China 2009: Stories to Tell With New Friends
I thought that since the internet connection was weak during our visit the last night ( and Ms. P was totally wiped out and decided not to fight internet connection issues!) That I would post some of the photos from the last two days so you could see China from our, and Stanley’s ,viewpoint. This post will be mostly photos with some captions and an All Star Challenge at the end. You can read Bittersweet Goodbye to catch up on our last day in Fujian, and I will post late tonight about our day in Beijing today.
These are common delicacies in China in this region– snakes and bull frogs. Drew– don’t tell your webkinz about that! What kind of things would we eat in the United States that would be different tan things here in China?
- Stanley and children at the #1 primary school in Fujian
- Children at the primary school we talked to and gave some Colorado quarters to after a meeting with teachers and faculty of the region
- Dr. LeBlanc Esparza presenting books ( A Hungry Catipillar, The White House, and the Grand Canyon) to the Primary school in Fujian from Hulstrom Options and Adams 12 School District on behalf of Hulstrom and our district
- A Chinese History Classroom with 50+ students!
- Notice all of the students on the balconies of the 8 story school. We were the lunchtime entertainment for these students!
- Stanley has lunch!
- Dr. LeBLanc Esparza holds up a magazine with the Denver NUggets on the front in the Middle School Library at the #3 Middle School In Fujian
All Star Challenge:
Schools here average about a 1:55 ratio in teachers to students. If a school has 345 teachers — how many students do they have?
December 8, 2009
Yesterday was a long day for all of us– as I mentioned you would probably not see us online due to lack of internet– we were out of the hotel quite early and up to the temple at the top of the city in Fujian before departing this gracious and mountainous city. The morning dawned cloudy– the only day of rain we had come across which made our trek to the top of a sacred mountain in Fuzou City a bit precarious. We were up early to check out of our hotel, see an ancient part of the city called 3 rows and 7 alleys, and to have yet another lunch and then off to the airport. The temple looked like:
Temples are one of my favorite places in China and Japan because of the quiet comtemplative nature of the historic site. The temples are usually red and gold.
I have to make this short– and will add to it later– I have a meeting to be at in 10 minutes and am going to the Forbidden to get a birthday picture because I have the lucky chance to get to celebrate my birthday in China this year. How often do you get to do that? He HE HE…but will leave you with this:
AllStar Challenge:
Why would the colors of gold and red be used in a temple in China? What is the historical and cultural significance?
Team Edward… or Jacob?
December 7, 2009 at 3:07 pm (Uncategorized) · Edit
I had to start with that title since one of the best times I have had on the trip– and Dr. LeBlanc Esparza has had– was today at the #3 Middle School in Fuzhou City and at the primary school as well. We tramped on the bus this morning in the foggy air– it was hard to tell if it was fog or pollution actually– with books, Colorado quarters, and postcards and cards in tow to visit the schools on our itinerary. We started across the city to the first school– one of the top primary schools in the city. Children from Kindergarten to level five attend here. The school is a small, clean, quiet, urban oasis in a sea of busy streets, old and new high rises, and a multitude of narrow shops, zippy scooters, and people.
The teachers and administrators were anxiously awaiting our arrival at the school and greeted us with many smiles, and a multitude of cameras as we got off of the bus. The local TV station was also present along with many Chinese officials, and school personnel. Out in the green yard, a 1st grade class was getting set up for PE classes– and practicing balance skills using ping pong paddles and balls. They were excited to show us how they could race across the year with the ball on top of the paddle and not have it fall off. After we visited with them, we were introduced to a lot of displayed work, essays on Chinese proverbs, and Tang Dynasty poetry. The school yard is lined with stone carvings/murals of important leaders from China and around the world including famous scientists from around the world like Einstein and Marie Curie. We then went up to the classroom to hear a Chinese Language teacher ( the equivalent of our Language Arts class) discuss poetry with little guys and have them work on reading fluency, tonality, comprehension, and symbolism. You will notice in the pictures and/or video that most of them are wearing the red scarf of the youth corps of Communist China ( our guide equivalates it to boy scouts/girl scouts but it is much more than that) or a pin supporting China as well. This is pretty normal as one of the primary things taught here is the support of the nation as a whole. They then recited one for us in a group recitation as well as an individual recitation by one of the young ladies in the classroom.
After the recitation we were ushered to a conference room with the teachers of the Chinese school and were given the opportunity to discuss common teaching practices and what we call “methodology” which is the way we teach. We asked lots of questions such as how big their classes were, what they were expected to teach, and what the standard day of school looked like for both a teacher and a student. Students attend school in China at both of the schools we visited from 7:45 in the morning until 11:45 am. They then go home for lunch generally and return at 2 pm to continue school until 5:30 pm.Not all students go home for lunch at the older grades– some elect to stay at school and purchase things from the a-la-carte stand. Sound familiar guys?
After presenting gifts to the school– you can see Dr. LeBlanc-Esparza giving our books to the primary school staff (The White House, The Hungry Caterpillar, and the Grand Canyon) we waited for others to do the same and then left for the next school via bus. We arrived at the middle school about 20 minutes later. Here we were with kids around your age and they were working on basketball in the outside PE area and science in the school. We then met with them inside and watched a literature class take place and talked to the students about the Tang Dynasty poetry they were reading. Afterwards we were able to talk to them and their English was wonderful. We did some fast trading of pins and I was able to secure one from their uniform for a trade of the Colorado one on my jacket. Then we were ushered into a conference room for more discussions with students and of all things the topic was Twilight and New Moon. The one young lady I talked with had seen the Twilight movie three times. I met her English teacher and gave them letters from 7th grade. Seems that the 9 students we talked with are 8-1 in favor of Team Edward. Sorry Jacob fans– China is up for Edward on this one. We had a good visit capped off by a nice treat of cookies and candied olives. I don’t know if I would consider them candy but they were.
After we were done we had a bit of time so we headed to a supermarket across the street. Dr. LeBlanc-Esparza was really thrilled to see turtles, squid, frogs, and snakes for sale in the food case in the “meat” section. I don’t know if my stomach is brave enough for snake! We then headed to lunch and three hours of meetings with Chinese officials setting up communications with the schools here. We have met many nice principals and headmasters who are extremely interested in meeting with students here and abroad. Then one more round of food ( Which seems to be of really great importance around here just as it is at home. ) On our way we landed right into rush hour traffic like you would never see in the United States. Hundreds — and I am not exaggerating– of scooters filled the streets in a jumbled chaos of horns, people, and helmets. Throw in about 20 taxis per corner, and our tall bus looming over the top of all of the people and cars and it was a bit of a scary drive. Tonight Stanley joined in the fun of trying sharks fin, quail eggs, poi, seaweed, and about 11 different types of fish. After a 20 course meal ( yes, really) and many toasts to good health and well-being in the future we bid our friends and colleagues good-bye.
Now we are back at the hotel packing to head back north and watching the lights glow on the sides of the buildings around the lake we are staying on. Outside Dr. LeBlanc-Esparza’s window it looks much like Las Vegas with all of the neon lights, music, and people walking the narrow cement and wooden boardwalk around the lake. The lobby of the hotel is still hopping as we have two more wedding parties in the hotel tonight, and another business conference. We are cramming the tea we purchased in our suitcases and everything else so that we are under the 42 lb limit for our suitcase. We can bring more home, but the inner-China airlines are more restrictive. Tomorrow it is off to 3lanes 7 alleys neighborhoods and some shopping in the antiquities market.
Tomorrow may be hard to post as I am in transit by plane until about midnight but I will do my best.
All Star Challenge:
Gas here is 5.94 Yuan ( RMB) per liter. If the exchange rate is 6.887 RMB per American dollar, approximately how much does 1 gallon of gas cost?
If anyone can find the English equivalent of the “croaker fish” we will give you bonus points. This is one our guide is having trouble with!
Provincial Pastimes
December 6, 2009 at 10:49 pm (Uncategorized) · Edit
Our gracious hosts allowed us to sleep in yesterday after a LATE night getting in from Beijing. We were delivered and checked in to our hotel in Fujian Province, located in Southeastern China on the Taiwan coastline. We are on mainland China but in a large shipping area and a mountainous region with many rivers and a tropical climate. The weather is much warmer here than in Beijing with weather in the double digits of centigrade – about 57 degrees. We are staying in a hotel which is on a lake– and in the morning you can hear people getting walking along the lakeside quite early before work– about 5 am.
I have a view of a small urban park outside my back window:
Notice the manicured grounds, the symbolism of the Ying/Yang symbol, the rock formation with the writing on it, and the neatness of the garden. It is a perfect oasis in the middle of large city buildings.
After breakfast we loaded o the busses and drove through the seaside mountains to Drum Mountain on the west side of the city. It is called this because tradition says that when it rains, the rain sounds like it is hitting a drum due to the fact that there is a lot of rock formations which formed this hill. There is a temple at the top, a buddhist one, which we visited.It was a busy day at the temple. Since there is no school people were walking up the mountain to the top (about 2 miles up) enjoying a day out. The narrow steep road fit barely one car or bus and took us through lush green forest with ferns, deciduous trees, palms, and many beautiful flowering bushes. Once we reached the top we unloaded and walked the rest of the way to the top through the entrance gates and stone paths. Stanley was a hit with alot of the children as we took pictures of him going up the hill. Here he is at one of the entrance lanterns and at the koi pond with a set of new friends.
Many many people were here giving offerings to the large buddha. There were several of them in the mountainside complex, and many monks. We decided to be a bit nosy and look around with the help of our guides and received some really good photos in return. Dr. LeBlanc – Esparza found a local shop within the temple that we were able to purchase the clothing of a traditional Monk from this region. The elder monk that was there thought we were the most humorous people of the day for what we were asking to purchase but we were not going to let that stop us! It is rare that you can actually purchase clothes such as this in a religious environment. We received many smiles and lots of laughs. You all can try the robes on when we return. 
)
We enjoyed the walking around and came out of the park smelling like sandalwood incense. You will have the chance to smell this when I return– it is the incense smell that is used at the temples in China. The air was filled with the haze of the sandalwood so much so that the photos that we took were somewhat unclear and looked like they were too bright. Everywhere you turned there were offerings, candles, or huge sticks of incense in burners. The picture below shows Stanley at the 5th inner temple near a stone lion with Dr. LeBlanc Esparza and I.
After we departed from the temple we made our way to a famous restaurant in Fujian and tasted some of the special food from this region including quail eggs, octopus, sea urchin, sea cucumber, cows knees, and fish dumpling soup. The meal tested our braveness — I admit to not eating the octopus but the quail eggs were better than I expected. Tradition says that you have to eat things in twos for good luck– two eggs, two dumplings, two servings, etc. The sweet and sour fish looked like:
The Fish balls/ Fish dumplings looked like:
After the meal we headed out to the Fujian maritime museum– a brand new museum that has been done quite well in the heart of Fuzhou City. The museum documents the HUGE role that shipping has played in the history of this area, and how it still plays a role today. It documents the “opening of China” to westerners, and how shipping plays a deep and distinct role in this regions economy today. Fuzhou is the largest exporter of mens casual clothing and electronic goods in Fujian, and much of it is shipped from the docks in Fujian. Stanly got to hear about shipping and take a ride on a ship:
After a day of museums it was back to the hotel for our opening reception to meet the educational officials from Fujian province and talk about the real purpose for being here– making connections with the schools and teachers! After a wonderful dinner we were presented with an amazing gift of items representing the hallmarks of this region– a lacquer cup ( for the lacquer-ware created here), a stone carving of a horse, for the stone mountains, an ox bone comb, for the agriculture and farming, and a oxbone pipe used by men in this region.
Today– we will be sharing our gifts with the schools we will be visiting . It is an early start– my wakeup call has just rang– so I am off to breakfast and the bus with the books Hulstrom sent to share with kids in Fujian.
See you tomorrow online! I have to rush to get my shoes on and downstairs!
All Star Challenge:
Look at a map of Fujian, most particularly Fuzhou City. Why would this place be good for the industry of shipping?
What are the 4 hallmarks of a scholar in China ( Items a scholar would use) ?
The Great Wall…
December 5, 2009 at 7:02 pm (Uncategorized) · Edit
The day started early– and really chilly since the wind was blowing and the wind chill made the temperatures in Beijing hover around 0 degrees. I know you all have the cold there with you as well. We loaded our buses after depositing our luggage in the front lobby of the hotel. It was a sea of suitcases. I ate fast and walked around the corner to take pictures of some big banners which showed the 60th anniversary celebration which took place this year honoring the Cultural Revolution in Tiananmen Square. It was a grand celebration.
After loading the bus we settled in for a quiet one hour drive to The Great Wall of China outside of Beijing. There are several locations which you can visit, last time I was here I went to Badaling, this time we went to Jinshanling, a portion which has been redone for the Olympics. We were one of the first groups there in the morning and the wall was relatively quiet meaning there were few people visiting when we first arrived. We took a group picture and then individually walked the sections of the wall. There are 7 towers that you can access from this section of the wall, and the hills are extremely steep. The steps have worn indentations in the stone where people have walked for ages, and if you are afraid of heights this is not the place to be since the steps are uneven and extremely steep. Dr. LeBlanc Esparza headed up the wall quickly, I hung back with Stanley to get some pictures which are below, and then walked up with others in our group. We also decided to participate in a time-honored tradition of placing a lock on the wall. If you are married or have just gotten engaged, you can have a lock inscribed with your names and you lock it on a chain against the wall for long life, happiness, and good luck. After dong that we had a metal plate inscribed to go with the Hulstrom AllSTAR in the trophy case at home and then walked around a bit. The wind died down so it was quite nice and not as bone cold as it has been from the humidity.
We loaded up the buses and headed back to town through the countryside filled with bare fields, coal plants, and rising skyscrapers being built to house all of the new residents wanting to live and work in Beijing who were coming from the countryside. We arrived at the Olympic Park and tumbled quickly out into the sea of tourists walking up to see the Bird’s Nest and the “Ice Cube” from the Olympics. Dr. LeBlanc Esparza was braver than I and convinced a soldier to take a picture with Stanley as we were walking in. She will show it to you all when we are back. We walked around the square and looked inside the Bird’s Nest which they are working on right now to create a skating rink on the track and field area. The architecture here is extremely contemporary, and the complex lies on one of the most important roads in Beijing, the one that goes right through downtown in front of the Forbidden City on a North South Axis. The north is considered the dangerous and evil side of the city as in history that is where the Huns or Mongols would invade Beijing hence the reason the Great Wall is built on the north side of the city.
We walked over to a Kentucky Fried Chicken to get pictures of the signs and grab a menu– boy did we get in deep trouble for that! We took pictures of the menu, and a little grandmother type manager came and shooed us out and told us no pictures allowed. Whoops. We did not eat there because we were told we had a great treat in store for us — dinner at a Chinese McDonald’s! We were gracious and thanked our hosts ( This is a really special deal here in China since the food is so expensive in McD’s ) Now that was different! We had a grilled chicken sandwich Chinese style ( With 5 spice flavorings) a cup of canned corn and a drink. Dr. LeBlanc-Esparza and I got fries and chicken nuggets to try them and they were pretty much the same as in the states. But no happy meal boxes to bring home — I was bummed. But the big find of the day was a Starbucks in the airport– Dr. Leblanc- Esparza had a carmel macchiato and I went for a latte. She needed the caffeine, I needed to kill time since our flight was seriously delayed from the airport.
We boarded our China Airlines flight and are now wearily in the province of Fujian in the southeastern part of China. This is the province where oolong tea became famous and the start of the shipping industry in China has become famous as well. We are off to Drum Mountain tomorrow but before that I am gong to take a shower and hit the sack. The water here is not orange coming out of the faucet for the first time in several days which is good! In Beijing the pipes are so old that the iron has rusted and the clay pipes have broken so the water runs orange. You cannot drink the water here without boiling it or using bottled water for that reason. In the provinces things are a bit different. Goodnight — or good morning to you all– talk to you tomorrow!
Allstar Challenge:
In what dynasties was the Great Wall of China built?
What Olympic events tool place in the ice cube?
A Day of Learning …and Meeting New People
December 4, 2009 at 4:00 pm (Uncategorized) · Edit
It is now just about 11:30 pm and Dr. LeBlanc Esparza and I have returned to the hotel after much walking and a LONG day. We spent the morning meeting new friends and colleagues from around China and the United States at a reception in the Great Hall of the Raffles Hotel, which is part of our hotel complex. Originally started in Singapore– it is one of the most famous hotel chains in the world and Rudyard Kipling is said to have done much writing at the one in Singapore and in China. The hotel was built in 1900 and has a very European design. This was common during that time period in China as the Emporer was looking to “open China” to the west. Today, you can still see remnants of European Colonial Architecture in Beijing and Shanghai.
After many introductions, and a chance to meet the group that will be gonig with us to Fujien Province, Dr. LeBLanc Esparza and I decided to skip lunch and head over to Mao’s Tomb and the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tianamen Square. Below you can see pictures of Stanley and a new friend we met who is wearing a traditional military hat from China. The soldiers all wear them here in the cold, and we are definately cold like you are in Colorado right now.
After seeing the monument we walked over to Chairman Mao’s Tomb. In this Mausoleum, Chairman Mao’s body is on display for the public to see and pay their respects to during daytime hours. We did not go in this time as our time was limited and we had to meet our group to head to the Confucious Temple. You can see the large Mausoleum in the background of the picture below.
We walked fast back to the hotel to grab a bit of lunch and something warm to eat then hopped on the bus to the Confucius Temple. At this temple students have come to pray for good blessings during their national examination time. Confucius was a writer and a scholar, and today students bring offerings to the temple in hopes that they will score well on their national final exams. These exams determine what university they will be able to attend. The leading university in China is Peking University, and it is very important to do well so that they have a chance to attend there. Students who place in the top 2% have their names inscribed on tall stone monuments in the courtyard of the temple along with the names of leading scholars and students from the past 300 years. One of the trees in this temple complex is over 600 years old– almost as old as the temple. Below you can see a picture of Stanley near Confucius. Many of the sayings you read in your fortune cookies( Which are an American invention) come from Confucius.
After this temple we walked across the street to a famous Buddhist temple complex and saw the largest Buddha in China which stands over 16 meters high and is created from a single piece of sandalwood. After our visit we were off to dinner and then to see the National Ballet perform Swan Lake in the “egg” which is the national theater. The “egg” is created out of titanium and glass and the theater is underground. The water surrounding the egg can be viewed underneath as you walk into the theater. The show was amazing and warm as we had to walk into it with a windchill which made the temperature here about 2 degrees F.
Now it is off to pack as we have a 5 am wakeup call which means about 5 hours of sleep until we head to the Great Wall tomorrow and the Bird’s Nest Olympic venues.
All Star Challenge:
Confucius is known for a religion in China. What is it?
What role did Chairman Mao play in the Cultural Revolution?
Morning in Beijing
December 3, 2009 at 10:53 pm (Uncategorized) · Edit
I headed out to the Forbidden City this morning with a colleague to see if there were Tai Chi groups starting in the dark before work. No luck this morning as it is about 2 degrees Celsius with a small breeze so very cold and chilly. Instead we walked to the Temple of Heaven and took our Stanley’s back to the Forbidden City to get pictures we can upload. I mistakenly took them with the phone yesterday thinking I could upload to facebook but due to regulations in China Facebook is not allowed. Think of how Facebook made a huge difference in how the world views events in other places when media is not allowed in the country, and you can possibly imagine why they would want to have some controls here. Other than that we seem to have pretty good access to email so that makes this blog happen.
The city lights are off– much like what we do to save energy in the United States — because energy is such a premium here in China. You will see a lot of nuclear power plants here ( we saw some as we flew in) and hydroelectricity as well. China is one of the leading countries in the world in energy consumption. Let Ms. Teran know that there is a great amount of recycling here which was not the case five years ago when I was here before. Much of this was put into place for the Olympics.
I am off to have breakfast after a 5 km walk for the last two hours. People are just getting up in the hotel but my time clock is a bit off. Dr. LeBlanc is probably up and getting ready for her day and we are off to breakfast. Below I have posted a few pictures of Stanley at the entrance to the hotel and the Forbidden City. Christmas is a marketing holiday here– I have a Santa card in Chinese to bring home, but due to the controls on religion we see nothing in regards to the religious base of the holiday which is a focus in other parts of the world. Later this morning we will be at a Confucius Temple and a yellow hat monastery for the Lama.
Talk to you all later tonight!
All Star Challenge:
Do you ever have pizza for breakfast? I am headed down to eat beans, rice, stirfry veggies and
soup and of course tea.
What was the historical purpose of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing?
Stanley is part of the bridge delegation
Stanley at the Forbidden CityStanley was up smiling early with us. We were the only Americans on the street this morning and had many an offer to take a picture with the students heading off to school at 5 am!
Nihao Beijing!
December 3, 2009 at 1:28 pm (Uncategorized) · Edit
After a long flight on a cramped plane we landed into terminal 3 at Beijing airport. I cannot upload pictures from here but Flat Stanley made it through quite well and was able to take a picture next to the customs sign as we entered the country. We had to fill out a form about the possibility of being sick ( H1N1) and they were screening people for fevers by taking temperatures at the arrival point.The entry to China was quick and easy, and the airport was relatively calm and empty in this particular terminal. The design of the terminal was mostly red steel pillars and floor to ceiling glass, and it was designed by the same person who renovated the Vancouver BC terminal. This new international terminal was created for the Beijing airport during the Olympics.
Our flight was uneventful . Most of us tried to sleep some but mostly stay awake so that we can adjust to the time change here in Beijing. It is just about 3 am your time in Colorado as I type this entry. I graded essays, and read a new Genghis Khan book between watching several discovery channel programs on China and the historic landmarks here.
Due to global warming, and the cost of energy, United Airlines flew us over the Arctic Ocean and down to Beijing through the easternmost portion of the Siberian Forest and Siberia. For those of you who have completed your Asia maps, you will remember that this forest stretches far across the continent of Asia from East to West. The mountains were quite beautiful, and we were able to see portions of the Great Wall of China as we came close to Beijing. There are several tourist locations to go and visit it near here– Badaling is one of them which we will visit this week. As we came closer the cloud cover was thick and misty but not totally white. The upper layer of clouds was white at the bottom with a thin layer of brown and orange coating the horizon line just below the blue sky. This is due to the season here ( winter) where the majority of China burns coal to heat their homes. Due to lack of environmental controls, the pollution is clearly evident in the air. As we landed it looked foggy and rainy and the sun shone bright red from the pollution.
We hauled all of our luggage to our tour busses and hopped aboard for the hour long trip in traffic to our hotel. You can see the hotel we are staying in by looking at this link: http://www.chinabeijinghotel.com.cn/en/
The hotel is quite nice and the meeting rooms which we will be in for the next two days are beautiful and were created in the early 1900′s at the turn of the century. They have many greek pillars, many marble statues of horses and soldiers, and have lots of traditional paintings.The hotel is located next to Tienanmen Square. Stanley and I walked there this evening after dinner and it is filled with lights and a picture of Chairman Mao, a revered leader from China’s history is over the entrance of the Forbidden city where the last emporer ruled from before the Cultural Revolution.
Tonight we are to rest as our day starts at 8:30 am and goes well into the night. We will be in meetings most of the day and visiting two temples, then will be attending a performance of Swan Lake at the National Chinese Theater in the evening. If you all remember Claire’s performance from Young Chautauqua last year, you will remember that this is a favorite ballet of many people and one of the most famous ones in which a famous ballerina Pavlova once danced. She is much admired here in Beijing.
All Star Challenge:
Beijing is the third largest city in China. What are the first two?
Who was the last official Emperor of China that lived in the Forbidden City?
Bonus: Over 3 million people in Beijing have cars, how many bicycles are estimated to be in Beijing?
Welcome to the Adventure!
November 30, 2009 at 4:51 pm (Uncategorized) · Edit
Starting on December 1, 2009, Dr. LeBlanc Esparza and I will be traveling to China as part of the Hanban/AP College Board 2009 Chinese Bridge Delegation. We are excited to be going to China to visit a variety of locations and schools, as well as historic sites along the way!
Check into the blog to find out where we are, what we are doing, and to follow Flat Stanley and the Hulstrom Allstar in the Explore China Challenge. We will start posting on Wednesday December 2, 2009 but remember we will be on the plane so we may have some gap time in between our first three posts.
See you on the blog! Feel free to comment and ask questions of us as you would like, as always we would ask you to sign using your first name only so that we continue to be safe online. Talk to you soon…
Ms. P.
Yesterday was a long day for all of us– as I mentioned you would probably not see us online due to lack of internet– we were out of the hotel quite early and up to the temple at the top of the city in Fujian before departing this gracious and mountainous city. The morning dawned cloudy– the only day of rain we had come across which made our trek to the top of a sacred mountain in Fuzou City a bit precarious. We were up early to check out of our hotel, see an ancient part of the city called 3 rows and 7 alleys, and to have yet another lunch and then off to the airport. The temple looked like:
Temples are one of my favorite places in China and Japan because of the quiet comtemplative nature of the historic site. The temples are usually red and gold.
I have to make this short– and will add to it later– I have a meeting to be at in 10 minutes and am going to the Forbidden to get a birthday picture because I have the lucky chance to get to celebrate my birthday in China this year. How often do you get to do that? He HE HE…but will leave you with this:
AllStar Challenge:
Why would the colors of gold and red be used in a temple in China? What is the historical and cultural significance?
December 7, 2009
