Category Archives: Anyang

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!

Wednesday, May 29 – Excursion into the Taihang Mountains

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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

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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!