Q. When you study another culture, what can you learn from its people?
A. You can learn about the beliefs they share, their lifestyle, their customs. Notice, too, what they take pride in, as a society. And what goals they share in common. Take the case of China, for example....

KEEPING JOURNALS
Setting: Various locations in China
Characters: Amy and John Lee, American teenagers who are keeping journals of their visit to China

AMY WRITES (DAY 5)
So long, Beijing! We're flying to Xi'an, in Shaanxi Province. Mom and Dad are snoozing. I think they're tired, after walking so far on the Great Wall yesterday. Or maybe it's all the Beijing Duck we ate last night! Or maybe it was the excitement of seeing one of China's taikonauts (astronauts) at the airport this morning! Uncle Ru says "Taikong" is a Chinese word for "space." I'm glad Uncle Ru is traveling with us. His company exports goods from all over China, and he knows the coolest places to see.

JOHN WRITES (DAY 6)
A spectacular day! We saw the Terra Cotta Warriors near Xi'an. These life-size clay soldiers were buried underground 2,200 years ago! They were supposed to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the "first Qin emperor." (Mom said he was the first ruler to unify China under a central government.) Over time, people forgot about the "Warriors." But in 1974, they resurfaced. Some workers began digging a well near Xi'an. Then.... Oops!

AMY (DAY 9)
The day before yesterday we flew to Gansu Province, to see some great statues of Buddha in the Mogao Caves. Dad said Buddhism began in India centuries ago, then spread to this part of China along a network of trade routes. That network (Dad called it the "Silk Road") stretched overland from China to Europe! And traders using it exchanged ideas, as well as goods. When we visited Xi'an's Great Mosque, one of the guides said that's how Islam entered China, too.

JOHN (DAY 11)
Wow! China has 1.3 billion people whom I never met. But today, on a street in Chongqing, I heard a voice say Ni hao? ("How are you?" in Mandarin.) And I recognized Cousin Bao's friends — Kun and Da! We met in Beijing. Now they're on their way to Yunnan Province, to learn how the Bai people and other ethnic minorities use local herbs. It's their project for a college course, and they picked Yunnan because it's the home of 25 ethnic minorities. (25!)

AMY (DAY 14)
We took a boat trip to Yichang, on the Yangtze River. From there, we drove to the Three Gorges Dam. Uncle Ru said this project will soon provide 10 percent of China's electricity. Dad said it seems that China is working hard to build up its energy supply. "Yes, and we want clean energy," said Uncle Ru. He added that China is always increasing its hydropower (the kind they produce at Three Gorges). And China uses wind, solar, and tidal power, too. "But," he said, "most of our energy still comes from coal and oil — fossil fuels that pollute." Mom nodded. "Americans worry about air pollution, too." Then I said: "This sounds like a social studies lesson." (Everyone looked at me! Why?)

JOHN (DAY 16)
Mom wrote her Master's thesis on "Nanjing, Symbol of China's Sorrows and Hopes." And today, as we toured this beautiful city, she explained the title. Like other parts of China, Nanjing suffered terrible floods in its early history. But its people survived and, in the 14th century, it became China's first capital under the Ming Dynasty. The city had a big setback in the 1860s, when it was almost destroyed during a Chinese rebellion in southeastern China. In 1937, it was bombed — then invaded — by Japan. Yet now it's the capital of Jiangsu Province, one of China's most prosperous areas. What a lesson in survival!

AMY (DAY 19)
Last stop, Shanghai. What an exciting city! Skyscrapers, shops, and a cell phone at almost everyone's ear. (Uncle Ru prefers text-messaging.) So far, we've visited a temple with beautiful white jade statues of Buddha. We saw the place where the Communist Party of China was formed in 1921. And we went to the city's new Pudong area, where Uncle Ru has offices. Johnny kept his digital camera busy.

JOHN (DAY 21)
We're on a plane, waiting for take­off. Last night, we took Uncle Ru to dinner, to thank him for his kindness. And early this morning, I took one last picture of China. It shows dozens of people doing tai chi exercises in a park. They look so graceful. And focused. And skilled. Zaijian, Zhongguo! Goodbye, China!....

© Learning Enrichment, Inc. Content last updated: May 2006. Page last reviewed: May 2006.