Lhasa, Tibet

For the third part of our midterm trip we went to Lhasa, Tibet. The beautiful Potala Palace opened our eyes. We were all eager to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism. Though we didn't have much time in the gorgeous city, no one wasted any time, as we all eagerly explored the temples, street stalls, just strolling around admiring the laid-back Tibetans in their everyday lives.

ChengDu (Midterm Field Trip 2)

For the second part of our midterm trip, we visited Chengdu, a thriving city a southwestern Chinese city. Located in the Sichuan province, our tour guide taught us about the city's famous food, architecture, and their "spicy" women. Highlights include visiting the Leshan Buddha as well as the Panda Breeding Center where a handful of lucky students got to hold a child panda. On our last night we watched an impressive face changing show.

JiuZhaiGou (Midterm Field Trip 1)

We started off our midterm trip right with a visit to the scenic Juizhigou. At this high elevation, we enjoyed fresh mountain air and sunny skies. During our hikes we stopped at waterfalls, mountain peaks, and everywhere in between to soak in our beautiful surroundings.

Tang Zhe Temple

The Egg

This past weekend, October 1-3, was China's National Day. This day commemorates the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Those of us that stayed in Beijing our first free weekend went to Tiananmen Square (天安门) to see the gorgeous lights and flowers put up in honor of the special day. The city was even busier than normal, since most people Chinese people receive a vacation of seven days called the Golden Week.

Not only did we celebrate the holiday this past weekend, we also celebrated Wenhao's twentieth birthday.

Last night we watched another Cao Yu play called Yuan Ye (原野) at the National Center for Performing Arts (国家大剧院), a beautifully constructed architectural piece, not to mention the most renowned theater in Beijing.

As you can see, the FSP keeps us busy, especially as the students prepare for the Chinese 11 midterm and we all prepare for an action-packed field trip to Tibet.

Thunderstorm

This past Wednesday we saw "Thunderstorm" Cao Yu, a famous Chinese playwright. Both the second and third year students impressively kept up with the plot line, full of incest, dishonesty, and complex blood relations.

Bus Tour

For our second weekend outing, we went on a bus tour of the city, stopping at the Olympic Center (Bird's Nest and Water Cube), the Ming Dynasty wall, and Qian Men (a pedestrian street that combines the beauty of ancient China and the innovation of modern-day China). Along the way, we saw Tienanmen Square, the Peking Opera House, among other famous sites.

That evening, we attended a Mongolia music concert. Though many of us were exhausted from a day of adventuring, the expressie music was the perfect ending to a long day.