The Wall

Went to the great wall for some hiking. Really nice to get out of the city and see some trees again. The road was lined with persimmons the whole way there.

Once we got there we were assaulted by the usual tourist people..trying to sell us things. Telling us the wall was closed. Telling us we had to pay a big entrance fee. And offering their services as personal guides for a wall hike. We eventually opted for the guide service and found the wall. They government was in the process of rebuilding this particular section of wall and was only partially completed so there some new wall, some old and some under construction. By rebuilding, I mean they are encasing the old wall in new bricks, so it is bigger, taller, wider and supposedly better than before. We asked some of the masons if they like the new wall and they all said no, but it was a good paying job to rebuild the wall.

How to kill a vegetable

This is a fresh very tasty looking vegetable.

This is a dead vegetable. Dead through and through, scalded in oil for five minutes.

This is a duck tongue and a duck stomach in foil with chili. Absolutely not tasty.

Welcome to chinese food. There is a great variety..but most is dead and some is gross.

小兔子夫夫

The other night I went to the Chinese dorm and spent about 4 hours in one little room with at least 3 Chinese students, but at other times 6 or so. There room consists of four beds, two on each wall, all lofted above desk/dresser units with a small pathway between equivalent in width to s single bed and in length to two beds. Lots of talk about the US and china, and girls and studying Chinese. Then there were some games and cards. Quite fun. This weekend I might go to a nature area with them..the same one as before, the Fragraent hills, 香山.

Went with my tutor to a bakery one day. We spent quite a lot of time point at things and naming them in English and Chinese. I now know my way around a bakery..but it was quite difficult to explain the difference between cake, biscuits and cookies in Chinese. Bought some coconut maccoroons which were far better than the spicy duck tongue and duck stomach I ate earlier.

A little play I wrote for class. Translated directly using Microsoft word.

Good immortal Female-Li Simiao(Amy)李思渺

Small rabbit uncle-But lives outstanding(Me)可杰生

This is the small rabbit uncle's(小兔子夫夫) story.

The small rabbit uncle, drifts along all day long in the forest. Bullies the forest frequently the mouse. The mouse receives small rabbit uncle's suffering all day.

The forest mouse when receives suffers askGood immortalThe female helps them. Mouse hope inGood immortalUnder the female help, can on the quite happy life.

One day in forestGood immortalFemale met with the small rabbit uncle.

Good immortalFemale- The small rabbit uncle, hello.

Small rabbit uncle- What type forest animal are you? What name are you called?

Good immortalFemale- I callGood immortalFemale. I am oneImmortalFemale. I provide happiness for the forest animal, protects you.

Small rabbit uncle- I have not heard you.

Good immortalFemale- I know you. You are that the rabbit which holds the mouse to hit its head.

Small rabbit uncle- Right! You want to hit the mouse together with me?

Good immortalFemale- Does not want! I wanted you to abstain this bad problem. I do not want to see you hit mouse's head again.

Small rabbit uncle- I refuse not to hit mouse's head. If has put the mouse, they could produce too many children to finish eating the very delicious plant. Then I can receive their suffering! I hoped will happen one day can not have the mouse in the forest.

Good immortalFemale- I do not want to see you hit mouse's head again. The mouse is worth having the life, they were not worth by you dying. In the maintenance forest mouse's quantity is not your responsibility. In your ignorant adjustment forest animal, hits them very frantically. But, must enable in the forest to have too many mice, I can create more snakes, the snake can eat the mouse. You should the tranquil life, invite in Zhu Senlin the animal mutual benevolence.

Small rabbit uncle- But I most like the frantic size mouse's head!

Good immortalFemale- In the forest the most terrorist rank smell of blood years are you create. The tens of thousands of mice all were with one's family broken up and decimated. Each and every family all feared you hit them, feared you have created accident. The mice all fantasized nobody bullies the front door the years.

Small rabbit uncle- I have finally understood the truth which you said, now felt is deeply grieved very much. In order to I do the matter, I will feel feeling sorry for a lifetime.

Good immortalFemale- The small rabbit uncle, do not be deeply grieved. If you regretted for a lifetime you do matter, then you can think the life is very long. If you were dying every year mouse's grave sweeping, to is living the mouse was sorry that, was sorry you beforehand material, that mousies can eulogize your merit.

Small rabbit uncle- Good, then I can hope this day. I can change my performance.

Good immortalFemale- Will I hope you later not to be able how lonely, how alone life. You reflected you beforehand action, can look this is very laughable frantic.

Small rabbit uncle- Thanks you, beautifulGood immortalFemale! Through yours education, I can the near forest heaven.

Small rabbit uncleFrom also was lovable the rabbit which led to become the insignificant thing. This story meaning is the human and the human, between the animal and the animal should display the benevolence mutually.

京剧

Rad Lizard
The other night I went to the Beijing Opera（京剧）. It was crazy..more like a musical than an opera, although there were plenty of high notes and signing, there was also talking and play acting..like a spear fight with some pvc pipe like sticks with fuzz balls on the ends. On TV here you can watch other opera or Chinese opera like things. They are actually rather interesting, crazy awesome clothes and rad singing. At the Beijing opera the lead female would break out into these bouts of voice projection and note prolongulation. It was actually similar to yodeling, or at least the yodeling we get in the US. Here voice would wildly undulate from high to low and back and forth with different durations and different variations. The main female was a princess awaiting her true love in the forbidden city(故宫). She was highly annoying: whiny, prissy, and lame. Most annoying was here voice, nasally and high. Her interaction with the emperor was also annoying...based around pouting complaining and more high pitch whining. Also annoying was her endless dreams of true love…she needs some hobbies and so social interaction, way too much self time. On the other hand, that kind of princess was probably the best back in the day. Glad I wasn’t the unlucky sap that got to marry her.

By far the best part of the Beijing Opera was the music. Lots of wooden blocks mixed with a selection of awesome string instruments. The orchestra served both music for the songs and hilarious sound effects.

Awesome bug.

Went to get my hair cut today, not nearly as exciting as I was hoping for, nor as cheap. I was told that it would cost 三块(3rmb) by my host papa. Turned out to be 八块(8rmb) for no apparent reason…and it was a standard hair cut, except the conversation that took place in the shop while I was there. There was one probably not Chinese women sitting with one of those brain sucking machines attached to her skull, one old lady with really no hair..but they were combing it a lot. Just after my haircut commenced a women entered the shop and proceeded to ask the owner, my haircutter today, if the shop had some particular item. Turns out she was asking about those plastic curling things..the multicolor things that look like little cylinders. She spent the next 10min holding one and inspecting it while it was very close to her face. She asked the owner lots of questions about the small device and switched it for others to also inspect them. The conversation ended in an agreement that she would come back in a few days and get applied to her hair.

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Special words learned this week in class:

Sanguine 血腥

Massive hemorrhage 大出血

Pass UK, Catch US 超英赶美

Cool Rocks.

I tried the bar scene again Friday night, yet again no good. Loud, smoky, crowded. Cant even talk to the person next to you..people just stand around. Went to another place, but that was the same with a dance floor. Definitely a place to go and see other people but I don’t understand the how quality of time spent there can be so bad yet people still swarm the places. I will try again sometime..but try for an even quieter place. I was told the one we went to on Friday was much more chill..but was just terrible wrong.

The Return

日记， 你好！

I have returned from western china. Interesting enough where we went is not actually referred to as western china, it is instead the 新疆（XinJiang）Autonoumous Region and western china is where central or east central china is. Maybe even more surprising is that新疆 isn’t all that Chinese. In the last several decades there have been a huge number of Han Chinese immigrants that have balanced the numbers, but before the 1950’s the place had very “Chinese”. Even now in the cities and especially in the city cores there is very little Chinese spoken and very few “Chinese” people. Most of the population is a minority called the Uighurs. They and their language are of Turkish decent and they are Muslim. It was difficult to believe we were still in china. In the states I had often heard things like “free Tibet,” but never free新疆.

Although I was frustrated with many parts of the trip, it turned out fine and I did enjoy several parts. That being said I will never participate in group travel again. I have posted some photos of the trip here for your viewing pleasure.

I tried the Beijing night life for the first time last night. It was a classmate’s birthday so about 20 of us went to a bar. It was not to exciting, co I came home early. I will probably give it a try again.