Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Visit China!

By Trent
This summer, my family went to China for two weeks. 
We began our trip in Beijing, the capital city.

In China, we went to the Summer Palace where the Royal Family would go in the summer. We walked to the top of this Pagoda. This pagoda was hundreds of years old.


The Great Wall of China was made to keep invaders out of China. Below are some photos of my family walking at the Great Wall.




As you can see from this picture of me sitting on a canon, canons were used to keep people out too.




Did you know that 2-3 million people died building the Great Wall of China?
They usually died from starvation or disease.


On a happier note, we took a fun toboggan slide down from the Great Wall.





The 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Bejiing. 
We got to see the Bird’s Nest (Beijing National Stadium)





and the Water Cube (National Aquatics Center).
We noticed that the Water Cube was really more like a rectangular prism.




We went to Tiananmen Square, where the Emperor Mao is buried.
This is where the student unrest of 1989 occurred.



We felt as though we were famous because everyone wanted to take pictures with my brother and me, We pretended that my brother was Mick Jagger and I was Justine Timberlake. 
It seemed like many Chinese people have never seen a blond hair, blue-eyed person before.




*     *     *     *     *

We flew to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors that date back to 210 B. C. There is supposed to be an army around the Emperor when he dies. In 1974, there was a farmer digging a well and he dug up a warrior. Then he kept finding them. Today they know there are thousands of life-size warriors and there are some still buried. These warriors are considered the eighth wonder of the world.





The Goose Pagoda is a seven floor leaning pagoda. 
We actually walked all the way up to the seventh floor and looked out the window.



We then flew to Gulin, (gway lin) which is considered really old China. From there, we went to Yangshou (yong shore) on a bamboo river rafting ride on the Li River, amongst huge limestone mountains.







My brother and I went to the front of the river raft and laid down. We named it front boat surfing. The Chinese tourists found us funny. Every time they would pass us, they would take pictures of us and we would say, “We are crazy Americans!”










There were lots of caves in the limestone mountains.
There was one cave that was a dry cave, and they put a bunch of neon lights in it. 
It was amazing!



 The entrance to the wet cave was by boat, and it was so low you had to duck.
We walked for a couple of miles into the cave and there was a huge waterfall. We got to swim in a pool that 40˚ Fahrenheit. I went under fourteen times and every time I went under, my brother did too. There was a mud bath, but we didn’t want to get in it.










Yangshou (yong shore) was beautiful! This view was from our hotel.






We saw a cormorant fishing guy. He used a string to tie around the bird’s neck so that when the bird got a fish in its mouth, the string kept the fish from going down the fish’s throat. The guy then took out the fish. I got a picture of the bird on my shoulder.



In China, you can have McDonald’s delivered! We thought that was funny. We ate at McDonalds five times because my parents got sick from some of the local food. My brother and I made a song about it, “Mcy D’s was a friend of mine”.




We saw a show of the Flying Chinese Acrobats. 
They were amazing and way better than the ones we had at school.





We went to many Buddhist temples. The Llama temple was beautiful and had the biggest Buddha in the world. At this temple, my brother and I prayed more than we have in our entire life. You burn incense and offer it to the Buddha. I got to ring the bell at the Llama temple.




Another day we went to the Bell Tower. It had a huge bell!  Across from it was the drum tower, but it was closed.




One night we went out for Peking duck. I got to choose which duck we would eat for our meal. Our hostess told me to never pick the first one they offer you. 
This is my dad and I ducking in the kitchen, get it?




We also got to karaoke. The Chinese take it very seriously. The videos they played and the American songs they had to choose from weren’t so great. We had a great time anyway.



*     *     *     *     *

It was very, very hot the day we went to the Forbidden City. This was the Emperor's home and no one was allowed in it if they didn’t work there. It was massive. Many Chinese carry umbrellas to protect their skin because pale skin is more desirable. It is difficult to walk because the umbrellas are in the way.





Lions in the Forbidden City are in pairs; the female extending her leg to play with a baby lion symbolizes fertility of the royal family. The male lion has a ball under its paw, representing the imperial power. We walked up to the top of a park to see a great view of the Forbidden City, and it would not even fit in our camera’s view.







On our last day in China we went to the Beijing Zoo. We HAD to see the pandas! 
They were very cute and I got two stuffed animal pandas and I named them Rocky and Apollo.




I had a great time on the other side of the world!
Have you ever been to China?
Do you have any question about my trip?
 

35 comments:

  1. WOW! All I can say is WOW!

    What a fantastic holiday destination Trent. I have been to Hong Kong before it reverted back to Chinese possession but I would love to visit China itself.

    You saw all the touristy places, but did you find it was polluted, especially in the big cities? Were there lots of people using motor cycles for transport?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Mrs. Yollis' Class,

    We love your photos of China and we love your blog.

    Your pals,
    Madison and Tia from Mr. Salsich's class

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Mrs Yollis' class,

    I like the pictures of China.
    Your blog is awesome!

    from
    Gabby and Brianna in Mr. Salsich's class

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Trent,

    We think it is cool that you went to China. We also think it was really funny that the people in China wanted to take pictures with you. When you went in to the 40 degrees Fahrenheit pool, were you freezing?

    Did you think it was extraordinary when you saw the dead Terracotta Warriors? Was your trip to China fun?

    Your friends,
    Sydney and Nick

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Trent,

    Your pictures of China are awesome! I went to China last October and it was amazing. I visited a lot of the same places you did, but you also did lots of things that I didn't!

    My two favorite parts of your post are the cormorant fisherman and the caves. I did some caving in Belize, but not in China.

    Did you eat anything unusual in China? The "strangest" things I ate there was vulture meat and giant roasted beetles. They were pretty tasty!

    Great blog post!
    -Mr. Salsich

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Trent,

    Your adventure to China was great.
    How many things did you do in one day? Its because it looks like you did a lot. Did you do anything else? I hope you had a lot of fun.


    Your classmate,
    Kayla

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Miss W.,
    Thank you for your great comment. Yes the cities were polluted. The air quality was very poor.

    Also, there were a lot of people using motorcycles for transportation. Something that I found weird, was that the people riding the motorcycles wore construction helmets, not motorcycle helmets. There were also many people who carried brand new babies on the motorcycles. We were shocked by this because in California, there is a law that requires everyone to wear a helmet.

    From,
    Trent (Mrs. Yollis's student)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Trent,

    What an absolutely fascinating post! Not only were your pictures interesting to see, but your writing is outstanding.

    Someday I hope to travel to China. The first thing I would like to see is the Great Wall. It is amazing to me that it is over 5,500 miles long. I heard that it is the only man-made structure that is visible from space. Is that true? (Maybe someone will comment about whether that is true or false.)

    Another interesting place to see would be the 2008 Olympic Village. I think the Chinese were quite inventive with their architecture. The unique shape and structure of the Bird's Nest took real imagination!

    I like to travel because I get to see all the different cultures of the world. Eating unusual foods, listening to different types of music, and experiences different lifestyles is important to me. It looks like you feel that way too.

    I have a few questions for you. What was the food like in China? Did you eat anything unusual? Did many people speak English?

    Thanks for a great contribution to our class blog!

    Sincerely,
    Mrs. Yollis

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Trent:

    Your trip to China looked very exciting. Thanks for sharing your trip and the pictures. I would like to visit the Great Wall of China and all the other exciting places there.

    From
    Jared M.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Sydney and Nick,
    Yes, I was pretty cold when I was in the 40 degree pool in the cave, but after awhile I got used to it.
    The Terracotta Warriors were very extraordinary. By the way, they are not dead, they are statues that the people made to surround their emperor when they buried him. They were painted different colors but since they were in the dirt for so long, the paint faded off.
    Yes my trip to China was very fun!
    From your friend,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Mr. Salsich,
    Thank you for a great comment. No I didn't eat anything unusual besides the Peking Duck which I liked since I got to put sugar on it. At the aquarium, we saw that you could buy squid and octopus on a stick. We chose not to eat that.

    From you friend,
    Trent (Mrs. Yollis's Student)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Kayla,
    Usually we did at least two things each day. The most busy day was the day we went to the Great Wall and the Olympic Stadiums. It was fun, yet exhausting.
    One of the other things we did was Dragon Boat training, but we did not care for it, so I didn't include it in my post.
    One of the days we did nothing because I was sick.
    My parents did a lot of shopping in China. I liked the dirt market where there were a bunch of tiny Buddah statues and other things. The one place I didn't like was the electronics market, because everyone would try to touch us and sell us things. It was annoying.

    From your friend,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    We looked on a few websites that say the Great Wall is NOT visible from space. However, my Grandpa is convinced that it is visible along with the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.

    I did not eat anything very unusual in China besides the Peking Duck which I liked. We tried many different varieties of restaurants, but nothing too crazy. At one of the restaurants I ordered a plate of a jello mango sort of thing that was really tasty. I don't remember what the name of it was. But one thing I do remember is that is was hard to pick up with chop sticks!

    A few people spoke English in China. It was usually the younger people. But there was one thing I thought was funny. There was a girl trying to speak English and she pronounced the word dragon as "gragon". She had trouble making it sound right.

    Thank you for your nice comments.

    From your student,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Trent,
    I love China! You're very lucky To go there.
    Was the slide fun?

    Love,
    Scarlet

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Trent,

    Thank you for writing back to us, Sydney and I really appreciate it. Now I learned that they were not dead they were just used to block the emperor when he died.

    Your classmates,

    Sydney and Nick

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear Scarlet,

    Thank you for your comment. Yes the slide down the Great Wall was awesome. My Dad and I went fast once we got on the bridge. At the end of the slide it said to slow down, but we didn't, we went faster. It was great!

    From your friend,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dear Trent,

    I really enjoyed your blog about your trip to China.

    I especially liked learning about the meaning of the lions in the Imperial Palace. I also enjoyed remembering about the farmer finding the buried warrior statues. I was in elementary school when that happened and I remember seeing the pictures of it in the news.

    I think it is great that you tried new and different foods. Many children aren't brave enough to do that and I think it helps you understand the culture of the country you are visiting if you try some of the local food. I think that mango jelly sounds pretty good, but I think I could pass on Mr. Salsich's vulture meat and giant roasted beetles!

    Not only was your posting very interesting, but the comments are great too. That is the best part of blogging, that you start a conversation that just keeps going.

    Good for you. Looks like you had a terrific time.

    Mrs. Harding

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow! The great wall looks really cool! Is Chinese food different in China?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Dear Lior,
    Thank you for being such an awesome host to our family while we were in China. As you already know, egg rolls and Orange Chicken cannot be found in Chinese food in China. We also, did not see any fortune cookies!
    We looked forward to eating Pick Up Stix (our local Chinese food at home) shortly after we got home!
    From your friend,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dear Mrs. Harding,
    Thank you for a great comment. I enjoy trying new foods, my brother however, is not so adventurous.
    I am trying to get my parents to take me to Japan next because I LOVE SUSHI.

    Sincerely,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear Trent,

    What an amazing adventure you had with your family! I never thought I wanted to go to China until I read your blog and all of the wonderful comments. I think I would love the slide and seeing the Great Wall, I am facinated by the Warriors (could you imagine being the one to uncover such an amazing find?), and the boat surfing looked like it was a blast!

    I am very proud of you for trying new foods. I wish Jaxon would try Peking Duck; maybe you can encourage her. It's good to know that McDonald's was just a phone call away though.

    Thank you for sharing your family's trip with us.

    Best,
    Barbara Palmer
    (Jaxon's mom)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dear Trent,

    Your trip to China looked awesome! I wish I went to China this summer.The caves looked unusual and cool at the same time. It was funny that you pretended you were a celebrity when people were taking pictures of you.

    Did you know people in Chine like to eat duck....and some of them even like to eat DOGS!

    Your Classmate,

    Richie :-)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dear Trent,

    Your visit to China was extraordinary. I long to go there some day. I like the colorful caves and all those statues and buildings. I especially liked the dead soldiers because they look *fair*. What was the most awesome thing you did in China?

    Sincere ly,
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dear Trent
    It looks like your trip to China was great. I fell in love with the picture of the Great Wall of China. Is it true that you can see the Great Wall of China from space?

    How many things did you do a day? It seems like you did a lot.

    I hope you had a lot of fun in China. The warriors were interesting. How long were you in China?

    Your friend,

    Casey

    ReplyDelete
  25. Dear Trent,

    I always wanted to go to China.It is so cool that you saw those statues in the dirt and that you went in that cave. Was it fun visiting the Great Wall?
    I hope you fun on your trip.:)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dear Sam,
    The most awesome thing I did in China was when I went to the Terracotta Warriors. They were very awesome. Also they were not dead, they were made out of clay.
    Thank you for your great comment.
    Your friend,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  27. Dear Casey,
    I read on the internet that you are not able to see the Great Wall of China from space, but I am not really sure what is true.

    We usually did at least two things every day. It was fun and busy. We stayed in China for two weeks.

    Thank you for your great comments.

    Your friend,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  28. Dear Moraiya,

    Yes it was fun visiting the Great Wall of China. It is amazing how big it is. I liked one of the watch towers that you could go up in the top of. I also liked canons on the Great Wall.

    My favorite part though, was taking the slide down to the bottom.

    Thank you for a great comment.
    Your friend,
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dear Trent,
    It was so great to see your pictures of China again. I am so glad your family had such a great opportunity to go to China and see all the amazing sights. I really do like your humor too about "the ducking in the kitchen". Very cute.

    Love, Aunt Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dear Trent,

    I also saw pandas, but at the San Diego Zoo. I thought they were the best animals I saw because they looked cute.

    From,
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  31. Dear Trent,

    I can't believe there was a phone signal on the Great Wall of China! Trent called me that's how I know there was phone signal.

    Was the toboggan slide fun? Did anyone hit their heads on the entrance to the wet cave? What are the lyrics to "Mcy D's was a Friend of Mine"?

    Your friend,
    Caleb

    ReplyDelete
  32. Dear Trent,

    I hope you had an awesome time in China. What did you do on the first day you went to China? Was the slide fun? Did you go all the way when you were walking on the Great Wall of China? Were the statues cool? How many days or weeks did you stay there?

    Your classmate,
    Kayla

    ReplyDelete
  33. Dear Caleb,
    The toboggan slide was awesome. No one hit their heads on the entrance to the wet cave. Mcy D's was a friend of mine is the lyrics to the song.

    Thank you for your comment.
    Your Friend Trent

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dear Kayla,
    We had a great time in China! We went to Summer Palace on our first full day.The slide was FUN. We did not go all the way to the end. We only walked two and a half miles. Yes the statues were cool. You can read the post again to find out how long we were in China.
    Thank you for a great comment.

    Your friend
    Trent

    ReplyDelete
  35. Dear Trent,

    Was Dragon Boat training fun? Anyway, what is Dragon Boat training? Is it your first time to China? Was the slide really part of the Great Wall of China? I hope you can answer all of my questions!

    Your classmate,
    Kayla

    ReplyDelete

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