My Chengdu stories

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After nine-hour flight to Beijing and a subsequent four-hour flight, I arrived on the soil of Chengdu, Capital of Sichuan province to begin my academic work.

After a forty-minute jolly ride, I finally arrived at my school’s dormitory. I couldn’t wait any longer when I arrived at the school. I quickly put my luggage in the dormitory and went out for dinner since I was hungry. With the help of some Chinese friends I met at the dormitory, I joined them to a canteen close to my dormitory. Immediately we entered the canteen, the difference in culture was clear. Vegetables were the most important food item. Meat was secondary to vegetables and rice given upon request. No one is allowed to pay for rice but is given at no cost. Only vegetables and meat were paid for. This is in contrast to what I know since the reverse has been what I’m familiar with. Different types of vegetables, some I haven’t seen or even heard of.

The differences included food, meat, (duck prepared in different ways and my favorite-pigeo n), there was even a difference in the way rice was prepared. There were no spoons, forks and knives; every meal is eaten with chopsticks. My first dish was beef rice. I found it very difficult to use the chopsticks on my first day. I was taught chopstick etiquette which will never depart from me. This includes resting chopsticks at the top of the bowl which means "I've finished”, resting chopsticks on the side of one's bowl or on a chopstick rest which signifies one is merely taking a break from eating. It is normal to hold the rice up to one's mouth and use chopsticks to push or shovel the rice directly into the mouth.

Sichuan province is noted as the home of panda. Lots of people travel from different parts of this world to see these beautiful pandas. Although Chengdu is noted because of panda, there are equally lots of interesting places people can appreciate just as panda base.

Among these places is the Qingcheng mountain. It is one of the most famous Taoist mountains in China. It is also a very attractive and intriguing scenic spot that is covered verdant trees. The mountain is surrounded by numerous peaks and is shaped like a city. The mountain is dubbed "the most peaceful and secluded mountain under heaven" and combines perfectly with its evergreen scenery. On the eve of my birthday, my friends organized birthday hiking on Qingcheng. By 11 am on Friday morning we were already at the basement of the mountain to begin our hiking. It was a sunny morning and the weather was very conducive for hiking. I had with me a big bag with bottles of water, drinks, biscuits and some fruits. I was really prepared for the journey.

As we began to climb up, we saw the Tianfu Palace, which I was told was originally constructed in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In front of the Tianfu Palace, a lucid stream winds its way, adding more beauty to the whole environment. I was welcomed with a wooden pavilion that protrudes between a profusion of trees and steep rocks. I saw fountain of river flowing as we walked along. I was amazed by the presentation of the canopy walk way. The design/edifice was indeed mind - blowing. There is communication service on every part of the mountain something I can only attribute to technological advancement. There are hotels and restrooms all along the hiking root. After about 3 hours of hiking, we decided to have lunch at a restaurant.

For lunch, I was given a special Chinese family treat just like that which you’ll expect when you visit a typical Chinese family home. Just call it a home away from home. As typical of Sichuan Province I was then ushered into the culture of spicy food. It was at this table that it was explained to me that “people in Sichuan don’t care too much about the composition of food they eat but only care about the flavor in the food they eat”. Initially, I couldn’t eat but I was motivated to eat more when I was told we still have about two hours to get to the top of the mountain. So soon we got to the top of the mountain. It had been a hectic time reaching there. At the top of the mountain was a temple. People had come there to worship when we got there. The next thing for us was to return to the basement again. After walking for some time, we came to the station of cable car.

The experience in a cable car is still fresh in my mind. Flying on cable on a mountain for almost thirty minutes. Although I was afraid initially, it was fun and I didn’t want to get off it when we finally got to the basement. At the basement, I was introduced to typical Chinese tea. Some special leaves are boiled and put in flask and served extremely hot. This type of tea is different and so special to taste. I had not taken such a wonderful tea in my life before. My birthday eve is a day I will always remember because of the special treat I had on Qingcheng.

Perhaps the most traditional street in Chengdu is Jinli street. No tourist can leave Chengdu without visiting this place. As a curious person, I decided to spend a day during the spring festival on Jinli Street. Jinli Street is located to the east of the Wuhou Temple of Chengdu. It is recorded that as early as the Qin Dynasty, Jinli Street was the most famous place for baldachin - a rich, ornate cloth. And it was one of the busiest commercial areas during the Shu Kingdom. Hence, it is known as 'First Street of the Shu Kingdom'. In order to reclaim its prosperity of former days, it was restored with contributions from the Wuhou Temple and was opened to the public in October of 2004. Since then, visitors from all over China and abroad gather here to relax, admire the traditional buildings, and taste some local snacks.

Since it was during the Spring Festival, the shops on the streets were decorated with colours. Pictures of ancient donkeys, bicycles and other things used in the old days were on display on the street. Countless number of people were filled on the streets. Some of them had travelled from different provinces to experience typical Chinese tradition and also experience typical Sichuan spicy food. There were so many traditional activities being held since it was a festive season.

Besides that, the most attracting part of Jinli Old Street is that tourists can taste various Chengdu featured food and local snacks here. In one word, Jinli Old Street is the spiritual post house to feel the romance and leisure of Chengdu. After walking through the street for some time, I realized that lots of people were staring at me. Some of them took their cameras to take pictures with me. This was because most of the people had not seen a black person in real life. The number of people who wanted to take pictures with me increased and it took the intervention of police officers to drive them away. I really felt like a celebrity. I decided to take picture with a man dressed in his traditional colours, with a long beard with a shield in his hands. Initially, I was afraid but I was motivated when I saw kids taking pictures with him. The most interesting part was the time with traditional singers. Since I’m a fun of tradition, I really enjoyed it.

It is important to learn some typical Chinese arts. Thus martial arts and how to play Chinese instruments. Although it’s very difficult to learn judging from where I come from, am leaving no stone unturned to practice it. For now, I am still learning how to walk as a wind. I have joined some friends who always practice martial arts. With traditional instruments, its sound good when you hear them play but it’s difficult to play. Interestingly, there are lots of international malls and restaurants in Chengdu. This include KFC, McDonalds, Walmart, Carrefour which wouldn’t make you miss any of inter-continental dishes.

People in Chengdu are welcoming and most people would like to offer help even with the language barrier. Most people want to offer help to me whenever they see me and some want to come around to greet me when they see me. Even with the barrier in communication, they try to communicate using gestures and signs. Lots of things are different in Chengdu; spicy food, building and squatty pot toilets. I have really enjoyed my time so far spent in Chengdu and look ahead to enjoy other places yet to visit.

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