After breakfast Wednesday morning, the students put all of their luggage and belongings in the bottom of the bus and headed to the Summer Palace, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The Palace grounds are immense and it would take weeks to see everything there is to see of the grounds, let alone the multitude of exhibits and artifacts that have been preserved within the halls of the Palace. The tour was focused on allowing the students to see as much of the scenery as possible and so as soon as the group entered the gates, they hit the ground running. It being the middle of September, the weather was becoming mild and it being morning, it was a cool, lovely day for walking through the grounds.
The students made their way along Kunming Lake and through the sheltered walks, catching glimpses of all of the detailed artisan work that makes the Palace and its grounds so incredible. The group walked through the gate that stands at the base of Longevity hill and ascended the vast stairway that leads to the top of the Tower of Buddhist Incense, which is built on the top of the Temple of Buddhist Virtue. This structure is the tallest in the Palace’s park and at the top, one can glimpse the magnificent expanse that belonged to the Empress Dowager each morning as she reveled in her grandeur.
The students walked up and behind the Tower of Buddhist Incense and made their way back down Longevity Hill by way of a nature path, now filling with a multitude of foreign tourists, Chinese tourists and elderly locals using the park as an outdoor exercise track. The last stop before returning to the hotel for lunch was the Empress’ Marble Boat, which is a two-story sculpture of such craftsmanship that it is usually the first thing visitors approach when entering the Palace grounds. Sculpted to appear docked and floating, the white stone boat is truly magnificent and grand.
The students walked briskly back to the bus and returned to the hotel for a quick lunch before departing for the airport. The students managed to purchase a cake for Yu Laoshi and signed a group card with a group photo and presented these to Yu Laoshi at the final lunch. Final goodbyes were said and reminders were given of items due during fall quarter. Yu Laoshi escorted the students to the airport and once everyone had checked in, everyone said one last goodbye and entered through security to wait for the long flight home.
Across the board, students have spoken of the various skills they learned from this trip. Some felt they had learned to be more independent, to engage in another culture, while others are happy to have seen so many aspects of Chinese culture through the eyes of professors in many different fields. Others still were thankful for the added language learning, which only prepared them for another year of language courses. All were thankful for the friendships and bonds made during the seminar’s three and a half weeks. The students of this seminar will never forget Guilin, China or Professor Liping Yu.
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