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On September 11, just five days after arriving in China, students went out to buy bikes. Though tentative about biking at first, many now swear by this popular mode of transporation.
On Saturday, September 16, a few adventurous students decided to hop on their bikes and explore a little of the city. They first biked to Fuzimiao, the old Confucian Temple. The temple no longer exists, but much of the original architecture does. Fuzimiao is also famous for its bazaar. You can eat just about any traditional Chinese snack food available, shop for the latest clothing fashions, and pick up a few souvenirs to bring back home. Some students bought jade carvings, others bought silk scarves.
Averi Pakulis, Jess Schpero, and Caitlin Loureiro in one of the small alleyways in the bazaar at Fuzimiao.
Wu Shi, the son
of Wu Jianzhong who handles all Union student affairs when we are in China,
accompanied Jess Schpero and Lee Stevens, as well as the rest of the group on
our trip to Fuzimiao.
September 16, another group of adventurous students decided to trek out to the Purple Mountain to view the botanical gardens and the Ming Dyansty tomb. Since the day was hot and the ride long, they decided to hop on the #20 bus. The botanical garden wasn't all that they expected, and days of dry weather seemed to be taking its toll on the plants. But the Ming Tomb was impressive with the original stone statues paving the entrance way still intact.
Jess Schpero, Caitlin Loureiro, Campbell Heath, Averi Pakulis, Lee Stevens, and Joe Relyea hanging out at the botanical
gardens.
Joe Relyea, Caitlin Loureiro, and Campbell Heath "horsing" around on the stone statues that pave the way to the Ming Tomb.
Once making it to the tomb, students got a great view of Nanjing. They also enjoyed watching septigenarians having a picnic beside them.
September 20, 2000
By now students are getting into the swing of things and have figured out a way to parcel their study time with leisure. Many like to visit a nearby teahouse where they can sit for hours on end with one pot of tea and endless refills. This is where most of them come to study. Tonight, several of them were there to prepare for tomorrow's vocabulary tests.
From left to right: Joe Relyea, Ian Saratovsky, Neil Routman and Lee Kaufman. Lee even dared to write the server a note in Chinese, asking her what her name is. He did this, he says, to see if anyone could read his Chinese characters, and to practice for tomorrow's test. It turns out that she could read his writing and her name is Chen Ling.
Students have also begun to attend their elective courses. This year, they chose Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mao Zedong Thought, Martial Arts, Traditional Chinese Brush Painting. The following are images from their various classes.
Pam Lutin and Bob Federici are studying Tai Chi with a martial arts professor. The professors here are well-known around China, and many of them have acted in martial arts films! Pam and Bob say that a film crew came out to film them the other day and had them wear traditional martial arts costumes. They took the costumes with them, so we can't show you how impressive they looked.
Joe Relyea, Lee Stevens, Bob Federici, and Lee Kaufman are taking a martial arts class. So far, they've learned about a quarter of the sequences for the Northern Style.
Caitlin Loureiro and Campbell Heath are learning about Mao Zedong history and thought with a Nanjing Normal professor who is well-versed on the subject.
Averi Pakulis and Kwok Lee are studying traditional brush painting with a professor from the Nanjing Art Institute.
Images from other classes will be forthcoming!
A favorite place to shop for memorabilia from the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and small antiques is at Chao Tiangong. Ian Saratovsky and Kwok Lee proudly display their purchases (Mao badges and a Russian medal of honor).
It is also common to see vendors hawking their wares all over the place. This vendor is at Chao Tiangong and makes the animals of the zodial out of molasses.
Students like to shop at the Xinjiekou department store in the center of town. You can buy just about anything you need there. At it's a great place to people-watch on weekends and holidays.
Nanjing is hosting the Chinese Arts Festival while we are here and these blow-up dolls can be seen all over the city. They certainly add a festive flair to the cityscape. Students will be going to a Chinese kunju opera.
This is a scene from the famous opera The Peach Blossom Fan.
On October 18, several students took a bus out to the new campus of Nanjing Normal University. Since this year's freshman enrollment topped out at 7,000 (in addition to last year's 4,000) NNU needs a new campus. The new campus, however remote, looks beautiful and spacious. Four students share a room with a private bath as opposed to 8 students with a bath house that everyone shares at the old campus. In the future, all college students will move out to this campus, while the graduate students, students from the Jinling's Women's College, and foreign students will remain on the old campus.
During the visit, students were asked to meet with middle school students. Many of these kids had never met a foreigner close up and they were both excited and awed to see Americans and Africans up close. Jess Schpero writes of the experience: "These kids are given English names. Today Imet a girl named Apple. She was very proud of her name, so I decided not to tell her that in America we are usually not named after fruit. They do that in China though--name people after fruit and flowers. Hey, our very own Megan Ferry's Chinese name is translated as Plum Blossom." Pictured above is Campbell Heath writing his Chinese name on the board for students and Caitlin Loureiro surrounded by an enthralled group of students.
Several of the students have discovered a "home away from home" at a local pub/restaurant, where Chinese and Westerners get together. Music is played nightly and Jess Schpero felt inspired to join in on one occassion. Kowk Lee was commissioned to paint a few of the walls.
Modern Languages | East Asian Studies | Terms Abroad
Term Abroad in Nanjing, China
For questions about the current program contact Megan Ferry
Last updated November 2, 2000