China

I wish it were possible to explain three weeks worth of gallivanting around China in a blog post. But that certainly would not do it justice. To express the sight of the Great Wall or intricate designs of the Forbidden City in words is like trying to explain color to the blind. Nothing I could say would allow you to see what I saw. That being said I will do my best to reveal some of the truths I learned along the way.

Starting off in Shanghai I experience a city nearly three times the size of New York City. 23 Million people live within the city limits of Shanghai. While near death experiences occurred during our bike ride through the heart of the city, we first coined the phrase "everyone has the right of way in China." Apparently when you go from being a third world country to highly developed, you skip some steps in the learning process of driving. I am convinced there are no traffic laws in China. I saw police write parking tickets and that was it!

In Wuhan we spent considerable amounts of time with Chinese college students our age. After learning of the brutal work they had to go through in high school, I feeling ashamed of complaining about my experience. They would go to school almost all day long, starting at 6 am. Other than a two hour break at noon and an hour and a half at 5:00 pm, they would be in school until 9:00pm at night. That is one heck of a day! I need to discipline myself to have a better work ethic.

Next stop was Xi'an, Good luck pronouncing it! It is actually pronounce (She-on). This is where the Terra Cotta warriors are located. The craftsmanship of these statues was incredible. All life-size statues, and there were about 8,000 of them created for the first emperor of the Qing dynasty. I would tell you his name but I doubt many would be able to read it. He was so obsessed with the afterlife that he created an army to conquer the afterlife and to have people to rule over. In other words, he did not want to go there alone! On top of having an army of 8,000, he ordered that the craftsmen of the statues be buried alive with them so no one would know the location of emperor's tomb. He spent the better part of his life preparing for his death. That is no way to live.

At 7,000 feet elevation, the city of Xining had beautiful surrounding landscape. Though every city we went to had pollution problems, this city had the most near by scenery. We saw mountains and valleys, rivers and lakes. But what caught our eyes the most (in a negative way) was the religious happenings. Things we would perceive as demonic, they claim as their heroes; things we call idols, they call guides. Throughout the lamasery (Buddhist monastery) there were hundreds of images of Buddhas (not a god but an enlightened person), who's face was red or blue with grimacing and horns. They did not look enlightened, rather they looked like they just got kicked in the baby maker. The amount of rituals they have make me thankful for the saving grace and mercy I receive in Christianity, knowing there is nothing I can do to deserve God's love.

Finally we arrived at the much anticipated Beijing. The Great Wall of China, Imperial City, Tiananmen Square, Silk Market, Pearl Market, the Bird's Nest, and Temple of Heaven were the big sites to see. We spent time in the markets bartering (or arguing) with the shop owners. My morals had to be checked constantly because I had the desire to lie in order to get a better deal. The justification that I kept using was that they were lying to me to try to rip me off, so why not? I got out of there after a few good deals and holding my tongue! But seeing the incredible accomplishments that humans can undertake makes me realize how much more I could accomplish.

After eating some weird things (scorpion, eel, whole fish, etc...) and getting over the lack of etiquette (according to American standards), I came to respect much of Chinese culture. There are many things that I will never understand why they choose to do it that way, but they have some things figured out. It was another great reminder of how much we can learn from others. The person I learned the most from while in China was a little blind orphan boy. I spent about 20 minutes with him. The second I touched his arm he turned and jumped into my lap and arms. He latched on and did not let go. He was a bundle of joy, laughing and smiling as he lie in my arms. What James teaches about taking care of orphans and widows took form for me. My heart leaped for joy and shattered to pieces at the same time. I truly do not know what it means to love yet. God has much more teaching to do for me.