June 3 & 4 in Shanghai

Matt Slade

Hey all, Matt again. On Monday I woke up and went down to breakfast with my roommate, Connor, and some other friends. The Sheraton breakfast was huge and had so many options. After that, my group and I spent the entire morning working on our paper and doing some research at the nearby supermarket. We got a lot of good work done in Wendy’s room and I felt a lot better about the project after that. In the afternoon, we went with Professor Sheehan to Nanjing Road in Shanghai to find some more popsicles. This excursion was super fun and we saw a huge part of the city. We went to Häagen-Dazs to try some of their luxury, very expensive ice cream. We tried to go to People’s Square, but it was closed, so we decided to go to the second biggest Starbucks in the world! Professor had to go back to work with some other groups, but we stayed out, had dinner and went shopping. We got back to the hotel late and I went right to bed: I was exhausted.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery, Nanjing Road, Shanghai

The next day was pretty similar. We spent the morning working, and then all went out to see the City God Temple and the Yu Gardens. Both of these were closed, but the area around them was super cool and we were able to get some good gifts for people back home. I had a little dinner in the hotel room and then went to bed because I wasn’t feeling great.

Jasmine, Eric, Sarah, and Matt on the subway

Jasmine Sears

Hi all! Jasmine here to tell you about my days. I started off my Monday with my research group, “PERIODT.” aka Team Tampon, and worked on finishing our final paper in a Starbucks near our hotel. We conducted further background research and made important progress toward finalizing our project’s thesis. Afterward, we headed out with our T.A. Jeremy to meet up with Guang, a former student of Professor Sheehan’s who lives in Shanghai. Guang brought us to a restaurant that served incredible food of the Gobi Desert. Their lamb was delicious.

Our “Gobi Desert” lunch

With very happy bellies, Team Tampon + Jerry of Brew Crew then conducted field research in a nearby Walmart store. Next, we traveled by Metro to Jing’an Temple. The temple was beautiful, and the surrounding neighborhood had great shopping and exciting food.

Jasmine in the Jing’an Temple area, Shanghai

Finally, I ended my night by visiting a popular spot in the Bund that had a spectacular view of Pudong – Professor Sheehan calls it “Tomorrowland.” On the way home from the Bund, a taxi driver scammed my friends and me by charging us ¥250 for a ride that should have cost at most ¥80. Very unfortunate, but also a great learning experience.

Pudong “Tomorrow Land” as seen from the bund

Early on Tuesday, everyone convened in Professor Sheehan’s room for a final round of “Rose, Thorn, Bud,” a daily ritual that Matt first introduced at the beginning of the trip. Everyone shared a Rose, their favorite experience of the trip, a Thorn, their least favorite experience, and a Bud, an experience they are looking forward to. It was so sweet to reflect back on our trip and remember all of the great things that we were able to do over our couple of weeks in China.

In the evening, I explored an area in the French Quarter called Tianzifang. It had great shopping for jewelry, tea, and souvenirs and was my favorite place in Shanghai so far. For dinner, I had some spectacular Chinese barbecue at a restaurant near Tianzifang.

Tianzifang

Last Full Day in Hebi – June 1

Clarence Lai & Michele Torne

Day three in Hebi! What infectious, warm energy coming from the city. Starting off the morning, the early breakfast crew enjoyed breaking bread as the rest of the team trickled down from their slumber thirty minutes later. 

The morning breakfast crew! (Michele not pictured)

After breakfast, a large group of us went down to New Century Plaza and played a large game of “Ninja,” which entertained quite a crowd of Hebi locals. 

A game of “Ninja” at New Century Plaza

Meanwhile, Brew Crew went in search of a quiet place to get ready for the afternoon group presentations. At the park, a group of elderly women invited us to watch them perform a well-coordinated dance routine. Afterwards, Teams Pop & Sickle, Tampon, and Yee and Ye storefront crew made their way down to Pedestrian Street and enjoyed the lovely shops lined up along the main road.

Around noon, the entire group had our last official group meal in Hebi. After the scrumptious lunch, each group met up to iron out their presentations for an afternoon class meeting. In this meeting,everyone presented their observations in the first part of the trip and their in-progress thesis statements.

Gearing up for our class meeting and presentations

When presentations concluded, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening exploring the mall nearby our hotel for a change of scenery, recharge with food, and buy snacks to appease our appetites while on the train ride down to Shanghai. The food court in that mall was MARVELOUS. Finally, we ended the day with a multitude of card games like Valeria, Tong, and Kemps – an ultimate bonding experience.

Friday, May 31

Wendy Liu

Group photo at Yunmeng Mountain

On our first full day in Hebi, we went for a hike to Yunmeng Mountain. The scenery was very beautiful and we saw a number of people with incense worshiping below different statues. Several of us made it up to the temple located on the very top of the mountain and were rewarded with a gorgeous view and cute puppies. After eating lunch in a restaurant in the mountains, we went to the old city center of Hebi to do some more fieldwork.

Some members of Pop & Sicle were followed around by a group of kids as we navigated our way around the mall and back to the bus. On our way back for our group dinner, we stopped by the convention center to take a look at the ghost city part of Hebi. Contrary to our expectations, it was not empty or deserted. Instead, there were many cars parked and a lot of people gathered outside. It turned out that it was Children’s Day tomorrow, June 1st. A primary school was holding a large-scale event to celebrate and the children were decked out in dresses and costumes. After a quick stroll, we made our way to dinner and concluded the planned activities for the day. Groups made their own plans to work on their thesis and slides in preparation for tomorrow’s class presentation.

Mikaella Ahn

Mikaella, Wendy, and Jeremy on Yunmeng Mountain

This morning, the group had breakfast at Zhongkai Court Hotel. Fortunately, this hotel is very spacious and lovely, similar to the hotel at Anyang. Once we finished eating, Professor Sheehan and our tour guide, Johnson, took us to a morning excursion to Yunmeng Mountain. Boy, the stairs never end!

Wendy and I decided to climb to the top of the mountain where the highest tempest was. In this temple, we could wish for riches. I prayed for all of us at Global East Asia to become billionaires! Then, we walked all the way down the stairs. Stairs are always scarier climbing back down. After we left the Yunmeng Mountains, we had lunch where I toasted for the first time. I couldn’t help but to feel nervous. I toasted to all the memories I have made with everyone here on the trip, and how I know that I will miss everyone when the trip is over. Once we left lunch, Professor Sheehan took us to Old Hebi where Michelle and I conducted our fieldwork. Our TA, Jeremy, accompanied us because we do not know Mandarin. We went inside Watsons and was able to find cosmetic brands, Pechoin and Kans. In Old Hebi, we found local shops in the mall that the sold cosmetic brand, Dr. Plant and domestic Chinese brands. At this halfway point of the trip, Michelle and I began to create our thesis and slides for the group presentation tomorrow to show Professor Sheehan and everyone else. Once we finished our thesis, slides and chose our picture, some of us decided to go to Karaoke since it is in walking distance. I decided to sing, Diva by Beyonce. This night was very active, productive and so much fun!

Thursday, May 30

Wendy Liu

Group photo with the kind couple from the village

Hi blog! Time flies by when you are having fun. Today marks the end of one full week in China! After Beijing and Anyang, we are headed for Hebi. On the way there, we stopped by a village called Si Ma Cun (司马村) with 3,000 residents and was invited into the humble home of one of the residents there. She is 73 this year and her husband is 76, but they look much younger than their age. The husband has been to a few cities before, including Beijing, but the woman has not been to any major cities in her life, except the provincial capital of Zhengzhou. The couple was very friendly and welcoming, even offering us tea and was not afraid to show us around their house. They have three daughters and one son. Their son and his wife currently work in Canton and make the drive back to the village around three times a year to visit their family. After we left their home, we explored more of the village and came across a wedding. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay until the bride and groom came out, but it was nice to witness the set up of fancy cars parked around the home of the bride and the auspicious decorations.

We left the village and stopped by Hua County for a delicious lunch before walking around the old parts of Anyang. We met several shy kids on our walk and a number of people wanted photos with some members of our group since foreigners were a rare sight there. Finally, we arrived at the hotel in Hebi and settled in. As there was still time before the group dinner, research groups met up and started working on the thesis for their papers. After dinner, we went into the mall next to the hotel and continued our fieldwork in our respective groups before ending the day.

Mikaella Ahn

Group photo at the wedding in the village

One of the first things the group did was have breakfast at the Han Shui Bay International Hotel. Luckily, I have been having more luck with enjoying the food in Anyang than I did in Beijing. It was very sad to leave this hotel because it felt like I was living in a palace. Once on the road, Professor Sheehan decided to take us to a little excursion and visit the village. At the village, we met an elderly woman who was planting vegetables in her front yard. Professor Sheehan was able to ask her if we could see her home. Fortunately, she said yes! The woman was so nice and sweet. She let us into her living room and showed us her grandchildren’s room. Her husband also came out to meet us. I asked Professor Sheehan if he could ask them how they met. They told us that they met through mutual friends (I need friends like that!). After meeting the lovely couple, we decided to walk around. Fortunately, the group happened to stumble upon a wedding ceremony. What are the odds? We were able to take photos with the people at the wedding. Our TA, Jeremy, let us know that the people with flowers on their shirts were either family or close friends of the bride and groom. I wish the couple a life full of fortune and happiness.

On the bus, I asked Professor Sheehan if he had ever stumbled upon a wedding before, and he said it was the first for Global East Asia. Wow! Once we finally arrived in Hebi, we had an amazing dinner. Again, the food we have had in Anyang and Hebi has been so delicious. Noah toasted today, and he said how the events today really meant so much for him. I won’t forget this day either, Noah!

Wednesday, May 29 – Excursion into the Taihang Mountains

Eric Ye

Hi, this is Eric speaking.

It’s been a fantastic sixth day in China. Our hotel in Anyang, the Huanshuiwan International Hotel was an amazing facility. Even the shades were automated. After resting up from the excursion in Old Anyang, Johnson brought us to the Linzhou Taihang Grand Canyon (太行大峡谷), an AAAAA tourist spot, and boy was it breath-taking. The scenery and amenities were mind-blowing.

The Entrance to the Park

For the first order of business, we went to the bathrooms, and even the bathrooms were ranked AAA. The bathrooms could have used some air fresheners, but everything had a glossy sheen (bathroom images not included).

After the bathroom, some people bought local merchandise, including straw hats. Papa Sheehan demonstrated his haggling prowess cutting down the foreigner price from ¥16 to ¥10.

Connor, feeling smug about his new hat purchase

Arriving at the reception area

Map of the park

After taking a tram up to the base of the mountain and encountering a hulking overhang, we entered a gorgeous gorge with a cool draft, verdant abundance, and clear creeks.

Of the many pretty sights, my favorite in the canyon was the pool that collects the Flying Dragon Summit Waterfall (飞龙峰瀑布). The collecting pool was a beautiful mix of clear water tinged with yellow and a deep jade green. Several members even took commemorative selfies with the Professor at this scenic spot.

The crew crosses the Flying Dragon Pool

The Flying Dragon Pool at the Foot of the Flying Dragon Summit Waterfall

The source of the Flying Dragon Waterfall

After walking past a rickety bridge, we arrived at our lunch destination.

After gorging on a delightful lunch (replete with a variety of mountain foods including fungus), we left the gorge on an open-air tram that took us to the top of the gorge.

Matt, fighting on in the tram

The top of the gorge had many an attraction, from splendid views of the canyon valley to a plexiglass skybridge that showed a view of the canyon floor.

A panorama of the Taihang Grand Canyon from a viewing platform

A plexiglass skybridge that peers onto the canyon floor

As we wound down the canyon on foot, we witnessed a swath of mountain structures, including the the eponymous Taihang peak.

To GEA China 2019, although Taihang mountain may be far away, it will always be near and dear to our hearts

The class on another mountainous ledge

Tuesday May 28 – First day in Anyang

Connor Chapkis 
Tuesday, May 28th was our first full day in Anyang, and we were all extremely excited to explore the museum holding the city’s most important cultural relic: oracle bones!
We were hesitant to leave the hotel, since the amenities were incredibly nice—we had bathtubs, a ping pong room, an amazing breakfast, and more—but we knew the day ahead would be great. First off, Clarence was having trouble deciding his hairstyle for the day—luckily, Marissa, the braid queen, was able to help him match with her!

Clarence and Marissa

Once we got to the museum, the professor and I passed the time by playing a game where we extended our arms above us to pour water in our mouths—pretty sure I fared better than he did. Then Johnson, our tour guide, took us into the first of the exhibits about the oracle bones. Essentially, the ancient Chinese would place immense heat on the shells of turtles, crack them with various implements, and interpret the cracks as Chinese characters to predict events or fortunes. Their associations of the signs were elaborate:

Oracle bone characters and their modern equivalents

The professor had never been to Anyang before—and as a historian of China, he was clearly elated to see all of the relics and oracle bones that he’d heard so much about. His happiness was infectious, and it made all of the students interested in the exhibits. The landscaping of the museums was beautiful, as well:

Stele with a reproduction of an oracle bone inscription

Landscaping on the grounds of the oracle bone museum

Landscaping on the grounds of the oracle bone museum

Afterwards, we headed to the old city center of Anyang to conduct field research. Luckily for my group studying popsicles, we hit the jackpot—there was a food/popsicle stand almost every block, and we got the chance to see a lot of different displays and speak to quite a few shopkeepers.

Researching popsicles in the old part of Anyang

The old town was one of the highlights of the day for us. Every street was lined with vendors selling clothes, accessories, and food, so it was an excellent chance for us to get a feel for the energy of the place.
Only a few meters from the old town stood a pagoda, a kind of ancient structure intended to hold sacred relics. Some of us climbed to the top of the pagoda (through cramped and winding stairways) and were rewarded with stunning, 360-degree views of the city!

Pagoda in Anyang

View from the top of the pagoda

On our way back to the hotel, I picked up some scallion pancakes and bao buns at a market for dinner, and some students decided to decompress by walking over to the hot springs at our hotel! It was so fun putting on our bathrobes and relaxing in a hot tub.

At the hot springs

We all had a blast in Anyang – onwards to the next day!

Sunday, May 26

Sarah Ajise & Marissa Yee

Hi blog!

Today was a free day in Beijing. Many of us decided to head to the Temple of Heaven in the morning, which was a short 15-minute walk from our hotel. The Temple of Heaven is a three-tier circular temple. It was a lot larger than it seemed in pictures! We also walked around in the surrounding park, where a lot of locals were practicing Tai Chi and playing mahjong.

Corridor at the Temple of Heaven

Students in front of the Temple of Heaven

We met our Beijing Normal students at the Xidan Station later in the morning. Although the sky was gloomy when we entered the subway, it was pouring rain when we got out 20 minutes later. The Hot Pot research team visited many hot pot restaurants in various Xidan area malls. There was even an entire floor dedicated to hot pot restaurants in one of the malls. Our Beijing students were so helpful in finding new restaurants for us to visit and conduct research. For lunch, Hot Pot team, Pop & Sicle team, and Makeup Moguls ate at Haidilao, a trendy hot pot chain in China. Known for their service, the servers continued to bring us warm towels, pour us sweet tea, and switch our plates. The restaurant even had food service robots and toothbrushes in the restrooms. Definitely a favorite meal for many!

On the Beijing subway

The Brew Crew and Team Tampon met up at a different hot pot restaurant not far from the other teams. Since only one person could speak Chinese, ordering lunch was a bit challenging. With the help of Google Translate and Jerry’s beginner Chinese skills, we managed to eat some really delicious food. We didn’t eat a whole lot since there was a language barrier, and none of us wanted to struggle to communicate with the waitress. As a result, we found our way to KFC and had surprisingly good food; some would say it was even better than American KFC!

Beijing book store

After lunch, Hot Pot team, Pop & Sicle team, and Makeup Moguls continued to research in the Xidan area. In the afternoon we headed to Silk Street, which is known to sell fake goods. Emma was especially good at bargaining and purchased matching Peppa the Pig T-shirts for herself and her sister. Brew Crew and Team Tampon went back to the hotel to rest after their lunch. Later, they met up with the rest of the class for dinner in Sanlitun, an area of Beijing known for its walkability and nightlife. Some of us ate Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and the rest of the group ate at Blue Frog. It was definitely a fun last night in Beijing!

Soup Dumplings – called xiao long bao in Chinese

Catch us on tomorrow’s blog!

Beijing Day Two – 5/25

Emma Cockerell

Hello blog! My name is Emma Cockerell, and on team Pop & Sicle (you’re correct in your assumption that we’re analyzing popsicle advertising!).

On our second full day in Beijing, we went to Juyongguan section of the Great Wall. The bus journey was a long one, so a group of us passed the time by playing Sushi Go. Others, weary from the early start, took the opportunity to nap.

At the base of the wall, we took some obligatory group photos, and began the ascent to the top of the wall (where top is the highest point that we had access to). Some, like Marissa and Noah, charged ahead and reached the top in an impressive 40 minutes. Others, me included, took a more leisurely pace. The trek was much more difficult than I had anticipated, and I’m sure many of us felt a similar swelling of pride when reaching the top. While the view was breathtaking, the surrounding mountains were cloaked in a thick smog, which surprised me given how far we were from central Beijing.

The class proudly unfurled the banner and held it up for a photo atop the Great Wall. Almost the entire class made it to the top!

Team Pop & Sicle poses for a photo atop the Great Wall.

After a thigh-burning return to the base and a short bus ride, we reached a cloisonné factory that doubled as a lunch spot for tourists. It was really fascinating to learn about how cloisonné vases are crafted, and I have so much admiration for the artists who spend hours painting layer over layer onto each vase. Lunch itself was the classic un-Chinese tourist fare, but filling nonetheless, and after waiting for the bus in scorching heat we arrived at the Ming tombs.

A cloisonne maker painstakingly paints a fresh layer onto this beautiful azure vase.

We walked through tranquil courtyards and various buildings to reach the mountain in which the Emperor Hu Di was buried, which featured a self-locking marble door leading to his tomb (which was not open to us to see, unfortunately). Later, we drove past groves of cherry trees to reach another part of the Ming tombs, in which a long walkway was flanked by marble statues of court officials, military people, and animals (including a cute elephant!).

A line of Ming statues stretches into the distance. This one specifically depicts a court official.

By the time we got back to the bus, we were all knackered and ready for naps, but still opted to visit the Olympic Village. Sarah and Jerry were extremely popular with the many Chinese tourists strolling around the plaza, and both took the attention like champs. With our brief 35 minutes, we were able to see the Bird’s Nest stadium and the water cube, which were impressive architectural marvels.

Connor poses with one of the five 2008 Beijing Olympics mascots, Ying Ying.

After Olympic Village, we went to Quan Ju De, a classic Beijing destination known for its Peking Duck (which we learned was traditionally made by blowing air between the skin and duck meat). After I made a toast to our tenacity, we dug into the meal. My table played “rose, bud, thorn”, where we recounted what we enjoyed about the day, what we were looking forward to, and what wasn’t so great. We enjoyed crispy duck meat wrapped in thin sleeves with cucumber and hoisin sauce. The meal was a great end to a great day!

Welcome to Beijing, here’s the old and the new! – May 24

Noah Blackman

Hey There, Mr. Mao

Hey y’all, its Noah again with the Global East Asia blog post reporting from Beijing, China! Our first full day here is one for the memory books. We begin our day by drudging through the dense Beijing traffic on our way to the historical center of the Chinese capital, The Forbidden City, which is surrounded by Tiananmen Square and other important sites.

Beijing Traffic…

Tiananmen Square, similar to the city it centers, is a bustling scene. Quickly my peers and I discovered that the Chinese tourism market is not inhabited purely by foreigners such as ourselves, but many Chinese nationals from outside cities and “China Proper” come and join tour groups as well. The timing for visiting the site was quite interesting, for it was nearly 30 years ago that the 1989 June student protests happened on the ground in which we stood, reminding us of the enormous freedoms we experience in the US. The Square itself houses the mausoleum where late Chairman Mao rests, mummified on public display to allow spectators and mourners to come appreciate, or contemplate, Mao’s contributions to China. We did not get to visit due to the site being closed for the day, none-the-less we explored the rest of the square which included the National People’s Congress, the National Museum of China, and the Monument to the People’s Heroes, a 30+ foot tall memorial to the revolutionaries who shaped China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.

Panoramic shot of the bustling square

The square led to the entrance to the Forbidden City, where the Qing and Ming emperors governed their kingdom. Seeing the palace was an event that astonished me due to the fact that one person used to have the whole complex as their home, not a bad time at all. Everything was elegant, strong, and meticulously designed to fit the standards of the most important figures in China. My favorite part of the city was the garden by the north gate.

Forbidden City Gardens

Forbidden City

After we left the Forbidden City we went back to modernity in Wangfujing, a consumer center with a large variety of shopping and dining locations, complete with robots who would assist you in finding whatever product you’re looking for. When we got there all the research groups split up and we officially began our fieldwork!

Customer Assistance Robot

After fieldwork, different groups met up and went out for our first solo dinners in China. Personally, I went and had BBQ, one of my favorite types of food. There was no better way to end the first day in China than with some great food and even better company.

BBQ on a stick!

Arrival Day! – May 22-23

Megan Bennett

Hi everyone, my name is Megan and I’m taking over the blog for Wednesday and Thursday! Wednesday marked the end of our time in LA as we spent about 13 hours flying to Beijing. Thankfully, everyone made it to the airport on time, though we had some close calls. The flight itself was pretty uneventful, we got two meals and a few snacks, and there were a bunch of movies to choose from.

Departing from LAX!

Once we landed in Beijing, we were able to get through customs pretty quickly and meet up with our tour guide, Alex. It was hot outside, about 95 degrees, but thankfully our bus had air conditioning. As we drove through Beijing, Alex talked a bit about China and its history. I was surprised by how open he was talking about controversial things like Tiananmen Square, which I thought most people generally didn’t talk about.

View landing from the plane

We had some extra time before dinner and went into a nearby supermarket to explore. We had some fun looking at both Chinese products and American brands that were changed for Chinese consumers. For example, we found Lays chips that were cucumber flavored and others that were butter and garlic flavored. My group project is on feminine hygiene products, so we also looked around for a bit in that section.

Our dinner was served lazy susan style, and Professor Sheehan made sure we knew the proper etiquette for eating this way before we started. We also do a toast every meal, leading up to the final banquet where we will all give toasts. At our table, Matt started a tradition of doing a round of rose, thorn, bud at dinner, where everyone goes around and gives highlights and lowlights from their day.

First dinner in China

Finally, we went to the hotel and got settled in. Some of us then went out to explore a bit but only Clarence, Connor, and Eric had the energy to stay out longer than 30 minutes. Overall, it was a pretty exciting day, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip will bring!