Rivers Students Explore China
By plane, bus, and overnight train, nine Rivers students crisscrossed China for twelve days in June, experiencing everything from the high-rises of Shanghai to tofu-making workshops in the countryside. Accompanied by Chinese language teachers Chris Holownia and Fred Kosak, they visited some of China’s iconic tourist destinations, but also got a glimpse of life in rural China, including a tour of a Chinese school in Jianshui County where they tried out their Chinese and played a little pick-up basketball with their local counterparts.
The group, which included Zachary Lisman '17, Alex Clay '18, Alex Klein '18, Harrison Pearlson '18, Matthew Jones '19, Brendan Long '19, William Mulder 19, Bradley Stoller '19, and Parker Weil '19, departed on Saturday, June 11. Mr. Kosak and Mr. Holownia kept parents apprised of their adventures via email [excerpted here] every few days:
Tuesday, June 14:
We arrived in Chengdu after an early morning flight from Shanghai, where we had spent two nights. We had a full day yesterday exploring Shanghai—the Bund, Old Town Bazaar, Nanjing Road, and Shanghai Museum.
After meeting our guide, Mark, in Chengdu and checking into our hotel—which some remarked it had come "straight out of a movie"—we went walking around the city. We strolled along the Funan river and took in the locals fishing, playing majiang, and hawking their wares. After working up an appetite, we ate a late lunch of authentic Sichuanese food. As you might know, the food in Sichuan is famous for its spicy hotness, so our taste buds had to acclimate a bit. All the boys are pretty adventurous and open minded when it comes to authentic Chinese cuisine, though, so they dove right in.
Tonight we'll indulge in a local hotpot dinner before turning in for the night. After some initial jet lag everyone has been upbeat and well-rested. More updates to come!
Saturday, June 18:
From our perspective, ages have passed since last we wrote. On our second day in Chengdu, we visited the giant panda breeding center and got to see both the giant pandas and the smaller red panda variety. We also got to see baby pandas and learned about the great work of the research scientists there. Since the center opened, they've gone from breeding 6 to 146 pandas, all with the ultimate purpose of releasing them into the wild.
After that, we traveled to Leshan. The giant Buddha carved out of the rocky shore took our breath away. Later, we drove to Jiajiang county and hiked up a mountain to visit a Buddhist temple and see the beautiful scenery from above. We tried some fresh plums and took advantage of the nice breeze as we rested from the otherwise extremely humid, hot climate. But perhaps most impactful of all was our experience walking around Leshan city after dinner that night and witnessing the local people dancing and doing tai chi for exercise. Some of the guys were courageous enough to join in, attracting many locals' attention, especially the children. It was gratifying to watch our kids interact with the children, practicing their Chinese, taking pictures, playing tag, and generally having a good time.
The next day, we rode to Emei and learned the importance of Emei mountain as a place where the many religions of China came together and interacted. Although we didn't have enough time to ascend the mountain on this trip, we did enjoy a walk around the city before heading to the supermarket. I think now everyone understands why we call it a supermarket. Most smaller markets in China are specialized by food category, but this supermarket was warehouse-sized and sold everything from bicycles to beef jerky. It was fascinating to watch the kids run around trying to decide what to bring with them on the overnight train to Kunming. With no English in sight, the task was a true test of their language decoding skills, and items like shrimp-flavored potato chips and wine-flavored chocolate surprised them, to say the least!
Sitting in the train station in Emei was an experience in itself. Many times, we've found ourselves stared at, and the local people have often wanted to take pictures with us because it's so rare for them to see foreigners in this part of China. We've been asked about gun control, Facebook/social media, and the NBA, just to name a few topics!
We survived (and enjoyed!) the 17+ hour train ride from Emei to Kunming. Some spotty wifi finally allowed them to check their grades, but otherwise, human-to-human interaction has proved a happy necessity. We just got back from visiting the stone forest. The guys were taken with the rockin' scenery and had fun learning about some of the legends behind certain rock formations. Tomorrow we will visit a Chinese school and see firsthand what it's like to study here. Perhaps we'll even get to challenge them to a game of basketball!
Wednesday, June 22:
It has been a whirlwind few days in Yunnan and Beijing and it's hard to believe we're already packing up for the return flight. We flew in the day before yesterday and, after a stopover in Beihai Park en route to the hotel to explore one of Beijing's most iconic night spots, spent yesterday visiting the marquee sites: Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and my favorite Great Wall section at Mutianyu. We spent a few hours hiking on the wall and enjoying the views, and after the arduous climb, many of the guys opted to take an alpine slide back down. What a trip! Thereupon, we all gained a better appreciation for just how many people live in this area on account of the monstrous traffic we encountered on our way back to Beijing. Finally, in the evening, we enjoyed our last sumptuous meal together at a restaurant recommended by a Beijing native friend.
And so our journey draws to a close. This has been an incredible trip in so many ways; can't wait to share the stories and photos in a day or two. As of right now, all flights appear to be on schedule with no projected delays on the Beijing or Toronto end.
It has been a whirlwind few days in Yunnan and Beijing and it's hard to believe we're already packing up for the return flight. We flew in the day before yesterday and, after a stopover in Beihai Park en route to the hotel to explore one of Beijing's most iconic night spots, spent yesterday visiting the marquee sites: Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and my favorite Great Wall section at Mutianyu. We spent a few hours hiking on the wall and enjoying the views, and after the arduous climb, many of the guys opted to take an alpine slide back down. What a trip! Thereupon, we all gained a better appreciation for just how many people live in this area on account of the monstrous traffic we encountered on our way back to Beijing. Finally, in the evening, we enjoyed our last sumptuous meal together at a restaurant recommended by a Beijing native friend.
And so our journey draws to a close. This has been an incredible trip in so many ways; can't wait to share the stories and photos in a day or two. As of right now, all flights appear to be on schedule with no projected delays on the Beijing or Toronto end.
But wait! They spoke too soon!
And so the final email on Wednesday, June 23:
Our final leg— the flight out of Toronto— has been delayed due to weather. We will (hopefully) be departing at 10 pm for an 11:30 pm arrival. The boys are taking the news like champs! What would a trip be without a hiccup?And so the final email on Wednesday, June 23:
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