One week in!

 Hello everyone! Ni hao!

 We have now been in China for a week, but it feels like we have been here for months! We are now accustomed to the system of Mandarin lessons in the morning, economic or cultural classes in the afternoon, and going out exploring in the evenings. I am getting to know more and more people in the group, and I feel I am making some good friends.

 Wednesday afternoon we had a calligraphy class, which was fascinating. We were taught by a Professor who I understand to be very well-respected in his field. 

 He taught us about the ancient art of calligraphy; what it is that makes calligraphy so different from ordinary writing; then he showed us how to do the eight different strokes of Chinese calligraphy. We had special brushes made from - I think - bamboo, and very black ink which from the nautical smell of it may have come from a squid but I can't be sure. We practised the brush strokes on special paper and those of us who have Chinese alternative names wrote our names in calligraphy. 

 The Professor then told us all about the dragon and its significance in Chinese culture, and showed us many different ways of portraying the dragon in calligraphy. He finished by offering to write up all of our names in Chinese calligraphy, which is extremely kind of him. It was amazing to learn such an ancient and special art form from a true master.

 That evening the whole Study China group went to see the Beijing Opera, another ancient and respected art. There are truly spectacular costumes - I cannot emphasize enough how amazing some of them were. The performance we saw was made up of four famous scenes from the Beijing Opera. The first was called, "A Dance With a Sword," and was about a woman singing and dancing with a pair of swords with great skill to try to comfort the King who has lost a battle and may be about to lose his kingdom. In the end she threatens to kill herself with the sword and it wasn't obvious to me whether or not she succeeded... hopefully she lived. 

 The second piece was entitled "The Crossroads," and was about an encounter at an inn which leads to a martial arts battle. I know this was a favourite for a few of the lads on the trip who were impressed by the kung-fu, but personally I preferred the other pieces which had more dialogue and singing. 

 The third piece was called something along the lines of "A Pact and a Promise," and was about a husband revealing to his wife that he is actually from a different background to what she had thought, and that he changed his name so he could marry her, as she is above his level socially. He wants her to steal a token that will get him past a border of some sort so he can see his mother. That is the gist I got. I must say, I think she took very well the revelation that he lied to her and is not who he said he was - she sung about it for a few minutes and then seemed to be completely over it - not very realistic, I don't think!

 Finally we had, "The Drunken Concubine," about a concubine who becomes "charmingly drunk" as the intro put it, when she finds out the King has left her to spend the night with another concubine. This was the most bizarre performance, but I really enjoyed it, and I found it the easiest to follow.

 So, the Opera was a great success and I really enjoyed it. Also, I don't know if she'll ever see this, but I want to thank Natalie again for being so kind and doing what she could to help me enjoy the show despite my phobia of loud noises - I had been afraid there would be fireworks used, though in the end there weren't any so my fears were unjustified. But Natalie got me a seat on the aisle so I could leave if I needed to, and was very kind, so xiexie! (That's "thank you" in Chinese.)

 Thursday morning we had lessons as usual, then we had a lecture on "Demographic Change and the Social Security System in China," which was really interesting. Then a group of us went to Tienanmen Square, where it started snowing, and it was lovely. The Square is magnificent and we all took what seemed like hundreds of photos! 

 We then met by happy coincidence with another group of Study China students, and we all went for a Chinese meal together. We got our own little room within the main restaurant, and were given mango juice and watermelon juice. We ordered various dishes to share between us, including the famous Peking Duck. I had been expecting it to still look like a duck, but it was arranged in slices. I liked it at first, then it became a bit too fatty so I left it. So far my favourite Chinese dishes have been sweet and sour pork/chicken and a dish you can get with chicken and roasted peanuts. (Peanuts the way they do them over here are absolutely amazing.)  

 When we left the shopping mall that the restaurant had been in, it was really snowing, and the landscape was very beautiful. The ground was very slippery though! But it was lovely, walking along in the snow, and it is one of the main memories I will keep with me of Beijing.

 Today we had lessons, then Abbie, Scott, Sally and myself went to a Cantonese restaurant and shared a delicious meal. Sally is a student at the University and is one of the student volunteers who is there to look after us Study China people; to guide us and help us out when we need her. She is absolutely lovely. 

 Today is the winter solstice which is celebrated by a festival in China, which was partly why we had our meal (and partly just to spend time together). Today is also the apocalypse according to some; I really hope we live to see tomorrow because I love it here in China and want to see some more of it!

 This has been a wonderful first week in China; I was a bit homesick at first but I am settled in now and am really having a brilliant time. Here's to another two amazing weeks! And to the world not ending!

 Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you are all well! ♥

 Liz x