China!!!

Ni-Hao!

Greetings from the Chinese-Mongolian boarder! Everyone is having a great time and we really haven't had a problem with the whole earthquake crisis. Trains were diverted to help with the relief effort, but that didn't affect our travel plans. We have just finished our whirl wind tour of China. Here is a brief over view of our exciting excursion!

Beijing:
We toured Peking University with a professor and student from the Mongolian Language and Culture Department. The campus was originally a garden, and is under protection from development. It was breath taking. Then we were rained out at the Summer Palace. Even with the nasty weather the architecture was amazingly beautiful. We walked the Long Corridor(luckily it is covered) to see the Marble Boat commissioned by the Empress Cixi.

The next day we ventured the subway! We made a quick stop for a photo opp in Tienanmen Square and crossed the street to visit the Forbidden City. Built in 1420, the sloping roofs and the vibrant colors are a testament to the pride that China takes in its heritage. After stopping at a grocery store for snacks, we boarded the train en route to Hohhot.

Hohhot:
We slept on the train. Those that were awake around 2 am had a brief glimpse of the Great Wall. We arrived at the Inner Mongolian capital city at 5:30 and were met by our friend Erdenisang! He was a great help during our stay in Hohhot by showing us around (a daunting task, as ten Americans tend to stick out). He would pick us up in the morning and walk us back to our hotel at night. We dropped our gear off at the hotel and headed to Inner Mongolia University. We felt privileged to be invited to view a collection of ancient Mongolian texts.

The next morning we got an early start on a four hour drive to the Chinggis Khan memorial. This was on a site where his funeral procession stopped. The tribe that was charged to guard it is still holding their post today!

The next day we had a free morning to explore the city, but we met again in the afternoon to visit three Buddhist temples. The first of which is still an active monastery. There, we were lucky enough to sit in on a prayer service. The monks chanted in Tibetan for about an hour and were happy that a group of westerners wanted to watch. They even took our picture! The third temple is called the Temple of the Five Pagodas and one is modeled after Indian architecture.

On Tuesday, May 20, We saw the Inner Mongolian Museum. The weather was a little chilly and windy as we were in the middle of a dust storm. The Anthropology Department at the University arranged for a meeting with some of their students, and some of the faculty. We were given the opportunity to speak one on one with them. This was a great experience because they were as interested in learning about our university and life in the US as we were about learning about Hohhot. Our Anthropology students had a lot of explaining to do about what we study in comparison to what is taught in Inner Mongolia, especially because their department is very new!

After the meeting, we all went to a special banquet room and were treated to quite a feast. The food was amazing and there was more than enough to go around! Every meal here is an adventure, especially since none of us can read Chinese. Those mystery dishes that we just point to, have almost always been our favorites! Erdenisang saw us off when we left Hohhot the next morning with full bellies and smiling faces. We met many great people and made some fantastic friends in Hohhot. We hope that this meeting will spark a long friendship between our universities.

We hope this gives you a insight to what we are up to in Asia! Stay tuned for more posts and many pictures!

Love,
Amber and Emily