a farewell party. The party included many fun games that I

haven’t played since I was a kid. We played musical chairs and a racing game on how many

peanuts you can transport using chopsticks. The American students taught the Chinese students how to line dance (The Chi-chi slide and the Cupid Shuffle). We also sang “Deep in the Heart of Texas”. Last, we exchanged gifts. I received a lovely silk scarf, a traditional Chinese umbrella (to keep the sun away), and other Chinese related gifts. Through the course of two weeks we really had a chance to bond. So, saying goodbye wasn’t easy.

Day 14 – Tuesday, May 31 Head Home All good things must come to a close…After eating Peking Duck one last time we headed back to the Airport to leave. We said one final goodbye to our Chinese students and the bus left. We thought that our journey had come to a close, but we realized that it hadn’t just yet. Our flight was delayed in Beijing by an hour, so we missed our connecting flight in Toronto. This made us stay in Toronto for a night. So, we had a chance to experience a little of the Canadian culture. We finally made it back to DFW a day later. It felt good to be back on Texas soil.

Other Memories:

• Subway – Crowded. Many different routes to take • Public Transportation – Bus – Very Clean • KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut – Very advanced electronically, Higher end

and tailored their menu to the Chinese culture. At McDonalds we had Green Tea Ice Cream.

China left me with beautiful images, memories of a rich culture, people’s warmth, and

exquisite food, but the most important thing that I will cherish are the friendships made. Before our trip we were 10 students who barely knew each other and barely knew China. By the end we developed a bond, and a friendship. My Chinese friends were so welcoming, friendly, attentive and nice. They are exciting people who work hard and are eager for what their future holds. I was also challenged to rethink about my own culture and how we interact with the rest of the world. I'm confident that the experiences of the last two weeks will give me greater opportunities in the future and allow me to contribute to the success of my employer. Regardless, new and lasting friendships have been formed with the other students I traveled with and with my new Chinese friends. Additionally, we all learned something about ourselves and the culture that defines who we are as individuals.

Going back to the quote, “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness”,

I’m a visionary and forward thinking person. This opportunity has increased my visions even

more. This has opened my eyes to greater horizons, and expanded my narrow-mindedness. Studying abroad in China has forced me to step outside of my comfort zone, or “little corner” and embrace an unfamiliar place. I utilized this experience to assist me with being more culturally diverse, more aware of people’s differences, and the values they possess which are different from mine.

In conclusion, traveling to China surely gave me a greater appreciation for the world’s

varied cultures and the artistic gifts of others. It truly helped me understand why people are more alike, rather than different