Category Archives: Hebi

First Day in Shanghai-June 2

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Clarence Lai & Michele Torne

Morning bus ride to the train station in Hebi

We had an incredibly early wake-up call for our last morning in Hebi and had to be ready by 7:30 AM. We had a long day of travel ahead of us… We boarded the bus one last time, sharing our last moment on this trip with our fantastic tour guide, Johnson and expert driver, Mr. Kong. 

With our bags filled with snacks, we awaited a seemingly never-ending train ride of 6 hours in the train station. Although lengthy, the trip created many unforgettable memories, including a debate on when/how/why we should rotate our train seats. We spent a good amount of the time on the bus crafting and sharpening our thesis statements, as well as our body paragraphs for our group project papers. After our bus stopped in front of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, we walked into luxury – a fragrant, cosmopolitan experience in the heart of Shanghai. Once we rested up, we all got dinner at a nearby restaurant. Then ended our official events of the evening with a subway ride and evening stroll through the busy main street to The Bund.

Subway ride on our way to the Bund

The marvelous skyline of Pudong seen from the Bund in Shanghai

Last Full Day in Hebi – June 1

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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

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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

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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!

Monday, May 27

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Sarah Ajise & Marissa Yee

During our last morning in Beijing, we had to wake up early, check-out, enjoy our last Beijing breakfast buffet, and board our tour bus by 7am. Because of the rain in Beijing yesterday, the morning skies were clear and blue, giving us a nice send off. Our tour guide, Alex, was so kind to help us through security at the train station and see us board the train. Many thanks to Alex!

During the 2.5 hour train ride to Anyang, some students relaxed, slept, and enjoyed the scenery, while other students enjoyed a few rounds of Sushi Go, one of the card games Professor Sheehan brought along the trip.

We arrived in Anyang around noon and met our new tour guide for Anyang and Hebi, Johnson. On the way to lunch, many of us commented on the peculiarity of the apartment buildings here. Each block seems to have five or more identical apartment towers, with different building designs stretching for blocks on end. The tour bus took us to a restaurant for lunch, with some of the best dishes so far! Popular dishes included millet porridge, duck, steamed fish, handmade tofu, and Henan buns. We’re certainly hoping for more delicious food as we continue our time in Henan province.

Apartment buildings in Anyang

Emma, Wendy, and Eric at lunch in Anyang

After checking in, unpacking, and resting in the hotel, the entire group went to Wanda Plaza, one of the malls in Anyang. Brew Crew, Pop & Sicle team, and Team Tampon were all able to find their products in the supermarket. Makeup Moguls found their eye cream in stands outside of the supermarket. Hot pot team spent most of their time on the third floor of the mall which was dedicated entirely to restaurants.

Anyang Wanda Plaza

Dinner at the noodle shop in Anyang

After conducting research in our groups, we came together for a meal in one of the mall restaurants. During dinner, we’ve started saying our “rose”, “thorn”, and “bud” for the day – a happy and unhappy moment from the day, and something you’re looking forward to in the future. Many of our roses included being on a bullet train, enjoying the spacious Anyang hotel, and today’s lunch. Many were hopeful that Anyang would be a fun city to explore for the next few days. Post dinner, some students and Professor Sheehan decided to get foot massages. It looks like they had an excellent time!

Getting a massage in Anyang

Thank you for reading our blog post! We’re sad that our journey in Beijing has come to a close, but are certainly excited for what is to come in Anyang!

The Apogee of Our Beijing Adventures, Fieldwork in Beijing, and Hebi

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By: Kenny and Ursula

Our second full day in Beijing seemed to be very promising—Ming Tombs, Sacred Way, Great Wall of China, and Peking Duck all in one day!

Our first stop was The Ming Tomb Changling as opposed to the Great Wall which is usually scheduled first on tour itineraries. Papa Sheehan made sure our tour guide Lisa made that itinerary change so that we would visit those touristy destinations during their less busy times. Before entering one of the 13 Ming Tombs, Lisa gave us an explanation as to their geographical placement; the Ming Tombs were built according to good feng shui with mountains behind them and a river flowing in front. We had an hour to explore the Ming Tomb, so we slowly explored all the structures that were placed before the burial ground where one of the Ming emperors was buried. Unfortunately, we could not actually get close to the burial site since the Chinese government decided to place fences around it. That being said, we did get to climb a tower that gave us an unobstructed view of the entire tomb site.

The second destination was the Sacred Way. This path was decorated with statues of guards, scholars, and different animals on both sides, and it extended for approximately one kilometer (0.621371 for people in the Miles club). Walking through the Sacred Way was a good way to channel our inner chi and mentally prepare ourselves for the afternoon hike at the Great Wall. It also served as a nice spot for people to get candid shots for their Instagram accounts.

After a quick lunch break, we were finally ready to take on The Great Wall of China. Papa Sheehan likes taking his Global East Asia students every year to a very steep section of the Great Wall called Juyongguan. The good thing about having a challenging section of the wall is that fewer tourists crowd the narrow steps which makes the hike a lot more enjoyable. On the other hand, most human beings who hike to the top will wake up with sore calves the following morning. In all seriousness, hiking the Great Wall was truly an amazing and humbling experience. Don’t mean to brag, but this year’s class broke the record of student percentage that climbed to the top with a whopping 90%!

To wrap up our touristy day, Papa Sheehan took us to eat Peking duck for dinner. The dinner was extra special because we got to celebrate Michael and Ursula’s birthdays! Needless to say, after our special dinner everyone went back to the hotel and slept till the next morning.

We created our own schedule on Thursday with fieldwork and lunch with our Capital Normal students followed by a trip to Silk Street and dinner. Team Little Mermaids went to a fantastic noodles place for Ursula’s birthday (since long noodles represent a long life). After lunch, they took a bus to see the Beijing Film Academy. Instead of arriving at the school, they found themselves at an abandoned film set used during the Communist Era. Meanwhile, Team Huami met up with a new Capital Normal student to eat traditional Beijing food. Then they visited Suning, the largest retailer in China, to check out their smartphone selection. From Suning, they went to an OPPO store. Team PEBs walked around with their students taking pictures of pharmacies and successfully explained the concept of a punch buggy. The Capital Normal students took them to some really yummy Chinese fast food. Team Soybean went to another mall to visit KFC and McDonalds and then had a very authentic snack food lunch as a place with nostalgic decorations. After we finished out field work we regrouped at Silk Street to practice our bargaining skills at the infamous fake goods market.

Early the next morning we piled onto the bus to take us to the train station. The 2 ½ hour high speed train ride flew by given most of us slept at least part of the way. When we arrived in Hebi, our new tour guide, Johnson, took us to the hotel to check in and eat lunch. The hotel was quite an experience from the excessive number of plastic chandeliers to curtain-less, bathtub-less showers. After lunch, we went to the main shopping area. It soon became clear foreigners do not frequently visit Hebi, given the number of stares and photo requests we received. After completing our fieldwork which included visiting bathrooms with “personality,” waking sleeping employees, and a trip to Walmart, we reconvened at a local coffee shop for a game of cards. From there we decided to go to the arcade at the top of the mall. One of the highlights from the trip to the arcade was when a man at the arcade decided to show us how Dance Dance Revolution should be done by getting a near perfect score after dancing with arms and gestures and everything. Being tired out and hungry, we went to have dinner at the food court. The food court had tons of choices. We got noodles, soups, dumplings and flat bread. After a cheap, filling, and delicious meal we decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel for a relaxed night in.

June 5-6, 2016

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June 5-6, 2016

By: Brandon, Jonathan, and Jasper

Greetings for the last time from Team MoMo! We’ve just arrived in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province. Here’s the run down on what we’ve done over the last two days:

Yesterday (Sunday, June 5) was our final day in Hebi. We spent the morning exploring the ancient city of Xunxian about an hour outside of Hebi. The city was built around a bell tower that stood at the intersection of two perpendicular, intersecting main streets. We walked the entire length of the city’s main road and took pictures under both of the city’s main gates, which were flanked on each side by ancient city walls. We were also able to get a good look at the Grand Canal, which passed right by the city’s main gate. The weather was the coolest it had been for our entire trip, hovering around the low 70’s with a light drizzle. It was a refreshing change from the heat and smog that we have become accustomed to here!

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Main gate at Xunxian

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The group posing in front of Xunxian’s ancient city wall

Though we only spent about an hour in this small city, this excursion was yet another valuable experience for all of us. In witnessing the startled looks on the faces of most people we passed (who were shocked at the sight of foreigners, especially those of us who are not Asian), we were reminded that this—which was incredibly far off the tourist’s beaten path—was the China that most of the outside world has never seen. This speaks to the invaluable role Global East Asia plays in exposing students to foreign peoples and places, and more importantly, in immersing them in the everyday life of those peoples and places.

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Taking a stroll down Xunxian’s ancient main street (bell tower in the background)

Following our excursion to Xunxian, we drove back to Hebi and had another lovely meal in our hotel. The pork belly dish of the day (we’ve had pork belly literally every day that we’ve been in China—no complaints here!) was a variant that utilized tea leaves as the primary garnish and source of flavor; it was delicious!

The afternoon was dedicated to fieldwork, so each of the three groups split up to conduct our final field research in Hebi. Team MoMo was fortunate enough to have PaPa Sheehan first, and we were very satisfied with the observations we were able to get in during the course of roughly two hours.  Jasper and Brandon concluded our field work with a celebratory round of remote control boat racing, which was located on the children’s level of the mall (and which was incredibly exhilarating—the Professor will concur). We then met up with the other groups at Hebi’s “Big Ben” clock tower (albeit a much smaller, humbler version), and handed off PaPa Sheehan to Team CAR.

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Posing in front of Chinese Big Ben

Our team met up for dinner at Pizza Hut—a highly anticipated endeavor ever since we touched down in China. Pizza Hut is a nicer, sit-down restaurant on this side of the world, and many of us were excited for the experience. PaPa Sheehan, Cindy, and Brandon had a dinner date set for three, while the rest of the group shared a few pizzas and starters family style. While the food certainly wasn’t anything phenomenal, it was a bit of a welcome respite from the same kinds of dishes we have been having for the past week—and a warm reminder of home. After a group outing to Wal-Mart for dessert, most of the group went out for karaoke. The karaoke system didn’t have songs later than 2010, so we enjoyed the many throwbacks to our middle school days.

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Post-Pizza Hut ice cream!!! #walmart #globalization

The following morning, we were up bright and early to board our luxury bus to Zhengzhou. Before getting completely on our way, we stopped in the newer part of Hebi, which contained a brand new sports arena, apartment complexes, and impressive skyscrapers—almost all of which were completely unoccupied. This gave us quite  a tangible on-the-ground experience with the “build first” development policies many local governments around China have undertaken in the last decade or two.

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Happy group in our luxury bus, en route to Zhengzhou from Hebi

After roughly one-and-a-half hours on the road (which included an underwhelming crossing of the Yellow River), we arrived at the Yellow River Scenic Area, where we climbed what Brandon called “Chinese Mount Rushmore”: impressive stone faces of famous Chinese historical figures carved into the mountainside near the Yellow River. Most of us made the climb up, which provided quite a beautiful view of the entire Scenic Area. After leaving the scenic area (half an hour late, because a few unnamed group members decided to take a detour and go on a mountainside toboggan run), we had a late lunch and then checked into our hotel. Following a few hours of much-needed down time, we had dinner and celebrated Jacob and Anna’s birthdays with a wonderful birthday cake, courtesy of PaPa Sheehan and our fantastic tour guide Johnson. Dinner was followed by an optional excursion to the subway station and nearby mall, and everyone was quite ready for bed by 10PM.

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First evening in Zhengzhou!

Our remaining days in China are entirely fieldwork, with no set excursions planned. We are all in disbelief at how much we have gotten done during this trip—the places we’ve seen, the knowledge we’ve gained, and the lasting friendships we’ve made. Team MoMo can confidently speak on behalf on the entire group in saying how grateful we are to USC and the East Asian Studies Center for this amazing opportunity, and encourage anyone reading this blog to strongly consider enrolling in this program!!

Fight on!

June 3rd, C.A.R Group

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By: Anbar Aizenman, Rowan McEvoy, Cindy Wang

We've reached the TOP!! After almost an hour climbing, 6 group members have reached the top of Juyongguan (the most steep part of the great wall!)

We’ve reached the top!! After almost an hour climbing, 6 group members reached the top of Juyongguan (the steepest part of the Great Wall!)

Although we were exhausted from climbing the Great Wall and visiting the Ming Tombs, we visited different electronic shopping malls in Beijing. Our plan was to focus on the main Chinese phone brands. However, during our field work, we found that the domestic Chinese phone market is shared by many different brands and each domestic brand has its own app store. This discovery might shift our future research focuses. We also discovered that high-end shopping malls in China don’t sell phones, even the high-end brands like Samsung and Apple. During our visits in Beijing Zhongguancun (Chinese Silicon Valley), we found that there are many fake or stolen phones sold in regulated shopping malls. Hence, the Chinese phone market is much more complicated than American market and is extremely dispersed among different consumption groups.

C.A.R Group with Capital Normal Student; We really appreciated help from Capital Normal Students. They are the best host ever!!!

C.A.R Group with a student from Capital Normal University. We really appreciated help from the Capital Normal University students. They are the best hosts ever!!!

After several days of touring and field working in Beijing, we are headed up to Hebi today. We took a 3-hour Gaotie (bullet train) to Hebi. This was our first time in Beijing West Station. Beijing West Station looks like a typical Chinese train station, with crowds and yelling. However, we enjoyed our time on the bullet train. We were amazed by the northern Chinese plains and agriculture industry. Around 6 o’clock in the afternoon, we finally arrived in Hebi. Unlike Beijing, the capital of China, Hebi is a relatively small city in Henan province. But to our surprise, Hebi has a well-protected landscape and huge amounts of tall buildings. Most importantly, they have amazing Chinese food, like pork belly bun, peking duck (Yes! They have it in Hebi!), chicken noodle soup and delicious desserts! We look forward to exploring this small unique city in China more in the following days!

We enjoyed our first dinner in Hebi! It was amazing!!!

We enjoyed our first dinner in Hebi! It was amazing!!!

Regarding to our group project, we found many individual retailers on the street in the downtown area on the way heading to our hotel in Hebi. Hence, we already have a generally vague plan on our works in Hebi. We hope to visit more electronic areas in Hebi and have a more comprehensive idea about the Chinese phone market!