This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to visit China for a second time. This time though, I studied in Shanghai instead of Beijing. I would like to thank everyone that made this trip possible, especially my family, as well as my wonderful professors at Norwich, most importantly my Chinese Language professor and my Chinese Military History and Chinese Modern History professor, without their help and influence my trip would have been completely different.
After finishing my final exams at Norwich I once again took an airplane and left the North American continent. I flew into Shanghai and after registering at the university went straight to Fujian Province. I had always been fascinated with this province because of its close relation to Taiwan, especially after studying about the Chinese Civil War and the Opium Wars and the importance of this province in trade, piracy, and military campaigns. In Fujian I spent some days visiting Xiamen where I enjoyed the pleasant weather and delicious sea food, especially the spicy octopus. From Xiamen I was able to see the Taiwanese controlled island of Kinmen (Quemoy), and visit one of the most important fortifications where the Chinese proudly display the world´s largest Krupp cannon.
Following my wonderful stay in Xiamen, I took a bus and visited the old port city of Quanzhou, which used to be one of the most important trading ports in ancient times. In Quanzhou I visited the Chinese Naval History Museum, where you can see different models of ships and read about the development of Chinese naval history. I also visited one of the most famous temples in China, the Qingjing Mosque, built by Arabs in 1009 A.D. From Quanzhou I took another bus to another city where I had the opportunity to see some of the fortifications that had been built to protect the city against the pirate raids and where Koxinga took refuge during one of his campaigns.
From this place I took a bus and went to one of the most remote areas of Fujian Province, near the south west, where I spent the night in one of the famous Tulou, or earth buildings. Tulou are large circular buildings, castle like in nature, where the Hakka people used to live for protection. They vary in shape and size but they are usually around three or four stories high, animals are kept in the first floor and families live in the other floors. The people were extremely friendly and would not let me pay for the food, they were happy to share with me, for which I am very grateful. Fujian Province is very beautiful indeed, the bamboo forests and tea plantations are a treat for the eyes as well as the climate.
I must say that I carried with me perhaps the most interesting and useful textbook I have ever used for one of my classes (thank you Dr. J). I brought with me the Spence textbook, which helped me understand the history of the province and enjoy my stay in each place a thousand times more than if I had never studied about it. After visiting this part of the province, I went back to Xiamen from where I took an airplane to Shanghai and began to prepare everything for my classes.
I dont want to make the entries too long so I will be writting a couple of entries for China, other entries for London, and a couple more about the Norwich Cavalry. I hope all the incoming recruits are enjoying their summer and getting ready for an amazing and challenging year. For the parents of the incoming rooks, I hope you enjoy this summer with your "rook" as I am sure you will miss them during this academic year. Its good to be writting again, I hope all of you are doing well and wish you all the very best.
P.S Here are some pictures of my visit to Fujian Province. Enjoy!
What comparisons can you draw between the indigenous peoples of Guatemala and the more rural peoples of the Fujian Province, e.g. the Hakka?
Posted by: nufan | 10/15/2009 at 12:55 PM