The Great Wall of China

Today we traveled to the Great Wall of China, and it was incredible! Upon arrival, we found out that Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, was visiting as well. We had to wait outside the wall, packed like sardines, for about an hour. For a while, I didn’t think we were going to make it inside. However, once the crowd started moving, it was like a current of human bodies pushing me inside! Once we made it actually onto the Great Wall, it was unbelievable! The stairs were so steep. I was very impressed at the numerous couples who appeared to be in their 80s, making their way to the top of the Wall. However, coming down was a steep slope. I actually slipped and fell, along with two other Mizzou students. It was pretty funny!

Now, just for some brief history… The Great Wall of China was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks. The Great Wall stretches over approximately 4,000 miles from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia, but stretches over 4,160 miles in total. At its peak, the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men. It has been estimated that somewhere in the range of 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.

Sarah

Day 12 - Scaling the Wall

Hey Everyone!

We did it.  Chairman Mao Zedong once said that everyone must walk a portion of the Great Wall to be a true hero, and today, we all accomplished it!  After an hour bus ride

 north of Beijing, we entered an area of land filled with steep

 mountains and lush grasslands.  The Great Wall was constructed around 320 B.C.  The construction of the wall was all by hand and spanned three separate dynasties.  While the wall served as a good defense, it was breached twice.  (First in the 13th century by the Mongols and then again by the Manchus in the 17th century)  Although much of the wall has deteriorated because of the weather, there are four main access points to the wall where it's been restored.  We arrived at the most popular one: Badaling.

As we arrived at the entrance, police officers cordoned off the area.  Rumors were flying that the president of Mexico was on his way to see the Great Wall as well.  Unfortunately, his motorcade backlogged tourists and we were at a standstill in line.  I can honestly say I have never experienced anything like it.  We were shoulder to shoulder with people in the hot sun.  I've been on the streets of Beijing and on buses, but this was the worst.  The motorcade blocked the main entrance to the Great Wall so hundreds of us were forced through a small gateway.  

The pushing was intense and I found myself pinned - literally pushed to the point where I could not push away - to the wall.  Someone fell at the entrance as well.  The force of the mob was stronger than I was and many of us were forced into each other as the group pushed.  At the threshold, I was pushed forward and ended up smashing the police officer touching almost

 every part of his body as I was rolled over him.  It was the most intense three minutes I've ever experienced.  In the back of my mind I was thinking if I fell, I would be trampled.  One girl behind me screamed as men literally fell onto her.

I had my camera rolling through all of this.  I've posted below the video in its entirety.  The video is shaky, but what I find interesting is the sound.  It's a little over 1:30, but worth the time.

The rest of the experience was breathtaking!  Every step provided a new vista for incredible picture taking.  At one of the junctions, you could veer right or left.  A couple of us decided to go left because it looked less crowded and started making the hike up.  The incline was so great that you were almost facing the ground as you walked.  For the most part, there were no stairs.  Stairs were only used when the incline was much greater.  A few of us reached the high point.  It was very liberating to see the mountain range and the length of the wall.  Going down the wall was even more challenging.  At some points, we had to run down the slope!  I am so glad we did it, though.  The weather was perfect.  You know how when you see a famous landmark and dream about being there - and then you're actually there?  It was surreal to walk the Great Wall.

After lunch, we headed to the Ming Tombs, the burial site for 13 Ming emperors.  We took a tour of the area and went down into one of the tombs.  This was very interesting and a nice contrast to activities earlier in the day.

For dinner, we went to The Olympic Green and ate just a few steps away from the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.  After dinner, a friend and I walked over to get some pictures of the buildings.  The building to the right is modeled after a dragon and is directly west of the Bird's Nest.  I'm sure you will see pretty shots of this building during the Olympic coverage.  The tall building represents the head of the dragon, the next three buildings represent the body and the last building represents the tail.

The Bird's Nest is amazing.  You don't truly get a good impression of the building until you get up close.  The framework is so intricate and all of the pieces lock into place.  It's hard to believe 100,000 people can fit inside.  I'm hoping to come back at night to see these buildings lit up.

Here's video of the Great Wall.  This was a really adventurous and awesome day!

P.S. - Someone asked about the pickpocketing here and if it was a problem.  Since I've arrived here in Beijing, I've always kept my wallet in my front pocket.  While this is a little different, it keeps my money closer to me.  I've heard pickpocketing is bad here, but no one in the Missouri group has had any bad luck!

Ted

Day 11 - Clean Water and Ancient Traditions

Hey Everyone!

Our first day of our BOCOG tour started out wet - figuratively and literally.  It rained this morning as we left Renmin for the Beijing Drainage Group Qinghe Water Reclamation Plant. China's main concern is that with the enormous influx of people in an already booming city, there won't be enough clean water.  The plant we visited has devoted an entire area to processing water for the Olympic Games.  The plant, the biggest of its kind, uses complex UF membrane filtration to clean the water and can process 80,000 meters cubed per day.  60,000 of that is devoted to the games.  Most of the water is used to replenish lakes on the Olympic Green.  Additional water recycled at the plant is used to serve the northern part of the city.

After lunch, we took an hour drive XiangTang - what they're dubbing "New Olympics, New Village".  Upon arrival we were inundated with signs saying "Enjoy life Enjoy being in paradise  Be there at Xiangtang".  I would compare this to an enclosed community in the States.  Our tour guide told us this is were wealthy villagers lived and is serving as an experiment for future residents.  We stopped by a row of connected houses.  Each house began with a courtyard that led off to different rooms - kitchen, bedrooms, living room.  

Residents of these new homes (built in 2002) sold their land to the government and the government put these people in the new homes.  Everything was very clean and we could tell this was very nice living.  

Our final area we visited included a Tai Chi demonstration where we were encouraged to join, a calligraphy class and a look at the local nursing home.  One woman in the home was 102 years old!  She cleaned her room especially for us.

Our friend Lauren posing with one of the nursing home residents.

In the evening, we went to a famous restaurant in Beijing known for its Peking Duck.  We were all famished and ate so much.  Everything was so wonderful.  The thing that I have noticed is that there is always so much food left over.  They bring out huge dishes (many of them!) and we are left wasting so much.  There is no "take out" and I'm sure the food is thrown away.  The duck was great.  Take a look at the video to see clips of our day and the traditional way to eat Peking Duck!

Ted

Day 10 - Prayerful Afternoon

Hey Everyone!

This morning, I spent 20 minutes trying to find the nearest piano to practice.  I found out there was no piano on campus, but there is a School of Music in China and I have to take a taxi.  After lunch, a couple of us went to the Lama Temple, the most famous Buddhist temple outside of Tibet.  

1,500 monks used to live within the temple but now only 70 remain.  The layout of the Lama Temple is similar to the Forbidden City in that you continuously walk through large courtyards separated by large buildings.  

These buildings, including the Hall of the Heavenly Kings and Hall of Eternal Protection, house shrines of different manifestations of Buddha.  The Hall of Ten Thousand Happinesses contains the largest Buddha carved out of sandalwood.  It stands 80 feet high!  One of the tour guides said the tree was purchased from the government and it took three years to get the tree to the temple and three years to carve the Buddha.  Another interesting item was the prayer wheel. 

 Worshipers would place a prayer inside the wheel and spin it, sending the prayer to heaven.  

Incense trays were outside each shrine and we saw many people praying.  The place had a calm feeling attached to it and a number of us commented on how relaxed we were all feeling.

Right across the street was the Confucius Temple.  This again was very tranquil.  Preserving the Confucius Temple has been a priority for the government.  Throughout the main square I kept hearing soothing flute-like music and thought it was a recording from hidden speakers.  Later, I realized a woman was playing that music on an ancient pottery instrument (Xin?).  The fingering was a lot like a flute except you were covering holes on a round object.  

We each got a chance to try playing it, but to no avail.  It was a lot harder than it looked!

After a long day we headed back, but not before stopping off at a Super Walmart.  Other than the famous logo and smiley face mascot, this Wal Mart was a lot different than in the States.  The store was three floors and you had to snake your way through everything to get to an exit.  You accessed the different floors via ramp escalators that also allowed carts.  While you were waiting to get to the next floor, boxes of merchandise lined the escalator so you could browse while waiting.  If you wanted to be really lazy, you didn't even have to move your head and just watch boxes of merchandise pass by.

Tomorrow begins our three day tour presented by the Beijing Olympic Committee and begins with a tour of the Water Purification Plant.  While it may seem random, clean water is a concern for the Chinese because they believe it may run out.  The water is pure when it leaves the plant, but it is uncertain what is in the water when it comes out of the tap.  This dilemma is one that I hope we learn about while touring tomorrow.

I hope to have lots to write about in the coming days!  Thanks to all for posting comments!  We get them all and appreciate your support and dedication to our blog site and to us.  This has been a lot of fun and I hope it's fun for you, too.  I hope you can experience China vicariously through us!

Ted

Lama Temple

Lama Temple, or Yanghegong, was originally built in 1694 and used as the official residence for court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty. It was converted to the royal court of Prince Yongzheng, a son of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty. Before he ascended the throne, during the 33rd year (1693) of Kangxi's reign of the Qing dynasty, it was remamed Yonghegong. After the prince came to the throne in 1723, half of the residence was used as an imperial palace and the other half was converted to a lamasery, a monastery for Mongolian and Buddhist Monks as it remains today. Lama Temple is now a typical Tibetan Monastery. Having been closed for many years during the Cultural Revolution, it was refurbished and reopened in 1980. It was incredible to see people actually worshiping and praying in person. I find other religions fascinating! This was one experience I will never forget!

Wanfuge (Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses) absolutely blew me away! It is the last formal palace to be visited in the Lama Temple. This is the highest palace because it is three stories high. Inside this pavilion there are tens of thousands of Buddhas displayed along every level, and in the centre there is an enormous statue of Maitreya positioned on a white marble base. It was built between 1748 and 1750 A.D. The statue (eighteen metres above ground and eight metres below ground) was carved from a single trunk of white sandal wood. In August 1990 A.D. this Buddha was in the Guinness Book of records. Unfortunately, since this is a practicing temple of worship, we were not allowed to take pictures inside because it’s disrespectful.

CCTV

I was interviewed by China Central Television (CCTV), along with Alex Monnig, another Mizzou student. CCTV is a 24-hour news channel, China´s largest national TV network. CCTV is dedicated to reporting news and information to its global audience, with a special focus on China. CCTV covers the globe via six satellites. Its programs can now be seen by 45 million subscribers outside China. Here is a link to the newscast; however, our story doesn't play until about 20 minutes in. Enjoy!

http://www.cctv.com/video/xinwenlianbo/2008/07/xinwenlianbo_300_20080709_1.shtml

Sarah

Day 9 - Mascot Sighting

Hey Everyone!

Wednesday was the first of two days we had free in Beijing this week.  At 10AM, my roommate and I heard a knock at our door.  Three men dressed in red decontamination suits and the maid were standing outside our door.  They wanted to spray our room for bugs.  This was a first for me.  I told them to come back later when we were out of the room.

For lunch, a few friends and I went walking down the main strip outside of Renmin and took a gamble.  We ordered a few dishes off the picture menu and hoped for the best...and the food was wonderful!  A lot of the food was spicy including a tofu dish that was served heated by a cooking element and an eggplant dish.  We also ordered a dish of ribs and potatoes that was very good.  I've found that here, in China, you really can't go wrong with the food.  It's all new and interesting!

In the afternoon, we decided to go to the Beijing Zoo to see the panda exhibit.  The zoo entrance fee, including a special fee for the panda house, cost 20 yuan - about 3 dollars!  The exhibit itself was very cool.  In the United States, a zoo owning one or maybe two pandas receives nation-wide attention.  Here, in the panda's native part of the world, it's quite different.  We counted over 10 pandas in the zoo.  One house had six pandas together.  We came at just the right time because it was feeding time.  The pandas couldn't have cared less that there were hundreds of humans face-pressed against the viewing glass.  Some pandas were climbing on

 logs, taking a bath in the man-made lake, but most were eating - many of them on their backs with their feet up in the air.  It was an incredible sight.

 <- Look at this little ride for kids at the zoo.  It had a little motor that gave kids a ride around the main plaza.  They even had one that looked like a mini rickshaw.

The ride back was a little less thrilling.  The bus transit system is a little different in China.  When you get on the bus, you have to instantly contort your body to fit in 

between two other people.  When it's time for someone to get off, they'll punch through a space no wider than your fist and somehow make it through.  I was almost pushed onto an unfortunate man's lap.  No one says anything.  You just push until you get through.  On the way to the zoo, I was one of the last to get on the bus.  The bus started pulling away as my foot was on the first step - my other foot was still on the road.  The door closed with me halfway in and my foot got caught!  The driver started yelling and I tried to push the doors back open as we started pulling away.  Luckily, they opened and I jumped on.  My friends were surprised.  The Chinese either didn't see the incident or found it routine.  Check out the video of shots from the day - and somehow we got the bus closing on me on tape.

Ted

Temple of Heaven

Yesterday we had the day off, so I decided to travel to the Temple of Heaven in the southern part of Beijing. The Temple of Heaven is China's largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. Occupying an area of 273 hectares, it is three times the area of the Forbidden City. It was built in 1420 for emperors to worship Heaven. The principle buildings include the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests, Imperial Vault of Heaven and Circular Mound Altar. It was incredible to see this spiritual place of worship firsthand; however, I couldn’t help but wonder what the people of China think, having the Temple of Heaven no longer a place of worship, but a tourist attraction. I’m going to ask one of our Chinese grad students their opinion on this topic the first chance I get.

Lions, Tigers and Bears... Oh My

I went with a few from the group and paid the low price of 20 yuan to see the Beijing Zoo. While it was not as big as the San Diego, Omaha or Chicago Zoo, it had a huge display of Gian Pandas, many that made their way here after the recent earthquake this spring severely damaged the Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Center and Reserve. This zoo has become a very important survival tool for the Giant Pandas as 30% of the world's panda population was affected by the latest earthquake. The food supply in the area around Wolong was also jeopardized.

The zoo had many different animals, but also had the basic monkey house, reptile house and even a spot for the penguins.

The animals were not the only things the locals wanted to take pictures of. As we left the penguins, a class of students who appeared between 4 and 5 years old came to get their picture taken with us. That happened several times as like at the Forbidden City, many Chinese people there had never seen anybody that looked different from them.

Day 8 - Reality "The Price is Right"

Hey Everyone!

Tuesday morning we had our final class: The History of Chinese Media.  Not only did we learn about the evolution of newspaper and television outlets, but we also got an inside look at Chinese morality issues.  For example, we learned that after a deadly bus accident in 2006, a newspaper asked its subscribers to text in how many people they thought died by providing answers in a multiple choice format.  What ethical implications does that have?  In a separate incident, large holes in the streets were a big problem.  One photojournalist decided to sit by one of the holes with a camera and wait for a bicyclist to crash into it.  We saw the frozen photos of the bicyclist flying through the air as he hit the pothole.  The photojournalist got the shot, but was it right?  It was interesting to hear the Chinese perspective on these issues.

Later that day, I teamed up with some friends to go to the Pearl Market, a place where you can find anything from digital cameras to fake designer purses.  The minute I walked into the building I knew it was going to be interesting.  Everyone was doing their own garage sale.  Booth after booth of colorful clothes lined the halls.  I waited for my friends as they went to the bathroom.  Immediately workers swooped in to try to get me to buy something.  One woman wanted me to buy an Olympic t-shirt.  "You're a nice guy, so I'll sell you this for 40 yuan! (about $6).  I was totally not interested and said no thanks.  "30 yuan!"  I told her I was just waiting for my friends and I wanted to look around.  "20 yuan!"  This time I noticed her hand was digging into my arm holding me in front of her booth.  Luckily, my friends arrived and I was able to break free.  The woman looked like she was going to cry - but it was all a carefully choreographed act.  I decided two could play this game.  

I wanted to buy a purse for a friend so I walked up to a vendor.  "You're a nice guy so I'll give you this for only 650 yuan."  I said I wanted it for 60.  She gave me a 'You're crazy' look and lowered the price to 500.  After some haggling, the price for the purse lowered to 200 but I wouldn't budge and decided I didn't really want it and started walking away.  "100!" the lady yelled.  "90" I firmly yelled back.  Exasperated, she finally gave in and we completed the transaction.  Later I bought a windbreaker.  Asking price 1200 yuan.  I bought it for 150.  One vendor who was selling the same item asked me how much I paid for the coat -  about to give me a 'I could have sold it to you cheaper' spiel.  I told her and she gave me a shocked look and said "Good purchase".  With that, she left me alone.  I left feeling proud of my performance.  Although I bought the purse for little over 10% of the original, I realize I probably got cheated.  However, I had a lot of fun playing the bartering game.

Ted

Chicken (And It's Not "What's for Dinner")

I ate a non-traditional Chinese meal tonight: McDonalds. I napped for a while this afternoon and missed eating with the other Missouri travelers, so I took a pilgrimage to the Golden Arches!
I walked over to Ronald's place alone and spent a lot of time watching all the people around me (and there are a LOT of people). I try to walk on the sidewalks, but sometimes end up passing in the street (I highly suggest looking for oncoming traffic). The best way to describe drivers and walkers is to put it into the context of "chicken," the game where someone "wins" by tempting fate the longest.
Ted filmed me narrating traffic the other day, and if you watch the video you may be able to see what we've all experience the past few days in taxis and buses, or as pedestrians. The driver with the boldest maneuver wins!

We're usually carted around the city in a huge 60-passenger bus, so you'd think we ruled our lane, right?? Wrong! We have cars merging on all sides of the bus, forcing the bus driver to force his way into the path of other vehicles. I know this may sound dangerous, but the driving situation on major highways is surprisingly civilized. The majority of China's drivers don't speed, so if it's 100 kph, they're actually going 1oo. When our bus wants to pull off the road onto the exit, we simply merge into the lane next to us, cars in our way either move a little faster, or don't. In my taxi last night, the driver honked his horn, then started barreling towards oncoming traffic-- not for the faint of heart! We pulled back into our lane--had we not, we would've been the lane, because a dump truck was about to barrel over us! It doesn't matter who (or what) is coming towards you, passing is passing and the strong willed will usually prevail.

Walking in Beijing is quite similar. I'm 6'1" and have a good height advantage over a lot of the Beijingers I've seen, but that doesn't give me any advantage in walking the streets of this city. When I approach a slow walker, or couple of walkers, I instinctively jet into the bicycle lane to pass. Unfortunately, there's usually someone coming in the opposite direct, and there is no "right of way" per se, so they (or I) will have to move. Who will move first? I tend to be stubborn, and don't want to walk into the traffic lanes--so I hope the the other pedestrian will move-- which is a 50/50 gamble! I'm courteous to older walkers, or those that are carrying packages, but everyone else is free game. Tonight, I won "chicken" twice and lost once---so that gives me a 66% average for the day. Not bad, but could be worse!

And a quick mathematical thought-- imagine the interstate in your city filled with the usual amount of buses, cars and taxis. Now double or triple that volume. Then add a side lane for bikes, rickshaws and motorized bikes and the odd pedestrian like me. Now, you have Beijing!

Good night!
Mark

P.S. I have to apologize, I'm not blogging as much as I'd like. Blogger is frustratingly unreliable over here in China... blogs rarely go up without a "Connection Reset" screen, especially if it includes pictures! :)

Day 7 - Formal Welcome

Hey Everyone!

Monday was a relaxed day.  We had a three-hour Chinese history lecture in the morning and the rest of the day was free.  I used the time to blog and write emails to friends and family.  In the evening, we were invited to a formal dinner on campus to officially welcome us along with a few students from the University of North Carolina.  

They are staying in our hotel as well.  The dinner was an excellent sample of traditional Chinese cuisine.  We were served "family style" with plates served on a large rotating disc in the middle of our table.  

Some of the food included a bean curd dish that looked like transparent legos, an entire fish, multiple pork dishes and duck.  The Peking Duck - Beijing's most popular dish - was served thinly sliced.  To eat it, you put duck, slices of cucumbers and sauce into a small tortilla and wrap it up.  It was very good, but it had a strong after taste.

During the meal, each school - Renmin, North Carolina and Mizzou - performed something to represent their own school.  The Renmin kids sang and played a traditional Chinese song using an ancient instrument.  Being a curious musician, I went up afterwards and asked if I could try playing the instrument.  It was very similar to the violin or cello but I could not reproduce anything near to what the original performer played.  North Carolina sang their Alma mater and we sang our fight song.  It was a fun night!

Here's video of the entertainment at the formal reception and some nightlife scenery.  Sarah was among those that led our school in the fight song!

For those that posted comments earlier: we just got the pins and I'm not anticipating trading until we get closer to the games.  Some people are just here on vacation, but I'm really looking forward to asking people if they want to trade!

Ted

Day 7 - Precious Metals

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick post to show you our pins we received.  Trading pins during the Olympics is very popular and is a great way to meet people from all over the world!  The University of Missouri gave us 150 commemorative School of Journalism pins to trade throughout the games.

Day 6 - A Religious Take on China

Hey Everyone!

Sunday was our day off...and thank goodness!  It's been such a whirlwind tour of China I've felt like I've been running on caffeine these past few days.  Four of us got up early to take a taxi to the south side of China to the Southern Cathedral.  Our taxi driver got lost and he had to ask someone for help!  There was a small courtyard outside of the church where people were mingling.  Inside, the congregation consisted of three-fourths Chinese and one-fourth Caucasian - something I found interesting at the English Mass.  

Also known as St. Mary's Church, this church was the first Catholic church to be built in Beijing.  Matteo Ricci was the first Jesuit missionary in Beijing and the church now sits on his former residence.  Ricci became friends with the emperor by giving him European gifts.  He founded the first church in 1605.  Later, the current building was erected much later in 1904 after a costly fire.

The service itself was very interesting.  I couldn't believe how similar the layout of everything was - just like home!  You would have sworn it was just another church in a different state back home in America.  We even sang some of the same songs we do back home.  However, there were a few differences.  The readings were done in both English and French and they incensed everything throughout the Mass.  I remember thinking how universal the Church is - on a global level - because of how similar the service was and the different faces I saw as we gave the sign of peace.  It was a wonderful experience!  After lunch, we ate at a really nice hotel where two musicians came around to our table and sang us a song on their guitars - I was told it was the theme song for a very famous Chinese soap opera.

Later that day, some friends and I took a trip to one of the biggest shopping areas in town.  We had to take a bus and three subway cars to get there, but it was well worth it.  I would describe the main strip as a very modern China.  The Olympic spirit was definitely there with hanging banners and official Olympic stores.  Huge LCD screens spanned entire sides of buildings right next to larger-than-life advertisements.  A back alley caught our eye and we went to investigate.  Lynette told me it was the "snack" area, and I got really excited.

We finally saw it...what I had been expecting since I arrived.  The alleyway was adorned with shops selling everything from starfish to silkworms to scorpions still moving on a skewer stick.  

The smells were incredible and the sights were even more interesting.  I didn't have the courage to try anything though!

Here's a video of part of the Chinese Catholic service.  Next is a sample of the singing musicians that serenaded us over lunch.  Matt explains one of Beijing's mass transit systems: the subway and I take a back alley look at some of the more diverse Chinese cuisine.

Ted

Professor Gao Gang

Our first lecture was given by Professor Gao Gang. Listening to Gao Gang speak was very interesting. At the beginning of his lecture, Gao Gang recognized Mizzou as the best journalism school in America. During his lecture, Gao Gang spoke of Renmin University and how it is one of the most important universities in China. Renmin University of China (RUC, also known as the People's University of China) is a key university in China. The RUC's strengths emphasize the humanities and social sciences; however, the university also embraces disciplines in the area of natural sciences. The RUC is a comprehensive research-orientated university. The RUC was established in 1937, during the resistance war against Japanese aggression. The University acquired its present name on October 3, 1950, which made it the first university to be established by the newly founded People's Republic of China.

Professor Gao Gang also spoke of Edgar Snow. Edgar Snow was an American journalist known for his books and articles on Communism in China and the Chinese Communist revolution. He is believed to be the first Western journalist to interview Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong, and is best known for Red Star Over China (1937) an account of the Chinese Communist movement from its foundation until the late 1930s. Edgar Snow passed away on Feb 15, 1972 (China’s Lunar New Year’s Day).

The Forbidden City was also brought up during lecture, which we were able to see firsthand on our sightseeing tour. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, along with the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.


Lions in the Forbidden City are seen everywhere in pairs, the female extending her leg to play with a baby lion, symbolizes fertility of the royal family. The male lion has a ball under its paw, representing the imperial power. In 1931, a gift of two 531-year-old stone lions from the Chinese government was given to the University of Missouri. This was one of a few bright spots during the Depression. The School budget was cut by 10 percent, and only 14 of 141 graduates found journalism-related jobs. Then University President Walter Williams cut his own salary by $2,500.

Today, the scale of Chinese media is continually growing. By the end of December 2006, China published 1,935 kinds of various newspapers and 9,386 kinds of journals were published across the Nation. On June 31, 2008, the total number of Internet users in China reached 221 million. Chinese Internet users increased by 73 million people in 2007, with a daily average increase of 200,000 people. The number of rural Internet users is up to 52.62 million in 2007, with an annual growth rate of 127.7 percent.

The promotion of internet dissemination of information to the Chinese social change is accomplished in five main points: 1) public informedness, 2) public expression, 3) public supervision, 4) public participation, and 5) public adjustment.

In October 2007, having cooperated with the US CISCO and China Central Television (CCTV), the journalism school of Renmin University built a television studio hall based on Internet technology as the core infrastructure. “We” – a talk show of CCTV – will operate in this studio. The program interviews people around the world on the forefront problems in China’s development.

The Forbidden City

Sightseeing in Beijing was an incredible experience! The Forbidden City was amazing to see in person! Red, the symbolic color of imperial power, is a dominant theme throughout the Forbidden City. Inside the immense courtyard includes five bridges stretching over the Golden water. The five bridges represent the five Confucian virtues of 1) humanity, 2) sense of duty, 3) wisdom, 4) reliability and 5) ceremonial propriety.

As you saw in Ted’s video, we rode in a rickshaw alongside the Beijing Houhai Lake, where many trendy bars and restaurants are located.

We also experienced a Chinese Teahouse firsthand. Teahouses are very common in Beijing. Chinese tea comes in many varieties and some rather expensive types of Chinese tea are said to cure an ailing body extraordinarily well. While at the teahouse, I bought a teacup with a dragon on it. However, when you pour the tea into the cup, the picture completely changes into the Great Wall of China! It’s amazing!

The trip has been great so far! Trying to communicate with others is pretty difficult though! A group of us wanted to order pizza delivery the other night, but no one spoke English at the hotel. So we typed in our order in google and translated it to Chinese! It worked! The order was a little off, but we got our pizza and that’s all that matters!

Day 5 - A Grand Tour

Hey Everyone!

Wow - what a day! Mark gave you guys a great taste of our day. We started at 8:30 and ended around 5! Today was our one-day tour of some of the most famous and must-see sights of Beijing: The Forbidden City and Tian'an Men Square. It was a cloudy day and the spitting rain did not make for the best sightseeing weather, but the impressive views outweighed it all.

Each portal within the Forbidden City led to a more spectacular view of ancient buildings with magnificent detail.

The Crew

Here's our nomination for KOMU's photo finish!

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Tian'an Men Square might be remembered as the site of pro-democracy demonstrations, but today it was bustling with tourists and has transformed into a busy tourist site.

Inside, the Forbidden City awaits like layers of an onion - pealing away section after section of the enormous grounds. One point of interest was the huge cauldrons that lined the buildings.

These are put into place to hold water in case the wooden structures would catch fire. A reserve of water enabled a quick extinguish.

<-- An employee emptying the rain water from a cauldron

One highlight of the day for me was holding the tour flag as we walked around. Okay, it really wasn't a highlight, but I had fun!

Later, we went to a crowded section of Beijing that had remained historically preserved and took a riksha down a hutong - a small, narrow passageway. It was amazing to see the sights of street vendors and hear the ring of bicycle bells as we rode along the street. This has probably been my favorite part so far!

In the evening, a couple of us decided to check out the nightlife in Beijing.

We took a cab to an area of town very close to the Olympic Green. Because of security risks and the proximity to the Soccer stadium (right next door) "Mix" is closing in two weeks and will remain closed throughout the Olympic Games. We wanted to check it out before we lost the chance. It was very chic and modern and we all had a lot of fun!

This video contains sights and sounds of our tours today including a traditional drum performance and a ride along in a riksha. Enjoy!

Ted