It's been long since I updated my xanga last. Sorry to those who had clicked on my account and found nothing new to amuse. Indeed, I had a fruitful summer that on the other hand discouraged me from writing, which was ironic, because I knew it would be a long entry conveying complicated feelings. There're certain things that I don't want to deal with, and is uncertain if putting them on this site would help. I also owed people tons of pictures which are slowly uploaded to my facebook. But more importantly, I was waiting for a quiet moment where recalling my memory of the past two months was possible, and condensing my words here. It was not until last night that I chatted with a friend who have received military training in Taiwan for a month that I got the drive to get back to my xanga. His writing was straighforward but conveyed a righ sense of sincerity. I realised that gains and thought should be writen down before they faded out from the mind. So, I'm coming back. I joined China Synergy Program (CSP) starting from June 30 to July 16. Two hundreds and fifty students ethnically Chinese from different parts of the world first got together in Hong Kong, and then moved up to several cities in China, including Guangzhou, Xi'an, Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, to learn about the current economical and cultural developments of the country. Divided into six groups, we knew some delegates better because we lived, ate, sang, danced, played and traveled together. We also got chances to do sightseeing on our own. Interesting maybe, I would say CSP lost points in giving us a whole picture of China because everything was so well-organized that we didn't even have to flip over a map to get acquainted with the places and the transportation systems. People these days just jumped onto a taxi when the fare was cheap. CSP also spent most of the time introducing us the bright sides of China except driving us to a poor village in an afternoon. However, CSP was still amazing because they created a cheerful environment where people with different cultural backgrounds and speaking different languages could befriend with each other in a comfortable way. We switched from Cantonese to Mandarin to English everyday in order to exchange ideas and make fun. We share memory of seventeen days at different places and occasions, tightening our mind together no matter how scattered we are now. There are a couple of them whom I'm sure will keep in touch with, and would love to travel with again. I like taking funny pictures of and with them, assuming us to be super models. I cherish the nights when we sang songs of different kinds and danced in silly ways. I particular remember the fun moments on the last night at KTV, when we danced with the Y.M.C.A song and sang 古巨基's 勁歌金曲 which had dominated the microphones for 10 mins. Indeed, there were a few songs with lyrics telling my mind that I didn't want to leave some of my friends, with them sitting and singing next to me. The follow morning I sent them off for the coach heading to the airport, I did cry. But time flies and my memory has faded a bit. I've got back to my work at school and can't wait for the school starts. Hope that will also be a fruitful one. 
White polo T-shirt: Taken with some of my groupmates in front of a museum in.........Xi'an? haha, I forgot. 
Hot purple jacket: We got invited for a national dinner at the Great Hall of People in Beijing.   A cute picture taken at the Great Wall. Top models with an enthusiastic photographer.  
Two energetic young people promoting a brand of water A yummy picture: trying out Shanghai dumplings. in fron to Tiantan, a classical Chinese architecture. After CSP, I stayed at Pang Lin's house in Shanghai, a friend whom I made at Penn, for five days. The transition from living with a huge group of friends to with only a family of three was sharp. But it was a good one because my friend and her parents were very nice. I got to know better the life of people in Shanghai. I also enjoyed my lonely planet to visit museums and places without constraint from others. Many thanks to Chu Xin, a postgraduate student at my department, for taking me to a traditional village with canals located in the west of the city for a fun day.  
Kathy introducing you the city model of Shanghai. Shanghai people practising XX in Lun Xin Park 魯迅公園.  
Kathy with Chu Xin at her friend's collection house. Kathy enjoying the sunshine and the pretty canal. After Shanghai, I went to Nanjing which was the old capital of China in the past. I expected that it would be a real lonely trip. But I made a friend who was of the same age as me on the train and was also the first time visiting the city. Later, he introduced me a friend of his who was a white guys doing an internship in Nanjing and could speak perfect Mandarin. We visited several historical places and tried out Papa John's and a buffet in the city. The funniest thing could be checking out bathrooms in a luxurious restaurant on the top of a tower, as well as chatting over on the street with a bottle of Chinese beer in the hand. Lol, I could never do it in my city! Though it was only three days long, they gave me many great moments in Nanjing, which would otherwise I passed my time by myself. It was also a bit depressing to drop them off on a subway train heading to the train station. Indeed, I didn't like playing that role again.  
On this train, I met Jin Chao, who is from 哈爾濱. Andy treated us a dinner at Papa John's, his favourite pizza place. Later he introduced me his friend, Andy, who is from America and can speak perfect Mandarin.  
We took a boat at 秦淮河. We went to 中山陵, the tomb of 孫中山 on a rainy day. A good memory though. After Nanjing was Beijing. On the night I left Nanjing at the train station, I got help from a military man from the People's Liberation Army. He introduced me a lot about the city and the feelings of the Chinese government to Hong Kong, which I found meaningful and would love to hear more. But the talk only lasted for 1.5 hr. Then he escorted me onto the train out of sincerity. It was really touched. I got back to Beijing after a night on the train. I didn't make any reservation for a hostel again because cheap youth hostels were around and a relaxing trip was expected. Luckily, I got a nice one and made friends there again. My parents and HK friends found me strange to get acquainted with people so easily. Well, mum and friends, a year abroad had trained me a lot in telling good people from a group of strangers. Besides, I wanted to sharpen my language abilities and know more about China through exchanging with others instead of from news and books. It was good. Thanks Kevin and Aron for traveling with me. Thanks Lu and Xiaodong, a friend made at Penn and CUHK, for meeting me up at the Capital Museum and the Forbidden City for another two days. I also met Jerrit, a friend from CSP, who was having Mandarin class in Beijing on the last night before I left the city. So my trip in Beijing was also great!  
The first day I got back to Beijing, I met Kevin in the hostel. Then we hanged out together for a day. A nice dinner at Houhai.  
Kathy and Lu having lunch after visiting the Capital Museum together. Xiaodong treated me the best lunch in Beijing!  
798, a well-known art site in Beijing, which was why I went back to the city. Flag lowering ceremony in Tiananmen.
 
Aron, another friend I met in the youth hostel. I met Jerrit again after CSP in Wangfujing, Beijing. A good day in Happy Valley, an amusement park in BJ. Unexpectedly, I returned to the home village of my parents right after Beijing, that extended my China trip for 4 more days. It was great to see some relatives again since my previous visit 9 years ago. I also had a big dinner with my grandmother for her ninety-year-old birthday. After that, I was back home and moved back to school a week ago. A new academic year is waiting for me. Really, hope it will be a good one. J Miss my friends, miss you. | 
