Author: jricketson

China – Day 13 – Bullet Train to Beijing

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By Finlay and Josh

 

We wake up to the familiar sound of a phone ringing, piercing through the silence in our rooms at 7:30 AM. When we woke up, we were getting ready for another day on the move, as we said goodbye to Shanghai and hello to Beijing. Most of us packed our suitcases again the night before, but after eating another delicious buffet breakfast we all added the finishing touches to our packing with plenty of time to spare, having been given an extra half hour before leaving the hotel.

 

A bit after 9:30 AM we stepped out of the warm comfy hotel we were greeted with the late autumn cold and the patter of rain. The streets were still populated with people, even in the rain as we made our trek to the bus parked quite far away from the hotel. The bus was loaded and off we went on a quick ride to the train station. When we arrived, we were sorted into our plane groups and we were given our passports and tickets and waited from the next instruction, all while in the rain. We lined up and after some time finally escaped the wet and cold after going through security checks.

 

After arriving at the train station, we then went to our gate. Our group occupied a whole seating section but it was still not enough, so people had to stand or sit in different sections. Splitting into groups of 5, we were given a total of 200 RMB per group to go around the train station and buy our lunch, with Western food a popular choice. When we went to board the train there were problems with the ticket machine, forcing some of us to switch lanes to where a person was manually punching the tickets. This caused boarding to be a bit longer and more hectic as we tried to integrate into other lanes and people becoming spread out.  After we loaded the suitcases and sat down, the bullet train was on its way.

 

The train was moving like its namesake at an incredible, 351 km/h – moving north. Everything in the near vicinity of the train was a blur and the cars roaring down the highway were but snails in comparison. The environment outside the window was cleared from what it used to look like, instead, now fields of grass stretching to the horizon with trees that with closer inspection were artificially planted there in uniform rows. Randomly throughout the countryside, there were farms, industrial factories, warehouses and high-rises under construction. Civilisation dotted the landscape, from old villages to small towns with houses that looked exactly the same to each other and cities, many with lots of construction. Probably due to the coal power plants, found very rarely throughout the trip, the whole land was engulfed with smog, obscuring the further distances and given the world a white grey tint. During the rare times we could see the sun it was covered in the haze of pollution, making is less a ball of light and more a bright white-yellow patch in the sky. It’s strange to think that this bullet train took us around the same distance as we did on the overnight train from Xi’an to Shanghai in only 4 and a half hours.

 

We arrived in Beijing at 4:30, opening the bullet train doors. We quickly found our bus and made our way across to the Chongwenmen hotel, spending about half an hour travel. Charles shared some facts about Beijing, such as it is the political and cultural centre of China. It is the coldest city we have been in yet, at a chilly -1°c. The hotel is decorated with a huge amount of marble and gold paint. We spent 10 minutes in our rooms to get our luggage in order and quickly left for dinner. We made our way to the Dawan Ju, a chain restaurant of high quality, and quickly split ourselves across three tables. The main dishes this night was sizzling beef, spicy chicken, honey pork, lamb, a cauliflower hotpot, chilli-green beans and, of course, fried rice. Soon we finished our dinner and left into the cold night air. We had our nightly meeting and returned to our rooms.

 

Finlay:

 

Hey everyone! I’m having a great time over here, doing something new and interesting every day. I hope everything is going well and will see you about five days.

Bye!

 

 

Josh:

 

Dear everyone, there have been so many things that have been happening every single day of the trip and it’s amazing. I’m so thankful for your hard work so that I could go on this trip of a lifetime. Masarap na masarap ng pakaen dito so happy!

 

China – Day 12 – Buddhist Temple, Shanghai Museum, Urban Planning Centre

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By Ruby and Emily

 

We woke up to the comfortable beds of our new hotel room in Shanghai at 7:30 am. After a delicious buffet breakfast, we gathered the items needed and headed on the bus to the Longhua Buddhist temple. We learnt that the temple was originally constructed over 1000 years ago and has been destroyed and rebuilt on many occasions including World War II and during the Cultural Revolution. Whilst there, we lit three incense sticks and bowed towards the Buddha three times as per custom. We learned that the number three is considered lucky in Buddhist culture. We also saw a parade of monks and nuns wearing different outfits of gold, red, brown and black. The temple was familiar to us as we had visited another Buddhist temple in Chengdu, albeit without quite the charm of this one.

 

After the temple visit, we jumped on the bus and headed to a shopping centre. There we were given a budget of 40 yuan per person to purchase our own lunch. Afterwards, we travelled to the Shanghai Museum and were given time to explore each of the levels of exhibits, some of the exhibits were about ancient clothes, coins, pottery and other interesting parts of China’s history. The collection was breath-taking in its sheer size and scope – it is one of the three most significant and important museums in China, alongside the national museums of Xi’an and Beijing. It is awe inspiring to consider the living traces of a culture that has lasted five dynasties and over two millennia.

 

Once we were finished looking at the museum, we walked over to the Shanghai Urban Planning Centre, we journeyed up to the third floor in order to see a vast small-scale model of Shanghai, which was painstakingly crafted over a large section of floor in order to represent each building of this mega-city. We marvelled at how the city was accurately captured, and the effort it must take to continually update it. Later, the teachers gave us the opportunity to make our own way back to the hotel down Nanjing Road. As we made our way back, we were able to look at shops and take in the scenery. As we were walking we noticed similarities between Melbourne and Shanghai such as the Bund and Southbank as well as Bourke St Mall and Nanjing Road shopping street. We found the similarities comforting as some of us miss our home city.

 

After our exciting day out, we walked over to dinner where we feasted on several delicious dishes such as dumplings, sizzling beef, sweet and sour pork and spring rolls. We were then given the option to go to the Bund (the waterfront) or stay back at the hotel and relax. A small group of us strolled over to the Bund and admired the dazzling lights of the city and the boats travelling along the Yangtze River. Another day comes to a close!

 

 

Emily:

 

Dear Mum, Dad and Darcy (and Milo),

I have been missing you all so much and I hope you’re all doing well. Though I’ve been missing you, I’ve also been having lots and lots of fun exploring new places and creating memories with the group. I love Shanghai so much, it reminds me of home and I think you would all love it here too. I love this city and all the travelling we’ve been doing but I still haven’t settled into moving around so much. I love you all so much and I’m looking forward to seeing you in 6 short days Xx

 

Ruby:

 

Dear Mum, Dad, Pippa and Matilda (and Jessie),

I am missing you all very much and I hope you are all coping with me being gone for this long. I am having a fantastic time and I am adapting well! I hope Matilda did well on her exams and I hope Pippa is enjoying school. I sent you a postcard a few days ago you should hopefully get it soon. I love and miss you all so much.

 

Lots of love,

 

Ruby

 

China – Day 11 – Shanghai

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By Jack C and Ben

 

Today we woke up to the jarring but strangely soothing sounds of our train as it rattled over the tracks that would carry us to our penultimate destination, Shanghai. Surprisingly, many of us found that this was, in fact, the best night’s sleep that we’d had throughout the entire trip, as the background noise made by the train wheels were an unusually efficient relaxant, and helped to calm one’s mind and free it of the distractions caused by a busy trip. This morning, we were treated with a bit of a sleep-in, as the train wouldn’t arrive until 7:50 am. But after we snatched as much sleep as we could from the ravenous jaws of time and schedules, it became time to pack our bags, clean our cabins and venture out into the unknown, out into Shanghai…

 

One of the first things you notice about Shanghai is that it is a city with a Western influence. Shops, city planning even the architecture itself is strongly influenced by Western ideas about creating interesting, even beautiful buildings, creating large city squares and the need for green spaces and parks. Another thing you notice is how busy it is. Many people jostled us as we made our way out of the subterranean train station and into the light. After a short walk to our pick-up point and a quick wait for our bus, we were off on our way to our hotel. Along the way, Charles gave us some extra information about Shanghai.

 

Shanghai is one of the largest cities in China, with a population of over 18 million people. It is also one of the wealthiest, and most developed cities in China, which is due to the fund splitting system of the Chinese government. Shanghai is known as an autonomous city, meaning that it is one of China’s many provinces in its own right. Thus, when funds are split to each of the different provinces by the Chinese government, the city of Shanghai manages its funds itself and only looks after one city. Compare this to Guangzhou, the third largest city in China, which is only the capital of a much larger province. In this case, the provincial government manages funds available for Guangzhou and must manage funds for a much larger province and many more cities. Thus, Guangzhou has less available funds and is thus less well-developed than the mono-city province of Shanghai.

 

After this short history recap, we headed into the hotel for a relatively late, buffet style breakfast. Here again, the Western influence came through. Our buffet had traditional food like noodles and fried rice (which many people feasted on), but also contained very Western style food like raisin biscuits, orange juice and watermelon slices. We finished breakfast, headed up to our rooms to drop-off unnecessary items and headed outside on a walking tour that would last the rest of the day.

 

We then headed to a waterfront district called the Bund and got our first glimpse of the famous Shanghai skyline. We could see the World Economic Centre (affectionately known as the “Bottle Opener”) and the Shanghai tower – the second tallest building in the world with 118 floors – which we would be ascending tonight for an almost unbeatable view of the city. The Bund is a beautiful area, with plenty of public shelters, seating areas and large waterfront views. Now we turned our sights inland, and headed into the downtown areas of Shanghai for lunch, and noticed a different, more traditional side of Shanghai. Here in the city, large, slate-roofed buildings with wooden beams and white plaster were dominant. There were also lots of green spaces, with open parks, large ponds full of carp and beautiful gardens. Clotheslines crisscrossed like spider’s web across the gaps between buildings, with bright garments dangling 10 metres above the ground.

 

It was now time for lunch, and we stopped for a choose-your-own-restaurant lunch. By far the most popular restaurant was a buffet style arrangement, in which one picked the dishes they desired (including dumplings, spring rolls, noodles, rice and soup of varying flavours) and then paid for them at a checkout counter. We ate lunch quickly, so as to continue our tour as quickly as possible, and then headed off for the Yu gardens. In ancient China, two type of garden existed; private gardens which were built paid for and used by very wealthy individuals, and royal gardens which were commissioned by the Chinese royal family and could only be used by them. The Yu gardens were of the former and were far more than a small garden patch with a few shrubs and small bushes. These gardens were grand and well built, with enormous golden Ginko trees, lots of traditional style-architecture as described previously (particularly featuring wooden latticework), green ponds with lots of golden carp and intricate, natural rock formations. We wandered through the gardens for over half an hour; over bridges, under low ceilinged buildings and through beautiful groves of trees.

 

Now came a long urban trek, featuring several trips on the subway and short walks along streets and through plazas. It was very tiring, but worth it for the incredible view that one got of the Shanghai tower, one of the main features of the Shanghai skyline. The Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in Shanghai, the World Economy Centre coming in 2nd. The Shanghai tower stands at 813 metres high. The tallest building ever is the Buri Khalifa in Dubai which stands at 828 metres high. The Shanghai tower holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest lift in the world. At times it made its way to 8 metres per second. It was built in 2016, making it the most recent building in Shanghai. The view from the top really was very special. The entirety of Shanghai was laid out before us in a beautiful sea of neon signs and bright golden lights that stretched far out into the distance and beyond the slightly foggy horizon. The lights of passing cars skittered like beetles on the brightly lit streets below, the World Economic Centre was lit up in bright blue at the edges and the Bund glittered like a jewel at the water’s edge. We explored the top of the tower for a while, and then after a group photo, it was time to head back down to re-join the sea of lights.

 

A quick stop off at the food court at the bottom of the Shanghai Tower, and we were fed for the night. We headed back down into the subway to return to our hotel, where some of the more energetic members of the group quickly went shopping. Eventually, it came time for lights out and feeling tired, we went to bed.

 

 

Jack:

Hi Mum and Dad,

Well, it’s been 11 days since I waved goodbye outside the gates of St. Leonards, and I’m really missing you both. I sent you a postcard a few days ago, but I’m not sure how quick Chinese post is. China is brilliant, my favourite day was with the pandas, and I’ve got some great stories to tell when I get home.

Love Jack

 

Ben:

Hi Mum and Dad and Soph,

I love you all so much and I miss you a lot. I sent a postcard through but I don’t know when you will get it. I am having a great time but I am also counting down the days until I can have wifi back. Miss you all and love you all lots.

From Ben.

 

 

       

China – Day 10 – Terracotta Warriors, Train to Shanghai

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By Justin and Charlie

 

At 7:30 am, we were greeted with a charming (piercing) wake-up call. For those brave souls willing to attend the gym, they were woken at an ungodly 6:30 am; however, the majority of us, recovering from our previous adventures, preferred to stay the extra hour in our plush beds. Nevertheless, at 8:00 am, we ambled out of bed and made our way down to the breakfast buffet. Soon after, we boarded our bus and headed off to the Terracotta Warriors!

During the 90-minute-long bus trip, Charles brought us up to speed on the history of China, as well as some of its dynasties. First came the Qin Dynasty. After hundreds of years of civil conflict, King Qin (of the state Qin), managed to finally conquer the whole of China and its many conflicting armies, finally unifying it. This dynasty didn’t last long due to the Emperor Qin’s expensive tastes. He began building The Great Wall, an Underground Palace (equivalent to the size of his real-life palace) and the Terracotta Army simultaneously, and at breakneck speed. These gargantuan projects were his undoing due to the poor, sometimes lethal conditions that the commoners were forced to live and work in, causing them to aggressively rebel. Following the downfall of the Qin Dynasty, the nation fell back into warring factions, until the Liu army eventually emerged supreme sparking the birth of the Han Dynasty, remembered as one of China’s most famous eras. After 400 years of the Han reign, China once again fell into disarray. Next came the Tang Dynasty, known as another one of China’s longest lasting dynasty, as well as the most ‘splendid’. Beauty standards were one of the major changes occurring during this dynasty, partly due to the introduction of the Silk Road. The open-minded nature of the Tang rulers meant China was easily influenced by new customs and religions arriving from the Silk Road. Gone were the days of foot-binding and in came clothing and beauty standards that were far more modern. We were all surprised at the richness and complexity of Chinese history, something that we had never really seen before. After our brief bus history lesson, we arrived at the site of the Terracotta Warriors.

 

Stepping from the cramped bus into the open, chilly air was refreshing. The tourist-swamped site was extremely sparse, spanning multiple acres and many individual buildings – reaching the actual pits required walking down long lengths of paths and going through security checks. Once we entered the Terracotta complex, we first visited the building housing the Bronze Chariots. These would have been ludicrously expensive at the time of creation but they didn’t look as we expected; they were not quite life-size but were still an impressive display of craftsmanship, especially for something over 2000 years old. After visiting these chariots, we thought we would see our first actual warriors. We were wrong. As we ventured into Pit 2, the second largest of the excavated areas, all we saw were pottery fragments. It turns out that the locals were so fearful of existing in an Emperor Qin-ruled afterlife that they collapsed the support beams keeping the tomb open, annihilating all the warriors underneath 8 metres of dirt. For us, this added to our understanding of the large emphasis placed on the afterlife during historic times; to Emperor Qin, his life after death was important enough to construct a full army of warriors, weapons, horses and all. Our next stop after Pit 2 was Pit 3, or the command centre. Most noticeable in this pit was the absence of weapons. The Emperor was paranoid that one of his commanders or generals would attempt to undermine him, resulting in him ordering that these warriors not be given weapons. Another strange, but amusing anomaly was the number of warriors without heads. We still don’t know why but we suspect that the warriors’ heads were irreparably damaged by the 2200 years they had spent underground. Our final stop for the day, and arguably what had been on our minds from the beginning of the trip, was the most iconic destination in the complex: Pit 1. Pit 1 contained the majority of the warriors – over 2000 – and they were all noticeably unique, boasting many different stances, weapons and expressions. The tomb was encased in dome-like metal structure and covered the area of 2 soccer fields, although this hardly does justice to its true scale. Stepping into its brisk atmosphere, we were finally hit with the realisation of just how large a project this pit was: so cavernous that the back wall was hardly visible. Trying to comprehend how this project was accomplished 2000 years ago was staggering and still impressive today.

 

After our Terracotta Warrior experience, we headed off to have lunch in one of the local restaurants. Some of the foods we saw today we hadn’t seen before, like the sweet chicken and the peppery duck. We left with full bellies and headed to the train station, preparing to board our 15-hour overnight train. The train station in Xi’an was significantly less modern than that in Chengdu with fewer platforms and shops. After getting through the security checks, we stocked up on snacks and then boarded our train. We quickly found our way to our designated 4-bed compartments and stowed away our suitcases. The rooms, the perfect smallness to be comfortable but not claustrophobic, prompting us to interact with new people and were the perfect place for conversation. After a warming packaged meal of chicken rice, we resigned to our bunks and settled in for the night.

 

Justin

 

To Mum, Dad, Katrina, Roxy and the fish. Words can’t explain how privileged I feel to be on this trip, and how grateful I am that you have given the opportunity, so I’ll try to express it to you when I get back. Seriously, I would say that I can’t wait to get back, but I really never want this trip to end. Cya.

 

 

Charlie

 

Dear Mum, Dad, Ruby, Paddy + Wally,

 

I am having such an awesome time. Thank you so much for this ‘Big’ experience and I have been enjoying every single minute of it. Everything has been such a blast and I can’t wait to see you all soon.

 

Thanks again and see you soon,

 

Charlie

    

China – Train to Shanghai – Blog Day

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Hello all,

 

We are preparing to board our overnight train to Shanghai, and so there will be a delay in uploading today’s blog. It should be up by around midday tomorrow 😌

China – Day 9 – Huillin Community Centre, Sightseeing in Xi’an

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By Griffin and Curtis

 

While the majority of students chose to sleep in (Curtis and I included) others chose to attend the gym at a refreshing 7 am. An 8 am breakfast made for a quick workout for some and a drowsy wakeup for others. This was a traditional Chinese buffet-style breakfast, which has become all too normal, incorporating the tastes of both Northern Chinese and Western cuisines. A 9:20 am departure saw us head to the Huilin Community Centre for Disabled Persons.

 

When we arrived, we were immediately ushered into a large room, where we met with the smiling faces and applause of the pupils attending the centre. After being seated, the founder of the Centre gave us a short speech about the history and aims of the centre. These included teaching the students problem-solving skills, social skills, and providing a boost to the confidence and independence of these young people. This aims to assist them to increase their chances of finding employment and being ready for the many inevitable changes in the future. Next up was a performance from one of the students, Fang Yue We, who sung a 1980s Cantonese rock song. This upbeat and funky rhythm left everybody in awe and demonstrated the hard work ethic of the Huilin community. Mei Re, another pupil, performed a Bollywood Dance performance, which got everyone out of their seats. We were in for a surprise at the end when Lachie O’Brien was called up to dance with Mei Re. This added a humorous side to the routine. Of course, we had to respond with a number of our own. Our very own talented group of Lachie, Sophie, Tom and Emily performed the classic Australian tune ‘Waltzing Matilda’. ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love’ is a slow, romantic piece perfected by our very own ukulele player Anika. After some more games, we broke off into four groups and participated in a range of activities that students and the centre do daily. This included paper cutting, painting, flower making and reading. This allowed time for the students of St Leonard’s College to get to know the students a bit more and develop a more meaningful relationship, and to make a meaningful monetary donation to contribute to the good works of the school. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and we finally had to say farewell. After handshakes and waves, we had a quick five-minute walk to our lunch destination.

 

Lunch was an assortment of rice, noodles, sizzling beef, chicken and a local specialty, dumplings. Thanks to the excellent organisation of our guide, Charles, we were able to indulge in a variety of Chinese flavours. One such example was a local Shaanxi dish, pork dumplings. Now, off to the next destination on agenda, the Xi’an City Wall.

 

This megastructure, which takes an hour and a half to walk around, was built in 1370 AD during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. At a height of 10 metres and a perimeter of 14 kilometres, this wall was built as a means of defence against invaders when Xi’an was a crucial hub of activity for the Silk Road. Enclosing the inner city as protection, it would be closed every night and opened every morning to the ringing of a bell, as an initiation for daily trade to begin. With turrets, every 120 metres, about two bowshots away, these buildings could house multiple soldiers in times of conflict. Bells situated along the wall had the ability to make over 90 different tones, more than the average piano.

 

After visiting perhaps the second greatest wall in China, the group embarked on a journey to the Muslim quarter and the Grand Mosque. Walking through these cultured streets, many different street foods were being represented, including a variety of deep-fried seafood, including squid, crabs and crayfish. The Grand Mosque was a short distance away, this magnificent place of worship being co-built by the Chinese government and early Muslim settlers, dating back to the 1st year of the Tian Bao period (742 AD). Over 1270 years old, the mosque features prayer rooms, gardens, areas for declaring sin and boarding houses. Because Islam only features a single god, Allah, many similar statues were present around the gardens and inside the many halls. We were lucky enough to see a mass prayer in action, as hundreds of Muslims flocked to a grand hall to declare their loyalty and belief in Allah.

 

Back through the markets, under a bustling roundabout and we found ourselves at the Xi’an Bell Tower. Smack dab in the middle of the roundabout, this temple was built during the Hongwu period in the year 1384AD. It features three levels and many designs now extinct in Chinese architecture, it is 36 metres tall and 1370 metres squared. In ancient times, the bell would be used to alert nearby people of danger, and to add a glamorously loud touch to any special events and celebrations. Now a mini-museum, it is home to many abstract pieces of art and ancient weaponry. Then, after dinner and a return to the market for some night shopping, it was off to bed!

 

 

Curtis.

Dear Mum, Dad, Josie and Shelby,

I miss you all and can’t wait to be back in Melbourne and start playing football again. I miss our house and Hampton. I sent a postcard with a more personal message than this, but sadly I think I will beat it getting back to Melbourne! Love Curtis

 

Dear Mom, Dad and Bennett

Although I am having a fun and educational trip, I do miss my electronic devices and also you three. You might get a postcard before I get back, but it is hard to tell if the Chinese and Australian postal services can beat me in 9 days. I will tell you guys much, much more when I return in a little more than a week. Sincerely, Griffin