My amazing trip to China - My Family Travels

My amazing trip to China

Article By: Sydney Thomas, Quarter Finalist

Hard Rock Cafe, Beijing
USHISTORY1 8_0

My trip to China was amazing. I miss China even more now than I did the day I had to leave. I was able to visit 6 different cities, Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Shanghai, Wuzhen, and Hangzhou.

Shanghai was amazing! Shanghai is the most technologically advanced city in China. I cannot describe how beautiful this city was. Shanghai was a mixture between New York, Hollywood, and Atlanta. At night when all the lights from city were lit, the luminous view was breathtaking. While we were in Shanghai we were able to meet some spectacular acrobats and watch their performance, walk the Bund, Shanghai’s Wall Street, enjoy lavish costumes and music at the Suzhou Kun Opera Museum, play ping pong against some young players at a premier ping pong school, learn what it was like to live in Shanghai by shopping at a local market and then chatting with some local elderly people, give back to the community by lending a hand at the Qixing Special Education School,  and explore Yipu Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where I learned the traditional art of calligraphy.

I liked playing ping pong the best. It was fun and relaxing. The Chinese players said they couldn’t play well, which gave us a little more confidence. We were crushed when the Chinese players beat everyone in our group. They taught us some their techniques, and how to use the paddle with both hands. After I tried the techniques they taught me, I ended being worse than I did before they taught me. Overall playing ping pong was so much fun!

If I was only able to pick one city in China to live for a year, Wuzhen would be the city I chose. Wuzhen was a beautiful water town, built along a series of canals. The town was so special to me, because the atmosphere was so peaceful and calm. Everything that this town needed was either found in the water circumventing through town, or the markets located within this small town. One night, when we were head to our rooms, instead of walking  to our rooms we took a small water taxi. Wuzhen was like a little Italy. There would be boats waiting in the canals; they were either waiting for people or fishing for shrimp or  fish. Another cool thing was that in our rooms, we all had mosquito nets to cover our bed. Since we were surrounded by so much water, mosquitos that carried different viruses were known to fly around there. I have so many memories here in Wuzhen. I wish I could go back.

As anybody can see, China was a once in a lifetime experience that can never be forgotten. I was so enriched in their culture that it was hard for me to adjust to my own once I returned home. The flight to and from China was unbelievably long. The flights to China took at least 30 hours, and coming back took at least 35 hours. The planes we rode in were pretty nice. The Dragon Air that flew us from the LAX airport to Beijing was three stories, and each seat had a mini TV loaded with new music, movies, and TV shows. We were even served dumplings on the plan as our breakfast haha. China was one of the best trips I have taken and could ever take. Nothing will beat this experience by a long shot. I recommend this trip to anyone who is seeking adventure or a life changing experience. It definitely changed my life, and I would definitely take this trip again to change my life again. China was absolutely stunning.

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