The City that Started it All
2015-10-15
One of the questions I've been asked most frequently in China is WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME TO CHINA?!I guess I can understand people's surprise. It is a little strange that I would move across the world by myself to teach English.
I've wanted to come to China for years, which was largely due to a foreign exchange student that came to stay with us for a summer when I was in high school. (Gosh, it must have been almost 10 years ago now!) Tina was from Chengdu and she loved showing us pictures and telling us all about her hometown. That was my first exposure to Chinese culture, and I found that I just adored Tina and the other exchange students who came in her group. I was really fascinated by the culture and the language and decided one day I'd come here. And, of course, I always planned to visit Chengdu, since it was the first city I heard about.
Over the national holiday, I FINALLY got a chance to visit "the city that started it all!"
Chengdu didn't disappoint. I had a great time! I especially loved the Sichuan face-changing opera and the cooking class that I took.
I also visited Leshan, which is home to the 500-meter tall Buddha carved into the cliffs. (Just for the record, visiting during national holiday is a very BAD idea, unless the idea of waiting in unmoving lines for 2 hours is appealing to you)
Tina is actually studying abroad in the US, so I wasn't able to see her again. She was thrilled to hear that I visited her hometown, though, and commented on how funny it was that we switched places.
If you ever get the chance, I'd recommend taking a trip to Chengdu!
Kelli
凯丽
Chengdu is an excellent place. People are moving at a slower pace than Beijing, Shanghai or Tianjin.
It is also known the Foggy City. The name London was accoladed with.
Hope you have a great time in China，and welcome to The AncientCity of Ping Yao（Shanxi province）.If you come here ，you will find a another beautiful place.
I would have LOVED to visit Lhasa. This trip (obviously) wasn't quite enough time to go everywhere...but I'm hoping sometime in the future I'll get to visit Tibet and Nepal.
I was kidding. I know you are a smart girl who can pick up different cuisine quickly. But a spicy Chengdu-inspired hamburger would be fancy enough to lead the food industry there. Haha
Glad you had a chance to visit as well! It sounds like you also enjoyed your trip.
Noooo! Although that certainly would be interesting...a spicy Chengdu-inspired hamburger... haha
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