Friday after work, Annie and I decided to take a bus to Gulou Dajie, a street full of vintage clothing and milk tea shops. The bus trip was a success, but once we got there, it was basically pouring. We rifled through clothes at Mega Mega Vintage and a couple of other stores before giving up and sloshing through the flooded streets to get back to our apartment. I went to bed soon thereafter to rest up for GREAT WALL FRESH!!
Great Wall Fresh was something that I had read about very early in my trip to China and knew I wanted to try out. It’s the opposite of a tourist’s visit to the Great Wall of China. This means no crowds, no annoying hawkers, and consequently, no spoken English. I proposed writing a story about the event to Catherine before I left. She approved and said they would pay for the visit, which included transportation, three meals, one night’s stay, and a hike along the authentic Great Wall. Catherine sent me with Pang Li, the guy in my office that sits behind me, to interpret the interviews. You can read the article here. It was on the China.org.cn homepage Wednesday!
The experience was spectacular and completely unforgettable. Pang Li helped immensely, especially getting to and from the Chen family farm (this is where Great Wall Fresh is. It’s run by the most lovely couple ever, the Chens). We had a great time getting to know each other and talking about American cinema and music. He’s so passionate about American culture; it breaks my heart that he’s never been to the States!
We were the only ones there for the weekend, making it very peaceful. There were several times that I just sat there (channeling Buddha?) taking it all in. Once we got to the farm, we had the most delicious lunch I’ve ever eaten. Even better, it was all grown organically and picked by hand from their gardens. This is something that can’t be expressed in a blog or a picture, but please take my word for it, the food was fantastic.
We then chose a trail to hike for the afternoon. It had rained all morning, so Mr. Chen advised us to take the “Easy Over” trail, which is “relatively easy.” Heck no, I said. I wanted a challenge! So we chose “Hunchback curve” instead, which was named for a part in the Wall where it literally bends like a switchback… or a hunchback, I suppose.
Pang Li was hilarious throughout the hike, letting out a constant stream of English and Chinese profanity as he struggled up and down the Wall. We hiked straight into the clouds, which provided for some “mysterious” shots, as Pang Li said.
Dinner that night was equally amazing, with our glasses constantly being filled with pijiu. Tea followed, while I interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Chen with Pang Li interpreting. There was a lot of laughter, and even though I only got the tail end of what the Chens were saying, I could tell the Chens had good hearts. At one point, Mr. Chen said that I had a bright future. It’s hard to pick a favorite part from my favorite day in China, but that might have been it.
The next morning, we had the best noodles I’ve ever tasted for breakfast, signed the guest book, and set off for Beijing, saying “zai jian” to the Chens. Having this trip alone paid for made it worth putting up with some of the frustrating parts of my internship.
When I got back, the UNC interns and professors went to Karen, a China.org employee’s house for a dumpling party. Celine, Catherine, and some other employees were there, along with Karen’s family. We learned how to make fried and boiled dumplings. It was a nice evening, once again filled with food and constantly filled glasses, this time with wine that Dean Cole provided as a gift to Karen’s family.
:D
I want to go there. Unbelievable. You've gotta keep coming up with great article ideas like this.
ReplyDelete