Thank you for reading about my adventures in China

Thank you for following my travels in China this past summer. I hope that you learned as much as I did this summer.

Next summer I hope to travel again to maybe Japan or the Taj Mahl in India.

Meanwhile, I have to work hard in 2nd grade!

Love, Chad

Buildings & more TALL Buildings

It seems that every building in China has at least 6 floors called low-rises some have more than 20 floors called high-rises. If a building has between 6 or 20 it is in the middle and is called a mid-rise. Lucky some have elevators!

Some are apartment buildings some are office buildings.

These are apartment buildings.




Some buildings have very strange shapes

Look Bamboo is used for scafolding not metal. I was told bamboo is just as strong as metal.



Look a gas station inside a building! I was told space is limited in some places.



Some streets are narrow and others are wide.

A Hong Kong Sunset

The view from Tsim Sha Shui, Kowloon looking at Hong Kong island at sunset and night

Hong Kong is a busy place with freight ships, crusie ships and tugs using the harbor, Plus there is a ferry, the Star Ferry, that takes people from Kowloon-side to Hong Kong-side. Oh you can also take a car or bus through the tunnel of the MTR (like the T in Boston) but I like to take the ferry as much as possible!

Video's Added

I have added some video's to share with you. They were taken during my travels through different parts of China. Please take the time to enjoy them. I look forward to reading your comments.

Visiting Yi Yang Number 1 Senior Middle School

Zhang is a teacher at a school called Yi Yang Number 1 Senior Middle School.



Zhang had summer classes because her students are preparing for an exam given to all teenagers in China so Kan Kan showed me around. Kan Kan no longer is a student here he has already finished university and will soon go work as an engineer in Guangzhou.

The building behind us is a library building and is a historical landmark. I think Kan Kan said it was more than 100 years old.



I meet some kids who were playing ping pong also called table tennis. Kan Kan showed me how to hold the paddle and gave me some pointers on how to play. Later he told me that just about everyone in China plays ping pong and it is even an Olympic sport. He asked me if kids in the USA learn how to play ping pong. I said I am not sure but maybe Mrs. Hill could teach me and my friends at the Batch.



I visited Zhang's classroom. There are a lot of kids in her class maybe 100! They asked me some questions

do I like China?
do I know Chinese?
do I know how to play basketball and ping pong?

I asked them how come they were not wearing uniforms they told me because it is summer and they don't have school but they come so that they can learn more and get a good grade on the exam they will take. They said that during the school year they wear uniforms.

Arriving in Yi Yang, Hunan

Last October my family hosted teacher Zhang Xian Zhen from Yi Yang, Hunan. Zhang and I became good friends during her visit and tell me lots of things about her family, hometown and school so I went to check it out for myself.

Zhang and her son, Kan Kan, met me at the Changsha Airport, we drove 1 hr to her hometown, Yi Yang.
(L-R) Auntie Laura, Zhang and myself getting waiting for our lunch to arrive!
Uncle Peng (Zhang's Husband) and I hanging out.

At lunch I learned that Zhang and Uncle Peng like very spice food - they had to order special dishes just for me to eat because I don't like spicy food. Also, I learned that people in China like to have a hot breakfast, hot lunch and a hot dinner by hot I mean cooked food. If they don't eat hot food then they don't feel full after they eat. When eating at a restaurant the food is placed on the glass round thing and everyone takes a little food at a time buts it on their plate. The glass turns around in a circle making it easy for people to take only the food that they will eat for the next few mouthfuls then they get some more. Tea is served with every meal.

Oh and everyone eats with chopsticks or a spoon!

Marching Bands in China

WOW! I didn't know China also had Marching Bands just like in America.

I walking on the seaside in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon side and I saw a Marching Band contest. There were bands of all ages and sizes. Some kids were my age some were teenagers. Some bands were from mainland China and Hong Kong. Listening and watching them sure was a lot of fun.

Sleepover and Beach Trip

Sleeping

Had my 1st sleep over in Hong Kong. My friend Humash spent the night at my apartment. Humash is not Chinese. Hong Kong has many people from all over the world like, America. Humash family is from Pakistan but his family has lived in Hong Kong for a long time before he was born.

Humash is COOL he can speak 4 languages and he just turned 8 years old!!! He can also catch a baseball without a glove because he plays a sport called cricket which is like baseball but in cricket there is no glove. He is good at video games too!

waiting for the bus cruising on the bus

In the morning we went swimming in the South China Sea. To get to the beach we took the double decker bus and sat on the top in the front so we could see everything from way up high. The beach is right next to Ocean Park so I knew where I was because I have been to the area before. The water at the beach is warmer than that in Massachusetts. Also beaches in Hong Kong have nets to protect the people from going too deep. The life guards can watch the people swimming easier because they are suppose to be in side the area that is protected by the net. Outside the net there are some fishing boats.

Swimming and Splashing around at Deep Water Bay Beach on Hong Kong Island!!!

"What's your first language?"

Look at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3000888094674263953

I am talking with E Chin and Val about how come they can speak so many languages.

Both are way smart they can speak English, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese !!!!!

Ocean Park with Val & E Chin - Visiting the Panda's

Me, E Chin and Val arriving at Ocean Park. E Chin and Val are my friends in Hong Kong - they are also my Auntie Laura's friends too!

First we meet the talking tree that told us about recycling.
Next it was off to the trains then the Panda - go -round
We were sure to get a thrill way up high on the Frog Hopper






WOAAAAHHHHH!

To get to other parts of the park we had to take the cable car - Wow look at the view of Deep Water Bay on the back of Hong Kong Island

(L - R) Jia Jia, Ye Ye and Li Li are Panda's from China now living at Ocean Park.