Rachel Green - Experience China, Huangshi, China

Experience China, 2023

“It was an experience filled to the brim with activities and places to go, as well as meeting people whom I will not forget, filled with laughter and a lot of walking but most of all an experience that cannot be forgotten.”

Moments to remember

There were many memorable moments from this trip to China, for instance even the train journey was memorable. This is because it was cool to be travelling at such high speeds in a train and not feel it at all, only when you looked out the window and saw all the scenery going by so fast did it then seem real.

Another memorable moment was getting to and being on the Great Wall of China. It was very hard and tiring at first when you just keep seeing all these stairs and steps you have to climb, but when I did reach the top it was amazing to see the views and to feel a sense of accomplishment by getting there.

Learning our differences

Nearly everywhere we went there were people videoing, taking pictures, or they would come up to you and ask for a picture with them. It was definably not something I was used to but found intriguing.

I would also say the way in which they pay for items or food is new to me - you scan a code using either Alipay or WeChat. Although we ourselves are slowly moving away from using cash, in China it is very rare to see anyone use cash as they all use their phones to pay.

Another difference I saw was that girls and young women were using umbrellas when walking around when it was not raining, as I found out it was used to block the sun and to try to stop them from getting a sun tan. Which is quite different from here, as not only do people use sun beds but fake tan at home. It could be a difference in climates but it was interesting to me.

Trying new things

I guess that the food at times was a challenge, as I usually eat very plain food. But I wanted to make the most of this experience and decided I would try all the food we were presented with. And I found I liked a lot more than I thought I would.

Things we did

I got to experience being in a Buddhist temple for the first time and I found it so intriguing and amazing. We were allowed to enter in places where some would pray or worship. Just looking at the art and statues, as well as the way the building was shaped, was amazing to experience and see.

The Art Museum was very interesting and I liked when we went there, I think because art does not need to be explained - as we could not read the Chinese we could come to our own conclusions. The art pieces were definitely fascinating.

Also we were able to do some shopping along the way, either at the shopping malls, or pearl Market which was a fun experience to bargain the prices lower.

And there was so much more we did like going to the summer palace, the Three Gorges Dam, the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen square, the Forbidden City, Jingshan park, Hubei Provincial Museum, going through the Yangtze river in a ship and more.

Advice

Enjoy every second, even the travelling as it is all part of the trip and should not be looked as the part to dread. But above all just have fun!

Another bit of wisdom is to try to learn bits and pieces of the language of the country you are going to, it will help when your there. As I found when in China they were happy when you spoke a few words of Chinese and if you made a mistake they would help by telling the correct pronunciation or time to use the word in a sentence.