Study Abroad 2010: China
7/28/2010
Impression of a moment: On the second floor of the Capital Museum in Beijing, there is a room dedicated to a timeline depicting China’s history from ancient times to the present. On the outside wall, you can see a history of the world, which ends with a focus on U.S. innovation and technology. On the inside of the room, you look at parallel great moments in Chinese history - including the establishment of Tsingua University by the United States - which concludes with a map of the world. As I pondered this exhibit, it struck me that the future of the world is absolutely dependent on a good relationship between the United States and China.
Our fine teacher, guide, and head of the Chinese department, Annie Ku, contributed greatly to this good relationship by organizing an outstanding trip for seven Middlesex students – all boys! Beginning with a week in Beijing, our students were able to visit the Olympic Village, including the Bird’s Nest; camp out at the Great Wall; spend a day with a Chinese family; tour the Summer Palace, Peking Opera, Capital Museum, and Temple of Heaven; watch Chinese Acrobats; traverse Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Marco Polo Bridge; ride pedicabs through the narrow lanes of the Hutong neighborhood; shop at the “Pearl Market”; watch The Karate Kid; and finally, take a sleeper train and then a cable car up Huangshan (Yellow Mountain – one of the most picturesque spots in the world – and the inspiration for the floating mountains in Avatar). We saw Zhang Yimou’s impressions of West Lake and Lijiang – outdoor cultural theater that matched the spectacle of the 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony. By July 5, we were in Kunming, Yunnan. At nearly seven thousand feet, it was the “land of eternal spring,” a welcome reprieve from the heat of Beijing. From there, we drove to the “Stone Forest” and flew to Dali, a beautiful lakeside resort filled with pagodas and temples; we also made a trip to Jinsuo island in the lake. On July 8, we met the “Dongba,” a local Shaman and pictograph expert working at the Dongba Culture Museum. The next day, after a riveting cultural performance at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, we drove up to 11,000 feet and ascended by cable car to an authentic Lama Temple situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. On the last day, our boys elected to visit the zoo in Kunming before returning home. This incredible journey was a great opportunity for our students to immerse themselves deeply in the culture of China.
Jeff Smith, director of the Warburg Library, was a chaperone for Middlesex School’s 2010 Summer in China.