China Spectacular

2009-10-19T17:20:00.001-07:00

Train Catching

2008-09-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

The bus ride to Suzhou was interesting, everyone was hot as there was no air conditioning and we were in a bus that had exactly enough seats for the whole group. Needless to say it was a small bus, more like a large van if anything. So we were all on this bus for like 2+ hours. Where were we going, you might ask? Well to Suzhou, of course, the city known for its Chinese gardens. We were all relieved to get off the bus. The Chinese did a really good job at designing this garden. Every view was carefully planned. I suggest you look up Chinese gardens, it's pretty fascinating stuff, but too long to get into here. We got a chance to wander around these gardens for a bit, then we were free to wander wherever we liked in the city, until we all met up at a different garden.

After some time, and a few closed gardens, later we all ended up at a zoo, the saddest zoo in the world. It’s here that the story gets interesting. You see, now the group splits up and some go back on the bus to return to the hotel. A few of the more “adventurous” people stay behind and plan to take the train back. Really, it was just a mis-communication, no one really knew what the other group was going to do or where they were going to go, so everyone had to make a split second decision with little information to go on. I was in the group that stayed, because I didn’t know what was going to happen on the return bus trip and the train held more appeal to me than the bus. This new smaller group became even smaller when it split up again and three people went off on their own to shop while the five remaining, including myself, went to a pagoda.It was really cool and gave an amazing view.Soon it was time to go to the train station. We walked over and met up with the other three who'd gone shopping. They had already bought their tickets. We tried to get tickets for the same train but ended up getting them for the 8:45 instead of the 7:30. In the end we got into some taxis and went to get dinner, leaving the other three to go on their train. For dinner we had noodles and dumplings.

Now the story gets even better. We headed back with only a little time before the train left. Since there were 5 of us, and a taxi only holds 4, one person, Edwin, took another taxi by himself. He happened to get into his taxi after us and got dropped off at the station further ahead where we couldn't see him.

Edwin had all the tickets and the four of us in the other taxi had no idea where he was. After some quick thinking I suggested that we head over to the gate because that’s the most logical place to be. Then across the square, like a game of Where’s Waldo, I spotted Edwin. Looking at my watch I realized that we had about 7 minutes before the train left. I took off running, hoping the guys behind me were still actually behind me. We all ran through the bag scanners and down to the gate that said Shanghai. Unfortunately there were two gates that said Shanghai and we just so-happened to be at the wrong one. Once again, we dashed down the aisle and got through the next gate just as the guard was about to close it. Suddenly we were running down a set of stairs, through the underground hall and up another set of stairs.

Fortunately for us the train wasn’t there yet. This allowed us enough time to dash to where our car should be. It was car number 14 and naturally that would be as far away from us as possible. Just as we started to sprint toward the other end of the platform the train showed up and we all hopped on in the nick of time. It was an adrenalin rush to say the least.

The rest of the story is more relaxing. The train ride back to Shanghai was less than an hour and then we took the subway to our end of town and walked to the hotel. On the way was something that I thought was kind of cool. Right outside of the subway exit there are these big buildings for shopping. On these buildings are huge screens of ads. But on this screen there was a mistake, as you can see.
If you can't read it it say's... "It is now safe to turn off your computer"
All in all, I found that it was the perfect day and was happy that I had stayed behind. It also makes for a really good story.

Afternoon at the Museum

2008-09-28T19:38:00.001-07:00

The Shanghai Museum is, of course, located in Shanghai. Its a building shaped to resemble an ancient Chinese bronze pot. In the museum there are rooms that hold relics of ancient China. There were bronzes, coins, clothes, furniture, jade (though that room was closed) and an assortment of other things.

The next museum we went to held the Shanghai Biennial. It had art from really well known artists. It was all very contemporary. This was on the outside of the museum. These sculptures were inside. The artist, Yue Minjun, is very well known. His work is shown a lot outside of China.

Shanghai Nights

2008-09-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

One night we all squeezed onto a packed bus and rode across the river. We were going to a very tall building. This building had an observation deck where you could see all of Shanghai. Since we went at night we saw all the lights. From the 360 view, Shanghai is really a big city. The tower in the distance has two round sections and is called the Oriental Pearl.
This is a view from the inside of the building.

For some reason, in the lobby to the elevators there was a wax statue of Jackie Chan.
Here are some more shots.

This is China Town

2008-09-28T18:04:00.001-07:00

When entering the city of Shanghai it easy to see why every calls it the "modern" city of China. It is different from the other cities that we have been to. There are many tall building and trendy stores that weren’t seen in Beijing. Of course, it does have its fair share of older buildings. In fact, some older ones are right next to our hotel. These are homes that seem to not have changed much over the last few decades.Shanghai is a city where there was always seems to be something going on. There are museums, shops, parks, and random little places that you find by just walking around.

Shanghai was hot and humid like the rest of China.

The Shanghai Express (not actually what it was called, but wouldn’t that have been cool).

2008-09-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

We got to take an overnight train from Jinan to Shanghai. It was pretty nice as sleeper cars go. Apparently, I’m an expert on them. I’ve only ever taken one before this experience in China, from Switzerland to Paris, but it was a lot less comfortable than this one, and more crowded, too. This one held four people and was a fun thing to get to do. I happen to enjoy train rides a lot, so please enjoy these shots.

Traffic

2008-09-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

The traffic in China is crazy. I would not have the guts or the skills to pull off driving in this country. It seems like there is an unspoken rule of the road here. It appears that the lines on the road are mere suggestions and that the biggest vehicle always has the right away. It’s almost mesmerizing how the bus driver drives in Jinan; he can maneuver the bus into any ally/busy road. The car horn is used liberally in driving as well. I wonder what the driving test is like in China?

Locusts! They’re Everywhere!

2008-09-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

So the food in China comes in all sorts of forms. When the group eats out at restaurants we are fed like royalty. The food just keeps on coming out of the kitchen. Some of the food is unidentifiable, some is tasty and familiar and some is questionable for Americans.

Here are some interesting foods that are available to anyone who want to try.

100 year old egg.Tiny scorpions.

Locusts on a stick. These were actually served at dinner on a plate a few nights ago. I didn’t have any. I don’t regret it either.Crabs, also on a stick.

The last dinner in shanghai.

2008-09-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day in China. I walked around and went to the MOCA. It had some cool stuff in it but it was very small. The rest of the day was really spent working on my personal project. I’m working on something that resembles a coin. Its not finished and I don’t want to post pictures of it yet.Later we went to a vegetarian restaurant, which was one of the best meals we have eaten as a whole group.

On another subject for just a moment, there have been a few days that I haven’t written about. Well, when I get back home I plan to finish this blog up and add all the rest of my adventures.

The rest of the night was spent packing and writing the last words of china.

The Opening

2008-09-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

So, I realized that I had yet to write about the opening we had in Jinan. It was a good show and we all worked hard to finish what we needed to on time. I think my group project turned out nicely. My personal project was ok. I wish that I had more time to maybe work on multiples. But overall I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.
These paper cuts took a long while to cut out. The red poster above was my personal project. It's really big.

Some Thoughts

2008-09-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

We have one more full day in China. This trip seems to have gone by really quickly. Soon I’ll be back home and walking to school.

Today I went walking around and saw what Shanghai had to offer. It was really hot and humid and I was out for most of the day. At one point it started to rain. It has rained at least once at every place that we’ve been to.

A Spring Sprung

2008-09-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

Jinan is known for its springs and one morning we all got to go to a park with well-known springs. It was very busy there. Like every park that I have been to in China, interesting activities are happening. At this spring there was a man writing calligraphy on the pavement.It seems that here, keeping the old arts alive is very important. Calligraphy is very respected and is still taught in school.

Also, for some reason still unknown to me, there were seals in one of the springs.

Besides seals, a lot of the ponds were full of fish.

After wandering around a bit, I came across a bridge and there was a group of men playing musical instruments. Most were traditional but one guy was playing a saw. He played it really well, too.

A Little bit extra

2008-09-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ok. I can't leave without saying something more interesting. This morning at 7:00 we all got on the bus and went to Zhoucun. Zhoucun's cultural festival was going on and we just happened to have seats at the opening. There was no English spoken but there was a lot of "singing" in Chinese. I say that because I think that there might have been pre-recorded vocals present in some or most of the acts. I'll post some pics as soon as I can. I just need to get them on the computer.

Long Day, Short Time

2008-09-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

So, today was another long day. I seem to not get enough time for this blog, which is rather sad because I have a lot to report from yesterday and today. I'll just start with today and get to yesterday later. I am really not prepared for today, I haven't put my photos in my computer yet. The last part of the day was spent working on my group project with my partner. Here is a picture of us, seeing as I don't have much else right now.

Closed Computer Lab

2008-09-14T05:48:00.001-07:00

I had planned on writing a lot today. I had a really big day and did a lot of stuff that I would really like to share. Sadly, because the computer lab is closed I can't do much. It's closed because of the festival here. Right now I am sitting in the stairwell using what little wifi I can get. Here is a pic so that you have something to look at.

Sore wrist and fingers

2008-09-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today we went back to the university to work some more on our projects. The night before I had some cutting homework and got one piece done. We're doing four. We both have a lot of paper cutting ahead of us. By the time I finished cutting one full board out my wrist, knees, and fingers were really sore. I really hope it looks good in the end, I hate to have all my efforts be for nought.

It Starts

2008-09-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the university and spent all day there getting our projects started. My partner and I are doing a take on Chinese paper cuttings. It’s taking a long time to do because it’s a slow process. I don’t have pictures of them because I’d like them to be totally finished before I post them. But I might just do it later anyway because I'm impatient.

The Little Things

2008-09-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

Crickets!

During my travels in China there a few things that come up that are especially interesting. I am going to talk about some of them. One of these things happened in Beijing. At the hostel there was a birdcage. Inside this birdcage was a small loosely woven ball. Inside this ball was an enormous cricket. Now, for those who haven’t seen “Mulan” or read about the pop culture of crickets, they are considered lucky in China and are kept as pets. They eat fruit and vegetables. Apparently they also fight these crickets for money.

Lets go Fly a Kite

2008-09-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

Today we went to this place that makes kites. It was a 3-½ hour bus ride to the city.
We walked around what you would call the kite factory. It was really just a bunch of small rooms in a back court yard. Each one had something different. This one was used to hang the newly painted silk.
I really liked their old traditional-looking kites, but when asked about them, I was told that they don’t make them anymore because there is no market for the traditional style. Apparently everyone wants the newest modern kind of kite, with bright colors and modern shapes.
Not everything on this trip was done in a new modern way.
After lunch (which had a great egg tomato soup), we went to a place where they do traditional wood block prints.
These prints are for the New Year. People put them on their windows for good luck in the coming New Year.

We watched a demonstration of this process and even got to do a one-color print ourselves.

There were also three dogs at the printing place. Here are two of them. Its a nice moment but they fought most of the time we were there.
On the way back my only pen stopped working. I need to get another one.

Calligraphy

2008-09-10T07:06:00.001-07:00

Today we just worked at the University with our partners. My partner and I finally have a project, but you’ll have to wait until it’s done to know what it is. The whole group got a tour of the art museum which held some really cool artifacts and clothing. We also did some calligraphy after lunch: which for me was noodles. The calligraphy class was fun but it's not for me. I was horrible at it. The student who was helping had me write my name in Chinese characters. My name looks pretty cool in Chinese characters. I’ll take a picture and put it up later because I don’t have one now. My version of my name wasn’t that good, but the student helper was really good. We went back to the studio and worked a bit more, then came dinner. Noodles again! Then after dinner everyone went out to play basketball, but my partner and I went back to the class to work some more. Below is what I believe to be my Chinese name.

Confucius + Sky Tram = Long Day

2008-09-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

Day 7

We went to the hometown of Confucius today. We went to his home and walked around the courtyards. It was very pretty inside. The pictures can speak for themselves.
This one is a statue of the man himself.

Some of the group also walked to his grave site, which was rather modest. We had lunch at a hotel and then got back on the bus to go to Mount Tai. We were going to walk up but we didn’t have enough time, so we took the sky tram up instead, which is always fun. At the top the view was cool, as was the temperature. There was a building at the top that seemed to be a grave, unfortunately I don’t know who it belongs to. Surrounding the grave were locks that you could buy and lock up around it.It also smelled of incense because they were burning really large sticks of it.

We rode the tram back down and headed home.

Noodles

2008-09-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Day 6
We met our partners today. My partner's name Is Song Ge. She is very nice and works in animation (picture to come). We had a big lunch at the cafeteria and took a little tour around the school. They have very nice facilities for all the arts. Their book store also sold ice cream, which my partner kindly bought for me. Seeing as it was a hot day it was much appreciated. We went back to work/think about our project a bit more, but soon it was time for dinner. A group of students including myself got into small taxis called “bumpers” and rode to what they called “the business district” which really meant “outdoor shopping mall.” Song Ge and I both got Korean noodles. They were very good as you can tell by the picture.

The Big Fancy Dinner

2008-09-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

Day 5
We took a train down to Jinan today. I really like it. It gave me a chance to see the Chinese countryside. The landscape does look different from America. The ride was about 3 hours long. Right after we got off the train there was a man to greet the group from the school. Along with a student taking pictures and another student video taping the whole thing. We had to get our picture taken holding a huge banner right out side the train station. We didn’t have long before our big welcome dinner was set. We all got dressed up and went to this restaurant with a room that held a huge table. The dinner was impressive to say the least. We had enough food to feed an army, including a whole chicken, head and all, oysters, pork hoof, and the like. The night ended with Kala Ok or as Americans call it karaoke. Unfortunately there were no songs in English. Not that I would have sung or anything.

Great Wall, or the Greatest Wall.

2008-09-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

The Great Wall of China was the focus of our adventure for the day. We took a 2 ½ hour drive to the Great Wall. When we got there it was overcast and rather cold. When looking at the Great Wall from our starting point it looked rather daunting. The hike we were to take can be done in about 3 hours if you are really in shape and power through without taking any breaks. Needless to say it took us a little longer. Time was taken to appreciate the view and soak in the fact that I was walking on the Great Wall. It was amazing and long. Look at the pictures yourself.

At the end of the walk on the wall, we could either take the path down to the car or take the flying fox. I took the flying fox without hesitation and it was so worth it. After walking for so long it was nice to have a breeze and get down the slope quickly. Taking this route also included a boat ride at the bottom.
Dinner was had at a restaurant not far from the bus parking lot. It was mostly dumplings.

jinan computers

2008-09-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

so right now i am in Jinan working on the computers, which are in chinese. i was planing to write about my adventure on the great wall but i can't add pictures yet. I will just, for now write a small bit on what i have been up to. that is until i can figure out how to use these things. Two days ago we got on a train that took us to Jinan. We had a big dinner that night with some other higher-ups at the school. Yesterday we met our partners that we are going to do projects with. Today we went to the home town of Confucious and took a sky tram to the top of a mountain. Again, pictures and more details to come.

Temple Of Heaven

2008-09-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

On the third day, the group took the subway to the end of Tiananmen Square and then walked over to the Temple of Heaven. At one point we had to walk through a street that had many buildings in traditional Chinese architecture. The weird thing was that all of these building were empty.

The Temple of Heaven is in a huge park. In the Park there are several historical sites and many locals doing various activities. These activities seem to be a trend in all parks in China. People are taking dance lessons, playing cards and badminton and pretty much having a good time. The Temple of Heaven itself is large and impressive, the roof has brilliantly blue tiles and the whole thing was built with out any nails.

Not so Forbidden City

2008-09-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

The second day started off with a breakfast consisting of a roll. After breakfast the group walked to the back end of the Forbidden City and hiked up Jingshan Hill, to the temple at the top. The mountain was built to protect the Forbidden City from the north. It’s actually a man made hill; all the dirt that was used to make the hill came from digging the moat around the city. Not only does a moat surround the city, it also has huge walls going all the way around it. After some nice photo ops we went back down and headed over to the back entrance of the city.

It was still early but there were already a lot of tourists in the Forbidden City. At this point we were left to our own devices and allowed to wander around through the city. We had 3 hours to do that and I still didn’t see everything. The city is immense.

On the edges of the city are smaller buildings and it's here that you can see the age of the place. Faded pictures are still on the roof beams. I really like the bright roof tiles and the roof-figures.

When the time was up in the Forbidden City we went out the main entrance to Tiananmen Square.

We split up again and a group of us went to a mall where you could buy pretty much any designer product. To end the night we all went to a tea house and watched several performances, including a flower pot “juggler,” long-spouted tea servers, and a troupe of Kong Fu monks. It was a good end to the long day.

Art in China

2008-09-04T23:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first full day spent in China. The group went to several galleries and visited the art districts. The most time was spent walking around the art districts and getting a feel for what the art world was like in China. I noticed that there are still a lot of communist motifs in the art. Whether it was a subtle color choice or an obvious symbol.

This doesn’t mean that there weren’t any non-communist motif pieces. There was a lot of abstract painting and sculpture, along with every other kind of style and form you could think of.

Hostel

2008-09-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

The hostel that we are staying at in China has a traditional layout with a courtyard in the middle and the rooms surrounding it. You need to walk down an alley to reach it. The first day was spent traveling to Beijing; dinner was made of mostly dumplings, which was only the first taste of what was to come in China.

some stuff

2008-07-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here is some stuff that I have done. This will most likely change when I have something better to show. Its not great but it's something.

Intro

2008-06-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

This blog is for an art program. I will be going to China and will have to report on my goings on. Seeing as I 'm not there yet, there's not a whole lot to say at the moment.