Tried to get a few hours’ sleep last night. It was a different feeling
waking up in Beijing. Walked to
McDonalds to start the day with a cup of coffee as temperatures hit the 60's
today. We then ventured off to the Forbidden City for a site seeing
morning. We were so fortunate to have Xiaodong Kuang with us as he was a wealth
of information, and more importantly, knew how to get us there as we navigated
the Beijing subway system. The Forbidden City was quite impressive as we
looked back in history. The thought of building this massive structure back in
1420 is beyond comprehension! The Forbidden City, situated in the very
heart of Beijing, was home to 24 emperors of the Ming
(1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) Dynasties. Enclosed are two links
so you will have more information at your fingertips. It was definitely a great
history lesson about the Emperors and their lifestyles.
Unfortunately, we are unable to get to Tian'anmen Square as it
was closed to the public today. Due to the
Congressional Congress session going on, security was very tight because of the
Congressional Congress meetings taking place. Here are some links about
Tian'anmen and the relevance and importance to Chinese history.
In the afternoon we met with and interviewed a group of
potential Chinese students that are interested in participating in one of the
US/Wisconsin opportunities. We also met their parents and had a great
conversation as they were very interested in American Education. Jack, Xiaodong
and I all spoke and did a presentation as I was able to showcase the Northland
Pines School District and Public Education in the USA! Had a great dinner that evening and tried all
kinds of different Chinese foods…. but yes, I need lots of work with my
chopsticks!
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