From holidays to field trips
So this Monday, as I have said before, was a day off for me. Tomb sweeping day! Anyway, I heard that many people fly kites in Tiananmen square on this day, and I headed over to check it out. Unfortunately, there weren't any kites, but there were a lot of other tourists! Actually, this was the first time I've been in Tiananmen this a school year. It wasn't as crowded as I thought it was going to be but it was such a beautifully pleasant day. I got to see the entrance to the Forbidden City with the large portrait of Mao, the monument to the people, and his mausoleum. I wanted to go in, but the dates and times were very strict. We came on the one day it wasn't open, and even so it is only open in the morning. No bags or cameras are allowed inside, and I heard that the coat check is a hike away. So I just looked at the outside. Next, we walked past the drum tower, which is quite pretty and traditional looking if I must say. Anyway, we passed it by and went walking down Qianmen, which has a lot of traditional Hutong looking buildings which had modern department stores inside. It's a fun place to walk around with old style buildings but with modern conveniences.
On Wednesday, I took a really relaxing day off (I don't have class so it's a great chance to explore.) I went and got a massage for 95 RMB which is less than $15. I also saw Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. pretty good, but I think seeing without the 3-D is better. No need to spend all that extra money. Coldstones and shopping to top it all off. It was such a good day.
Now today, Thursday, I went to the Beijing Film Academy with my film class. It was such a cool experience. I got to meet a famous Chinese director, Xie Fei （谢飞） who directed Hunnan Girl, Woman Sesame Oil Maker, and others. He was a cute older man and he was actually in the process of making a short film about Tibet for the Shanghai Expo. It's less than 10 minute film about Lhasa Tibet. Basically it's looking from a bunch of different people's perspective about Lhasa to encompass a full day from midnight to midnight. It's an absolutely beautiful. The camera is a new high definition one and the picture was so clear, it made me dizzy. It felt like I was there in Lhasa. If anyone is going to the Expo, make sure you check out Xie Fei's film! That was the highlight of the day, and we got to ask him questions about his films and filmmaking. We also got a peek of the animator's studio and some graduate student's work which was pretty good. Overall it was a pretty amazing experience being there and meeting all these people.
More fun times to be had in Beijing! Stay tuned!
On Wednesday, I took a really relaxing day off (I don't have class so it's a great chance to explore.) I went and got a massage for 95 RMB which is less than $15. I also saw Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. pretty good, but I think seeing without the 3-D is better. No need to spend all that extra money. Coldstones and shopping to top it all off. It was such a good day.
Now today, Thursday, I went to the Beijing Film Academy with my film class. It was such a cool experience. I got to meet a famous Chinese director, Xie Fei （谢飞） who directed Hunnan Girl, Woman Sesame Oil Maker, and others. He was a cute older man and he was actually in the process of making a short film about Tibet for the Shanghai Expo. It's less than 10 minute film about Lhasa Tibet. Basically it's looking from a bunch of different people's perspective about Lhasa to encompass a full day from midnight to midnight. It's an absolutely beautiful. The camera is a new high definition one and the picture was so clear, it made me dizzy. It felt like I was there in Lhasa. If anyone is going to the Expo, make sure you check out Xie Fei's film! That was the highlight of the day, and we got to ask him questions about his films and filmmaking. We also got a peek of the animator's studio and some graduate student's work which was pretty good. Overall it was a pretty amazing experience being there and meeting all these people.
More fun times to be had in Beijing! Stay tuned!