China Blog

Playing Hacky Sack is a pastime in China that not only children but adults enjoy as well. How long will your class be able to keep the Hacky Sack going without touching the ground? [wmv width="320" height="240"]http://www.sjeds.com/blog/china/movies/hackysack.wmv[/wmv]

[wmv width="320" height="240"]http://www.sjeds.com/blog/china/movies/great-wall.wmv[/wmv]

On our way to the Great Wall, we visited a jade factory. Jade is very important to the Chinese culture, they call it the Chinese Diamond. It is worn for good luck, protection against sickness, and as an amulet for travelers. Mrs Inclan: Jade is comprised of two minerals, Jadeite and Nephrite. Jadeite is more [...]

The 2008 Summer Olympics are coming to Beijing, China. Officially the games will start on August 8th, 2008 at 8 pm, since the number eight is considered lucky in Chinese culture. [wmv width="320" height="240"]http://www.sjeds.com/blog/china/movies/friendlies.wmv[/wmv] from China with a Lense: Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, the Five Friendlies [...]

Today was another great day for Jose. We visited the Beijing Zoo. The zoo has two Giant Pandas. Do you recognize the plant that the panda is eating in the picture? It is called Bamboo and is found throughout China. Watch the video to see the panda in action. [wmv width="320" height="240"]http://www.sjeds.com/blog/china/movies/panda.wmv[/wmv] Since Jose was [...]

Jose loves Beijing ! Yesterday we went on a Rickshaw Tour around Hutongs in old Beijing. [wmv width="320" height="240"]http://www.sjeds.com/blog/china/movies/rickshaw.wmv[/wmv] The Hutongs are alleyways, where some of the Beijing residents live. Former officials and well to do families used to live in the hutongs, but most of them are now owned by the state and rented [...]

The Forbidden City and Tian’an Men Square in Beijing are one of the most anticipated places for us on our trip. It has so much ancient as well as recent history associated with it, that one feels a great deal of anticipation. We started our tour on Sunday morning on the world largest public square [...]

We met Marvin, our guide, at 9 am and headed for the Xi’An City Wall. The City Wall, still intact, forms a 9 mile rectangle around the center of the city.From the wall we had the chance to observe a elderly man doing Tai Chi exercises. Watch the following video to learn how Chinese children [...]

Watch the Video from the Terra-Cotta Video [wmv width="320" height="240"]http://www.sjeds.com/blog/china/movies/terracotta.wmv[/wmv]: Each warrior is unique. Not one face looks like another. Some of the warriors have beards, some have mustaches, some smile, while others have an expression of concentration. You can even tell how old they must be by looking at the wrinkles on their faces. [...]

Our day was filled with adventure and excitement. On the way to visit a Terra-Cotta Warrior factory, we asked our guide to stop at a pharmacy to purchase some needed items. We expected everything to be in Chinese… but surely did not expect to see dozens of nurses, wearing pink uniforms (the kind that nurses [...]