These past couple of weeks have been packed with adventure and new cultural experiences. One of the most important festivals in China is the Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, which occurs on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This year it was on September 27th. It is at this time that the moon is at its roundest and brightest. It is a time for being with family and friends and, of course, eating moon cakes! Many Chinese give moon cakes to friends and family to wish them a long, happy life. Our group celebrated with the other foreign students at our university. We ate delicious moon cakes made with a variety of fillings, including red bean, fig, and banana. There were several performances that included traditional songs and dances. Overall, it was a very fun evening.
Another very important celebration is the National Holiday, which is a week that all Chinese have off from work and school. Many go to see relatives back home or go on vacations around the country. Because of all the travelling, it is a very busy time of the year. Our group did not take this week off, since it would be too chaotic. Instead, we took the opportunity to explore different parts of Jinan and take some Tai Chi Shan classes.
Because it was not so crowded, our group went to Daming Lake and Baotu Springs, two of the most famous sites in Jinan. Both were absolutely gorgeous! Daming Lake is the largest lake in Jinan, covering about 460,000 square meters! We took a boat ride on the lake and looked at some local artistry stalls along the water. Baotu Spring was also incredibly picturesque, with chrystal-clear water and tall, willowy trees. The spring is regarded as the First Spring of the world. In the park, there is also a memorial museum commemorating those who died as a result of World War II.
On the day that we went to Daming Lake, we also went to a major tea center, where we learned more about Chinese tea varieties, customs, and culture. We were fortunate enough to be treated to two tea tastings, where we sampled a couple of different varieties, further enhancing our palettes. The business’ hospitality and willingness to teach us more about tea was truly heartwarming. The group also went shopping for tea accessories. I saw some of the most beautiful tea sets I have personally ever seen. Some of them cost into the thousands of dollars! I was amazed by how delicate and intricate they were. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the trip for me was the business aspect. I had no idea just how large of an industry tea is in China. This tea center alone was enormous, and there are plenty more in many parts of China. Talk about a great business opportunity!
We were lucky enough to have a Tai Chi Shan lesson with an influential master of Tai Chi. Our teacher was truly incredible. At 80 years old, he was as strong, flexible, and energetic as any 20 year old! He taught us a version of a traditional performance that we had already begun learning. It was challenging to remember all of the steps and to execute them with precision, but within a couple of lessons, everyone in the group vastly improved. We can now complete a good portion of the dance in the correct sequence, which is pretty good considering that we all fumbled a bit in the beginning. We invited our teacher back at the end of the semester to watch us perform the entire routine. This means we must do a lot more practicing to perfect our moves. I have truly gained respect for those who have mastered the art of Tai Chi Shan, as it is a very challenging martial art, placing a heavy emphasis on both mental and physical agility and awareness.
On our last day of the National Holiday, we made dumplings, or jiaozi. After rolling out the dough and shaping it into circles, we used small wooden spoons to place meat and vegetable filling in the center. Then we folded them up into a dumpling shape so that the filling wouldn’t spill out. It was challenging to get the corners and edges folded into a good shape, and I took a couple of tries to get it right. The process was pretty long, but luckily we had many hands to help. We ended up making way too many dumplings than we could eat in one sitting. After making the dumplings, we were treated to a delicious dinner with numerous dishes including various meat and vegetable dishes, roasted peanuts, Mapo Doufu, and, of course, dumplings. It was a delicious meal! For desert, we had cake to celebrate Julia’s 22nd birthday. As is Chinese custom, Julia ate a bowl of noodles to promote longevity.
Overall, these past few weeks have been full of adventures and opportunities to learn more about Chinese culture. We have definitely learned much about the Chinese way of life through celebrating holidays, tasting local cuisine, taking Tai Chi Shan classes, and touring the city. I look forward to discovering what the next few weeks have in store!