Cherry Blossom Festival

Every spring at Wuhan University, there is a Cherry Blossom Festival, which lasts for about a week or until all the blossoms fall from the trees. The coming of the cherry blossoms symbolizes the end of a long winter and the beginning of warmer eventually scorching weather. Because the blossoms are so spectacular, this event turns the school into a madhouse as visitors flock to the campus. People are everywhere! Traffic outside the main gate of the school becomes even more chaotic than normal as bicycles, cars and scooters all crowd the streets causing mayhem. Crossing the street, which is already hard to do becomes nearly impossible. In China, red lights mean go, driving on the right side of the road is optional, and giving pedestrians the right a way is completely non-existent. I am honestly more surprised that I haven't witnessed more car accidents here. Wuda (Wuhan University) also profits tremendously from this as they block the main gate charging an admission fee for non-students.

In general, Wuda’s campus is quite lovely with its rolling hills and forestry, but when the blossoms are in full bloom, the campus becomes especially beautiful. People bring their families to visit and take a lot of pictures. Chinese people love to take photographs and many of the photos are very staged and theatrical. Couples will pose together like a high school prom photo or people take photos of themselves as well.

Overall, the festival was a success with the exception of one minor incident. I didn’t witness this event first-hand but read about it online. Here is the link: New branches of nationalism in China Briefly, two Chinese women, a mother and daughter, wore the Japanese traditional style of dress known as the Kimono to visit the festial. While posing for pictures with the cherry blossoms, they were confronted because they were wearing Kimonos and forced to leave the campus. China and Japan have a turbulent history, which has left a feeling of resentment among many Chinese people. (Not all, but many.) This event has stirred debate (at least in Wuhan) and renewed a sense of nationalism among Chinese people.

On a side note, earlier this week was the Traditional Thai New Year so my Thai friends along with almost the entire dormitory decided to celebrate it. One of the most well-known traditions of this holiday involves throwing water on other people. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know about the party or the tradition until I arrived back from running errands. To make matters worse, there is only one entrance and one pathway to the dormitories and I live at the very last dormitory. I barely made it to the first building before I found myself completely drenched, but it turned out to be a fun afternoon. :)

Article from The New York Times

Click the link:

Seeking Justice, Chinese Land in Secret Jails

Thought this article was interesting! Happy Monday!

Chinese New Year 2009: The Year of the Ox!

Sorry for the break between postings! The school semester ended and Chinese New Year began! I ended up spending the new year with one of my previous host families in Taiwan which was a lot of fun!

In Taiwan, the festivities are not as crazy as they are in the mainland but nevertheless, there is still a lot of food and firecrackers!
Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday celebrated in China and Taiwan. Many other countries, due to their proximity/history, also celebrate the holiday as well. The lunar Chinese calender versus the Gregorian calender determines when the holiday falls on.


Because Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese, many people who have migrated to the city for school or work return home to celebrate. However, buying tickets involves a lot of waiting and patience. In addition, there's been a rise in ticket scalpers making it even more difficult to acquire tickets. On the right, is a photo from an online article posted on The Boston Globe, there are more pictures with additional commentary. This photo is an example of what a train ride home could be. It's not necessarily what all people returning home experience.

Chinese trains consist of three or four different classes depending on one's destination. There are hard seats usually without air conditioning (especially uncomfortable during warm weather), soft seats (not bad for short distances), hard sleepers (my favorite way to travel), and soft sleepers (more expensive but also nicer). On the train, especially as a foreigner, it is always interesting to travel by train because of all the people you come across. Some will want to practice English but most just want to talk.

If I am taking an overnight train, from Wuhan to Shanghai, then I make sure to bring some instant noodles, a train ride necessity. I try to drink as little as possible to avoid the train restroom. In a hard sleeper, there are little cubicles with beds. Each cubicle has six beds: three stacked on each side, like a triple bunk bed. The top bunk is the least expensive because it has the least room. I like this bunk the best because no one sits on it. The bottom bunk is everyone sits before lights out. So before the train starts it's always a good idea to make friends with the people on the bottom bunk or make a mad rush for the window table.
On a side note, my room decided to flood. It's been raining all week so at first I didn't think anything of the sound of water dripping until I realized it was happening in my room. I have no idea where the water came from. But on a positive note, I've had hot water for the past two days which is a major plus!

Rotaract in Shanghai

Rotaract, according to the Rotary website, is a Rotary-sponsored service club for young men and women ages 18 to 30. Rotaract clubs are either community or university based, and they’re sponsored by a local Rotary club. This makes them true "partners in service" and key members of the family of Rotary.

This past weekend marked a huge accomplishment for Rotaract as it was invited by the Shanghai Charity Foundation to participate in a community service activity. The foundation is a government agency and works to raise funds that benefit charitable organizations through philanthropic endeavors that aid children, the elderly and disabled.

According to Jonathan Rowe, the current Rotaract president, "the fact that the Shanghai Charity Foundation invited us and that we were a group of Chinese and foreigners together represents a very positive step for Rotary in China."

Members of Rotaract spent the day volunteering at a retirement home cleaning up the yard, making dumplings, and singing with the residents. In addition singing Chinese songs with the residents, there was also some karaoke. However, I was a bit too shy to participate and instead watched my group members perform. In total, there were three different teams. Each team consisted of Rotaract members, Chinese students, along with older Chinese people.




On the photo on the right, this man is 100 years old! He knows the Chinese art of Calligraphy. Everyday he practices and has several of his paintings hanging on his wall!

Overall, it was a fun weekend in Shanghai participating in the Rotaract event as well as getting to know the Rotaract members!



Here is a link to some of my photos from China: Wuhan, China

Also, Rotary International has a Youtube Channel! Check it out!