I had the opportunity to spend a semester studying Mandarin in Beijing back in Fall 2015 and it was nice to visit the city this past week as part of the cultural experience of IRES: ASSURE program.
I am a big fan of China's bullet trains. We arrived at the station with just enough time to catch our train (as we had thought our train would be departing from a different station) and the staff was incredibly helpful in directing us to the right platform. Our journey from Wuxi to Beijing took 5 hours and 25 minutes and it was rather comfortable. At some point the speed of the train reached 320 km per hour (200 miles per hour)! Our view alternated between the rural farms and skyscrapers of apartment buildings throughout the ride.
After arriving in Beijing, we decided to get a transportation card as we would spend a few days in the city. The subway system was extensive; there were more than 20 lines. Some were added in the past couple of years. Keeping the city of 30 million people moving is a daunting task. Fun fact, Beijing was built in a series of rings with the Forbidden City in the center and this is reflected in the layout of the subway system.
In the next few days, we visited the popular landmarks of Beijing. We arrived amidst the vacation time when the students just got out of school. Families were on holiday and we were heading to the same places. There is an old Chinese saying which roughly translates into "Mountain of People, Sea of People" and it captured the experience quite well.
The weather did not cooperate with us. The day we visited the Forbidden City, temperature hovered at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. We headed out at around 10 and after a few hours at the Palace, we found ourselves quickly drained by the heat. We decided to get back to the hotel and stayed inside for the rest of the day. It rained the whole time the next day ...
Despite the fact we were lost among the sheer number of people, we made a few friends in Beijing. On the day of the trip to the Great Wall, Wang Laoshi introduced us to two fellow graduate students from Tsinghua University and Xiao Ying who taught at the Confucius Institute back at MSU. We climbed the Great Wall and explored the Summer Palace together while learning more about Chinese History. We even went to an American-themed restaurant for dinner. It was delicious.
I think we had a great time. Beijing is a fascinating city afforded with significant cultural landmarks and a long history. It seems a bit crazy that the city is able to preserve much of its past while making room for modernization. We were fortunate to experience a bit of both as we strolled through the ancient hutongs on our way to the metro station.
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