I will always be grateful to the Shumway's for their love and spirit of ohana they shared with me.

During the month of July, several alumni of BYU-Hawaii were able to reunite in Arizona. The group consisted of Senaka Samaranyake ('03), Raja Ratnayake ('04), Bishan and Sarah Abeyasekera ('06), Prasan and Janan De Silva ('02), Karina Marcella ('04), and Christie Leon (employeed at Library).

During the reunion, the men -- all natives of Sri Lanka -- prepared a delicious traditional Sri Lankan dinner. We were also able to make a trip to the Grand Canyon and the Arizona Mesa Temple.

The reunion was enjoyed by all and it was great to be back together with each other after five years apart. It brought back lots of memories of the time we all spent at BYU-Hawaii and an appreciation for the close friendship we developed during that time. We are looking forward to making this an annual reunion.

When I first attended BYU-Hawaii and President Shumway (then Stake President) spoke at our ward (as he did all the wards the beginning of every semester) I discovered that he was from a small Arizona town, not far from the area that my family settled. I asked him if he knew any Palmers. He asked if I knew Tom and Mel Palmer (cousins of mine). He told me that they were some of the dirtiest Mormon basketball players he had ever known.

When I next saw Tom and Mel, I had to ask about President Shumway. Their response? He was one of the dirtiest Mormon basketball players they had ever known.

It did my heart good to know that there was someone from home near by. I can't imagine BYUH without him, but I do know that Tonga will be blessed for his presence. I also know that the leaders coming in will not let the school go astray.

Our hearts are full as we think back over the years to the decade of the 1970's and our association with CCH, with the members of the Oahu Stake, and especially with the Shumway's. We served together in the stake, rode horses together, exchanged babysitting, and mostly, just tried to balance the many responsibilities and opportunities of those times. Over the past 30 years, President and Sister Shumway have remained constant and committed to the vision of CCH, and later, of BYU-Hawaii. We express deep affection and appreciation to both of them and wish them well in their new assignment.

URUMQI: On our last full day in this city I was busy photographing the faces of the people and scoping out the souq [market] across the street from the Grand Bazaar. For example, I was curious why a large group of men were mingling on the sidewalk. It turned out they were buying and selling cell phones and watches. Another smaller group was looking at "rocks," which I later learned were amber [petrified resin] when a Uyghur vendor tried hard to sell me one, demonstrating how good it was by rubbing it on his face. I must admit, however — to use a phrase from back east — I don't know from amber.

Then, a minor incident at the Grand Bazaar summarized part of my fascination with the people of this place: A small group of Uygher musicians were playing their exotic Middle Eastern music — with a lot of small drum sounds, tambourines, a brass horn you might associate with a snake charmer, and even an accordion — when an old, plainly dressed man felt impressed to get up and dance . . . and dance . . . and dance.

For more than a half-hour while I was watching he vigorously entertained the crowd which gathered. When he finally took a break, I felt compelled to recognize his remarkable skill and energy by making the Uyghur gesture of heart-felt appreciation — placing the right hand on the heart (toward the left shoulder). He immediately repeated the gesture . . . then embraced me. It was a moment of pure delight; and then he started to dance again.

URUMQI: The Grand Bazaar here and surrounding area is a wonderful place to explore, buy a few things and observe the people. For example, almost all of the Uyghur people are Moslems and many of the women wear a traditional head covering while a few wear the head-to-toe shroud. A lot of Uyghur men wear a doppa — the traditional four-corner hat of Middle-Eastern design that's often placed toward the back of the head. Otherwise, most of the people this time of year wear dark, plain clothing — except for the dancers, who wear a lot of colorful silks.

There are a lot of outdoor shops in the bazaar selling barbecue lamb kabobs and little bakeries selling nang — the traditional Uyghur sesame flat bread. One night when we returned to our hotel near midnight, after a concert, a lot of these places were still going strong. We also noticed that the back of a pickup truck that passed our bus was loaded with butchered lamb parts, presumably heading for the barbecue shops.

Of course, you could also buy lots of leather goods, unusual jewelry, Islamic daggers and, of course, oriental silk rugs. Or how about a glass of fresh-squeezed pomegrante juice?

Jiaohe: During our expedition into the high desert of Xinjiang, we also visited the remains of Jiaohe, an ancient city near Turpan which played an important role in this region for approximately 2,000 years. I remember thinking because it was very hot in May, August and September around here must be a "killer."

On the long bus-ride to this area, which passed through stretches of desert where absolutely nothing was growing, everyone was surprised when we saw our first camel calmly sitting by the side of the highway. On the way back to Urumqi, we saw quite a few more camels, and in one case a man herding some of them on a motorbike.

The underground irrigation canal: Turpan, May 11, 2007: The Karez oasis — yes, that's right, an oasis — near this far-western city in China, is part of a 2,000-year-old engineering marvel that the Chinese rank with the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.

To bring water to the surrounding desert from the far-distant mountains, the ancestors of today's Uygher people built an irrigation system that at one time consisted of almost 200,000 wells and approximately 3,400 miles of canals — much of it about 10 or more feet underground. Why? The underground canals keep the water from freezing in the bitter winter weather, and also help maintain the water quality.

Today people in the area still use about 600 wells and many miles of canals. "They are very important to our people," said Mr. Pang, our local Chinese guide. They also make it possible to grow beautiful green grape vineyards and wheat crops, that stand out in stark contrast to the surrounding desert.

URUMQI: In a land full of fascination, one of our most satisfying experiences has been to meet the people — especially the Uyghurs.

Our BYUH Concert Choir tour has been organized so we do exchanges with local students. We held the first such exchange at Urumqi High School. Their kids were so excited to meet the bus and share musical and dance numbers with us in the auditorium. Afterwards, everyone went out on the school grounds to talk story and exchange gifts, plus allow many of them to practice speaking English. They also quickly learned "aloha" and how to make the shaka sign.

The same thing quickly happened with our counterparts at Xinjian University in the second exchange: Our students and theirs shared songs, dances and laughs. In fact, their officials said they never expected how successful the exchanges would be. Of course, they had never heard of the aloha spirit before, either.

Some of you will remember my Alumni Blog "China Journal" from last year when I participated in the BYU-Hawaii Study Abroad program in Shanghai and Beijing . . . so I hope you don't mind reading more of my experiences in China this year.

I feel fortunate to be part of the University Advancement media crew covering the BYUH Concert Choir tour to China and Mongolia — with performances in Urumqi, Xi'an, Beijing, Tianjin and Ulaanbaatar — from May 7-29. After more than a year of preparation, the traveling group met in the campus choir room at 7 a.m. on May 7. About five hours later we left Honolulu International Airport on a nine-hour flight to Seoul, South Korea. After a four-hour layover there, we took another six-hour flight to Urumqi, the main city in the far-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

Having crossed the International Date Line, we arrived about 1:30 a.m. in Urumqi on May 9, to discover it was very cold and the the city had just experienced a rare heavy rainstorm, because otherwise Xinjiang is most a vast desert. After resting we went to the Grand Bazaar ["bazaar" means "market" in many Middle-Eastern languages], which quickly made it very apparent "we were barely in China."

Uyghurs comprise just under 50% of the population of Urumqi, and about 70% of the population in the province. The Uyghurs are an ethnic minority closely related to the Turkic people of the Middle East, including their language which is nearly the same as Uzbekistan and Kazahkstan, as well as their songs, dances, food and Islamic faith.

The good news for the BYU-Hawaii people is that Uyghurs love many of the same things we do: food — spicy and plentiful with lots of lamb dishes;p singing and dancing; and families. Everywhere we went the choir developed good rapport with the people.

URUMQI: Uyghur (the Turkic people of Xinjiang province) parties are a lot like Polynesian ones: You eat a lot of good food — course after course, in Chinese style — and in the end a lot of people get up and dance.

John Foster, the husband of Uyghur alumna Nina Foster ('04) whose family lives in Urumqi and hosted the entire BYU-Hawaii group to an ono loa banquet, pointed out you don't stop eating at a Uyghur feast just because there's a program.

In the end Nina — a star dancer in China and abroad, and currently a modern dance instructor at BYUH — as well as many of our students got up to dance to the exotic Uyghur music. Many of the motions in the local dancing seem very similar and familiar to Polynesians: The men do these very vigorous leg moves that a lot of people think of as Russian dance, but are perhaps more correctly come from central Asia; and the women do lots of fast twirling (without getting dizzy, apparently), with long braids and flaring silk skirts accentuating the whole thing. They both also do some interesting head bobs that most Americans would associate with Middle Eastern dance.

URUMQI: Since the government of the People's Republic of China does not officially recognize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at this time, it was important that as members of the BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir group we followed proper protocol throughout our stay.

For example, Frank Whitaker — a Foreign Service diplomat with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, a returned missionary from Taiwan and an LDS District Councilmember (analogous to a high councilor in a stake) who happened to be in Urumqi when we arrived — told us in our very first morning devotional that even though the Church has a "large presence" in China, the government has so far allowed us to operate based on a number of requirements and restrictions, such as:

• The single All-China District currently consists of 11 branches which can only be attended by expatriate members and Chinese nationals who have foreign passports (e.g. through marriage). There are probably about 3,000 members scattered throughout China.

• Chinese citizens may not join the Church in China. Those citizens who are now Church members all joined while outside the country — some while studying or living abroad, others in Hong Kong (which is considered as being outside the country).

• Branches for Chinese citizens must meet separately and hold functions apart from the expatriate branches; however, they can use the same facilities, but at different times. "We never interact with them. We don't even interact socially," he said. "The Sunday evening that you perform with the Young Ambassadors in Beijing will really be one of the few instances where we meet with local members," partially because it will be a "musical social." He added that "this is probably the only place in the world where two districts operate in the same space," and that expatriate members are very "careful" in not interacting with local members.

• "This is the largest [Church] geographical District in the world," he said.

• "Expatriate and local members of the Church enjoy the benefits of membership here because of our strict adherence to Chinese laws. That means:"

• "There is no active or passive proselyting," which includes not passing out documents about the Church, or even answering questions about the Church. "Your response should be that because of the laws of the Chinese government, I'm not allowed to answer this question."

• "I know this is difficult, but because of our adherence, local members enjoy the blessings of attending Church." Whitaker added that the Church works closely with the Chinese Religious Affairs Bureau and the Public Security Bureau.

Whitaker said he believes the fact that BYU, BYU-Hawaii and Polynesian Cultural Center groups have been coming to China for the past 20 years "have generated a very good feeling among the Chinese."

We had to fly to Seoul to witness the event and make sure that it wasn't a hoax! Here's the proof! We can all sleep better at night knowing that PJ is off the streets! You have to see it to believe it! Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXlA2d1LK5k

In one of the Fall '97 devotionals President Shumway spoke of daily scripture study. Evidencing his personal commitment to this and his love for all present, he left an open invitation to come by his home early in the morning (5:30 or 6:00 a.m.) on any day of the week to participate in family scripture study. He must have figured that his protection against standing room only was the unwelcome hour. Out of curiosity I decided to take up his offer, got out of bed a little earlier one morning, and knocked on the Shumway's door. I was just in time. They invited me in, and we discussed the gospel from the scriptures. It was brief and heart-felt. We opened and closed with a prayer, and then everyone separated to begin their day's work. This small experience made an important impression on me. I saw that the gopsel was practical and real, that families could pause for a few moments at the start of the day to hear and share the words of the Lord. Thank you, President and Sister Shumway, for your love, kindness, and example in this and in so many other ways.

It brought tears to my eyes to read of Brother and Sister Shumways new calling. While I know change is a good thing, for those of us who have graduated from BYUH, Brother and Sister Shumway were such an integral part of our experience that it is hard to imagine BYUH without them. I had the opportunity to work in their home and I felt their unconditional love for the students at BYUH. Their home was always open to students and I have fond memories of participating in their Family Home Evenings and eating at their dinner table. I was especially grateful to know some of their children, Doug and Heather and what a wonderful influence they both were on me as well. I loved my experience at BYUH and want to thank Brother and Sister Shumway for always keeping their hearts and their homes open for students. Mahalo, Janey Allen Dunford

I will never forget the Shumways' beautiful smiles and their wonderful countenances that shine every single time I see them. Thank you for your great services and examples. You have touched my life in ways that I can never explain, but I can tell you one thing, it has drawn me closer to my Heavenly Father, and I thank you for your continous love and support. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Good Luck with you new assignment, and I know you'll do a great job. Send my love and alohas to my people. Tu'a 'Ofa Atu!

The January-February 2007 BYUH Alumni eNewsletter left me with a very sad feeling that an era (perhaps more than one) has passed.

First, Pres. Shumway’s retirement and new assignment as president of the Tonga Temple. I already knew this from other sources, but reading your account of his talk reinforced my feelings. Without researching it, I think Ric’s presidency of 13 years is longer than any preceding president. Furthermore, his 41 years at the college exceeds anyone else presently there. He came while I was teaching there in 1966 and I also took Tongan from him. I look at him, as I did at President Cook, as a Christ-like man with no guile. He has certainly been a blessing to the school. I don’t know what he will wind up doing after his tenure as temple president, but it would be nice if he returned to Hawaii and had some connection with the school.

I’m glad to see that Ross and Maureen Allen are going to be at the school for a mini-reunion. I associated with them when I worked at USU 1967-69, and played tennis with them every time I returned to Logan for one of my kids’ high school or college graduations or marriages.

I was shocked and saddened to read of Wylie Swapp’s death. What a treasure of institutional memory he was, not only of CCH/BYUH, but of the PCC and the Laie Community. Too bad he didn’t write a book! He was such a benefit, not only in the field of art, but of music and Hawaiiana in general.

As I look at my treasured copy of the 1966 Church College yearbook, I see pictures of many who are no longer with us, besides Wylie. (Ric’s picture is not in it, since his first picture would have been in the 1967 issue, and I’d left by the end of that academic year.) Others I wonder what happened to them after they left the school, such as Henry Chai and Mark Setlow. Others I have followed, especially as they went to BYU Provo.

The final story that brought me sadness was the announcement of the passing of Tui Hunkin. I have a clear picture in my mind of her jolly countenance and happy personality. I also knew her sister Salu well (she went on to get a doctorate). I didn’t know brother Eni because he graduated in 1964, the year I came in the fall. I’m glad to see that she had a career as a teacher in Kahuku.

So, a colleague retires, another who was also a mentor and a student, passes away. An era ends. Someone said that the greatest exercise he gets is following the coffins of former friends and associates.

I had several classes with Bro. Swapp during my time at BYUH: Art, Hawaiian Culture, Hawaiian Music. As I read the articles regarding his recent passing, I realized what a modest man he was. I felt like I knew him fairly well as a student, but I had no idea of the extent of his achievement. His life has had an eternal impact on the community of Laie, on Church growth and advancement through his part in the PCC, and on the lives of his many students.

When I get lonely for my island home, I still pick up my ukulele and pull out the song book he created and strum out the tunes he taught me in my Hawaiian Music Class. They give me the same pleasure today that they did 25 years ago. What a blessing to have had him in our lives. Best wishes to his family.

Dear President and Sister Shumway, Hope your travels meet you with constant delight. Hope to see you again.

I just read about the Shumway's mission call to Tonga and first off I want to say, congratulations! That will be such an exciting adventure. I also want to say thank you for leading our school so well. I attended from '99-01 and was one of the many of the '01 graduating class.

I look back fondly at my time at BYU-Hawaii, especially my last semester. I was able to work in the Shumway house for Sister Shumway. The things she taught me have stayed with me for many years since. I could not think of a better way to finish my senior year than to spend time in the Shumway home and learn first-hand what wonderful people they are.

Thank you for that experience. I hope to be able to express my gratitude in person one day, but for now this will have to do. I wish the Shumways well on their mission and thank you for all you have done!

Love,

BYU-Hawaii, PCC, and Laie would not be what it is today without this great pioneer. Our hearts go out to the Swapp family.

We are so very grateful for meeting each other, falling in love while completing our education at BYU-Hawaii. In the spring of 1973, I met Linda Taylor, ('74, Math Education) upon my return from the Australia South Mission. Linda is the niece of Delores (Taylor) and Jerry Loveland and was living with the Loveland's when we met and were dating.

Upon completion of our education, we moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1976 and have been living there ever since. We have three sons and a daughter and currently 7 grandchildren with another due in August 2007. Two of our children attended BYUH and loved it, as did Linda and I.

I would not have received my degree if I was not accepted at BYUH (CCH) in 1968. I didn't apply myself in high school and did not have good grades to be accepted at any college or university. For some reason, and to this day I don't know why, I was accepted to CCH as an "Unclassified" student, made it through my first year, served a successful mission, returned to CCH and graduated in 1976 from BYUH in Business Management.

I'm president, CEO and partner in a consulting engineering company which specializes in environmental resources. Linda is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and works at the Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City and is responsible for Global Bank Account Administration.

Linda and I attended the 50th BYUH Jubilee celebration and various activities in October 2005. It was great to see and be with old friends, school mates as well as faculty and administrators.

Like everyone else, we will miss the Shumways and are so thankful for their service and friendship. We wish them the best and hope to visit them where they are in Tonga.

With deep saddness we inform the passing of one the Original Faculty of BYUH Wylie Swapp on Sunday January 14th at his home was surrounded by his family and loved ones.He was 89 !Funeral Services will be held Tuesday January 23rd at the Laie North Stake Center.

CCH/BYU-Hawaii Art Professor Emeritus Wylie W. Swapp, 88, passed away early Sunday morning, January 14, 2007, while surrounded by his family and a few close friends. He was one of the last living members of the original 20 Church College of Hawaii faculty.

Swapp, who grew up in Nevada, attended BYU in Provo for two years before serving as a bombardier officer in World War II, flying 25 combat missions over Germany. After returning to school he met a new teacher there, Lois Ensign, who told him she was planning to work her way around the world that following summer, starting in Hawaii. Because he loved Hawaiian music, he said he was also going to Hawaii and wouldn’t it be nice if they met while they were there. They did, and after he finished his senior year at the Y, the couple married in the Laie Temple in 1948.

They enjoyed an extended honeymoon sailing and teaching in the South Pacific, until he decided to enroll at the University of Iowa to earn his master’s degree. After, he started teaching at BYU, but he and Lois were among the first to tell new CCH President Dr. Reuben Law in 1955 that they were interested in teaching at the new college.

The couple were also among the first faculty members to purchase a home in Laie, and as an officer of the community association at the time, Swapp soon found himself helping name some of the streets in Laie. Because of his interests in art and music, he also worked with the Laie Ward Hukilau program and then Polynesian students at CCH, organizing them into the Polynesian Panorama who successfully performed in Waikiki. This group eventually evolved into student employees and performers at the Polynesian Cultural Center, a name Swapp came up with at the request of Edward L. Clissold.

Over the ensuing years Swapp devoted his creative talents to teaching art and Polynesian music at BYU-Hawaii where both he and his wife retired in 1988. The university and PCC recognized him as a “living treasure” in 1984 as part of their series of Na Makua Mahalo Ia programs.

He devoted countless hours serving in various Latter-day Saint callings, including bishop, stake patriarch and temple officiator.

After retiring Swapp continued to pursue his interest in water color art and island music. For example, he was a founding participant in the Nani Laie Serenaders and often hosted the group’s practice at his home on Lanihuli Street. He was also active with the Mormon Pacific Historical Society, conducting historical tours of Laie and participating in their excursions. Later as a widower, he was active as a gentleman dancer on cruise ships.

He is survived by his four daughters, 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Lois Ensign Swapp — also one of the original CCH faculty members — passed away in 1996.

An earlier version of this posting mistakenly identified Swapp as the last living original CCH faculty member: I'm not sure how I got that misperception, but I apologize for the misstatement, especially to Dr. Richard Wootton in Mesa, Arizona, and Ken Slack in Salt Lake City, Utah...and to anyone else if my mistake caused any confusion.

For more information on Professor Swapp, go to http://w2.byuh.edu/jubilee/interviews.php and select Swapp, Wylie from the pulldown menu.

A group of former BYUH 6th warders met at the home of Munroe and Rachael Murdock in Orem on Saturday, Sept. 30th. We enjoyed a great potluck and wonderful company! There were 11 couples and lots of children! I believe all of the husbands and their wives graduated from BYUH.

Those in attendance were Rachael and Munroe Murdock, RoyAl and Jannette Weakley, Ben and Janzell Tutor, Alyson and Cory Wozniak, Rose and Chad Sanderson, Geoff and Andrea Bolton, Inga and Melody Fineanganofo, Malu and Britony Fakatou, Katrina and Aaron Saxton, Tyler and Kristina Thompson and Zane and Renee Clark. Sorry I didn't get the kids' names because there were so many! They all live along the Wasatch Front, except for the Wozniaks who live in Sacramento and the Clarks in Las Vegas.

If there are any other 6th warders out there who would like to stay in touch, send me a note!

Anyone belong to Alumni from the 1959 Freshman class that were the first mainland students (99 of us) to fly in to join Pacific students? I was a cheerleader that year. I am looking for my rommate, Diane Linnell, from Salt Lake.

I had family on the North Shore this past month and asked them to stop by the BYU-Hawaii Bookstore and pick me up a nice polo shirt to wear here on the mainland. There were none in stock. Surprise, surprise. This is about the 5th time I have tried this and there are never any in stock. The store used to stock very nice polo shirts that could be worn while playing golf, etc. As an alumnus of BYUH, I sure would like to see a change in this. It is a great conversation starter and people want to know about BYU-Hawaii. There is no problem getting a polo shirt for the BYU in Provo ! Imagine that!

I told Mike Foley I would contribute something to this good idea many many moons ago. So, here I am.

For you alumni around the world, you may be interested in some north shore developments. A very substantial and life-style altering one is the reincarnation of a 1986 plan of Turtle Bay Resort to build 5 hotels with about 3,500 rooms and other condos and so forth.

Many of us are of the mind that we need to preserve the last bastion of rural Oahu. We do not want to see the north shore turn into a playground for the rich.

There is a lot of information available for readers to read and make an informed decision.

If you are against seeing the north shore turn into Ko 'Olina, West Oahu, or Ka'anapali, Maui, express your opinions in the website below.

If you're for cementing the north shore, ummmmm.... pretend you never read this blog :=)

To know more, log in to:

http://www.DefendOahuCoalition.org

Aloha!

As mentioned above, major renovations are underway on almost all of the historical sites in Beijing to spruce them up in preparation for the 2008 Olmpics. Indeed, there was extensive coverage on eight or more of Beijing's 40 TV stations the night before we left marking the two-year countdown to the opening of the Olympics here. Likewise, there are large countdown clocks at various locations throughout the city reminding everyone the Olympics are coming to town.

Unfortunately, this means that parts — and sometimes most — of the key historical buildings are covered and inaccessible due to renovations. For example, while we were there, the Niujie Mosque is almost entirely under extensive renovation. The Temple of Confucius and the adjoining Imperial Academy, which we visited earlier the same day, were both under extensive renovation. At the Summer Palace, the Long Corridor (Changlang) — built in 1750 and 728 meter long — was completely inaccessible, although it was still pleasant to walk between it and the man-made lake and imagine how much more enjoyable it must have been before heavy smog descended over Beijing in more modern times.

But most disappointing of all was not seeing the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian, partially pictured on the right, above), the icon for the Forbidden City, which was completely encased with the green screening and metal scaffolding common to all construction sites we saw in both Beijing and Shanghai.

Visitors who come to China in 2008, when all of the renovation work will presumably be completed, are in for a reat treat.

[Photo caption: the Beijing Railroad Station on a "quiet" afternoon]

For some reason we were scheduled to leave the hotel at 6 p.m. to drive through Shanghai rush-hour traffic and board our 7:15 p.m. express train to Beijing. First off, the bus driver went to the language school, not the school's hotel...so that took a few precious minutes to straighten out. Then, he already had half of the bus luggage compartment filled with his own stuff, so we had to manhandle everyone's bags — which by now are especially heavily laden with all the shopping everyone's been doing in Shanghai — onto the bus.

Traffic was as bad as we expected, and it turns out the main train station in the "Pearl of the Orient" (Shanghai) is huge: We were dropped quite a ways from the entrance and were all struggling to keep up in the dash to the door, keep our roll-ons moving, get through security, up escalators and stairs, down long concourses to the tracks, down stairs — well, you get the picture. It was like a heart-attack waiting to happen. There's no reason we couldn't have left the hotel at 5 p.m. and avoided the frantic rush that left all of us soaked through with sweat.

We got on the train with literally minutes to spare...and then more fun began: One member of our group had left a bag at the security check-in, which took some frantic moments to figure out: He wanted to hop off the train and retrieve it, but never would have made it before departure. Then a porter came running up with it just as we pulled out, so the train service made arrangements to send it on the next train, which left about a half-hour later.

We were booked into "soft sleeper" accommodations, which means that four of us — plus all of our luggage — had to fit into a little compartment about 6 feet wide by 6.5 feet deep, with two hard bunks (the lower two doubling as bench seats) on each side and a tiny table that took up some of the floor space. A few bags could fit under the table, and there was a small luggage compartment above the door, but all the other bags had to go on the bunks...so several of us couldn't fully extend our legs while laying down. Also, it took a while to figure out there was a little fold-down step on each side of the door that became the "ladder" for the two people who slept in the top bunks.

Each sleeper car has two W.C.s [for those not familiar with British English, that stands for "water closet," or toilet] — one western-style and one Asian style, plus a small washroom (sink only). A digital sign in each car gives the time, temperature, and speed of the train — an impressive 150km/hr, or about 100 mph when we were moving full speed.

There was also a dining/bar car about seven cars back from our number-two sleeper, but getting there was such a hassle that I was sorry I went once for a cold drink: I had to pass along each car's narrow passageway which was further blocked by people sitting in little fold-down seats so they could watch the rolling view or plug in their laptops (because there were no outlets in the cabins). I also had to run the gauntlet of smokers who congregate between cars with the idea some of the smoke escapes through the little pukas. A cultural side-note here: Many Chinese on the train (and even in some hotel rooms) don't close their doors, so I caught glimpses of quite a few people getting ready for bed, or already lounging in their pajamas as I went down-and-back.

By this time, with little else to do, even though it was only about 9 p.m., some of us simply went to bed. This was way too early for me, and I must have woken up about 12 times during the night, despite having excellent ear plugs that blocked out almost all sound (the train made relatively little noise), but there was the occasional sudden jerking movement as the cars went around a bend in the track. After the long night, as usual, I woke up with the light before 6 a.m. and watched the passing countryside for the next hour as we pulled into Beijing station. Then the next step of the adventure began:

In reverse order, we once again dragged all our stuff through the long concourses of Beijing's even larger train station, up and down stairs in the early-morning heat and humidity, until the line wedged into single file and we finally exited the building as a security person gave each of us a perfunctory glance. We emerged into huge crowds just outside the door, including people holding signs, vendors wanting to sell all kinds of stuff, and beggars. Fortunately, we quickly met Robert, our guide — a 21-year-old student with heavily-accented English. He explained the bus was parked "nearby" and with one of those typical tour group flags, he set off on a brisk pace. So, we repeated the struggle to drag our bags along a busy Beijing sidewalk, trying to keep each other in sight and not get lost in the crowds, until we finally got to where our bus was parked. Most of us by this time (about 7:45 a.m.) were literally drenched with sweat ...so sitting down in the air-conditioned bus felt like a great relief.

As we headed to our hotel, the sky over Beijing — a city of approximately 17 million — seems perpetually gray because of the thick haze or smog overhead. There is a very good freeway system which, like Shanghai, doesn't seem particularly crowded except during rush hours. Most of the surface streets are also wide, and the traffic seems much more orderly here than in Shanghai. The bicycle/two-wheeler lanes are also wide. Beijing appears much older than Shanghai, with a lot of brick buildings in the smaller neighborhoods and not nearly as many skyscrapers. Many of the smaller surface streets are heavily landscaped with promenades down the middle, park benches in the shade, and beautiful, leafy trees and willows. As we continued the drive to our hotel, we caught glimpses of some of the fantastic historical sites we'll spend the next week seeing...but I believe at this point all of us were thinking Beijing's not as nice as Shanghai...perhaps because we can't wait to take a shower and catch a few real Z's.

Our hotel also held some surprises for us: At first glance, it's a lot nicer than Fudan University's Guesthouse: It has a beautiful lobby, bigger rooms and bigger beds — but the differences also soon became apparent. There is no or very little air conditioning in any of our rooms. Some of our rooms actually have smaller beds — all of which are rock hard. In fact, I'm surprised it's possible to even make a mattress that hard: It feels like sleeping on the ground with just a lauhala mat or two like during my old mission days in Samoa. And if there's any hot water in the bathroom, I've yet to find what time it comes out. Others say it does, but they add it may also have a nice gray or brown shade to it. Fortunately, cold showers feel good to me in the weather here.

[Photo caption: a small portion of the Summer Palace]

After a few hours rest, we all set off for our first group lunch: Our tour of Beijing includes all meals, and we eat almost each one in a different restaurant. Also, in the case of our dinners, each is supposed to feature a different style of Chinese cooking. Did I mention anywhere else that China is heaven for those who love Chinese food...and also that I may never be satisfied again with a meal at Laie Chop Suey or Patti's? [Cultural side note: We discovered late in the week the reason we rarely ate noodle dishes at these meals is because locally they're considered "peasant food." Also, fried rice is called chao fun in Mandarin, and some restaurants serve the white rice last, unless — as we did — you ask for it first.]

This afternoon's activities called for a four-hour visit to the Summer Palace, a large — i.e. over 700 football fields in size — imperial compound first built over 800 years ago when the Jin Dynasty made Beijing their capital. It is said to contain the best preserved imperial garden in the world, which includes many beautiful pine trees that are hundreds of years old. It also includes the large, man-made Kunming Lake that averages about 10 feet deep. Robert, our guide, explained the dirt excavated to create the lake from an existing pond was used to form Longevity Hill where a Buddhist temple and other structures now overlook the compound. Unfortunately, some of the structures are under renovation in preparation for the upcoming Olympics in 2008 and are screened from view.

The Marble Boat at the Summer Palace

In a word, the Summer Palace is a fascinating introduction to historic Beijing. It is filled with numerous beautiful traditional Chinese structures and thronged with many thousands of Chinese tourists and a small number of other nationalities. When asked if all the Chinese there today were from Beijing, Robert chuckled and said, "No. They're tourists, too. Beijing people don't come to these places."

Yan Hunter, Marina Martinelli and I were the first to return to the bus about 4 p.m. Marina kindly offered to walk to the nearby McDonalds for us...so I subsequently had my first Mickey-D's burger since coming to China: After a hard afternoon of touring, it was so ono. Later, it turned out that two members of the group went to the wrong rendezvous point (we had agreed on the "north gate," but it turns out there are two north gates), so it took a little time for Drs. Beus and Compton to find them — which was good, because most of us at that point didn't even know the name of our hotel and couldn't possibly have gotten back there.

Finally arriving at our Sichuan [hot-and-spicy] dinner several hours later, most of us were exhausted, having not really recuperated from the train trip. I know my head was still rocking from that ride, then toss in the couple of miles we walked through the immense Summer Palace compound in the heat, and being drenched through again with sweat...and it was a great but hard day of touring.

[Photo caption: Our entire group at Tiananmen Square in Beijing]

August 4, 2006, Friday: Following a breakfast buffet in the hotel (including a lot of Chinese breakfast things you never see in Hawaii, a couple of fruit-type drinks that tasted like warm, syrupy cool-aid, but also for the first time some nice fresh fruit), we boarded the bus for a very full day of touring two of China's most famous landmarks: Tiananmen Square or the "Gate of Heavenly Peace" in the center of Beijing, and the adjoining Forbidden City or former imperial palace first built by the Ming Dynasty Emporer Zhu Di in 1406, which has been a public museum since 1925.

The itinerary took us first to Tiananmen — a huge area said to be the world's largest public square at about 900 meters wide and 500 deep...and we covered almost all of them. Of course, the bus couldn't park very close, so that also added to the ground we covered. Interestingly, as we got off the bus, ethnic Uighers from far northwest China were trying to sell us slabs cut from large mounds of rich-looking fruit-and-nut mix that had been pressed together. While it looked kinda' ono, the standard precaution against not eating anything on the street that you can't boil, peel, or you've seen prepared, prevailed for most of us.

In addition to the vast open area, Tiananmen Square also contains several prominent government buildings and other important elements, including:

• the national flag pole where Chairman Mao first raised the flag of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, and an honor guard still marches today.
• Chairman Mao's Mausoleum, where thousands of people were waiting in line to pass through.
• The Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the Grand Auditorium, the Banquet Hall, the Offices for the Standing Committee National People's Congress, the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and others.

Chairman Mao's Mausoleum at Tiananmen Square, Beijing

Our group spent about an hour wandering around the vast area, as did thousands of others from all over the world. Vendors frequently approached us, always trying to sell postcards, hats, water, Olympics icons, picture books, Chairman Mao's Little Red Book, watches and pens — of course, and lots of other souvenirs. Of course, as soon as the police come close, everything goes back into a bag or small suit case and they fade into the crowds because apparently they're not supposed to be there; but they're soon enough back and making pitches: "Hello, watch. Picture book." Robert, our guide, also told us there are also quite a few undercover security guys, mostly military, walking around. We spent some time trying to spot them.

As indicated elsewhere on this blog, because the vendors can be so obnoxious, when I have the time I like to fool with them. For example, today, I decided no matter what they were offering, I would ask how much (in Mandarin, yet) and then counter-offer with 1RMB (about 12 cents). Of course, some of the things were only worth that much to me: junky watches, Olympic icon stickers, cheap little kites, fans, hats, etc. There were also some rather nice picture books, which I might have bought if I could have got the price down to 10RMB (about $1.25) — although when the photos were taken with bright blue skies is a mystery. For example, I thought one of the vendors was going to sell me a Chinese/English copy of the Little Red Book for 3RMB (in retrospect, I don't have a clue what I would have done with it), but a security guy started coming around and, true to form, the vendor suddenly split. I overheard another European man trying to bargain for two cheesy little straw hats where the vendor originally asked for 100RMB (the largest bill in China), and was about to suggest he counter-offer with 1RMB...when he thought he was being a tough bargainer by asking for two at 100. The real price should have been about 5-10RMB, and no more. Of course, there were also the inevitable vendors whose pitch is now so familiar to all of us: "Hello, watch, Rolex, Montblanc pen."

As the morning wore on, the heat reflecting off the stone tiles (which were replaced in 1999) covering most of the square (green grass was added to some sections a few years ago) grew more oppressive, so it felt good to take the long walk back to where we had to park the bus. Group lunch, however, was not very tasty and the women refused to use the bathroom because it was too yucky. Others of us, probably because of dehydration, although we drink lots of water and juices, can go almost all day without having to use the bathroom (this may be more than you want to know).

[Photo caption: One of many structures within the Forbidden City]

In the afternoon, we toured the Forbidden City for about four hours, walking miles in the process through this incredibly fascinating place that is the size of approximately 178 football fields surrounded by a wall over 30-feet high. It is said to be the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. It's also said there are 9,999 rooms in the Forbidden City — one less than in heaven, as befitting the "son of heaven," or Chinese emperors, their wives, concubines and court who used to live in the vast complex.

Thousands and thousands of Chinese also tour the historic sites every day

I soon ran out of adjectives to describe the Forbidden City...or the crowds — again, almost entirely Chinese — pouring through the place. We walked the center length, at Robert's suggestion, but didn't really explore the edges at all; and I think if I ever come back, I would spend more time at the far northern end, which is more landscaped with beautiful pine trees, gardens and smaller structures.

Hours later we finally reached the Meridian or southern gate (Wu men), and then had to walk several more long, hot miles all the way back to the bus — which was parked at the far end of Tiananmen Square — arriving drenched with sweat and exhausted. We ate Peking Duck dinner before coming back to the hotel which, according to tradition, the chef prepared in front of us.

[Photo Caption: The Great Wall of China...through the haze at Simatai]

August 5, 2006, Saturday: Today's itinerary called for us to visit a section of the famed Great Wall of China at Simatai (national park), a mountainous place beyond where most visitors go that also allowed us to see some of the countryside and how non-urban Chinese live.

The adventure began with an intriguing 10-15 minute gridlock delay in a Beijing intersection that was really quite amazing to see from the comfort of our air-conditioned bus. At first, nobody would give an inch, then when one or two vehicles on the fringes would pull away and try another route, other vehicles would quickly fill in their spots and cement the gridlock again. Finally, enough vehicles moved that our bus was able to maneuver out of there and take a different route...but I don't know if that was the beginning of another problem:

Ascending the Wall...the easy way

The detour took us through side roads filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic and Olympics construction delays, also near Beijing's very busy international airport (that had the longest taxi stand I've every seen, with hundreds of cabbies waiting their turn up), and at least one wrong turn from which we had to backtrack. After several hours on the road (with at least several more to go) some of the girls on the bus had to ask for a potty break, which the driver begrudgingly made. In short, it took us five hours to get to Simatai...and because by then it was after 1 p.m. and our time at the Wall was now limited, our tour guide wanted us to skip lunch:

No way! He culturally failed to understand our commitment to eating, so Sister Yi Fen Beus gave him what-for, and we walked to a nearby hole-in-the-wall restaurant where we ate a largely vegetarian meal that was excellent: I particularly liked the shredded potatoes, although I didn't realize that's what they were when I first tried them because of the delicious flavoring.

Before getting to the Wall, let me note it was particularly interesting to see all the small villages on the way here, consisting of traditional brick Chinese homes, each with a small courtyard. Almost all of the surrounding ground was planted in various crops. For example, we saw lots of corn and fruit.

Returning to the park entrance, and because it was now almost 2 p.m. (against the park's supposed closing time of 5 p.m.), we all decided to ride the gondola about three fourths of the way up the mountain, which unfortunately was overcast with the usual thick haze/smog/fog, markedly reducing the visibility of the otherwise spectacular view of the Wall stretching along the spine of the precipitous ridge high above us.

The gondola ride was hen ku — "very cool" — and provided an excellent panoramic view, not to mention saving the energy to climb that high. At the terminus, several of the younger, stronger members of the group took off on the remaining climb, while older members of the group delightedly discovered there was a small cable car that, for an additional 30RMB, would take us up about half of the remaining distance to the top of the mountain.

...on top of the Wall

That was definitely a bargain, and there was no question which way I got up there. In fact, I wasn't sure I could even make the remaining climb, which rises on a 70-90° incline and the local people call the "Heavenly Ladder"...but I was determined to get to the top of the Wall, even if I was the last one in our group and had to pause after each flight of rough steps that have been created on the trail. Thank heaven for a thick chain guardrail and my camera tripod, which I used as a walking stick. Of course, younger people and the skinny Chinese vendor ladies were passing me like mountain goats. My roommate also must have thought I was going to have a heart attack, because he kept calling down to me from on top and asking if I was okay.

Sister Beus had previously warned us that the vendors — who speak a little English — use the tactic of trying to help visitors (especially ones like me) up the trail, and then play on a false sense of gratitude that you have to buy something from them. Though I didn't have much wind to spare, I tried a different tack and kept responding to the one who was following me in Samoan. She didn't know what to make of that. However, I actually did appreciate her advice to "go slow" — as if I could have gone any faster — and "be careful."

Finally reaching the top, I am glad to say I have walked on one of the man-made wonders of the world. Unfortunately, I had little energy left to go beyond that first point on the Wall, although several other more energetic members of our group went as far forward (and uphill) as they were allowed to go — perhaps even a little beyond, according to reports, feigning to not understand the nearby security guard.

The walk back down to the cable car terminal was, as expected, also quite strenuous (a different set of muscles, as they say), but I was in no hurry; and it sure felt good to finally get back to the air-conditioned bus. Interestingly, the drive back to Beijing only took about three hours. Even so, some of the girls asked for a potty break mid-way, which again seemed to upset the driver, who finally pulled into the bicycle lane of the highway near a service station. The girls said the restroom there was so disgusting they used the nearby bushes.

Arriving back in Beijing, dinner was at the hotel, so we didn't spend any extra travel time getting there. After, some of us collapsed into bed this evening.

August 6, 2006, Sunday: We left the hotel about 8:30 a.m. for the Beijing expatriate branch that meets in rented space on the fourth floor of the Golden Tower office building. The first member we met that morning was Brother Don Rogers, Second Counselor and a political officer in the U.S. Embassy, who served his mission in Taiwan (and had previously done two tours in the Taipei Embassy and an earlier one in Beijing). The branch president and first counselor were away on vacation.

The "chapel" is very nice and is finished out to look surprisingly like a regular church building inside (although there is one large support column in the actual chapel). Brother Rogers explained that the Chinese government has given the Church permission to use this rented space for meetings, a model they hope to also use in Shanghai and other locations at some point. He added there are usually about 180 members who attend the branch. A seperate branch for members who are Chinese citizens meets there in the afternoon.

At the beginning of Fast and Testimony meeting, Brother Rogers reminded the members and visitors that because of good relations with the Chinese government, "we have the privilege of meeting together to worship" as long as we "abide by certain conditions," including:

No active or passive proselyting, the latter meaning even answering the questions of Chinese citizens about the Church. "By doing so, the Chinese government has seen that we are serious and abide by our word," he said, describing the opportunity to meet here as a "great privilege."

"Local members who join the Church outside of China are also able to meet here in the afternoon," Brother Rogers continued, but stressing that the two congregations are not to mix (Chinese with foreign passports may meet with the expatriate branch). He also added that the government recently gave permission to open a Family History Center — "the first one in China" — for the members.

"The Church is progressing in China in ways that are not apparent to us," Brother Rogers said; and while he added that some of the conditions are "perhaps frustrating...the time is not far off [when the Church will be recognized] as we follow the guidance of our leaders."

In compliance with these policies, before the meeting began Brother Rogers told us that Robert, our guide and a Chinese citizen, would not be able to attend, and actually should not even wait in the lobby during the expatriate meetings. Robert, otherwise, had seemed interested in attending but, of course, we respected the policies.

Though I didn't meet anyone I actually knew, there were two BYU-Hawaii alumni in the congregation: Amanda Crandell Ju ('00, ICS), who participated in the first Xi'an Chinese program (where she met her future husband), first serving a mission in Kaoshiung, Taiwan, and later working in Ecuador where her fiancé worked in the Spanish embassy, then got married in Las Vegas and returned to Beijing; and Jeremy Robinson ('04, ICS) who had been teaching English in Wenzhou and Rui An, and is now in Beijing, hoping to get a job where the Church is established. Amanda told us she will start Chinese medical school this fall, where she'll be the only American.

Some of the testimonies given this morning were quite moving. For example:

One American brother who works in distant Wuhan, came to Beijing to bless his new baby. He said it had been more than a year since he had seen so many members gathered in one place. "We usually have three to four..."

 

A recently released sister missionary from the Kaoshiung, Taiwan mission, who was traveling with her parents, said it was a "great blessing for them to come to mainland China," and cited Alma 13:23, noting it had been a great honor to represent the Savior in China. She added the Chinese people "had changed my life forever." (After, one branch member was suggesting she go to BYU, but I also encouraged her to consider applying to BYU-Hawaii.)

Another American member told of meeting a doctor who specializes in treating Chinese orphans with "brittle bone disease. He knows what his gifts are and he's passionate about them," he added.

The gospel doctrine class was taught by the man from the U.S. Embassy who handles public affairs, who related the lesson about Hezekiah restoring the temple (2 Chronicles 28?30) to his experience in 1989 when the Manila Temple came under rebel attack. [Elder Dallin Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve has previously described this event, which President Hinckley has called "the miracle in Manila."].

After lunch, due to an unfortunate agreement, our tour guide took us to a Chinese gift shop that featured all kinds of beautiful arts and crafts, including silk carpets of all sizes and qualities — all of them are beautiful.

There are apparently two ways to tell an authentic silk carpet: The design changes color when you flip it 180° and the light strikes the threads differently, and you can clearly see the design through the back of the carpet, some of which have as many as 5,000 knots per inch and take years to complete. Because of this, higher-quality carpets, for example, can cost thousands of U.S. dollars, such as one large one, about 9X12 feet, going for $22,000. A few of us bought some smaller, much cheaper items, such as silk ties.

After we returned to the hotel Yan Hunter and I slept through group dinner (we didn't even hear the phone), so I guess we're still recuperating from our Great Wall experience. We did, however, decide that we were hungry about 8 p.m. and were on our way to the hotel restaurant when we met Brother Chad Compton in the hallway, who was looking for someone to help him give a sick member of our group a blessing.

Afterward we went to the restaurant and enjoyed a snack of very tasty dumplings and excellent fresh-made noodles and vegetables. It turns out that our hotel is quite well known for its fresh noodles, and they were very ono.

Tomorrow, it's off to the Temple of Heaven in the morning, and shopping in the afternoon. I'm not sure what Tuesday's itinerary calls for, but Wednesday is departure day.

[Photo caption: The "dressing platform" (Jufutai) at the Temple of Heaven]

August 6, 2006, Monday: Today is very hot in Beijing. Fortunately, the Temple of Heaven compound, dating back to 1420, is a very large, park-like place with lots of shade trees throughout and even park benches to sit on in many spots (although many of the other historic sites here seriously lack places to sit down).

One of the main temples is being renovated in time for the 2008 Olympics, so we weren't actually able to see that, but I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the compound because there were lots of senior Chinese citizens (and a few younger ones) doing various things we could either watch, listen to, or participate in. For example, in the order I saw them:

• Several old men were doing Chinese calligraphy on the sidewalk with large brushes and water. Of course the characters quickly dried up, but it was fun to watch them.
• Some people played a hackey sack-like game with a large "birdie." They were all pretty good, but one of them was outstanding with some very clever moves...and the "birdies" were for sale.
• Several couples played a game with paddles in each hand that a ball (about the size of a tennis ball) sort of sticks to if you have enough coordination. The object was to catch your partner's throw and then in a continuous, graceful movement — probably based on tai chi, toss it back and forth. After inviting people to play (which some of our group did, they then asked you to buy the game (which several of our group did).
• A small senior Chinese choir sang traditional music in the shade of the beautiful old pine trees, accompanied by a man playing the Chinese flute.
• A couple did ballroom dancing to Chinese music on a boom box.
• A bunch of people in various spots did tai chi.
• Three guys played instruments I describe as somewhat of a Chinese clarinet.
• Two old guys played Chinese music, one on the traditional flute and the other on the traditional Chinese violin.
• Four old women played a trump-like game (I think) with fruit face cards (I think).
• Some did martial arts.
• And there were others I could see off through the trees, but I wasn't sure what they were doing.

Drawing Chinese characters in water on the sidewalks of the Temple of Heaven

After lunch, on a bit of a sour note, we all agreed to go to "one last" shopping stop for a half-hour to humor our guide, Robert, and his company. The store was elegant and very similar to the one we "agreed" to go to after Church on Sunday — including a very interesting silk processing presentation, and lots of beautiful silk products (including sheets, comforters and more beautiful rugs), as well as other traditional Chinese arts and products (jade and jewelry) — all of which were very expensive. When we tried to leave after a half-hour, Robert said the store expected us to stay another 10 minutes, and after that he added another five minutes. The experience temporarily evaporated my goodwill for Robert, but I understand this type of thing is common, and even the restaurants we stopped at had small gift shops outside their doors.

[Photo caption: Roasted crickets on a stick, anyone?]

We spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping at Wang Fu Jing, the biggest street mall in Beijing, which was quite impressive...even if the oppressive heat made it also challenging to enjoy. I didn't really have any shopping to do (having done it in Shanghai), but I wandered the mall shooting pictures and saw some intriguing sights, including a little side street that featured lots of small restaurants where you can buy satay-style crickets on a stick, baked bugs, snails and other Asian delights. There was also a lot of Chinese souvenirs, all of which could be bargained for...but I just wasn't in the mood.

Coming out of the alley, I headed over to a nearby McDonald's, but customers — almost all Chinese — were lined up six-deep at the long counter, and there were no tables available; so I went back outside to catch the tram to the other end of the mall, where I had seen another McDonald's sign and which didn't seem as busy. I was a little surprised the tram cost 15RMB (just under $2) . . . and was even more surprised when the tram kept going beyond Wang Fu Jing on a tour around that part of Beijing, with a loud narration all the way — all in Mandarin. At one point the tram stopped and about half the people got off: I had to get off to let the other people in my row off, and was wondering where the heck I was, when one of the attendants motioned me back on the tram. Ai ya!

Finally getting back to the mall, the crowd at Mickey D's had dropped off quite a bit, so I had my second burger in China and hung out in the air-conditioned room until it was time to walk back to our rendezvous point in front of a Chairman Mao sculpture underneath the clock tower of the Beijing Department Store.

From there the group walked to a nearby Chinese restaurant for a rather disappointing dinner. What was way more fascinating was the "night market" that had been set up along that street in front of the restaurant [by the way, many of the dining rooms we ate in are on either the second or third floors of buildings, and customers usually have to walk up]. The night market, which are common in other parts of Asia, featured a wide variety of dishes — including live snails, star fish, and squid and octopus on barbecue sticks, all neatly laid out in big mounds. The vendors got mad when we took pictures but didn't buy anything.

...exhausted again, at the end of another big day of touring.

...featuring live snails, star fish, squid, octopus...all fresh and ready to barbecue

August 7, 2006, Tuesday: We held our final forum with Dr. Compton in two of the group members' hotel room, because the management wanted US$100 to use a meeting room for a few hours. As with the forums we held in Shanghai, this one was stimulating, and I have been impressed with the insights of the young undergraduates all along. In Shanghai we even invited Mrs. Ji, one of the Mandarin instructors (who had studied for a year in Albany, New York): She added some valuable insights from a Chinese citizen's perspective.

For our final day of touring in Beijing, we first went to the Tibetan Lamasery — a Buddhist monastery created in 1725 from part of a palatial residence, that now serves as home for about 100 monks of the Gelugpa or Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

The obvious devotion of the Buddhists as they lit their bundles of incense sticks and offered prayers, sometimes kneeling — a little prie dieu platform was set up in some cases in front of the incense burners — and always bowing three times with the smoldering incense held overhead, at shrines throughout the compound, was very touching to me. After bowing they would put the remainder of the incense into the burner, or in some cases place them inside the various buildings which contained an impressive collection of various beautiful Buddha images in different postures and expressions. One, for example, is in the Guiness Book of World Records: The Buddha Maitreya, or future Buddha, is 26 meters high and eight meters in diameter, and is carved out of a single white sandalwood tree.

As we were leaving, our guide told us that most people were spinning the bronze prayer wheel incorrectly: "You're supposed to do it either once, or 180 times," Robert said. We each tried it just once.

After lunch we went to the nearby Temple of Confucius and the Imperial Academy which, unfortunately like many places in Beijing, was under extensive refurbishing in preparation for the 2008 Olympics...so we were not able to see much.

Next we took a long drive to the Niujie Mosque, which is over 1,000 years old and serves the approximately 200,000 Moslems who live around it. Of course, there are far more Moslems in China, especially in the far western regions of the country. One from Urumqi, for example, recently completed the Polynesian Cultural Center/BYU-Hawaii Asian Executive Management training program in Laie. The mosque is oriented so the entrance faces Mecca. Unfortunately, the entire compound was under extensive renovation and we were not able to see much there.

Of what we could see, however, for some reason I was expecting more of a Middle Eastern look to the place, but it was definitely done in old Chinese style. There was some Arabic script visible in a few places, and some Middle Eastern design elements are present in the surrounding community.

Also somewhat surprising to me, the women in our group were not asked to cover their heads — probably because we were not allowed to actually go into any of the buildings — during our visit, although all of the local men wore a white skullcap; but three of the men in our group who were wearing shorts were asked to cover their legs before entering the compound. The attendant provided them with strange, baggy, plaid pantaloons to do so.

After the tour and returning to the hotel, most of us went to our last group dinner together — a 12-course Chinese meal, which was very good. Tomorrow, we leave the hotel about 11 a.m., bound first for Narita International Airport in Tokyo, then on to Honolulu, arriving about 10 a.m. . . . on Wednesday, having "gained a day" crossing back over the International Date Line.

[Photo caption: China souvenirs...]

The drive to the airport, compared with our journey to the Great Wall which went past the airport, only took a short time...and gave us a possible clue why that first drive took so much longer: There's a toll for driving there on the freeway.

Like most airports, we got off the bus at the departure curb where amateur "porters" might grab your bags and load them on the free carts, then expect a fee. Inside the large and modern international terminal, there were passengers everywhere, but fortunately we had plenty of time to navigate through the various lines, forms and security checks.

At the gate, one of our group members was called on the P.A. because the large suitcase he bought in Beijing for about $20 to carry back all the stuff he acquired for his family had burst upon loading. His things that weren't broken had to be transferred to a large plastic bag that was then put into a plastic container. Another member of the group had purchased the same bag, for the same reason, and it partially broke when it was put on the bus.

Soon enough we were winging our way to Narita Airport in Tokyo (and then on to Honolulu); but it wasn't until we were thousands of feet above China that we got our first glimpse of blue sky since coming to Beijing a week before. Yup, we didn't see the sun the whole time we were there because the air quality in Beijing is so poor that visibility is usually not more than a mile, sometimes a lot less, through a thick gray "soup" of smog hanging over the city. You can tell it's bad when you come in from walking around, wipe your face and the cloth turns black...or you blow your nose — with black results.

Once the plane reached altitude, there was nothing more of China to see, except the gray clouds below and the blue sky above. Aloha.

Unfortunately, when our BYU-Hawaii Study Abroad group, reached Beijing I was unable to submit blog entries online as I had done in Shanghai...so THE BEST WAY TO VIEW all of the "China Journal" entries in the order I originally intended them to appear is to...

...type CHINA in the search window and hit the SEARCH button.

Please feel free to add your own impressions...about this or any other BYU-Hawaii/Church College of Hawaii-related topic.

[Photo caption: Watermelons are very popular here...and are often served as dessert in Chinese restaurants.]

After four weeks of intensive Mandarin instruction at Fudan University in Shanghai, People's Republic of China, our BYU-Hawaii Study Abroad group is excited to be leaving this afternoon, bound for Beijing on the train. I'll undoubtedly have more to say about that experience in a future blog entry, but for now, let me say a few more words about being in Shanghai:

The program has been most interesting, and as we held our final activities — including a party with a Hukilau hula and Maori haka, of sorts, led by Cody Easterbrook -- as well as a sumptuous Chinese dinner for our beginner's class (other classes held their own feasts), I'm impressed with how close we feel towards our two instructors and the other students. In the case of our class, these include Chinese born in Holland, several Koreans, a young woman from Spain backpacking through China, an Australian with a Chinese girlfriend, a Chinese boy from Germany, a Chinese girl from Colorado, and a guy from South Africa who now lives in Hong Kong.

Shanghai is an exciting mega-city, and I suspect most of us will share our thoughts of this place for a long time. Many students among the entire language program have said they would like to come back, perhaps for next year's program or in some other capacity.

I don't know if it's because we've become more acclimated over the past month, or if it's the full-on summer we're now experiencing — plus some light breezes the past couple of days that have somewhat cleared the skies and reduced the humidity, although it's still blazing hot out there — but even the weather is more bearable: It sort of reminds me of hot summer days on the mainland — or perhaps it's the shady elm trees that line many of the streets near Fudan University.

In a word, Shanghai has been and is a fascinating place.

For my last blog entry from Shanghai, I wanted to share a few insights from some of the women in our group, who have enjoyed bargain-rate pampering here:

For example, in addition to the ever-popular eating, shopping and taxi bargains, some of the women have thoroughly enjoyed full facials described as "just wonderful" for the equivalent of $20; or how about a full-body massage lasting up to two hours for about $12. Then there's the leg-and-foot massage, also lasting about an hour-and-a-half — including soaking the feet in flower petal-scented water — for about $5: "I felt like I was walking on air when I left," one of them said.

"I want to come back once a year, get some tailor-made clothes and the full treatment," said another.

Some of the women have also dropped into nearby salons just to get a shampoo, with a head-and-neck massage included, for less than $1.50 — although you have to look for the bargains, because the regular price in many of the salons is at least $2.50.

Hi Mike: I enjoyed meeting you in Shanghai and talking with you, and just thought I would add a comment to your excellent blog:

The other day I went into the Kedi Store next to our hotel, and the fuwuyuan [cashiers] who worked there were fighting like crazy, slinging words back and forth, making wild hand gestures; they were really going at it. I said to the other fuwuyuan in Chinese, "Everyday those two are scrapping (Mei tian tamen dou chao jia le, shi ma?); and she shook her head, smiled, and said, "That's not fighting, that's the Chinese way of speaking (Tamen bu zai chao jia -- jiu shi zhong gu ren de shuo fa a!)."

Just thought your readers would enjoy that.

[Photo caption]: Side-street vendors near Yu Yuan Gardens (referred to in an earlier China Journal posting).

Before coming to Shanghai, I was under the impression that smoking was pervasive and, indeed, many people here smoke — especially men: They smoke everywhere, except the few places where it's not allowed.

For example, they smoke in the lobby and restaurant of our hotel; and in another Chinese restaurant where we ate this evening there were at least a dozen people smoking at the same time. At one table with eight men, every one of them was puffing away, eating and enjoying themselves, which made it hard for non-smokers such as us to enjoy ourselves (although, surprisingly, I'm usually OK if I'm upwind). Internet places are also often hazy with tobacco smoke, which literally made me sick one time: I had to leave.

But as unhealthy as this is for me, I'm somewhat surprised that there's not as much public smoking as I anticipated here, and as indicated above, some places don't allow it, or smokers considerately confine themselves to certain areas. For example, smoking was not allowed in the theater where we watched the Shanghai Acrobats, and the smokers in our Mandarin program go outside during breaks to light up (although I'm not sure if this is a consideration, or if smoking is not allowed in the building). I've also eaten in food courts and restaurants where either some of the tables, or certain areas, are designated "no smoking." As these are literally just feet away from the areas where smoking is allowed, however, the effect is minimal.

Also, I have not noticed any public health-related anti-smoking campaigns such as we often see in the States, but still, it's not as bad here as I expected; and with the few breezy days we've had since coming to Shanghai, even the air quality has been relatievly reasonable the last couple of days, with some blue skies showing where before it was solid gray, couldn't see the sun, overhead. But nothing like Hawaii.

This view of hundreds of skyscrapers fading into the smog and distance is typical of every angle seen from the top of the Oriental Pearl TV tower in Shanghai. In fact, one Chinese woman from here, who lives part of the year in Honolulu, told us there are over 2,000 skyscrapers in this city of approximtely 16 million people...and more are going up every day.

In the nearly four weeks we've been here, we've witnessed some old buildings totally demolished and the sites cleared for new construction; and in an earlier posting, I made mention that there are at least a dozen major construction sites just around where we stay, but this is typical of the whole city.

...this is one style of Asian toilet, which is located in our language study building, although each bathroom also has at least one western-style commode. Others (for example, some I used to see in Java) are just a hole in the floor with footprints to indicate where to put your feet, and another style — I've been told, though I haven't seen one yet — is a trough in the floor.

Most malls, of course, have public bathrooms; and out on the streets of Shanghai one occasionally comes across a public building prominently marked "toilet." I've also seen a few small, two-compartment facilities near some of the downtown Shanghai buildings that can be used for a small fee.

The one thing that's missing from the picture? Give up? Answer: toilet paper (draw your own conclusions).

One can find places to eat everywhere in Shanghai — restaurants, fast food places, little 24-hour convenience stores, food booths (such as this satay one, and street vendors cooking up all kinds of stuff.

The restaurants — most of them Chinese — also show a remarkable variety: For example, not far from where we stay there's the Really Good Seafood Restaurant (which actually is...). Then there's the Texas Steak House (which suspiciously looks Chinese from the outside, though we haven't checked it out yet), and there are also quite a few Korean ones. In addition, we have a local pizza place, although it isn't very good; but I saw a California Pizza Oven in the same building where the Shanghai Acrobats perform, and I've been told Pizza Hut is supposed to be pretty good, with some interesting menu items you won't find back home.

Speaking of menu items, some of them I've actually seen sound intriguing...especially if your tastes run to frogs, the previously mentioned dog meat, chicken feet and cartilage, or pork gristle and cartilage.

There are pet crickets in each of those cages. At first, I thought they were parakeets, or small birds, but looking closer, they're definitely crickets...sort of like in Mulan, the Disney movie; and they were "singing," at least until I got up close.

[Photo caption]: Shopping for silk -- a bargain starting at about $12/meter...

July 25, 2006, Tuesday: After class three women in our group and I went to do some shopping: One had found a shop near Yu Yuan Gardens selling silk items that was willing to bargain low for some nice items I thought of getting my wife. She also had to pick up some items she had tailor-made and one of the others wanted to buy some silk and have the first one's tailor make her a Chinese dress.

In order, we did the silk shopping first in a very nice store on Nanjing Road, which is previously mentioned in this blog. No bargaining there, with the prices starting at 98RMB a meter (about $12) and up to 300-400RMB per meter (i.e. as much as $50 per meter). Most dresses would require at least three meters. The silk selection was exceptionally beautiful, and it's easy to see why centuries ago this beautiful material became an economic bridge between China and the rest of the world.

After she bought four meters of a beautiful dark blue silk with a design, we walked to a small, busy restaurant where for about $1 each we had a nice bowl of noodles and dumplings. Then it was off to the tailor and the real adventure . . . because the tailors lived in Old Town — the oldest, traditionally styled housing area in Shanghai that is now completely surrounded by modern skyscrapers. Such older neighborhoods are being knocked down regularly for development, and it won't be many more years before Old Town is completely gone.

How the first two women ever found the tailors is a mystery, because their little shop is down one of those narrow alleys typical of Old Town (and, indeed, older neighborhoods throughout Asia). For example, the little passageway into their shop is less than three feet wide, with the kitchen area at the end. The one-room shop itself is certainly no bigger than 10 X 10 feet. The couple running the little business had it laid out with two cutting tables, and two Chinese treadle sewing machines that are about 60 years old (we asked), which reminds me of the treadle Singer machine my old Dutch grandma used to have. Apparently at night the couple pull out something like a futon, and the shop becomes their home.

The first woman's five outfits, for which she paid 600RMB — or about $75, not including the price of the silk, which she purchased separately — were truly beautiful; and while the third woman was selecting the style of dress she wanted, and then was thoroughly measured, the other three of us went exploring a little down the alleyway. It was most intriguing to me to see modern skyscrapers looming in the horizon, with the old, old buildings down below. I was also intrigued to see two caged crickets just outside the tailor shop. At first I thought they were small birds, but no, they were 'singing' crickets.

After finishing at the tailors, we cabbed it over to Yu Yuan Gardens which was not far, but it was a very hot afternoon. We were able to make some nice selections in the gift shops, and get the same low prices that several members of our group had paid earlier — although one of the shop ladies asked why we kept bringing more friends over.

There's no question, when bargaining it helps to have some idea what someone else's low price is. For example, there's a nearby newsstand that sells international phone cards: His original asking price was 100RMB (about $12), but early-on we had managed to get him down to 25RMB, and now none of us pay more than 25 for the card. When he sees us coming, he knows we're expecting that price, although he sometimes asks for 30.

When one of the ladies said she was looking for a gift for her brother, I told her I had seen something a few days earlier a guy might find interesting: a bell-like metal bowl with designs on it that rings when you run a little wooden clapper around the edges, similar to running a wet finger around a crystal glass. The shopkeeper wanted 300RMB at first, but we got him to sell it for 50 (about $5).

Then, while the women were doing some more shopping, I took a break sitting in the shade and also took the time to bargain with one of the many — and very persistent — people hawking Rolex watch and Montblanc pen knockoffs. Indeed, their call of "Hello, watch," when properly mimiced, has become a running gag for all the expatriates in our program. Actually, I find them so annoying most of the time that I enjoy fooling with them when I'm not in a rush. For example, I told the sales guy I don't use a watch but I always carry a pen. As a writer, I might need one at any time, but I sometimes lose them, or more frequently, someone borrows it and forgets to return it. Consequently, I use good but cheap ones and would never buy a Montblanc for fear of quickly losing it. In any case, we started to bargain for a pen:

Real Montblanc pens sell for well over $100 in the U.S.. His first price was 200RMB (about $24). I told him again I have a pen, and his was outrageously expensive, so he immediately dropped his price to 160. Many of the street and small shop vendors have little calculators they use to show you the figures, just in case you can't otherwise communicate. To make a long story short, I got him down to 20...and then I asked him if he had it in blue ink. He was still begging me to take his black ink version for 20RMB when I left. Next time, I might ask for red ink instead.

If you look closely, you can clearly see the Old Town section of Shanghai (in the center) completely surrounded on three sides by skyscrapers, with the Yellow River (Huang Pu) on the fourth. It won't be too many more years before this uniquely Asian community will be completely replaced by many more of the hundreds — perhaps thousands — of skyscrapers in Shanghai.

[Photo caption]: Three generations...taken while I was shopping (this picture has nothing to do with the following story):

To get some idea of our hotel — actually the Fudan University guesthouse — think of Laie Inn, but about 20 or more years older with no major renovations...then add in the housekeepers:

The housekeepers at our hotel are very different from ones you might be familiar with. For example, on Saturdays when some people want to sleep in, they keep knocking on the door until you open up. They come in and change the towels, perhaps wipe off the bathroom counter — but not the mirror. Every fourth day they change the bed linen; and while I have seen vacuum cleaners, I have never seen the housekeepers using them, or detect that the floor has been vacuumed.

Two members of our group have gotten to the point when they're trying to sleep in that they just get up, undressed, let them in and then go back to bed. One said one day the housekeeper sort of tucked her in before she left. There's housekeeping service you don't usually get elsewhere.

Thinking ahead, I said to Dr. Chad Compton one morning that I hoped our hotel in Beijing would be nicer. He said he wasn't sure of that, but the one we're in now is a lot nicer than the one they stayed at two years ago when the China Study Abroad group spent their language training period in Xi'an.

July 22, 2006: At 1:00 p.m. a small group of us went with Dr. Chad Compton to the museum honoring the start of the Communist Party of China in 1921, right here in Shanghai. Following that we walked a few blocks (which seemed longer) through Fuxian Park, the oldest one in Shanghai, to the home of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who lived in Hawaii at one time and is recognized for founding the short-lived (six weeks) first republic of China in 1912, overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in the process. This movement is generally acknowledged to have set the stage for the rise of the CPC.

Unfortunately, today was the most humid one since we arrived in Shanghai: The air was literally thick and foggy, and I was almost totally drenched in sweat by the time we finished our history tour.

Following our walk through Sun Yat Sen's house (which reminded me a little of Abraham Lincoln's house in Springfield, Illinois), we returned to Fuxian Park where we had previously arranged to meet the Beus family. This is obviously a place where some of the Chinese also go to seek some relief from the humidity. For example, we saw several groups fanning themselves under the trees, others doing the slow, graceful movements of tai chi, a larger group listening to a Latino band playing at a nearby restaurant, a couple of guys playing real "Chinese checkers," and several large groups groups standing around watching others gamble with face cards. There was also a merry-go-round and bumper car rides for the kids.

As sometimes happens, people come up to us speaking English — and I don't mean the ones selling Rolex watch or Montblanc Pen knockoffs, or the "art students" from the provinces who want us to come look at their paintings. For example one old gentleman, who spoke fairly decent English, which he said he learned by listening to the Voice of America [radio program], told us how how a few years ago he felt he was getting too old to ride his bike to the park, so he bought an electric model. One day he was run off the road and although he was thrown four meters (about 12 feet), he feels "god" spared him from any bad injuries.

After "cooling off" (take that expression lightly), we walked to nearby Huaihai Road — another major shopping street completely thronged with people — where we enjoyed a nice Chinese dinner in an air-conditioned restaurant. That was a better solution.

When all else fails, break out the Chinese fan...

Photo caption: Zhengtong Road, where we temporarily live, doesn't experience much traffic, by local standards.

Yan Hunter and I took a taxi across Shanghai to a mall that was reported to have a large amount of computer and electronic products. He needed a new memory card for his camera, and I was just curious.

It turned out the cab driver didn't really know where the place was, and we weren't able to explain it better...so we ended up getting out about 10 minutes too early. A kind lady who spoke English was able to help us, however, by writing the Chinese characters for the place we wanted to go to show to next cab driver; and we crossed the very busy street to catch another cab. Catching cabs at busy or rainy times can be tough around here, and we ended up having a rather strange experience:

There was some type of traffic supervisor standing by a crosswalk that we thought would be a good place to start trying to catch a cab. We gestured to him if it was OK to do so, but he started to hail a cab for us. One came soon enough, but bypassed a group of older Chinese women about 50 feet up the street from us who apparently thought that should have been their cab. When we got in, they were very upset, came over and confronted the driver and the traffic guy (but not us). One lady started screaming at the driver, opened his door, reached in and tore off a receipt sticking out of his meter (which contained his taxi number and other ID information).

By his gestures the cabbie was indicating he was just following the traffic guy's directions, but she wouldn't have any of that, and kept going off on him. Finally, he conveyed to us that for some reason he could no longer take us; so we got out, and soon enough caught another taxi...at the same spot, which the ladies now didn't seem to mind. The thing that's strange about this is most people catching cabs on Shanghai streets are absolutely ruthless with each other. I've seen dozens, perhaps hundreds, of taxis pass up other people in favor of other passengers. I've also had new passengers actually get into a cab before I've even paid and gotten out; or in another instance, new passengers stand in front of my door and start to get upset with me because I wasn't getting out fast enough to suit them. With my relatively large size, however, it's easy not act intimidated — maybe I even loom a little when I do get out. Of course, it takes a little extra time to unfold from some otherwise tight seats (for me, anyhow).

Still, it was an interesting intercultural experience, and we wonder if it had to do with the fact that the cab passed the women up in favor of two foreigners. Don't know...

Photo caption: Bodhisattva gold painted wooden sculpture in the Shanghai Museum from the Jin Dynasty, approximately 800 years old.

July 19, 2006: This afternoon almost the entire Fudan University international language school student body boarded buses for an excursion to the world-class Shanghai Museum — a very modern, beautifully designed structure with four levels of galleries surrounding a square atrium.

Although museums can be passive, some say even boring, let me state at the outset of this entry I found the Shanghai Museum to be fascinating...and quickly ran out of adjectives to describe the quality and beauty of the exhibits.

Several of us decided to go to the top and work our way down: I started with the Chinese Minorities Nationalities Gallery. China has over 50 recognized ethnic minorities in addition to the predominant Han, who are estimated to total as much as 90% of the population. The minorities display included mannequins wearing traditional garbs, jewelry, masks and other adornments. For example, there was a rather unique salmon-skin outfit of the Hezhen people in Heilongjiang Province. Several Tibetan outfits were very striking in both their colors and richness of embroidery, as were those of the Uzbek people. Other groups represented included the Tu, the Uighers from the far northwest, the Yi from Sichuan, the Jingpo and Lahu from Yunnan, and of course the Manchus.

Next the jade collection: While far from the fanciest or most beautiful piece, I was drawn to a jade yue or axe head from near Shanghai that was listed as being between 4,000–5,000 years old. The merely 500-year-old pieces in the more modern section of the collection were the ones that were incredibly detailed with intricate designs.

Chinese "China"

The furniture collection started with an explanation that several thousand years ago the Chinese started changing from kneeling or sitting cross-legged to using at first stools, and then normal level furniture, which was divided into two main segments: Older Ming Dynasty Chinese furniture featured simple designs, while the more modern Qing Dynasty styles — again a mere 500 or so years old — became extremely lavish with carved embellishments, elaborate inlays and lacquered finishes, some said to run to 100 coats.

The galleries for Chinese calligraphy and art were awesome to me. I marvel how the ancient and more modern artists captured the essence, texture and feel of images with a minimum of strokes. The watercolors were wonderful, even though most of them were done in gray tones. Later, I found out that the family of a wealthy Chinese industrialist collector who lived in the Philippines donated many of these exquisite paintings and illustrated calligraphy scrolls.

Unfortunately, the Chinese coin gallery was closed while we were there, but all of the other galleries were open, including an extensive collection of seals — official and family signets. There was also a rather large collection of bronze pieces, and a traveling exhibit on Assyria from the British Museum.

I also enjoyed the beauty of the ceramics collection, and recal