Visit to the Grand Tang Paradise

On the Road: Yunnan

The Gao Xin school organized our trip to Yunnan province, including stops in Kunming, Lijiang, and Chuxiong.  We spent a lot of time on the bus and were more than ready to get out and stretch our legs when we arrived at the shopping district in Dali pictured below. 

Our stay in Lijiang Ancient Town was a highlight of the trip.  This picture was taken on our first night. The students are joined by our guide and Mr. Song, our calligraphy teacher, under a canopy of hand-painted messages that people hang for luck.  

Morning view of Lijiang Ancient Town on our way out for the day’s activities.

CHEX 2013 stopping for a picture on our tour of Lijiang. 

A break from the bus ride to get a side-of-the-road photo of the landscape.  If it isn’t obvious from Maya’s pout, it was far colder in the mountains than we expected it to be. 

The group on their first of a few cable car rides.  

Pictures can’t quite capture the scenic views we enjoyed.  This is the closest I have came to getting the whole thing on film. 

We stopped for tea and a show depicting wedding rituals of the Bai minority group on our way back to Kunming.  

Most of the group caused quite a stir at the Stone Forest in Kunming.  Mr. Song and I had to fight through a mess of Chinese tourists with their cameras to capture this moment on film.  I had to throw a few elbows to get to the front of the crowd and I’d do it all over again for this picture if I had to.

Daming Palace National Heritage Park

The group (minus one) gathers for a weekend activity with Kevin.  

I caught the aftermath of one of Kevin’s jokes.  As you can see, Peter really got a kick out of this one.   

The Hanyangling Museum

At the entrance to the museum. 

The group listens to our guide’s introduction to the museum and Kevin shows off his Boston pride. 

Our walk back to the bus turns out one of the funniest group pictures to date. It took us a few attempts to arrive at this photo.

A Visit to the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum

Kevin and Qing Laoshi (one of our Chinese teachers) show off their serious museum faces with the students.  

Getting Settled at the Gao Xin #1 High School

They sure do know how to send a warm welcome here in China.  On our first day of school we were greeted with a big welcome sign and tea with the school administration.

The work finally begins.   CHEX 2013 students, showing off their brand new uniforms, sit for the Chinese placement exam in the first few days on the Gao Xin campus.  

Soon after it was time for the Official Welcome Ceremony.  This picture was taken moments before the event began.  There was palpable tension in the room as we (myself included) paced corners of the room practicing our speeches.  

Fortunately, Will stopped by to check in on us and offer his expert advice. 

Hosts for the event.  Xiaolan, our #1 resource at the high school, is pictured on the left.  

Will, one of our very own, acting as MC for the event.  

7/8 of CHEX 2013 waiting in line to give their individual speeches.  Pabs is not pictured as he was brave enough to volunteer as the first speaker.  They were great.  You all would have been as proud as I was if you could have been sitting in the first row beside me. 

Big smiles from the group after the ceremony.  

Much-Anticipated Visit to the Terracotta Warriors

The group pauses at the 1st pit for a photo.  The picture doesn’t do justice to the experience of standing in this very spot.   We were all looking forward to this moment and it didn’t disappoint.   

A glimpse of the various facial features of the warriors.       

Our tour guide explains how the appearance of each warrior depicts their rank and position.  

Group shot from the back of the 1st pit. 

Exploring Xi’an: Big Wild Goose Pagoda

The group poses on our first trip to the city’s most famous Pagoda.  (We frequent this location as it is very close to the Indian restaurant that never fails during our please-anything-but-Chinese-food moods.)

The students follow Kevin’s advice and try a touch for good luck. 

Taken moments before our climb to the top.   Unfortunately, it was fairly overcast during our visit.  I didn’t get a good shot of the view.  

Exploring Xi’an: South Gate of City Wall

Exploring Xi’an: Bell and Drum Tower