On my first day in Nanjing I was still battling a pretty bad cold, but I knew I needed to get out and see more of the city. After trying--and eventually failing--for about two hours to find the Nanjing Museum with some friends, we stumbled upon a botanical garden. Of course the Chinese translation is a little more wordy than that, it was actually called the Plant Expo Garden of Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province & Chinese Academy of Sciences. Now just the walk and the surrounding areas of the botanical gardens were gorgeous. The old imperial city wall of Nanjing was still intact and in very good shape in many places. This made for a beautiful walk up to the gardens and was an immediate cure for however bad I actually felt. To be just completely surrounded by a forest was entirely different than anything I have here in Wuhan around my apartment or campus. It was literally forest and green for as far as the eye could see, accompanied by the distant hum of cars zipping by on the roads. Inside the actual botanical gardens was a fairly good collection of different themed areas: rainforest, desert, and mainland forest. I have to admit, it was just nice to see anything green, and be walking through the woods where I could hear birds and see other little critters.
After a good day at the botanical gardens, my friends and I decided we would venture out of Nanjing and head to Zhenjiang to attend China's largest music festival Midi. Now the festival itself is on an island which already makes it pretty cool, and the fact that it had been raining the entire day before there was just an added bonus. We were mainly going because two of our good friends from Wuhan were playing at the festival--one the lead singer of a band called SMZB and the other a co-worker of ours. This entire day was really just a big treat for me. It started off with a lunch at Burger King, where I was able to get real bacon on my cheeseburger. This was quickly topped by a Budweiser replica of the Chinese building at the World Expo in Shanghai. However, even with the great start to my day, things were really only just beginning. The music festival was amazing. It completely blew my mind, beat back all expectations and all perceptions I had of what the young Chinese would be like. If that wasn't a big enough shock for me, the actual music being played there was. I would say the vast majority of the music would fit into the punk or speed metal genre. Now there were your alternative rock bands at various stages and even a few DJ tents, but to hear screaming rock music, see mosh pits and crowd surfing really shocked me. Our friends in SMBZ absolutely rocked and really, really had the crowd going.
After the SMZB show we walked around the festival listening to different bands. One band was playing Michael Jackon's Smooth Criminal, but were using their own Chinese lyrics and were also dressed in drag. Needless to say, they were awesome. Eventually we tried to meet up with our friends and walked backstage to the band area and we were even allowed to take pictures from behind the scenes on the main stage. Once we actually got to hanging out with our friends from SMZB and talking to many of the people in the group and I guess for lack of a better word their crew; I was taken back by how interested the younger generation there was in changing China. Asking about freedom, democracy and expressing their outright support for both of those. There was--at least in the small sample size of people I talked to there--a desire for change among many of the people there. With many of the bands there promoting the need for change in the social setting and political circle of China, I was given the opportunity to see perhaps the people who will be instrumental in potentially changing this country. It really made me stop and wonder on my bus and train ride back to Nanjing what the younger generations in China really want, and what are they willing to do to bring about the change so many of the expressed desire for.
The long day at Midi really wore us all out and we needed a calm day before we took on the challenge of Purple Mountain on our last day. So we decided to go to a Confucius Temple and a Buddhist Garden that also had a Taiping (Boxer) Rebellion Museum near by. The temple and the garden were beautiful. Both made me realize that if I ever become filthy rich, I would love to have a similar design in my own garden and back yard. There is just something incredibly peaceful and calming in those places, especially at the garden. The Confucius temple was also gorgeous, and in many ways was just as calming and peaceful as the Buddhist Garden. The only difference is the awe inspiring aura of Confucius. You cannot help but be taken back and inspired by this man's work and life philosophy.
As much as I loved Midi, the botanical gardens, the temple, and the Buddhist Garden, Purple Mountain was my favorite stop in Nanjing. The actual peak of Purple Mountain isn't that high, it is only about 1450ft above sea level, but climbing up very tiny stairs and rocky paths can make it somewhat challenging at times. But no matter how sweaty or tired I was getting on the climb reaching the peak was completely worth it. Being able to sit on top of a mountain with my legs hanging free, overlooking all of Nanjing was breathtaking and completely refreshing. No matter how fast life seems to be moving around you, when you can sit down and overlook everything, life just slows down. It is almost as if you are just able to pause time, and watch all the cars, trains, and people below move an inch in a minute, if that. For me, the entire trip was worth be being able to sit on top of that peak and just dangle my legs off and watch life go by instead of being in the bustle below.
All in all, I loved Nanjing. I would go back in a heartbeat. Plus it was nice to be in a different place. Yes, I just arrived in China about six weeks ago, but being able to see other cities is a wonderful opportunity I have. Each city just has their own little treats that need to be seen. Thankfully many people both Chinese and tourists were trying to get to Shanghai before the Expo ends and that took a lot of people away from other cities. I am still hoping to attend the World Expo before it ends, but deep down I imagine it being a bust and just a sea full of people.
Classes start back up again on Monday and I will be presenting all of my freshmen with their final project topics and explaining to them my expectations. I believe until Spring Festival which takes place in Jan or Feb, school will be no stop. I really do enjoy teaching, the students are wonderful, and always provide me with a good laugh.
Also, I feel I have to say this, Bears fans stop thinking you're team is actually good. Come playoff time you will be sitting home and the Pack will be working their way towards the Super Bowl. The win over the Packers was a gift, the Green & Gold gave that game away. Everyone else, enjoy playoff baseball. I miss it a lot. Please keep in touch and I miss all you very much.
Until next time, take care everyone.
Road into Botanical Gardens
