Settling, studying and sightseeing in 中国
大家好! 你们好吗？
It’s been 8 weeks since we left Scotland, but it feels like a lifetime ago! So much happens every week; it becomes easy to lose track of time. We are all feeling settled into our new lives, and with going to class at 8am every day! Plus, we’ve already had a chance to explore 中国! At the end of September, me and a few of my friends (朋友们) took a seven-hour bus journey to the lakeside of the Great Wall of China (水长城). We were boiling from the steep climb and heat, but the clear day meant the views were stunning. The long trip was certainly worth it! Plus, it was a nice break away from studying and enjoy the end of summer!
As I mentioned in the last blog, the 1st of October is China’s National Day (国定假日). This year was the 70th anniversary so all the celebrations were even bigger than usual. The whole country normally has a few days off to spend time with their family, and so we took that opportunity to travel (旅行) 中国. I visited Qufu (曲阜), in Shandong province, with six other scholars: Kirsten, Erin, Margret, Scottie, Bethany, and Alexander. We had to catch our train from Beijing (北京), which gave us the chance for a small day trip exploring the capital. Despite 北京 being around 一百miles away from 天津, it only takes 30 minutes on the high-speed train! We spent the day at Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) and at the famous Pearl Market, haggling for Gucci belts to Prada purses.
Our first full day in Qufu consisted of a climb up Tai Shan 泰山. A 1532 metres tall mountain, it was certainly a long day. 泰山is considered one of China’s five most sacred Taoist peaks. As it was a place of worship for hundreds of years, there were lots of temples, caves, and inscriptions for us to stop and admire along the way (which gave us a handy excuse to stop for a breath). We did manage to make it all the way to the top! Confucius once said that those who reach the top of 泰山 will live to see 100 (一百岁), so I’m hoping the trek was worth the effort!
During the rest of our time in 曲阜, we explored the small city, walking through the markets and the various tourist sites. 曲阜 is the hometown of Confucius (孔子), so there was plenty to see including 孔子家, temple, and the family’s cemetery. Of course, while we were there, we tried a lot of new food too. We went a restaurant called meat heaven, and the name was well suited! I also tried spicy tofu (辣豆腐), as you can see in the photo below, and it was the spiciest food I’ve ever tasted. It was a brilliant small trip as we got to see life in a more rural area and have a breath of fresh air unlike the polluted air of 天津. We took the train (火车) home to Tianjin, and unfortunately, we could only buy standing tickets…. on a ten-hour train journey. However, it wasn’t as bad as we dreaded, everyone could lie on the floor, and stretch out their legs, something you couldn’t do in a seat. Although I think I’ll get a hard sleeper ticket (票) next time, a standing ticket is an experience everyone needs to have!
Once we returned from our holidays, we were all in agreement that it was time to find a gym. The international campus doesn’t have as much sport facilities as the main campus at the edge of the city, so joining a public gym seemed best. This was great as our new gym is just a five-minute cycle from our flats, and a good chance to practice our Chinese with locals. I’ve already tried out many of the classes: tai chi, aerobics, Zumba, oriental dance, the list goes on.
Kirsten, Scottie, Erin, and I all visited Beijing to attend a family ceilidh that we had been invited to. We made sure to join in every dance (跳舞), until our feet were dying. It was a lovely way to remind us of home and meet other Scots who had moved abroad to China. By the end of the night we were all red faced, but very happy and stuffed with delicious food. To top off our day we found a restaurant in Beijing that played the Scotland Japan Rugby World Cup match!
Now we’re preparing for mid-term exams (考试) so we are all stuck inside studying! However, the temperature too is keeping us inside; 十月is a lot colder to 九月！In order to handle the cold, Kirsten, Erin and I decided to purchase 480 (四百八十) bags of Yorkshire tea from Taobao. We hoped it would last until June, although now I’m think we’ll be lucky if it lasts us three months!
That’s it for October, see you next month! 再见!
