May 15th - Olympic
Village, Femur head Hospital, Great Wall, Cliosonne Factory, China Ag
University
We began the day by stopping at
the 2008 Olympic Village. We saw the 'bird's nest' and the 'water cube', the
buildings where the Olympics were held. We will see these again, but we got to
take pictures from a distance today. From there we went to the Femur Head
Hospital, where they practice old traditional Chinese medicine to cure femur
necrosis. This would be equivalent to natural treatments and therapies in the
states. We visited patients who were receiving treatments of acupuncture,
stretching therapies, massage, herbal remedies and steam/hot water baths. We
were able to bring our cameras in and take pictures of the different
treatments, and in fact some patients were taking smart phone pictures of us.
They presented a slideshow of successful treatments, and told us their success
rate is 97%. An average treatment is 2-3 years and would cost $7,000 U.S.
dollars. This equals 40,000 yuan (the Chinese dollar). The staff at the
hospital were extremely hospitable and exited to see us. They met us outside
with video cameras and great excitement.
Next we went to the Great Wall.
We were told it would take 3 months to travel the Beijing portion of the wall.
It is 4,000 miles in total length. No one really knows how it was built, but we
visited the section that has been preserved the best. This portion was built in
1402 AD. The steps of the wall varied in height, some sections were more steep
than others. All of us would be ok if we don't see stairs for a few days. I'm
sure we would all agree the views were worth the climb. Near the top of the
wall there were 'love locks', padlocks that young couples or newlyweds will
lock onto the wall and throw the key off. The lock signifies good luck for a
relationship.
A cloisonné factory was our next
destination. They make intricate copper art work on plates, vases, and various
decorations, that are then painted with enamel, heated, and sanded down to
a beautiful smooth piece of art. Then we
went upstairs for a typical Chinese meal. There was an abundance of different
foods, on a lazy Susan, on our tables. Today we were served fish and shrimp
with the head still attached. Some brave souls ate the eyes from the fish head.
China Ag University was eager to
welcome us to our next visit. MAFIC is the name of their program. The ag
students gave presentations on their research projects and gave us a short tour
around their campus. Before supper, we participated in games of Ping-Pong,
hacky-sack (shuttlecock), and basketball. The Chinese students exceled in each
game. They prepared a very good meal for us. Some of the things we saw at
supper were pigs feet, pig stomach, and root vegetables. We all made some new
friends, and had conversations about the differences between our home lands. We
promised to keep in touch through email, and said our goodbyes.
Sam Jensen, Janae
Mogler, Danielle Marquardt
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