Last Day in China - The Great Wall

The scorpian dish - Yum.
"Climbing The Great Wall"
The Great Wall.

They say there are two things you can see on earth from outer space. One are the lights of Las Vegas and the other is the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall extends approximately 4,163 miles from the east to the west of China. The construction of the Great Wall began in 221 B.C. to ward off invasions and took approximately 10 years to complete over a period of time. Portions of the wall are now in ruin, but the area we visited around Beijing is the most well maintained and also the most commercialized. You can get great deals on “Rolex” watches but my favorite was the Chairman Mao watch with Mao on the face and his arms the hands of the watch. But the commercialization in no way diminished the magnificence of the Great Wall.

More than 1 million people were involved with building the wall. Soldiers, local people, and prisoners were brought in to build the wall. Building the wall was so tortuous, that many died while building it. Our tour guide said that the Great Wall is also called the longest cemetery in the world because so many people died while working on the wall and were buried along the wall.

Our delegation walked a considerable portion of the wall. We chose to walk the steepest side. Most of the walking area is an incline with a few steps in various portions. The views were spectacular, not only of the mountainous area but of the various views of the actual wall you can see as you climb the wall. While you’ll see the picture of me climbing the wall, I can also proudly display a certificate we were given saying that we indeed completed this great feat.

We ended our incredible journey with a farewell banquet at the famous Peking Duck Restaurant. It was the most delicious and interesting food I had eaten the entire week. The Chinese restaurants serve family style. Various dishes are continually placed on a huge Lazy Susan in the middle of the table. Diners continue to swirl the Lazy Susan as they choose items from the various dishes. The farewell meal ended with a roasted duck. We were shown how to take the sliced pieces of duck and place it in the Chinese version of the round tortilla. You then add soy sauce and scallions and roll it up somewhat like a burrito. It was delicious. But the most exciting dish of the night was the dish of scorpions (see the picture). Yes, after much coaxing, I ate a scorpion! It tasted like a pork rind. It really wasn’t bad at all, and I was quite proud of myself for totally immersing myself in the Chinese culture.

My trip to Beijing was an incredible journey and opportunity. I look forward to sharing more interesting tidbits and many more photos when I return. See you soon!

Thursday, November 16, 2006 - Beijing China

Architecture in the Forbidden City.
Tiananmen Square.
Coaches playing basketball.
Cathy with the Chinese student - notice his red scarf.
Students playing ping pong during P.E.

Hello from Beijing. Beijing is in the north of China, and the word actually means north capital. “Bei” mean north and “jing” means capital. The north and south of China have their own distinctions much like the north and south in the United States. For instance, it’s cold and dry in the north and wet and humid in the south. The Northerners prefer to each wheat while the Southerners prefer rice. The people in the north are considered generous but have a fighting attitude, while the southerners are softer and milder but not as generous. I found the comparisons very interesting.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, we witnessed a computer class where 13 year olds presented their Power Points on the Olympics. I’ve posted a picture of one of the students with me. Notice the red scarf around his neck. When we asked about the scarf, we were told that at around the age of 13, the students join an organization much like our boys scouts. It is an honor to be in this organization. They are called Pioneers. What’s interesting about this is that this is there first official introduction to the Chinese Communist Party – hence the color of the scarf is red.

Sports and PE are a big part of school life in Beijing. The P.E. curriculum has changed to include more exercise, and most schools now have P.E. each day just like at PDS. You’ll notice the picture of the students playing ping pong (table tennis). The children go to school from 7:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. That makes for a long day, but they get a very extended time for lunch and recess. Each school we visited had huge play areas. You’ll see a picture of men playing basketball with students watching. These are the coaches, and they play a game of basketball most everyday after lunch. Coach Smith will have to see if he can arrange that for our coaches.

Today we visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world. It holds a half of a million people. It held even more until they erected Chairman Mao’s mausoleum. The Forbidden City was where all the emperors of China lived. It was called the Forbidden City, because only the emperors were allowed to be there with their staff.

Tomorrow we go to the Great Wall of China. I can’t wait to share some pictures with you. This is an incredible experience but I miss you all!

Ni Hao (Hello) from Beijing - Wednesday, November 15, 10:10 pm (8:10 am Memphis time)

Paul's counterpart in the Beijing middle school.
The mascot for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
Cathy and her three student tour guides at the middle school.
Bikes, Bikes, Everywhere!

So sorry I didn’t blog yesterday. We have not stopped for even a minute since we arrived Sunday evening. As you know, I blogged Monday evening after we returned around 9:00 pm. I awoke Tuesday morning at 5:45 am and did not get back to the hotel until after 10:00 pm., so I decided to wait until Wednesday night to update you. (You should be getting this Wednesday morning.)

There are so many things I’ve learned since I arrived in China. One being that of course it’s shorter going from San Francisco to Hong Kong by traveling north and then across the Bering Sea and then South to Hong Kong. I had to be reminded of my geography lessons to realize that going from San Francisco to Hong Kong directly over the Pacific Ocean in a “straight line” is not a shorter way (stop laughing, Paul).

Other things I have learned – when eating noodles, never cut your noodles. Long noodles equal a long life. I learned that you must always be very careful when speaking Mandarin Chinese. For instance, the word “ma” can mean many things depending on the tone in which it is spoken. One “ma” can mean the universal word for mother. Another “ma” can mean a horse. Yet another “ma” can be a curse word. Lastly, another “ma” can mean you are feeling numb. You can only imagine the trouble you could get into if your tone is not quite right.

Another item I learned is that although cars are very plentiful in the big cities in China now, they still have not given up their dependence on the old bicycle.

On Tuesday we visited a middle school in the middle of Beijing. The school had almost 5,000 students. We spent the entire day at the school. For an hour during that time, I actually had my own private student tour guides. Three students, all age 14 and in the 9th grade, guided me through the school and answered all my questions as well as asked me a few also. Their English was quite good, although they did not think so.

Earlier that day, we attended a computer class where the students presented their Power Points about various aspects of the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Beijing. The entire city is already buzzing about the Olympics and signs of it are everywhere.

Today (Wednesday) we visited a high school on the outskirts of the city. This school was actually built as a university by American missionaries in the 1800’s. The first three principals were American, and they have only had 9 different principals in the entire history of the school. This school also has around 5,000 students, but all but 100 are boarding students.

In addition to talking with the students at both schools, we spent several hours in discussions with the teachers and administration at each school. We have been taken to several Chinese restaurants, where I have become quite adept at eating with chopsticks. (It’s amazing what you can do when you have to.) All I could think as I tried all this food is what Becky would possibly say about all of it. She would be worn out by saying “Mmmmm” to me each time I would put something in my mouth. We have been quite immersed in the Chinese culture.

As I said, there are so many more stories I could tell, but I’ll save those for later. We will be going to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square tomorrow. The Forbidden City also has Chairman Mao’s mausoleum. Chairman Mao is still much beloved in Beijing even 30 years after is death. Today we saw a line of Chinese at least a mile long waiting in line to pay their respects to him.

I’m writing this in my hotel room at 10:00 pm Wednesday night. I’m then going down to the 2nd floor lobby and connect to the wireless Internet and then copy and paste this in. (It's easier than connecting with ethernet in my room and it's free.) I’m actually anxious to get on the Internet and check my email to see if there is any news from home. I haven’t checked in since Monday night. I’m having email withdrawals. I hope everyone is well. I’ll check back with you tomorrow.

Monday, November 13, 10:40 pm Beijing Time

Performers at the Banquet at the Great Hall of the People.
The Great Hall of the People.
Sunrise in Hong Kong on Sunday morning.

Technology is just incredible! I am sitting in the lobby of the hotel in Beijing, China. I turned on my Mac, and it immediately connected wirelessly with the hotel's network. I was just able to read my 145 plus emails, and I am posting this blog. As some homeroom teachers will shortly see, I will even email them to let them know when the wrapping paper will be delivered to their homerooms. A parent just emailed me and asked me to do that!

I finally arrived in China on Sunday, November 12, after more than 22 hours on planes. We arrived at the hotel around 1:45 p.m. (11:45 pm Saturday in Memphis). We were allowed to freshen up (an overhaul was actually what I needed) and then we were to meet at 5:30 for logistics and introductions within our delegation followed by dinner. I was finally able to get to bed around 9:30 (7:30 am Sunday morning Memphis time). The last time I had seen a bed was Thursday night.

I won't bore you with personal details. Those will have to wait until I get back. It's enough to say that I didn't even make it out of the Memphis airport on Friday before I lost my cell phone. As I left on the first leg of my trip to Dallas, I looked for my cell phone to make sure it was off. I couldn't find it. I took the contents of my purse in and out at least 5 times while we were waiting to take off. I know the woman next to me thought I was insane. When I reached San Francisco, I purchased a phone card and called home to learn that someone had found my cell phone in the airport and called the last number on it (my mother). Anyway, enough of that unpleasantness.

Today we rose early to go to the conference hotel to learn about the Chinese culture and the etiquette we should follow while in China. We had 4 keynote addresses in the afternoon - 2 from the US and 2 from China. The Chinese Minister of Education spoke to us about the new curricula in China. What I found most amazing is that many of their problems and issues are also ours.

We were then taken to the Great Hall of the People for a reception and a dinner banquet. This was the official beginning to the US - China Education Conference. Many of our Chinese counterparts attended and were seated at our tables. We enjoyed interesting and informative conversations as we also enjoyed Chinese dish after dish. During dinner we were entertained by musicians, dancers, and actors from the Beijing Opera.


It is a huge honor to be invited to the Great Hall of the People. It is the equivalent to our Capitol Hill and Congress. It is almost 11:00 pm here, and we are beginning early again tomorrow with an all-day visit to a middle school. We will then be taken to dinner and a show. We won't return to the hotel until 9:30 tomorrow night, but I will try to get in a quick posting. I have already learned so much about the Chinese people and their education system, and I've already met many US teachers who will be great to network with.

Keep looking for more postings. I've got to email the homeroom teachers and then I'm calling it a night!

Cathy Kyle's Blog

China Bound

Two days and counting.....

Check back for China updates as I travel to Beijing for the U.S. - China Education Conference.