Shanghai

The traditional looking pictures were taken at Yuyuan park in Shanghai. The Chinese characters I’m pointing at is a chéng yǔ - a Chinese set expression, often made up of 4 characters or two couplets of 4 characters each, often alluding to a story or historical quotation; idiom; proverb; or saying. This is one too hard to describe. Something about always working towards your goals and the mountain is high but you go in a circle and reach the point where you were going. It’s confusing…

Llama Temple

Yonghegong - Lama Temple

This place is pretty cool. I live like 5 minutes away, so it's nice to just come here and hangout sometimes. Monks really do live here and can be found reciting Tibetan prayers and taking care of the offerings left by all the visitors. 

Llama Temple

Llama temple. The big Buddha was 4 stories high. You walk through and there are 5 different sections to pray in. Light 3 incense each time in the provided flame, pray, then throw the incense into a big box. Rinse and repeat. 

Guangzhou 3

Visited a temple in Guangzhou this afternoon and felt a little guilty taking pictures. Chinese people usually never take pictures of temples. I loved Guangzhou. It has a nice mix of a new and modern downtown, as well as a traditional sort of feel. With a population of 13 million, it really didn't feel like it. No one honked their horns, no traffic pile ups, not a lot of electric scooters or bicycles, and the atmosphere felt more welcoming. There were significantly more trees and greenery probably due to the higher quantities of rain, but as such, and with its proximity to the ocean, it was humid and hot. I couldn't imagine what it would be like in the summer. However, only after 2 days here, it's looking like an option after graduation. Although Beijing is the epicenter of politics for China, living there after graduation frankly seems undoable. I need a change and Shenzhen and Guangzhou were options to begin with, but this trip has moved them higher up the list. The food was terrific, both smaller populations than Beijing, cleaner air, closer to the ocean - which means better seafood and easier hubs for trips to Southeast Asia, and a warmer atmosphere. I think I liked Guangzhou so much because it didn't feel like China at all. To clarify, I wan't reminded that I was in China with every exchange. For example, people spit in napkins and then threw them away, compared to just spitting on the ground. People were also more interested in talking, whereas in Beijing, everyone is solely focused on their own life.