Friday 3^rd October

After breakfast in the canteen for the first time (Chinese style) – boiled eggs, cabbage, rice porridge, cake, steamed buns, garlic cucumber etc. – we went by bus into Beijing.

After two and a half hours we eventually made it to the Capital Museum.

We spent an interesting couple of hours discovering Chinese culture through their informative displays - Chinese opera, porcelain through the ages, a timeline of Chinese history and many more.

After walking across the road to have McDonalds for lunch, we continued on to the Drum and Bell Towers but unfortunately we discovered they were not open. Instead we walked through a nearby hutong (very upmarket) and then around a lake where the students had the chance to try toffied fruit on sticks, watch Chinese people using the exercise equipment that we have seen in many places, youths doing tricks on their bikes etc.

Dumplings for dinner – Ms van Beem was really pleased! They were delicious and so was the rest of the meal!

Back at school we managed to have a short time on the internet before lights out.

Saturday 4^th October

After breakfast in the canteen again we set off for the Temple of Heaven. Situated in the southern part of Beijing, this ancient garden covers an area three times the size of the Forbidden City. The gardens contain the Temple of Heaven, The Circular Mound Altar, The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and many other smaller sections.

Mrs Lowe's class New Zealand friend Paraki (a Swamp hen) came with us and so did Echo – the Chinese teacher who ha d been at Oberthur during first term this year.

We visited Liulichang Antique Street next and although we didn't have much time for shopping the students enjoyed looking a a completely different sort of shop. From there we wandered through a different section of the hutong to the one the teachers had walked through and the students had the chance to see how many Beijing people still live.

The end of the hutong brought us out right next to the restaurant where we had dinner before going to the Red Theatre.

The show at the theatre was called The Legened of Kung Fu and told the story of a little boy in an ancient temple. Through practising Kungfu and Zen he becomes a master and finally reaches the sacred goal of enlightenment. The show was fantastic and at the ned we had our photos taken with the stars of the show. It was a great end to a very busy day!!

Sunday 5^th October

Up bright and early again with another busy day ahead of us. First stop was the Beijing Aquarium. Here we saw a fascinating array of different sea creatures from China and around the world. We also saw a dolphin show and although the commentary was in Chinese it was very entertaining!

Right next door to the Aquarium is the Beijing Zoo so we went in to have a look at the Pandas. What's a visit to China without checking out the Pandas? Although much of the zoo is like our zoo many years ago the newest panda enclosures are a huge improvement on the ones we visited first. 

After leaving the Zoo we walked quite a distance to the nearest subway station so the students could experience train travel in Beijing. The first train was quite busy and the second was very "squashy" – in fact each of the teachers had a group of two or three students and it took three trains before we all reached our next destination - The Silk Markets. Bartering skills were put to good use again and many a bargain and gift was found!

We braved the subway again to make our way back to Changping where we enjoyed a delicious Peking Duck Dinner. The chef came into our room and we were able to watch how the duck was carved. We all made duck mini wraps and some people even tried the duck's head! Back to school then for an earlier night.

Monday 6^th October

Today our first stop was the National Park. This park is not like our National Parks but is set out in communities to show the 56 different groups who are in China. The first display was  Tibetan and we saw some dancers practising and walked through their small museum. Some of the displays were just representation of buildings etc from their areas and others had dancing and other shows to watch. We saw some people climbing a knife stalk – and the knives on the stalk were very sharp! We joined in a water dance and some of us got wet at the end of the dance when the water vessels were spun around and water tossed everywhere – as a way to bless the area and give good fortune to the people. Although we only had time to see part of the park it gave us fascinating insight into the culture of the many different people who make up China.

We got very lost on the way to our restaurant for lunch – first on foot and then in the bus – so we eventually stopped at another restaurant. Nearby was the Bird's Nest and the Watercube which unfortunately were closed to the public and we could only take pictures from outside a fenced off area.

Back to Liulichang Antique Street this time with some time for the students to explore the shops. We watched artists doing calligraphy and painting and looked in shops selling a great variety of goods both antique and new. One artist showed us how he paints inside glass globes and bottles using a bent brush. He has to do the whole of the painting and writing upside down.

After dinner the students and teachers had the opportunity to experience an exciting part of Chinese cultureat the Lao She Teahouse. We sipped tea and ate Chinese snacks such as dried plums, pastries and green tea biscuits whilst being entertained by comedians, singers and acrobats. Although we couldn't understand the jokes and songs everyone really enjoyed the acrobats and kungfu. The face-changing artist was also fascinating.

Another late night after another very busy day!

Tuesday 7^th October

Today we headed to the Western outskirts of Beijing not far from the Zoo and Aquarium to see The Summer Palace. The Summer Palace covers an area even bigger than the Temple of Heaven and is the largest royal park in China. It was originally built in the 12^th century but after being ruined by fire was rebuilt in the late 1800's as a holiday place for the then Empress. The Summer Palace is built around a man-made lake  - Lake Kunming. There were many buildings and gardens to look at and we had a boat ride to cross from one section to another.

Lunch today was a Hot-pot (steamboat) and many of the students said it was their favourite meal so far because not only did it taste great but it was fun to cook!

After lunch we headed to the E-top Centre where we had a chance to look at a huge variety of electronic goods.  I have never seen so many different varieties of cameras, flash drives, computer parts etc. all under the one roof.

Tonight was our first dinner in the canteen and then time in the computer lab for using the internet before an early night.

  Our very tired group boarded the next plane to Beijing just after 1am and although we were exhausted it was a while before anyone slept. I have never taxied as far as we did in Singapore on any flight I had taken before – we were starting think the pilot wanted to taxi his way to China!! However after almost half an hour on the runway we took off at last. 

  Some of the students settled down to sleep straight away – eye masks and blankets on – and others continued to chat and play games. Most of us had at least some sleep but it was an extremely tired bunch of people who got off the plane in Beijing!

  After waltzing through immigration and customs we were met by Sharon (Zhu Qi) our guide from Huijia Private School. The bus ride to the school took about an hour and because we had arrived a little late, the students were whisked away quickly to their dormitories to organise their bags for their first homestay as many of the families were already waiting to collect their students.

  Once all the students had gone the staff were shown to their rooms. We decided that it was not a good idea to sleep although we had all had very little sleep since leaving Perth. We headed into the local town of Changping by taxi. Mrs Wright and Mrs McKay decided a neck and back massage was the go and Ms Van Beem and I wandered around the nearby area.

  Next stop for us was lunch and what an amusing experience that was! We chose a restaurant that had pictures displayed so we could order easily. We decided that the noodles pictured on the wall were called Beef Noodles on the translated menu we were eventually given. Expecting a plate of noodles each, we were very surprised when large bowls were put in front of us. The beef and noodle soup was actually very tasty although not what we thought we had ordered. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around in Changping. Eventually we found a supermarket/market. We strolled around for a while and then purchased bits and pieces to bring back with us (water, snacks etc). We discovered we were very close to where we had started so we returned to the same restaurant for dinner as the staff there had been very friendly. This time we decided pointing to the pictures was the go and we enjoyed a meal of fried rice and chicken kebabs. Then it was back to Huijia by taxi and after chatting for a while four very tired teachers hit the sack!

  Wednesday 1^st October
After the best sleep I had had in a while it was off to Beijing for the day that turned out to be a day of new experiences!

  The teachers had spoken to the students they could reach and all of them were having a great time at their homestays.

  Our trip into Beijing took quite a while. Firstly a half hour taxi drive to Lungze Station, the nearest subway station to the school. When we arrived there the queue to get into the station was very long but we quickly passed through the security, bought tickets and found our platform. Riding the subway was interesting – what we would call a packed train is anything but packed. Even when you think the train is full more people push their way on. We negotiated the change to the second line quite easily and found ourselves not far from Lulichang Street, our first destination.

  Liulichang Street, which was built in the Qing Dynasty, had lots of Chinese history to experience. Crowded with shops selling antiques and ancient books, calligraphy tools like Chinese pens, ink, ink stones and paper, and Chinese ink drawings. There were also shops selling teas of many varieties, tea sets and also interesting Chinese snacks like green tea biscuits.

  After strolling down one section of the street, we found ourselves wandering through a Hutong – a traditional Chinese housing area. This was also a very interesting experience!
Next stop was a Peking Duck Restaurant for lunch.

  Back to the subway for our next stop- The Silk Market. In the basement we had to push our way through crowds of people, Every step saw another seller shoving their wares in our faces – Bali is nothing compared to this! After the shoe, bag and clothing floors we headed straight for the top floor and found lots of beautiful jewellery. Pearls, Pandora bracelets (fake, of course) and much more!

  After a late dinner we went back to Huijia by taxi exhausted after a very interesting day.

  Thursday 2^nd October
Into Beijing again today – taxi then subway with 2 interchanges. After changing money at the bank, recharging our phone cards and some morning tea, we headed into the Silk Market again.

  First stop – jewellery again!! Some more purchases of Pandora bracelets and pearls for gifts. We also wandered around the toy and electronic floor. Then after a pizza lunch we continued browsing, this time at silk scarves, ties, homewares etc. Then after some hard bargaining for a lovely leather bag we decided it was time to head back to Huijia.

  As the students started to arrive back at their dormitories we recorded their thoughts and experiences about the homestay visits. (These will be added later!)

  They were all very excited and it took some time to settle them for the night. From the chatter about their experiences all the students have had a fantastic time and experienced many new things. What a fantastic way it was to start their China experience!!

Tuesday 30^th September

Waiting at Singapore airport was a tiring few hours. Once we had found a meeting place on some comfortable lounges that happened to be in front of a television the students went off in small groups to explore coming back to check in with the teachers every half hour. For most of them the first stop was Burger King for Coke and fries!

Our very tired group boarded the next plane to Beijing just after 1am and although we were exhausted it was a while before anyone slept. I have never taxied as far as we did in Singapore on any flight I had taken before – we were starting think the pilot wanted to taxi his way to China!! However after almost half an hour on the runway we took off at last. 

Some of the students settled down to sleep straight away – eye masks and blankets on – and others continued to chat and play games. Most of us had at least some sleep but it was an extremely tired bunch of people who got off the plane in Beijing!

After waltzing through immigration and customs we were met by Sharon (Zhu Qi) our guide from Huijia Private School. The bus ride to the school took about an hour and because we had arrived a little late, the students were whisked away quickly to their dormitories to organise their bags for their first homestay as many of the families were already waiting to collect their students.

Once all the students had gone the staff were shown to their rooms. We decided that it was not a good idea to sleep although we had all had very little sleep since leaving Perth. We headed into the local town of Changping by taxi. Mrs Wright and Mrs McKay decided a neck and back massage was the go and Ms Van Beem and I wandered around the nearby area.

Next stop for us was lunch and what an amusing experience that was! We chose a restaurant that had pictures displayed so we could order easily. We decided that the noodles pictured on the wall were called Beef Noodles on the translated menu we were eventually given. Expecting a plate of noodles each, we were very surprised when large bowls were put in front of us. The beef and noodle soup was actually very tasty although not what we thought we had ordered. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around in Changping. Eventually we found a supermarket/market. We strolled around for a while and then purchased bits and pieces to bring back with us (water, snacks etc). We discovered we were very close to where we had started so we returned to the same restaurant for dinner as the staff there had been very friendly. This time we decided pointing to the pictures was the go and we enjoyed a meal of fried rice and chicken kebabs. Then it was back to Huijia by taxi and after chatting for a while four very tired teachers hit the sack!

Wednesday 1^st October

After the best sleep I had had in a while it was off to Beijing for the day that turned out to be a day of new experiences!

The teachers had spoken to the students they could reach and all of them were having a great time at their homestays.

Our trip into Beijing took quite a while. Firstly a half hour taxi drive to Lungze Station, the nearest subway station to the school. When we arrived there the queue to get into the station was very long but we quickly passed through the security, bought tickets and found our platform. Riding the subway was interesting – what we would call a packed train is anything but packed. Even when you think the train is full more people push their way on. We negotiated the change to the second line quite easily and found ourselves not far from Lulichang Street, our first destination.

Liulichang Street, which was built in the Qing Dynasty, had lots of Chinese history to experience. Crowded with shops selling antiques and ancient books, calligraphy tools like Chinese pens, ink, ink stones and paper, and Chinese ink drawings. There were also shops selling teas of many varieties, tea sets and also interesting Chinese snacks like green tea biscuits.

After strolling down one section of the street, we found ourselves wandering through a Hutong – a traditional Chinese housing area. This was also a very interesting experience!

Next stop was a Peking Duck Restaurant for lunch.

Back to the subway for our next stop- The Silk Market. In the basement we had to push our way through crowds of people, Every step saw another seller shoving their wares in our faces – Bali is nothing compared to this! After the shoe, bag and clothing floors we headed straight for the top floor and found lots of beautiful jewellery. Pearls, Pandora bracelets (fake, of course) and much more!

After a late dinner we went back to Huijia by taxi exhausted after a very interesting day.

Thursday 2^nd October

Into Beijing again today – taxi then subway with 2 interchanges. After changing money at the bank, recharging our phone cards and some morning tea, we headed into the Silk Market again.

First stop – jewellery again!! Some more purchases of Pandora bracelets and pearls for gifts. We also wandered around the toy and electronic floor. Then after a pizza lunch we continued browsing, this time at silk scarves, ties, homewares etc. Then after some hard bargaining for a lovely leather bag we decided it was time to head back to Huijia.

As the students started to arrive back at their dormitories we recorded their thoughts and experiences about the homestay visits. (These will be added later!)

They were all very excited and it took some time to settle them for the night. From the chatter about their experiences all the students have had a fantastic time and experienced many new things. What a fantastic way it was to start their China experience!!

Tuesday 30^th September

Waiting at Singapore airport was a tiring few hours. Once we had found a meeting place on some comfortable lounges that happened to be in front of a television the students went off in small groups to explore coming back to check in with the teachers every half hour. For most of them the first stop was Burger King for Coke and fries!

Our very tired group boarded the next plane to Beijing just after 1am and although we were exhausted it was a while before anyone slept. I have never taxied as far as we did in Singapore on any flight I had taken before – we were starting think the pilot wanted to taxi his way to China!! However after almost half an hour on the runway we took off at last. 

Some of the students settled down to sleep straight away – eye masks and blankets on – and others continued to chat and play games. Most of us had at least some sleep but it was an extremely tired bunch of people who got off the plane in Beijing!

After waltzing through immigration and customs we were met by Sharon (Zhu Qi) our guide from Huijia Private School. The bus ride to the school took about an hour and because we had arrived a little late, the students were whisked away quickly to their dormitories to organise their bags for their first homestay as many of the families were already waiting to collect their students.

Once all the students had gone the staff were shown to their rooms. We decided that it was not a good idea to sleep although we had all had very little sleep since leaving Perth. We headed into the local town of Changping by taxi. Mrs Wright and Mrs McKay decided a neck and back massage was the go and Ms Van Beem and I wandered around the nearby area.

Next stop for us was lunch and what an amusing experience that was! We chose a restaurant that had pictures displayed so we could order easily. We decided that the noodles pictured on the wall were called Beef Noodles on the translated menu we were eventually given. Expecting a plate of noodles each, we were very surprised when large bowls were put in front of us. The beef and noodle soup was actually very tasty although not what we thought we had ordered. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around in Changping. Eventually we found a supermarket/market. We strolled around for a while and then purchased bits and pieces to bring back with us (water, snacks etc). We discovered we were very close to where we had started so we returned to the same restaurant for dinner as the staff there had been very friendly. This time we decided pointing to the pictures was the go and we enjoyed a meal of fried rice and chicken kebabs. Then it was back to Huijia by taxi and after chatting for a while four very tired teachers hit the sack!

Wednesday 1^st October

After the best sleep I had had in a while it was off to Beijing for the day that turned out to be a day of new experiences!

The teachers had spoken to the students they could reach and all of them were having a great time at their homestays.

Our trip into Beijing took quite a while. Firstly a half hour taxi drive to Lungze Station, the nearest subway station to the school. When we arrived there the queue to get into the station was very long but we quickly passed through the security, bought tickets and found our platform. Riding the subway was interesting – what we would call a packed train is anything but packed. Even when you think the train is full more people push their way on. We negotiated the change to the second line quite easily and found ourselves not far from Lulichang Street, our first destination.

Liulichang Street, which was built in the Qing Dynasty, had lots of Chinese history to experience. Crowded with shops selling antiques and ancient books, calligraphy tools like Chinese pens, ink, ink stones and paper, and Chinese ink drawings. There were also shops selling teas of many varieties, tea sets and also interesting Chinese snacks like green tea biscuits.

After strolling down one section of the street, we found ourselves wandering through a Hutong – a traditional Chinese housing area. This was also a very interesting experience!

Next stop was a Peking Duck Restaurant for lunch.

Back to the subway for our next stop- The Silk Market. In the basement we had to push our way through crowds of people, Every step saw another seller shoving their wares in our faces – Bali is nothing compared to this! After the shoe, bag and clothing floors we headed straight for the top floor and found lots of beautiful jewellery. Pearls, Pandora bracelets (fake, of course) and much more!

After a late dinner we went back to Huijia by taxi exhausted after a very interesting day.

Thursday 2^nd October

Into Beijing again today – taxi then subway with 2 interchanges. After changing money at the bank, recharging our phone cards and some morning tea, we headed into the Silk Market again.

First stop – jewellery again!! Some more purchases of Pandora bracelets and pearls for gifts. We also wandered around the toy and electronic floor. Then after a pizza lunch we continued browsing, this time at silk scarves, ties, homewares etc. Then after some hard bargaining for a lovely leather bag we decided it was time to head back to Huijia.

As the students started to arrive back at their dormitories we recorded their thoughts and experiences about the homestay visits. (These will be added later!)

They were all very excited and it took some time to settle them for the night. From the chatter about their experiences all the students have had a fantastic time and experienced many new things. What a fantastic way it was to start their China experience!!