More Activities (11-23)

Sports Days were last Thursday and Friday. So no classes those days. Since I don’t have classes on Friday, I missed only my one class on Thursday. Other teachers missed more. 

We went to the opening ceremony, which was fun. I sat with Hannah, and she told me which departments the various groups represented. 

When the competitions started, I went to the field to hang out with Yang and Michelle while Yang waited for here events. That was fun, as she was super excited to be participating.

This year we participated with the Foreign Language Department rather than the waiban. I signed up for the 30-meter run carrying a tennis ball on a racket again, as it’s the shortest run. I maintained my last place result, but I didn’t drop the ball. Later when we were watching the long jump, I mentioned that I should have signed up for that. So a friend took me over to sign up and I ended out doing that, too. My jump was not long.

On Saturday Kasey invited me to join Theresa, one of her students, and her to go to a park. Theresa had said that the park is about an hour away by bus; so we thought we’d be gone for a few hours. It turned out that the park is in Chengdu. 

We got off the bus at the museum, and Theresa decided that we should go to the museum, as it’s free and we were there. So we did. I wasn’t that keen on going to the museum, but I do like it; so it was OK. We walked around for about an hour. 

Next we went to eat lunch. Since Kasey was looking for gifts to mail home and we were near the art market, I suggested that we go there. It was a successful trip, as she found a few things to buy. Then we went to the park, which is the one next to the museum. After walking around for about an hour, we headed for the bus station to return home. Theresa is quite nice and speaks English well; so it was a pleasant outing in spite of the fact that we arrived home nine hours after we left instead of the three or four we thought we’d be gone for.

On Wednesday, I went to the piano recital of a teacher who was in my teachers’ class last term. I was pleased that he remembered to invite me and glad that I was able to attend. On the way, I met two students who decided to join me, which was nice. Since I’m a foreign teacher—or maybe since I’m a teacher, we were seated in the third row, and I was able to see Xavi’s hands as he played, which I enjoyed. The recital was wonderful, especially since I hadn’t been to a concert for many years. 

Afterwards, I was told to go on stage for photos. I’m sure the man who told me to go up didn’t know that Xavi is a friend and just invited me because I’m foreign. Since I was placed next to Xavi for the photos, I was glad that I actually know him.

After the concert, I went to the special English Corner sponsored by the English association/club for English majors. We had been asked to sing and play a few games. They wanted us to plan the games, but we agreed that we would play games that the students planned. It turned out that we were the major and only entertainment. They had us go on stage and only invited students to join us when we insisted that students also play. Two of the three games had no language—pass a toy and the person holding it when the music stops has to perform and musical chairs. After playing musical chairs with a few students, they made us do it again with only the foreign teachers. The whole thing felt a bit like Paul’s description of us as “trained monkeys.” After the show, we broke into the usual discussion groups. One good thing about this special English Corner was that, since it was for the English majors, we didn’t have one on Tuesday night.

Saturday there was a small earthquake about 100 km from here. Hannah’s 21^st floor apartment shook, but I didn’t feel anything in the park where I was. She was scared, as it was her first experience with an earthquake, and left the building quickly, forgetting her keys. She also forgot to put shorts on over her tights and had to buy new ones before meeting Paul. When I was taking my trash out, I met Paul in the hall, and he told me Hannah was locked out of her apartment since her roommate was gone for the weekend. So I invited her to sleep on my couch. We chatted for a couple hours, which was nice. She enjoyed sleeping in a heated room, as her apartment doesn’t have heat.

While I was in the park I enjoyed watching a group of woman doing a fan dance. They seemed to be practicing for something, not just exercising.

Weather is becoming colder. Temperatures at night are in the 50s and are in the 60s during the day. I’m glad I have my warm clothes ready to wear. The gingko trees are yellow. 

A little sunshine would make them more brilliant, but some are still beautiful.

A Busy Week (11-11)

The first post-military week is over and we’re back in the swing of teaching. I think students needed a transition week as much as I did.

The Foreign Language Department sponsored and International Language and Culture Festival last week. This meant that there were several special activities and that the foreign teachers were required to participate in some of them. 

On Tuesday, we had a special English Corner. Instead of the usual discussion groups, we foreign teachers were asked to do a presentation. The Brits sang “God Save the Queen,” and we Americans sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 

Then the guys taught students how to play dodge ball and they played. Students reported that they had a great time.

On Wednesday students had a poetry reading event outside the canteen during the lunch break, as we foreign teachers were asked to read a poem or sing a song. I read Shel Silverstein’s poem “Sick,” thinking they would understand it. A few students told me they liked it. Several students sang. A group of students studying Spanish sang a Spanish song. Those studying Japanese sang a Japanese song. So it was an international event.

After the poetry reading event was the weekly lecture, which was moved from evening to afternoon for the Festival. Paul was the lucky teacher to give the lecture, which was a good choice, as he is a good presenter.

During the lunch break on Friday there was a movie dubbing event outside the canteen. Unfortunately, not many’ students stopped by to participate and it was difficult to see the film and subtitles due to the outdoor light. But several tried and did a good job. Fortunately, teachers had not been asked to participate.

The big event of the week for me was the English speech contest. Bennie and May had passed the first two rounds and were in the contest Monday for winners from all departments. And Bennie won, which meant that she would represent the university in a provincial contest on Sunday. I’d helped her edit the speech and knew it was good. She presented very well. I was proud of her. We met a couple times during the week so I could help her improve her oral presentation. Since the contest on Sunday was for the winners from about thirty universities, she knew competition would be tough and didn’t have great expectations but wanted to do her best. And she did. I was happy to assist her.

On Sunday a few of Paul’s former students invited us to go to KTV with them. It was a venue I hadn’t been to before and it was quite nice. A big room with good videos. It was interesting to see original videos of songs from the ‘70s. A few of us left after two hours, which is long enough for me. But it was a good thing to do.

November 11 (11-11) is Singles' Day. Online stores have special sales. Students compare it to Black Friday. On the way to class, I saw some plastic bottles hanging between trees and asked what they were for, but the girls at the table couldn't explain in English. Later a student told me that the bottles have notes from students at other schools. They can get a new friend that way. I don't know if they had to pay for the bottles or how they obtained them. 

Dunhuang Part 2 (11-1)

Thursday’s destination was the famous Mogao Caves, which is famous for the beautiful paintings on the cave walls. They are also known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas because some of the caves have 1000 Buddhas painted on the walls. The bluff is about 1.7 km long and has 735 caves carved into it. The caves were carved out and decorated from the 4^th to the 14^th centuries. One section of 248 caves was for monks who lived there or meditated there. 

The larger section of 487 caves were carved and decorated by donors—merchants and nobles who hired artists to do the work. Creating a cave could take up to 25 years. 

The caves have paintings on all walls and the ceiling. 

Some have statues. 

These were made from a wooden frame that was covered with straw and then covered with clay and painted. Many of the paintings are original; some have been restored over the years, including during later dynasties. Some of the paint was made from minerals, such as lapis lazuli, and these pictures are still brilliant. The site is truly magnificent, awesome, and amazing.

The first stop when going to the caves is the Visitors’ Center. Charley had called and been told that there are English-speaking guides at 9:00 and 1:00. When I arrived for the latter tour, I was told that there were only Chinese-speaking guides. I told the woman, who spoke English well, that the man had called and been told that there would be an English-speaking guide at 1:00. She made a phone call and then told me that one would be available at 1:30, which was fine with me.

Another woman took me to see the films. She explained that, unfortunately, I was only able to see the second film, as I had arrived too late for the first one and it wasn’t being shown again for an hour. The second film was a surrounding, 3-D film featuring the artwork in the caves. Sitting in the theater was like being in a cave surrounded by the magnificent artwork. I’d been in 3-D presentations before but not one this dramatic. I took a few photos, as did my neighbors, before we were told that photos were not allowed.

After the film, we all took the shuttle to the site where I was met by a man who told me to wait for ten minutes. Then my guide arrived. She speaks English very well. Her presentation was obviously by rote, but when I asked questions, she answered naturally. Sometimes it’s OK to have a Chinese-speaking guide, but at this site I was glad to have one who speaks English well so that I could understand and not only appreciate the art. Another advantage was that sometimes we were alone in the caves before the next group of 20 arrived. 

We visited seven caves. The one they call the Crown Jewel has the third largest Buddha in China. Another important cave is the library where thousands of manuscripts were stored and not discovered until the 20^th century. 

One cave is shaped like a coffin and has a reclining Buddha. Ceiling peaks have geometric paintings. The bodhisattvas in some caves are greatly influenced by Indian art styles.

Most of the caves are not open to the public in order to preserve them. The doors are locked and opened by the guides when groups enter. I noticed that groups do not all go to the same caves, except the few big, famous ones. This is also to help preserve them, as having large groups breathing and sweating in the caves brings in moisture that can eventually damage the paintings. There is no lighting in the caves; guides point out features using their flashlights. Knowing that photos are not allowed, I photographed post cards and downloaded some photos from the Internet.

After visiting the caves, I went to the museum at the site. It has some of the ancient sutras and some pieces of silk found in the caves. It also has reproductions of several small caves. I became one of the attractions for three men who were surprised to see a foreigner. One asked for a photo, and another did, too, after learning that I am American.

Friday was my extra day. Since planes to Chengdu leave only on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and I didn’t want to return on Thursday, I made the reservation for Saturday knowing that there would be extra time in Dunhuang. Since I’d seen the sites I wanted to visit, there was only one other place I had considered: White Horse Pagoda. When I asked about getting to the pagoda, Charley suggested that I could walk and gave me directions. It was only about a mile from the intersection in town to the village where the pagoda is. An easy walk. I’d read that each level of the pagoda is different and thought that meant that you can go inside and walk up, enjoying the different levels. But it meant that the outside levels were different. This is not a pagoda you can go into. 

Since it didn’t take long to see the pagoda, I decided to walk through the village for a while. I enjoyed seeing the mostly adobe houses, most of which looked like old-style houses with courtyards in the middle. 

More affluent families have a glass roof over the central area. In villages I’ve visited, I have found that the doors seem to indicate the wealth of the family.

One house had the shelters for crops that I’d seen from the bus and train. So I finally got to see them close up. 

I enjoyed chatting minimally with a few boys who could only say “Hello” and “My name is ….” They cracked up when I showed them their photo. 

I also saw a field of grape arbors, which I’d seen from the camel. 

On a different path back to the city, I came across the Relic Site of Shazhou Ancient City. The sign had dates in the 8^th and 13^th centuries, which is all I could read on the Chinese sign. Back in the city, I ended out at the Night Market again and had a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Friday was very cold. Charley said it was -3^o C/27^o F in the morning and was to get up to 9^o C/48^o F. It was warmer for about three hours in the afternoon before I had to put on my hat and gloves again. I was really glad to have gone to the dunes and done the camel trekking on days with better weather.

I like Dunhuang. It’s a small city by Chinese standards and is fairly quiet—not much traffic. I was glad I had stayed near the dunes and not in the city even though I probably could have had a room with heat had I chosen a more expensive hotel in the city. After the first two days, I was the only guest at the guesthouse; so it was very quiet. I liked being able to see the dunes from the window—just a little— and from the courtyard, and I liked staying in an old-style house.

Dunhuang is known for grapes and apricots. The dried fruit vendors have several kinds of grapes. They also sell dried apricots. Another apricot product is a drink they call apricot tea. I had it first at the dunes Scenic Area and liked it so much that I bought several more cups to carry around with me. Charley told me that grapes, apricots, and cotton are the main crops.

Saturday I flew back to Chengdu. The flight went along the high, snow-capped mountains I had seen in Jiayuguan. I had an aisle seat, but when I asked the man at the window to take a photo for me (after he had taken one himself), he and his friend moved so I could sit at the window. That was really nice, and I enjoyed viewing the mountains most of the way to Lanzhou. After the layover in Lanzhou, we returned to our original seats.

It was a short but very enjoyable holiday trip. I’m glad I was able to do it. In class the next week, I shared photos of what I did while students were at military training. They all enjoyed that.

Dunhuang (10-29)

The bus trip to Dunhuang took five hours. For the first four hours we were on a long distance coach. My seat was in the front; so I had great views out the dirty window. Mostly the landscape was the flat Gobi Desert. The snow-capped mountains were on the south side for a couple hours and lower mountains were on the north side part of the way. For the last hour of the journey, the ten of us left on the bus were put onto a local bus to take us the rest of the way to Dunhuang.

The big surprise was that the guesthouse at which I had a reservation was closed. Fortunately, the one next to it was open. Since it’s the low season, only one other room was occupied, and those guests had also planned to stay at the other guesthouse. But this one was good. It’s a replica of an old-style building with an open-roofed courtyard. The owner speaks English well and was very helpful. 

After checking into my room, I headed out for a walk along a path parallel to the sand dunes. The location near the dunes was the reason I had chosen the guesthouse. It was coming home time for the camels, and many groups of them were being taken home by their owners, most of whom rode motorcycles or bicycles. It was exciting to see my first camels in the desert. 

When they arrived home, they were put into their enclosures and given dried corn plants and/or grass. Now I knew where some of the loads of corn plants were going. 

Since it was sunset time, the lighting on the dunes was special.

Monday was my day at Mingsha Mountain Scenic Area, the sand dunes park near the guesthouse. Dunhuang is known for its huge sand dunes. In the morning, very few people were there. It was fun to watch the camels and their owners arriving. But I decided to walk and take a camel ride at sunset another day. 

I walked up one of the dunes on a well-used footpath. It was easier to walk up than I had thought it would be, as the footprints solidified the sand on the ridge and there wasn’t much slipping back with each step. 

At the top, I sat alone for over an hour. I could see a few other people enjoying doing that, too. It was perfect. I enjoyed the contours of the dunes and watching the lighting change as the sun moved.

When I was walking down, I noticed that there were more people and thought it must be about 3:00. It was 2:45. After that, there were short lines of people walking up and across the dunes. Nothing like it is during the main tourist season, I’m sure, but I was glad I had been there in the quiet morning.

In addition to the dunes, the scenic area is known for Crescent Lake, a natural spring named for its man-made shape. 

It has nice reflections of the mountain. It’s the “mountain play” area. From there, there are two ladders up a dune so people can walk straight up instead of taking the longer path. Late in the afternoon, I could hear a few motorized dune buggies, too, and was glad not to have had them earlier.  I read that there are sand slides, but I didn’t see them. Perhaps they are not there now that the main tourist season is over. At the lake, there are willows and poplars that are over 100 years old. One sign informed us that poplars can live for a thousand years, then stand for a thousand years after they die, and then it takes another thousand years for them to decay.

After my day on the dunes, I went to the city to pick up some snacks for the next couple days. I ended out at the Night Market, one of the places the city advertises for tourists. It’s a bit of a misnomer, as most of the area is open all day. The crafts and food vendors open in the late afternoon. One area has fruits, one had vegetables, and another had dried fruits. The last area has handicrafts and then a BBQ section. I had grilled veggies and noodle soup at one of the sidewalk cafes there. Later I found another section of the market where clothes and such items are sold.

Tuesday I joined a small group tour to Yardan Formations Geopark. I was glad Charley had mentioned it because I had thought about going there but wasn’t sure I wanted to pay the high cost of hiring a taxi for the whole day. The van driver picked me up at 7:00 AM and then picked up the eight other people. On the way to Yadan, we stopped at the remains of a fortress 

and the Dunhuang Great Wall. This section is from the Han Dynasty and was built in about 200 AD. Like the building I visited in Zhangye, it is special because it is not restored and it is amazing that it stands as it was so many years ago. You can see how it was constructed.

We arrived at Yardan Formations Geopark at 11:00, having driven through a flat part of the desert. 

There are shuttle buses that drive you to the three main viewpoints, which took an hour and a half. The park is famous for its rock formations jutting out of the desert. They reminded me of similar places I’ve been to in the U.S. I do like rock formations. One thing different about these is the vast quantity. 

One group is almost parallel lines of formations.

We left the park at 1:45 and arrived back in Dunhuang at 4:00. On the way back, it was quite windy and sand was blowing. I was glad it had started after our sightseeing. And I was glad it had been calm when I had my day on the dunes on Monday.

Wednesday was a slow day. I decided to stay in bed until the sun shone in the room at 9:00. While I was slowly eating breakfast, Charley told me that he had a couple going camel trekking that evening; so it was a good day for me to go. Therefore, I changed my plans and decided to go to the museum. However, it was closed. Charley had mentioned that it might close for lunch, but it still wasn’t open when I checked at 3:00. Later he went to the museum to read the sign and learned that it was closed for the season.

Since I couldn’t go to the museum, I walked around a bit. It was chilly when I left and I was wearing my winter hat, but soon the sun was shining and I realized that I’d forgotten my hat with a brim. So I decided to buy a new hat, as I thought I’d need it on the camel trek. Later the sky became overcast and I didn’t need the hat after all, but I now have a good hat with a brim that ties under the chin. When I was wandering around, I found the local market that’s on a different street than the night market. At one point when I stopped to cough. I heard someone call out “hello” and the man was showing me that they do foot massages a few shops down the street. So I decided to have one. Not only was it a great massage, it was a good way to pass the time until it was time for the camel trekking.

Camel trekking was great. Two other people made up the group—a man from England and his Chinese girlfriend. It was the sunset ride, but, since it was overcast, we knew there would be no sunset. We rode through a quiet part of the desert outside the scenic area for a little over an hour. We were the only people out there, but during tourist season many people go on the treks. 

In the first part of the trip we saw several fields of dead-for-the-season grape vines. 

Then we went through an area full of cemeteries for the local people. Areas for a family were plotted out with stones. The bodies are buried, not cremated. The guide told the Chinese woman that the local people believe that being buried lower is better; so they are on flat ground or in low basins. I found it fascinating. We also learned that people keep camels only for tourism purposes; if it weren’t a tourist business, they wouldn’t have the camels. They have from two to seven camels.

  

The first part of the desert we trekked across was flat and solid like cement. Then we went up the sandy dunes and into a basin surrounded by the dunes. There is very little vegetation in this area of the desert. This was our destination and was where the couple would be spending the night. I had wanted to do that but decided that it was too cold for me to sleep outside, as the temperature that night was to get below freezing. 

While the guide set up the tent, the three of us walked up the dunes for a view of the area. Some of the sand was soft and was challenging to walk up. At the top ridges there was a solid layer that was easy to walk across. The view of the vast desert was magnificent.

When we returned to the basin, dinner was ready—instant noodles and rolls. The rolls were a local kind that are rather hard, but when dipped in the soup broth they were delicious. After dinner, the guide’s wife arrived with a dune buggy and he took me to the meeting point with Charley. This was another first for me, as I’d never ridden a dune buggy before. When I arrived in my room, I was happy to be inside with my warm blankets.