These vast spaces held countless fellow tourists, predominantly Chinese seeing their own country. Faces of westerners stand out in the hoards and we were surprised to find ourselves also a featured spectacle as we moved through the sites of Beijing. Many would call to us, practicing their English greeting, “Hello! Hello!” Perhaps it was the size of our group, large enough to be noticed, or perhaps it is the youth, attractiveness and exuberance of the students, but it became our own amusement to observe how often the cameras of tourists were turned towards us. Some folks would pose at the edge of our group so as to get themselves in the picture snapped by their companions. The boldest would single out one just one of us and request that they pose for a photo. There were repeated targets so it was a fun side-line to keep score of who had the most photo shoots of the day. Among our guys Riley, Wren, and Quint had the height and the looks that drew the attention of many Chinese women, who also relished posing alongside them. Who knows how many tabletops or bulletin boards in China now hold pictures of our guys.
Katie and Anna were the favored female targets. And because Anna speaks Chinese fluently and has the fair skin so coveted in China, she received a few marriage proposals as well. (She is returning single to the States however, having declined all offers.) In this country we are Mei Geo Rens . . . Chinese for Americans; it is what we laughingly all now call ourselves.
The Great Wall
Somehow it’s June 13th. Somehow I’m in China, and by some great miracle I am going to see the Great Wall of China today. As a 19 year old girl, I am seeing things some people couldn’t dream of seeing. And those who dream so heavily of seeing may not, while I have never dreamed of such and then this opportunity was dropped at my doorstep. How do I process this? How do I conceptualize this opportunity? I will soak it up and feel the greatness.
This excerpt from one of the trip journals captures the excitement we felt heading out of the city to spend a picture perfect day hiking the Great Wall. The only shortcoming is that it just wasn’t enough time so when Andrew, one of the seniors in our group who had earlier spent a semester in Beijing, told of his prior experience of camping on the Wall, half of our group was determined to do the same. I opted out. It seemed responsible of me to stay available if the authorities called me to come deal with a bunch of Mei Geo Rens discovered on the Wall in the wee hours. I thankfully never got that call.
The campers had chosen a remote stretch of the Wall and set out in two teams. After a bus and taxi rides, the groups arrived, unknowingly, at opposite ends of the targeted stretch of Wall and each began their hike thinking the others were in front or behind them. Then in the dimming light of sunset each team spotted another group cross the great expanse of wall. They suspected these could be their buddies. One group used a telephoto lens but couldn’t confirm any identities, except for a glow that resembled the neon green mohawk of Ben. Then one group initiated a call across the wide expanse. Together they hollered, “Wolf!” and listened to their voices echo out across the hills. A pause, and then it came back to them, the response they had been looking for . . . “Pack!” Back and forth they then carried on . . . Wolf . . . Pack . . . shouted across the distance in what was surely the first NC State pep rally on China’s Great Wall.
The Night Market
Night Markets are quite the deal in so many countries . . . life and liveliness abounds where stalls sell all manner of street food, handcrafts and everything from batteries to bullfrogs. The Beijing Market has the feel of the fair to me . . . colorful lights are strung above our heads and down different alleys one can find various styles of music performed, dancing women, and a man telling stories for which you can pay to look inside a large box and see paper cut figures that enact his words. In the Beijing Night market, Katrina potted the small candied apples on a skewer that are so popular in China and, as she reminded us, that we had learned about from the key role they play in the film Farewell My Concubine which we watched together in preparation for this trip. (A film I highly recommend for capturing China’s history in the twentieth century and the influential role of Peking Opera in the culture. . . and if you’re ever in the Night Market try the apples as well. I especially recommend the ones that have been cored and have a walnut tucked in the center. Such deliciousness.)
While I was relishing apples, others were in such of more adventuresome fare and the Beijing Market can deliver. Some of the ‘foods’ and smells we encountered were far beyond appetizing , but we are mesmerized with the range of options. We had a kick with one vendor who looked like a character out of Mario Brothers (it is odd to see a Chinese man with a mustache) who jovially banters with us the news of what he is selling . . . the parts of a sheep unique to only a male of the species. Quint opts for something a bit more tame . . . and skewer of scorpions.
The Temple of Heaven
It was my favorite and most surprising place in Beijing. I was prepared for another Temple, and what I got was an experience of Beijing community. This is where the locals come to do their thing . . . whatever it may be. Walking through the grounds you move from dynamic experience to the next, each right into the next. The crowd are middle aged to older adults but the air is alive with ageless energy. We walk through Tai Chi ball (a variation on the disciplined moves of Tai Chi with racketball sized rackets and a ball), line dancing, ballroom dancing (one of the favorite forms of exercise here and they are good ), salsa dance lessons with a striking male teacher with a headset microphone and white dance leotards, a choir practice, games of dominoes and cards, flute players, opera singers, and clusters of instrumentalists in what resemble American bluegrass pick up bands. Under a grouping of trees I com e across people gathered around postings of paper hung on the trees or laid about underneath. The folks are bartering and I have obviously come across some kind of exchange, I just can’t figure what is the market item. Back on the bus our tour guide answers my question.. . oh that was the Marriage Mart, he reports. Parents go there to post notices about their eligible children and to arrange potential meetings. Jason also wandered through the Marriage Mart where a broker took him for a good eligible candidate and offered to be his agent for finding a wife. So far Jason is still with us.
The Bird’s Nest
Something magical happened when we visited the central site of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There in the midst of other tourists and large figures dressed like the Olympic mascots, mega screens playing highlights of the Olympics, and a ground crew erecting staging for an upcoming performance at the stadium . . . we played. Out of pockets came the feathered hacky sack like game toy that many of our group now carried with them, having learned to play from the local folks who come out each night near our hotel for several hours of skillful competition. Just as our guys had joined in playing the game with the neighborhood locals, other tourists join our guys to play. Play is a universal language.
We pass a delightful hour and a half giddy with the awareness that we are jumping and playing in a space that has seen such athletic greatness. Another journal excerpt captures it so well: We are in the Olympic Stadium. It’s a happy, happy place. Caldwell Fellows need an open field so our playful hearts can just let go. I believe all of us are children at heart. Maybe it’s because we work so hard and are so efficient at our lives that letting go is equally important to us all. It was effortless for us to just start turning cart wheels, making pyramids, laughing and singing. We were HEAVILY photographed by the Chinese tourists and that is an understatement. Oh, the Mie Geo Rens.
Katie, Van, Lauren and Dane climbing the Great Wall of China.
The view from the Great Wall
Kris & Amy at the Beijing Night Market
Andrew & Dr. Odom at Tienanmen Square
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