China Study Tour 2006 - Daily Updates

Day 8 Shanghai

(Click on images to view full-size pictures)

Sally Ann Hile '08

Someone once said “When in Rome… do as the Romans do.” Well, we Holy Cross Chinese Trip 2006 folk follow a similar mantra, “When in China . . . do as the Chinese do!” Today may have been the exception. Come 8:00 am I found myself reading Vogue Magazine sipping an iced coffee at the local Starbucks. And just moments ago I and my fellow China go-ers chowed down on some Pizza Hut goodies. Despite these minor Meiguo (American) excursions, today could have been the most exciting and fun-filled day of the entire trip. Breakfast was on your own so the group met up in the lobby to head off to the much anticipated Yu Yuan (Yu Gardens). On the leisurely walk there we suffered no fatalities, with the exception of Lexi straddling a pole. The weather was quite warm and comfortable for the walk.

Upon arriving at the gardens we made our way through the crowds and the bustling shopping alleys to the entrance. As we made our way through the beautiful gardens I attempted to find a quiet place to sit. I couldn’t help but think I was re-living “Memoirs of a Geisha”… wait… I am not in Japan… and I am not in a movie. Now that I had that settled I was able to relax and sit on the stone steps to reflect. The porches and rivers were beautiful at face value but when looking closer at the structures, I could see the intricate detail on the gutters and side panels. Beautiful menacing dragons peeked out from rooftops; their spiny tails twisted and turned around seemingly endless stone walls. German tourists and tour guides passed by with huge flags. I seemed to have missed the sound of birds chirping and of water trickling. Or maybe I missed the sound of… nothing at all… of silence. The pleasures of quiet, individual space, and nature seem to be precious commodities, in addition to a “male model’s life, because one cannot die in a freak gasoline fight accident.” The group met up and followed Lexi to an area of the gardens where we were able to dress in ancient Chinese dress and have our photo’s taken. Some took this a little too far. While the women of the group took beautiful pictures in front of the gardens, the men decided to dress up as princesses and pose themselves around He Laoshi, who was wearing Imperial robes. Following his photo shoot, He “Yellow Dragon” Laoshi noted, “Whatever happens in Shanghai stays in Shanghai.” Let’s hope so! After viewing my photograph it was recommended by my fellow “tongxue” (classmates) that I post it on an Asian Dating Service, this way I could meet some lovely men. I have decided against this idea.

We had lunch with Professor Yang and his wife Sharon at a wonderful restaurant on the grounds. Mostly vegetarian fare with watermelon, lots of shrimp dishes, and baozi. The usual shopping scene was next; we were let loose for 45 minutes to do as we wished. While many picked up some Dairy Queen ice cream, others went straight for the shops. After this chaos, our “10 minute walk” to the train station (which turned out to be about an hour) tired some of us out. We nearly lost a few members of the group when the packed train was leaving with some of us on it while others refrained and backed away. I heard the famous words of He Laoshi “COME ON” and felt his hand pushing me into the masses on the train. We made it on safely, but not without the witnessing of Natalie being berated by a bitter elderly Chinese woman who was not happy that she was shoved.

Anyway, The East Normal Chinese University was a great hit with our entire group. Although the bathrooms (including the elusive tunnels) were generally disturbing, the Zhongwen daxuesheng were extraordinarily friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. I even made a friend to write to; special friend Lei Wenxi! The dorms were nice considering that 4 boys lived in a room two thirds the size of a standard at Holy Cross. They had a porch and desks and it seemed very clean. We saw the library and basketball courts as well as the beautiful grounds. I was excited to practice my Chinese with the students who took us around, maybe a little too excited. It seemed physics was the academic concentration of choice, as their science facilities were very nice. At the end of our visit I had a nice talk with the massive stone statue of Mao Zedong.

After returning to the hotel to re-group and re-fuel, we headed out (no pun intended) for head massages at two local barber shops. Some of us were pleased with the results, especially our spiky-haired, gel-infused, cross dressing men of the trip. We danced and sang to Celine Dion and went to Pizza Hut and Burger King (yes, both) for dinner. And here I am back at the Park Hotel on the second to last night of this fabulous trip. Zaijian!