Day Three: Now I see why they call it the "Forbidden City"

Today was definitely an unforgettable one. After such an amazing day, I am really thankful that the group of people I am here with is so adventurous and open to trying and exploring anything and everything like I am. We have been having such a great time together and everyone gets along so well.

Our morning started off like yesterday, with my group, the media group, heading over to the tennis center. The players group was not required to work today, so they were lucky enough to spend the day exploring Tea Street and the fashion district (hopefully our group will find another day to do this). At the tennis center, Cynthia # 1, as we so endearingly call her since two of our bosses are named Cynthia, was ready with assignments for us. My assignment was to head to the main gate of the China Open complex and assist two Chinese girls with passing out credentials to the media. Although 75 percent of the media that will attend the China Open are Chinese reporters, 25 percent come from all around the world, so they were in need of someone to speak English to these foreign reporters when they came to get their credentials for the tournament. I spent a few hours with Jennifer and Syn, the two Chinese girls, who both spoke choppy English as they were currently learning the language in college in Beijing. They were very friendly and welcoming to me, and we had a good time chatting and playing games while we waited for the media.

After grabbing a quick lunch in the canteen, where we are allowed to eat two meals a day, Cynthia # 1 told us that if we wanted to leave early to go sightseeing that it was okay. We were all ecstatic because we wanted to make it to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square before they closed. The seven of us headed back to the hotel and quickly jumped on the subway to the Forbidden City. The subway was absolutely PACKED. Growing up in Chicago and traveling to New York City several times in my life, I am pretty used to crowded public transportation, but this was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. We were packed in like little sardines and had to fight our way off when we reached our stop (see first picture).

As soon as we got off the subway we could already see the giant portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong on the Gate of Heavenly Peace that leads to the Forbidden City. I have seen hundreds of pictures of this portrait before, but seeing it up close and in person was an irreplaceable experience. There were thousands upon thousands of Chinese people taking pictures and walking around. As we walked, the Forbidden City was on our right and to our left was Tiananmen Square, which was bigger and more crowded than I could have ever imagined. We really wanted to go into the Forbidden City first since it closed at 5 p.m., but after wandering around trying to find the entrance for twenty minutes, we were finally informed by a rare English speaking Chinese man that the Forbidden City was closed to the public until October 2nd because of the holiday. Since October 1st marks National Day and the 60th anniversary of the formation of the People’s Republic of China, many things in the city are closed down for a few days and the people are given a great deal of time off of work. On every single pole in the city there is a banner flying announcing National Day. Almost all of the streets in Beijing will be closed down on this day, and millions of people will flock to Tiananmen Square for a parade and other ceremonies.

Though we were very disappointed by this discovery, we were still able to head into Tiananmen Square to take a look around. Before we entered, we first walked by the Great Hall of the People, which is the Chinese parliament and government building. It was one of the largest buildings I have ever seen in my life and was made much more interesting by the fact that hundreds of soldiers were arriving by bus in anticipation of the holiday and the streets were lined with army tanks. Also, we stood for several minutes watching several politicians pull up in their Rolls Royce’s and shake hands with other government officials before entering the building. There were a lot of locals standing around and watching, waving Chinese flags, so we knew how important this event really was.

Known as the largest public square in the world, Tiananmen Square was overwhelmingly breathtaking. Thousands of people strolled around in awe of the monuments and surrounding buildings. We first went over and took a look at the Mao Zedong Mausoleum where long lines of people still file in each day to pay their respects. The Mausoleum was closed for the day when we arrived, so we just marveled at it from the outside. Next, we moved to the center of the square, where the Monument to the People’s Heroes sits. This monument was built to honor all of the people that gave their lives for the communist revolution. We had to ask several people to take our picture by the monument, since there were very few who spoke English in the square, but the Chinese continued to be excited by our presence there, snapping pictures of us when they thought we weren’t looking. Just as we were about to take a closer look at the National Museum of China which is found on one of the sides of the Square, a police van started moving through the square shouting in Chinese. People started flocking towards exits, as we stood around in confusion, wondering what they had said. Finally, they made an announcement in English: “Please take all of your belongings and evacuate the square immediately.” Though we weren’t sure if this was something to be worried about or not, we all started laughing as we walked towards the exit…I mean who really goes to China and is evacuated from Tiananmen Square, one of the most famous sites and tourist attractions in China. Anyway, it turns out that they were shutting it down early in preparation for the 60th anniversary festivities, but it was a crazy experience nonetheless.

After that adventure, we headed home on the subway and got ready for dinner. Emily, Matt, and I decided to look for a local restaurant to eat at, and ended up finding an amazing place with the best noodles I have ever eaten. We were the only people that spoke any English there, but it was really exciting to be at a very authentic, non-tourist restaurant.

There is so much in Beijing to explore and that I want to do before heading home that I feel like two weeks won’t be nearly enough. Either way, I can’t wait to see what else is in store for me tomorrow.

SO- I don't have an account on Flickr to post all of my pictures, but I want you to be able to see all of them while I'm gone, not just the few I post on my blog. Emily has so graciously uploaded all of my photos, as well as hers, to her Flickr account, so check it out to see more of our beautiful faces: http://www.flickr.com/photos/egc432/sets/72157622341379095/

Day Two: The Silk Market will destroy your soul..

It’s hard to believe that we have been here for only about 24 hours and have already accomplished so much. It's nearly impossible to write down and describe all that we have experienced thus far- so I'll try my best to give a short explanation of our first full day in China.

Our first morning in Beijing was quite the experience. After getting ready for the day, we headed downstairs for breakfast, which was an eclectic mix of only somewhat identifiable foods like sausages, potatoes, and rolls (prepared in a completely foreign style of course). We sat on the back deck of our hotel while we ate, which overlooks a small lake. At about 9 in the morning, it already felt like at least 80 degrees outside. We had a few extra minutes before it was time to go to the tennis center, so Emily and I walked across the street from our hotel where we discovered a breathtaking park. There was a river and bridges (see picture 1) and hiking trails where tons of locals were getting their morning exercise. They seemed surprised to see foreigners there, and a man even took a picture of me taking a picture of Emily; this was our first example of how very entertained the Chinese are by us.

We then hopped the shuttle to the tennis center for our first visit and orientation, which was bigger and more amazing than I could have ever imagined. On our way we past all of the Olympic village, including the Bird's Nest, Water Cube, and even the apartments that housed the athletes. When we reached the tennis center, we were lead around the entire inside and outside of the complex and the courts, even getting to go inside the locker rooms and walk around and take pictures on center court where all of the Olympians got ready and played (and where all of the stars will soon be competing again in just a few short days). It was impossible for any of us to stop smiling while we walked around- we were shown where press conferences were to be held, where the players would enter the courts, the promotions and sponsorships centers, the players lounge, and media center, just to name a few.

Soon after our tour, we broke up into two separate groups, media and player services, to get our assignments for the tournament. I am in the media group, where we will rotate between three different jobs. One of our assignments will be to attend all important press conferences, and to take notes and transcribe so that afterward we can write articles on the matches and players being discussed. This will be such an amazing journalistic opportunity; I am so excited about being around other reporters, famous athletes, and getting my work published on the China Open website. Our second assignment will be to assist other reporters in the media center, making sure that things are running smoothly. Lastly, we will be helping out in the promotions and sponsorships field with several different assignments, which will be great experience since I am in the strategic communication sequence.

Even though being at the tennis center for a good portion of the day was a busy whirlwind, all of us were still excited to get back to the hotel and change so we could get out into the city and explore. We decided to take the subway (which is extremely efficient and costs less than 50 cents including all transfers) to the Silk Market, one of the largest markets in the world that sells any and everything imaginable- silk scarves, fans, jewelry, designer purses and clothing, figurines, shoes, you name it. The best part is that you HAVE to haggle for what you want to buy. This definitely took a lot of practice. On my first few purchases, I was nervous and definitely paid much more than I should have, but as the night wore on, we all definitely became more experienced and aggressive (which was also a lot more fun). The Silk Market truly was overwhelming- I have never seen so many items for sale in one place before and have never wanted to buy so much. We all found ourselves sweating and wanting to escape after a few hours. As Emily put it, "The Silk Market almost destroyed my soul."

After a lot of shopping, we were all starving, so we crossed the street to go to an amazing hot pot restaurant. You pick a broth that you want and they place the pot in front of you. Then, they give you a giant plate of vegetables and an enormous amount of meat, and you cook all of the food yourself. It was extremely filling but also very delicious.

It was about 9:30 p.m. when we finished dinner, but our night wasn't complete. Five of us decided that we wanted to go out and explore the bar and nightlife scene on our first real night in Beijing...best decision ever. Many people had suggested to us that we visit an area called Hou Hai, and we really had no expectations or leads on where to go as it is all of our first visits to Beijing, so we decided to try it out.

When we arrived, we we all in complete disbelief. A giant lake was sitting in front of us, dotted with boats and completely surrounded by bright lights, bars, restaurants, clubs, and live music. By the end of the night, we had made a complete lap around the lake and had explored several bars, many of which had bands playing and couches outside to sit on and enjoy the beautiful weather. We encountered many scary and unfamiliar bathrooms, and even ran across an outdoor gym (yes, they have random fitness equipment in public places for people to use) which we couldn't pass up an opportunity to play on. Our first night out in Beijing was a definite success and was a great taste of the culture and entertainment of China.

Well...I know that I'm about a day behind on my blog but I'm exhausted after another incredible day, so I will have to update you on our second day at the tennis center and our other cultural adventures tomorrow. :)

Watch out Beijing...we're here!

After about twenty hours of travel, we have all finally arrived safe and sound to Beijing and spent an incredibly exhilarating half-day in the city.

In case you aren't exactly sure why I am in China in the middle of the school semester, here is a little background information. I am in Beijing for 16 days, along with eleven other students from the Missouri School of Journalism, in order to report on and volunteer at the China Open Tennis Tournament. We will be at the tournament each day working and reporting, but will also have a few days to explore the amazing and cultured city of Beijing- including a visit to the Great Wall of China (hence my cheesy blog title name) with the players from the tennis tournament.

Here is the link of an article that was written about our trip: http://www.journalism.missouri.edu/news/2009/08-11-china-open.html as well as the link to the China Open website: http://www.chinaopen.com.cn/en/2009/! Stories that we write during the duration of the tournament will be posted on the China Open website and in several Chinese news sources.

It's interesting that I am writing this blog post at a little after midnight in China, but really, it is 11 a.m. to the rest of my body. It'll be tough getting adjusted, but we all seem to be doing pretty well so far. It seems that we will be getting the star treatment here in Beijing. When our flight landed, we were greeted by several Chinese volunteers from the tennis tournament, who helped us with our luggage and escorted us to (what we thought) would be buses to take us to our hotel. Instead, 12 black Mercedes cars pulled up...one for each of us. We had our own car and our own driver to deliver us in style to our hotel, which is situated right on the site of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also where the tennis tournament will be held starting October 2nd.

To top off our incredible first day here, our teacher Ernest took us to an amazing, upscale Chinese restaurant. We were served a three tier meal- aka three separate meals with about 10 courses in each one. Fish, chicken, seaweed, duck brains...you name it, we ate it. It was such a different experience than any restaurant I have ever been to- plus the food was unbelievable.

Tomorrow we head to the courts for an orientation on what our jobs will entail during the tournament. I cannot wait to experience the marvels of the 2008 Olympic Village firsthand. This is truly the experience of a lifetime and we haven't even been here 24 hours yet...i'll be sure to keep you all updated!