Trip to Leshan and Mt. Emei

The major event of our week was a trip to Leshan and Mt. Emei, the two most famous sites in Sichuan Province.

Leshan

Friday morning we headed out for Leshan, which is about 150 kilometers southwest of Chengdu to the foothills of the mountain ranges which sprawl south and west into Tibet and Yunnan. Over 1,000 years ago sculptors carved a giant Buddha into the hillside at Leshan. At 71 meters high, the Buddha is the largest in China, and the largest sitting Buddha in the world. Matt struck his most Buddha-like pose with the mammoth sculpted Buddha profiled behind him.

The signs for tourists at Leshan confirmed for us the practical importance of teaching English(!). Keith tried not to look too dejected at this sign, which was encouraging visitors not to block the narrow stairway which leads down to the base of the Buddha. Daron agreed whole-heartedly with the sentiment of another sign, that it is "Nice to Live".

Teaching English

Friday afternoon we drove about an hour further from Leshan to a high school where each of us taught an hour class in conversational English, and then participated in an 'English Corner' with our students. On previous fieldtrips outside of Chengdu, we've taught English classes in local schools. The offer (from native speakers) seems to have been warmly received, and this has been a wonderful entre into the local community for us as well.

Here, Kate talks with a group of eager students following her class. Tom Meyers, soon-to-be GC Director of International Education, arrived Thursday morning for his site visit of the China SST unit, so he also came along for the field trip. Tom ended up teaching a class and talking with students for more than an hour afterward.

In a moment too precious to fully capture in a still picture, Nick and Ben sang 'Edelweiss' to students surrounding them at the high school. Edelweiss and the theme song from Titanic have been the two most requested numbers when we have visited outlying schools.

More snapshots...

• Landon poses with students from the high school before our departure.
• Steve greets several students in the courtyard at the high school. Steve was among a number of students who later played basketball with the students. Others engaged in spontaneous soccer match. AbbyFriends --
• Abby enjoys a relaxed conversation with two girls near the end of the English Corner hour.
  

Mt. Emei

Following our time at the high school, we drove to Emei town, where we stayed for the night before heading to Emei Shan (Mt. Emei), a place of pilgrimage in China for 1,800 years. By the sixth century, the mountain had become one of the country's four sacred Buddhist mountains, and today Buddhist temples dot the 3000-meter slopes. On Saturday we hiked the mountain, with various groupings of students following the paths at their own pace. At left, Ruth, Liz, Martha and Sophie stopped along the trail for an exhuberant moment. Later, Ruth took a break at a clear-flowing stream just under a bridge.

In addition to featuring lush vegetation and multiple waterfalls, Mt. Emei is home to a host of macaque monkeys, who are rather fond of tourists and the goodies they carry with them. Over the course of the day, the monkeys managed to rip a pack of crackers out of Kent's pocket; pull Niles' pants down; take a backpack and coat from Liz (both were retrieved); and scare the kapucky out of most of the rest of us. Here a mother macaque, with her baby tucked near her chest, looks warily at Kent, Steve, and Niles.

In Chengdu

In addition to building relationships, reading, and journaling, students have been working hard on their special projects. Sasha gave the first presentation Tuesday following our afternoon lecture. He addressed contemporary issues in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which he has been studying throughout the term. The previous day he was able to attend an international TCM conference at another university across town. Five more students presented on Monday including Sophie on qipao (traditional Chinese dress), and how its alterations were linked with cultural developments.

Students continue to teach two nights each week, and they also participate at least one evening each week in English Corner. Here Abby shares a lighter moment with those who came to practice their oral English Tuesday evening.

One of Nick's pasttimes throughout the fall has been additional training in table tennis. Nick spends several hours each week in training in downtown Chengdu.

50th anniversary celebrations

The celebration of Sichuan Normal University's 50th anniversary continues. Tom Meyers represented Goshen College and the China Educational Exchange (CEE) program in Monday (November 11) morning's program. Tom gave a short speech and then presented the SNU president with a certificate, banner, and book about SST experiences in China. He was the only foreigner to speak at the celebration, and one of only three foreigners on the dignitaries' platform (including the U.S. consulate-general of the province).

Niles and Mia enjoyed the 50 marching groups whose bright colors adorned the stadium field. Thousands of students participated in the march and performances. SSTers did not walk in this second celebration of the 50th anniversary, but a number of people from the group attended.

On Monday evening (November 11) students will perform several songs for students and dignitaries. This week they'll also continue their project presentations and travel to another university campus for an afternoon English Corner. Less than three weeks remain in Chengdu before we head for the Yangtze ferry.