Day 10 - 6.3.2011 - Last Day in Shanghai

Got home from my trip to China yesterday. It was a full travel day, with 11 hours spent on an airplane from Shanghai to San Francisco. It was a fabulous trip, and an amazing adventure! And I cannot thank my father enough for the opportunity. Spent most of yesterday sleeping and recovering from my trip. 

However, I had to post photos from my last day of my trip. It was a full cultural day, starting off with a trip to the Shanghai museum. The first three photos are from the museum. The last three photos are from the Lu Gardens in Shanghai. It was a fabulous trip and I will remember it forever! 

Thank you dad for everything!

Day 9 - 6.2.2011 - Shanghai

Today was our first full day in Shanghai. I began the day at the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Then finished up the afternoon at the Jade Buddah Temple. Not much to say as I am exhausted from walking all afternoon, hungry and looking forward to a taste of home at Subway across the street.

I took this at the Shanghai Stock Exchange. A tissue box on a conference table.

My dad and I with the trading floor behind us

One of the many Buddah statues inside the Jade Buddah Temple

A stone lion tied with a lucky red ribbon outside the Jade Buddah Temple

Reclining Buddah made of Jade

Buddhist monks outside the Jade Buddah Temple

I met this "American" while walking along the Bund. He told me a brief history of the Bank of China building along the Bund. After Japan surrendered in World War II, the Bank of China building along the Bund was built. The Peace Hotel, next door, had a problem with this, as the Peace Hotel was the tallest building and didn't want to be beaten in height by a bank. Not sure if he was a veteran or not, but it sounded as if he might have been. He was a very nice old man and spoke very good English. Gave me his card, and I noticed as we got back on the bus that he lives in Florida.

Day 8 - 6.1.2011 - Shanghai

Today we left Guilin and headed to Shanghai. Didn't take too many photos since I spent the majority of the day traveling. I did however take one photo late last night before we left Guilin. It is a photo of the Sun and Moon Tower in Guilin:

I took this photo from the bus on the way to the hotel in Shanghai. In China, nobody believes in a dryer, and they hang all of their clothes outside to dry. This image was shot directly off of the freeway in Shanghai:

After dinner today, we went to one of the most famous Chinese acrobat shows in Shanghai. It was absolutely amazing. I took these photos during the show:

Day 7 - 5.31.2011 - Last Full Day in Guilin

Today was our last day in Guilin. Spent the morning with the delegates taking pictures of the delegates meeting with the Bank of Guilin representatives. It was interesting, but a little slow because of the interpretation between Chinese and English. After having lunch at a local restaurant, we went to the Reed Flute Caves. I took some fabulous photos at the caves. Tomorrow we head for Shanghai.

These were a few of my favorites from the caves.

Day 6 - 5.30.2011 - Guilin

Well tomorrow is already our last full day in Guilin. For a rural city in China, it has sure made another huge impact on my life, similar to the impact made on me in Old Beijing.

Today we took a riverboat cruise up the Li River, then headed for a very rural elementary school, that People to People Ambassador Programs (the company I am traveling with), where they have donated time and materials in building a new classroom for the children there. Seeing those little kids who live in such poverty, and yet are so happy and very compassionate, made me appreciate where I come from even more.

It was very hard for me to hold back tears as the little kids loved seeing their photos I was taking of them on my digital camera. Almost every single kid there wanted to either give me a high five, or throw up a peace sign. As we left the school and headed back to the bus, I couldn't hold back the tears any more. Even though we didn't speak the same language, and I knew none of their names, I felt an overpowering love for those children unlike anything I have ever felt before. I will forever remember those elementary school age children at the Xia Yan School in Guilin.

After leaving the poverty stricken rural area of Guilin, we headed for the South China Pearl Museum. We learned about the difference between fresh water and salt water pearls, got to see an oyster cracked open to reveal a hidden pearl, and even saw a fashion show (displaying some of the pearls sold at the museum). After leaving the pearl museum, we headed back to the hotel where we met with some of our new friends we met during our trip for dinner and a few glasses of wine.

Some of my favorites from today:

Day 5 -5.29.2011 - First Day in Guilin

Today was our last day in Beijing, and our first day in Guilin. Not much to say tonight as I am exhausted and headed for a massage. I will however mention that one of my photos, from our time in Beijing, was published on AdvisorOne.com. To see that photo, click here. Guilin is more of a rural city in China, with only 5 million people throughout the entire "county". The actual city of Guilin has roughly 600,000 people. Didn't end up taking too many photos today since we spent most of the day in the airport and traveling. I did however take one amazing photo through the front window of the bus on the way to dinner. Tomorrow we will take a riverboat cruise, and I'm sure I will get some fantastic photos from that adventure!

Day 4 - 5.28.2011 - Beijing

Today was our last full day in Beijing. I'm a little sad to be leaving here as it is such an amazing city with really unique people. I am making this short as it is already 10.15 here and I have to be up by 5.45 to finish packing, shower, and get ready to board a 3 hour flight to Guilin in the morning. Today we visited old Beijing, Tian'anmen Square, and The Forbidden City. Here were a few of my favorites from today.

During our stop in "Old Beijing" we visited a family home, and when we left, these two little kids were standing outside the doorway. The little girl asked me "Take picture?" After I had taken the photo, she then asked me "I see, I see?". After showing her the photo I had taken of the two of them, she began jumping up and down and clapping saying "Yay!" Those two children started my morning off in "rural" Beijing in a great way!

A Beijing newspaper laying in the street

The Forbidden City

This photo was taken just before we left Qian Men Emperor's Avenue, and before heading back to the hotel for the night. The trolley gave me a brief feeling of being back home - of being in Chinatown in San Francisco.

Day 3 - 5.27.2011 - Beijing

Today was a very, very busy day. I'm going to make tonight's post short as I am exhausted and ready for bed. In the morning I photographed the delegates at the University of International Business and Economics meeting with the Chinese professors of the University. Took some pictures of the meeting. Then had lunch at a restaurant at the base of the Great Wall (the Badaling section). Then walked about the Great Wall for a few hours and took some AMAZING photos! That's about it, so enjoy the photos.

Reflections of the tangled wires and a pedestrian sign from the bus ride to the University.

The Bird's Nest (from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing)

The Great Wall - Badaling Section

Chinese flag hanging outside the Great Wall

Ceramic plates from a shop outside the Great Wall. I bought my OFFICIAL Chinese Buddah from this shop :)

Statue from a "coffee shop" outside the Great Wall

Narrow passage under one section of Great Wall, with another section seen through the archway

Chinese farmers off the main road from the Great Wall

I owe it all to my dad! I love you dad!

Some Chinese women stopped me as I was walking and taking photos by myself. One told me I was "very beautiful and have beautiful coloring" (tattoos). The four of them wanted pictures with me, and this took about 15 minutes as only one spoke very little English. The said they "want to be American" and throw up a peace sign... Whatever made them happy :)

Day 2 - 5.26.2011 - Beijing

Today was pretty eventful as any "normal" day for an American tourist in China might be. We began with a "welcome" conference with all delegates and guests in our hotel. Leonard, our national representative with People to People spoke for the most part. He talked about China, it's people, it's history, and it's population. Then he talked a little bit about the rest of our trip to Guilin and Shanghai. After our "in-country briefing", we went to lunch at the Wahaha Hotel and ate lunch in the hotel restaurant. I tried some new food, and drank Sprite, as I was a little weary to drink water if it wasn't from a bottle that I opened.

After lunch, the guests boarded one bus, and the delegates boarded another. The delegates were bussed back to the hotel, and the guests were bussed to the Temple of Heaven. It was absolutely breath-taking! Pictures definitely don't do that place any justice and is something that has to be seen for yourself. After walking around the Temple of Heaven for a few hours, and listening to our fabulous tour guide Wendy, it began to thunder and lightning. Luckily, the rain held off until we boarded the bus to head back to the hotel. Once in the hotel, I tried to shower and get ready for the "Beijing Night" Gala Dinner, but I was exhausted and suffering from a bit of sore throat. (Hopefully, just from the polluted air of Beijing.) I uploaded my photos and here I sit posting my second blog post from our trip.

I took a video, that I tried for a while to upload but didn't work. This video was taken from our hotel on the 12th floor. Our tour guide Wendy told us on the bus ride that Beijing suffers from "rush hour" every hour of every day. There is a limit to the number of cars that are allowed to be bought every month. After I got back to our hotel, I sat at the window for a few minutes and pondered what life must be like in China. After thinking for a few minutes, I decided to take this video to remind me of the constant gridlock in China, and how lucky I have it at home... Driving in San Francisco is NOTHING like driving in Beijing!

A glass and coaster from our hotel.

Tea kettle from our lunch at the Wahaha Restaurant.

Our fabulous tour guide, Wendy, giving us the history of Confucius at the Temple of Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven

A bronze statue from inside one of the buildings at the Temple of Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven

Day 1 - 5.25.2011 - Beijing

So it is the end of the first night in Beijing. Our plane landed at around 3:00 or 3:30 pm local time. My dad and I had to wait for the rest of the People to People group to land before we could head to the hotel. By the time we left the airport in Beijing and headed for the hotel, it was closer to 5pm local time. The first day was pretty un-eventful: we arrived in China, got to the hotel and settled into our room, napped, ate dinner, and now I am sitting in an almost empty hotel restaurant editing photos by myself. Tomorrow is jam-packed full of adventures, and I cannot wait for my explorations of the "Forbidden City"!

Camera equipment all packed and ready to go!

Chinese woman on the airplane reading a Chinese newspaper.

View of the runway from San Francisco just before take-off.

View of Beijing from the air just before landing.

The hotel we are staying in Beijing - The Swissotel.

View from our room on the 12th floor at sunset.

View from our hotel after the sun went down.