Wuhan, China
Thursday, July 24, 2008

So far in classes we have exercised the brain with history, economics, and geography. We have challenged our philosophical side with the path Daoism and the sayings of Confucius so today we worked in another area of culture, the body. Today we learned the basics of Martial Arts. There is no video, thank God but there are pictures. Needless to say we and I provided some entertainment for hosts and ourselves.

We learned from the associate professor of martial arts instructor for the school, Mr. Mei Linqi. We learned four of the eight basic movements of Tai Chi. The stretching out in the beginning was a work out enough. I was glistening, like pig during the workout. We got to quick, hit the bags, and generally learn from him. The movements of Tai Chi take on a dance like quality. These basic moves form the basis of self defense techniques. It was a lot of fun and quite a workout.

Dr. Mei insrtucts trains Kung Fu Pete

The next US secret weapon

After a much needed shower and lunch we heard a lecture from Dr. Yang Ying, who I believe is head of the School of International Studies, who gave us a fascinating look at the Chinese educational system. I took photos of the power point which give the basics of the lecture. Dr. Yang was in the group of secondary school students who took the first national exam post cultural revolution. He had many fascinating stories to tell about the pressure of the test. Only @five percent of students who took the entrance exams for university were allowed to enter university. Talk about pressure. That makes the SAT/ACT something you do for fun on the weekends. He also discussed some of the differences between the US and Chinese educational systems from the Chinese standpoint. I learned a great deal from the lecture.

Dr. Kung and Dr. Yang during a break

After the lecture Paul and I were about to head to dinner on campus when Ashley and Alexis came by and twisted are arms into going to the Brussels Café across town in Hankou. We did not know exactly where the place was so we were able to combine the power of Google, and Wuhan expats web site, and my Lonely Planet “China” book into coming up for a rough guestimate of where the place was. Anyone who has traveled with me overseas knows how dangerous it is to give me a map.

I know its around here somewhere

We caught a cab over to the area and as we got close, I felt, being a resident of Wuhan all of two weeks, that we were going the wrong direction. Unfortunately the other four in the cab agreed with me so we had our cabbie drop us off. He did so gladly. We were able to read the signs of the streets in both Chinese and English and were able to find the place.

What a treat. I had some Belgian beer, a fruity one then split a small pitcher. We had some cheese as an appetizer and then I dove into a beef tenderloin that was smothered in a blue cheese cream sauce. Everyone’s meals were wonderful and the service was impeccable. We finished off the meal with some apple pie and deep fried bananas. I really felt guilty skipping our meal on campus but it was nice to get some western comfort food. Oh and by the way the whole meal, drinks, appetizer, main course, and dessert cost me less than thirty dollars. We spoiled ourselves. After an easy cab ride home I hit the sack for some much needed rest.

Good eats

The crew enjoying a frosty Belgian treat

Link to more photos of the day