Beijing

In November, I was invited to a meeting of all DAAD scholarship holders in Beijing.


The hotel was paid for as well as the food and our day trips (thanks again!). On Friday night we had a meeting in the German embassy and afterwards an amazing buffet (German food) which everyone enjoyed a lot.


Andi was there with me and we both had a great time. We went out to a bar that night and got to know some of the students who also received the scholarship a little better. All of them were great people. On Saturday morning we were welcomed by the associate leader of the DAAD office in Beijing and learned about the work that is done by them in China. The next highlight was the speech of Frank Sieren, China correspondent of “Die Zeit” (German newspaper). He talked about the history of China and also about its role in the world now and in the future. It was one of the best speeches that I have ever heard. Additionally, it was more on the pro-China side which made it even more interesting. I learned a lot!


In the afternoon we went sightseeing in Beijing. The group that I had joined went to the Hutongs – narrow streets which are very typical of the city. On the next photo, you can see me in the drum tower which was used to mark the hours of the day back then.


Later, we saw the Bird’s Nest (the stadium in which the Olympic Games took place in 2008):


At night we went to a club – great day!
Sunday morning: brunch at a German restaurant and chatting with Alumni. Afterwards, Andi and I went to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.






We stayed in Beijing for one more day and did not go to our language course on Monday. Instead we went to see the Summer Palace, the summer residence of the imperial court. It was really worth going there. We went for a long walk around the lake and of course I took lots of pictures:







By the way, we had originally planned on climbing the great wall that day, but we were too tired to get up in the morning. We just hadn’t slept a lot during the last few nights…

IN: DAAD :)
OUT: German media who sometimes only seem to care about bad news that happen in China, but seldom show the other side of the coin

Huangshan

This mountain range in the Anhui province is also known as the Yellow Mountains and surely one of the must-see sights in China. Granite peaks, twisted pines and lots of idyllic views are what many poets and painters have drawn their inspiration from. Our trip started from a nice hostel in Tangkou called “Mr. Hu’s Restaurant”. In order to see this UNESCO World heritage site and one of China’s major tourist destinations, we decided to climb up the western steps rather than taking the cable car. I did not regret this decision, however, it was not easy to get up there. Probably because our backpacks were filled with food and drinks so we did not have to buy them for ridiculous prices at the top. About 1000m of altitude difference were waiting for us and it took us about all day to reach our hotel at the summit. Some breathtaking views were the reward for the hard work. There is not much I can say, just look at the pictures see for yourself. On the next day, we went down into the West Sea Canyon, an 8.5km hike and a path where tour groups don’t go. We enjoyed it very much, especially the silence down there. So far, this is one of my favorite places and I can only recommend it to anyone who gets a chance to go there!

Still at the bottom...

On the way up...


Can you see the steps?


The way into the canyon...


Views from the bottow...



Doesn't that look scary?


Finally at the top...



Again, some people wanted to take a picture with us:



The locks are brought here by couples. Sometimes, their names are engraved. After locking it, the key gets thrown away and their relationship is supposed to be strengthened.



The crowds…



And some more amazing photos:







IN: breathtaking views and nature
OUT:
i) once again crowds and tourist groups that follow one person who is holding up an umbrella and has got his/her megaphone’s volume on max
ii) Steps! It seems impossible to find a regular hiking path. There are only steps, nothing but steps!

National holidays (part III)

After the rice terraces we went on to Yangshuo, a place also very close to Guilin. There we went on many day trips. One of them went straight to the moon! At least if you believe this sign:


Actually, we went to the moon hill, which you can see in the next picture:


Here is one more funny sign which we saw on the way. None of us really knows what it is supposed to mean, but we survived without knowing the deeper meaning.


On the way back, we went to a nice restaurant. You can see part of the menu in the next picture and please don’t worry, we only had some burgers ;-)


The landscape is typical of this area and you can even find a picture on the back of the 20 Yuan banknote. And when we told our Chinese friends that we were going to go to this place they all went green with envy! Moreover, there is plenty so see under the ground. We went to see a cave which was truly beautiful. We were even able to go swimming and take a mud-bath. Fun stuff!


One other day, we rented some mountain bikes and took them for an amazing ride along the Yulong River. Luckily, we had taken the bikes. Nearly all other tourists had decided to take the bamboo-raft. The second picture shows the crowd on the river which we successfully escaped from.




Here are some pictures of the Li River. We went on a hike from Yingping to Yandi and then went back by bamboo-raft. Beautiful!




IN: The strong Euro compared with the Renminbi
OUT: Crowds at tourist spots

National holidays (part II)

After Guilin we headed to Longsheng in order to take a bus to Dazai. On the way we had to stop because the breaks of the bus were getting ready to overheat. In this picture you can see how the problem was solved:


In Dazai, we saw the so-called rice terraces. I will not say so much about this place in general because it is obvious that rice is grown here and people come to see how rice is grown. And of course the landscape is amazing. Unfortunately, this place was also very touristic and we had to go on a long hike (from Dazai to Ping’an) in order to escape the crowd. Enjoy the pictures!

A traditional village on the way to the rice terraces:


Some breath-taking views:




Have you ever seen that many chilis in one spot?


Eine Anmerkung am Rande: Ich wollte mich eigentlich an dieser Stelle über diejenigen Leute auslassen, die sich ihr Gepäck (Rucksäcke, Kamerataschen, Objektive, etc.) von den einheimischen z.T. alten und gebrechlichen Frauen tragen lassen oder sich gleich in einer Sänfte den kompletten Berg hochtragen lassen und dafür nur einen Hungerlohn zahlen, habe aber entschieden, das doch nicht zu tun.

National holidays (part I)

I’ve been a little busy during the last weeks, hence I neglected my blog. Now it’s time to make up. In order to start travelling here in China, I had to renew my visa since my first one was temporary and only valid for 30 days. In order to apply for a temporary residence permit, a health certificate is required. Luckily, I had already gone to a doctor in Germany because I had needed a health certificate to apply for the temporary visa in the first place. Unfortunately, the appropriate authority does not seem to trust German doctors/hospitals. Although we all brought the original of our German health certificates, they were not accepted and we had to do it all again: blood collecting, eyesight tests, you name it. Of course we had to go to a hospital which was everything but close to our apartment. And I want to mention that this whole thing could have been a lot easier if someone at our university had informed us that there are health examinations especially for exchange students. Anyway, I am healthy and ready to apply for an extended visa.
Anyone who has ever been to China knows about the National holidays (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China). Since Chinese employees are not able to go on holiday as much as people are in other countries, just about everyone uses this opportunity in order to travel. All the institutions such as schools, universities, offices, are closed during that week. So is the bureau of entry and exit which is responsible for issuing visas. It seemed like there was no chance for the four of us to go travel because our passports were supposed to be ready just after the week of the National holidays. Thanks to a receipt – which is the temporary equivalent to a passport – we were able to travel within China without a problem. So this is what my passport looked like for this one week (please understand that I erased some of my personal date):


The first destination is called Guilin and situated in the Guanxi province (southern China). Shanghai is a very modern city, so that’s why I was glad to see some of the traditional China (which in my opinion is much more beautiful!). Train tickets had been sold out which is why we had to take the plane. And because we wanted to be as flexible as possible, we had not booked a hostel in advance. I guess that is just the way we like to travel. Chinese folks seem to want everything to be organized before they leave. Since we don’t need much comfort, booking the hostel when we get there it is a good way to save some money. Long story short: we found a nice hostel and stayed there for a few days. It was close to the downtown area which meant that we did not have to take a taxi every time we wanted to go sightseeing. There were many parks and peaks to see and all of them were beautiful.


The next picture needs to be explained. As mentioned above, lots of people travel during the national holidays. Even people from the countryside and those who had not been able to afford going on holiday in the last years are now able travel. Many of them have not seen “Western” people before and even if they have, it is still something special. If they return home and say that they met four German students who study in China, their families will be amazed and interested. That’s the reason why a lot of people ask us if they can take a picture with us. So far, we never said no and I am sure that we can be found on a lot photos here in China. Usually, people are fascinated by our long noses. Please imagine the following situation:

Chinese person says: “Hey, you have a very long nose!!”
Tobias says: “Thank you”
Tobias is confused and thinks: “Was that meant to be a compliment??”

And whenever someone was brave enough to ask us whether they can take a picture, many of their friends - who had been afraid of asking us - join them and get in the picture. If you can’t imagine, please see for yourself:


Here are some more impressions of Guilin by night: