We took 5 hours express from Shenyang to Harbin. When I got off the train, I felt like entering a HUGE fridge. It was minus 13 Celsius and the degree would decline gradually while the night approached. I was all like”No way, seriously?!!” I have never been so cold in my entire life!
Harbin is one of the coldest cities in China. Due to its geographical location, the culture, architecture and people are deeply influenced by Russia. (It takes only 8 hours by train to Vladivostok, the nearest Russian city) I really like northern people, kay-kay, I mean men(lol). They are strong, generous and with strong men dignity. People in Dongbei are not fake as well, they won’t pretend that they like you when they don’t. I kinda of appreciate the honesty.
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(This post should be posted a month ago, sorry for my lateness)
On our last day in Beijing, we went to a mutton hotpot place in an Islamic restaurant named 東來順 (Dong Lai Sung) for our farewell party.I’ll start with introducing this famous restaurant first.
東來順 is a Mongolian restaurant with more than 100 years. Its feature cuisine- Mutton Hotpot is my savior of the natural freezer. Taiwanese people possess a special favor of hotpot owing to the fact that it granted a chance to gather friends/ family members together. The ambiance is incomparable when it’s replete with laughter and mirth. The style of hot pot varies, copper pot heated by charcoal is utilized in the mongol version. The meat is so thin and tender, only takes few seconds for eating. Although the meat won’t be over-cooked, NEVER never leave the mutton slices on the broth, they are so thin that will, let’s say “evaporated” readily.
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You will be so wrong if you just consider Beijing a city where pagodas, temples and hutongs are omnipresent. 798 art district, the Chinese Soho, is an epitome of contemporary Beijing, it symbolized the rise of the new generation of artists. The display of this art district utterly fits the concept of loft style as well.
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It takes almost ten hours from Beijing to Shenyang by train. We spent a night in the sleeper car. It’s not the dusky-dirty wooden couchette that I thought, very clean and modern.
Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning province. It’s the largest city in the northeast. Being the origin of the Manchus, Shenyang is a renowned city with 2300 years of history. Many historical relics from Qing dynasty can still be seen here.
Because of the severe winter, people there prefer to eat stewed and pickled food, and 酸菜(Suancai) is the most famous one. It is made from napa cabbage and goes well with dumpling, pork and stewed dishes. In Taiwan, where 東北酸菜白肉鍋 (the pickled cabbage for the boiled pork hotpot) is well-known, the “so-called” 酸菜 just tasted with a smell of vinegar. The sour taste comes from the vinegar instead of the cabbage itself. It might be a little bit abstract. Only when you taste the authentic 東北酸菜 can you tell the difference.
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February 3, 2012
天壇(The temple of Heaven) is a place where Emperors of Ming-Qing dynasties used to pray for good harvest and peace, stable society. It was built in 1420. In the capital, there are five temples in each bearing: 天壇(The Temple of Heaven) in the south, 地壇(The Temple of Earth) in the north , 日壇(The Temple of Sun) in the east , 月壇(The Temple of the Moon) in the west, 先農壇(The Temple of agriculture) opposite to the temple of heaven and 社稷壇(The temple of Land and Grain) inside the royal city. This kind of alignment is according to the doctrine of ying-yang and five elements, and The temple of Heaven is obviously the largest and the most important one. It is said that this temple is the closest place to heaven. The temple of heaven was built with the belief of 天圓地方(circled heaven and square ground). It was divided into two parts. The northern part representing the heaven is semi-circular, while the southern part representing the earth is square.
The main three constructions on a central axis from top to bottom are: 圜丘壇(The circular mound altar), 皇穹宇(The Imperial Vault of Heaven) and 祈年殿(The Hall of Prayer For Good Harvest)
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While we were in Beijing, we got one day free to hang out with volunteers from Beijing Jiaotong University. The schedule is: 景山公園(Jingshang Park)- 南鑼鼓巷(Nanluoguxiang)- 前門大街(Qianmen Street)- 三里屯 ( Sanlitun Village)- 世貿天階(The place)
We headed for Jingshang Park by metro. Basically I can’t tell between peak and off-peak hour, it was unbelievably crowded all the time. There’s nowhere to lean against, even held the strap. We had to muscle our way through the crowd to get off.The sky was clear. When we climbed to the top of the hill, the whole city just laid out in front of us. The panoramic view of the Forbidden City is really exceptional. It’s a good place to shied away from the hustle and bustle.
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I have to say that climbing the great wall is a big physical challenge; however, as a Chinese, I think it’s a must-have experience of lifetime.
We started our climbing at Juyoungguan(居庸關). This route is steep at some point. (The hand rails will help you a lot if you hold it firmly) After climbing, it actually took your breath and energy away, totally worn out. I couldn’t believe that I was sweating in the day of minus 3 Celsius degree. I almost took off my down jacket and was all like “Let’s just get straight to Shenyang in case we will spend too much time adapting the chill.”
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It is said that a trip to Beijing can’t be complete without having a real Peking duck experience. By the invitation of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation(CSCLF), we had the honor to enjoy the most famous delicacy at the largest roast duck restaurant- Quanjude at Hepingmen.
This exchange program I participated is hold and sponsored by CSCLF and Top ten young people foundation in Taiwan, aiming for strengthening the exchanges of youths across the straits. And this welcome party was hold at the second day of our stay in Beijing.
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Having been mentioned on our textbooks for tons of times, it seems that the Forbidden City is calling each Chinese for paying it a visit. And for the long time, I’ve considered the forbidden city as a sacred and stately place because it’s just a miracle for mankind to build artistic and spectacular buildings like this without any cutting-edge techniques and equipments. Totally an epic feat!
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I am leaving Chicago, the wonderland. No!!!!!!I felt like that I’ve been here for a year because I feel pretty easy here, like home. (So stop teasing me that I am from the country where I don’t know the language haha!! I still burst into laughter when I think of it. That’s how Addison described me)We are just like a big family. Kaye is my dear Mommy. Fernando,Addison and Emily are my family members. I am even not ready to leave, to go back to my little Asian world!!!!
Because Fernando, Miriam and I are leaving tomorrow. Kaye made lots of food for us. We also invited some of our friends to join our farewell party. We had corns, broccoli salad, steaks and salmon!! Although everyone tried to make the party fun, I still felt a little bit sad. In the past weeks, I’ve spent tons of time getting alone with Kaye and Fernando. It has become my life and I felt that I was totally assimilated. I didn’t noticed someday I will have to leave the house.
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