A week in China opens blue eyes

Tuxedo — The freshman class at Tuxedo Park School spent the last week of March on an unusual class trip: a week in China. The class of seven, and two of their teachers, started in Beijing and then on to Xi’an and Shanghai. Here are some excerpts from the journals they kept: Beijing: A mix of ancient and modern “When I was looking out from the rickshaw, riding around Beijing, some passing sights could have been a new office building, McDonald’s, or a one-thousand year old temple. Even ancient places like the Forbidden City were surrounded by security cameras and kiosks. For me, from a country with such a short history, Beijing was a real cultural shock with all of the new and old, traditional and Communist, all mixed together.” Emma Zahren-Newman of Goshen Being different “Having light brown hair and blue eyes in the States is certainly not as fascinating to U.S. citizens as it is to some people in China. In their country, most people have very dark hair with very dark eyes. To see an international peer touring around their home with strikingly different features as them was clearly exciting. Almost everywhere I went, people asked to take their pictures with me. At first it was strange and uncomfortable, but then I got used to it, and it was kind of fun. Celebritydom!” Darrien Pulos of Harriman Biking the last city wall “We paid for our bikes, mounted them, and began our tour of the Xi’an city wall. My classmates were in somewhat of a race, using the old terrain of potholes and crevices for personal enjoyment, but I decided to drop back and just enjoy the scenery. I peddled slowly and compared the sights on either side of me. On my right, the outside of the wall, I saw a newer, more cosmopolitan and modern cityscape; whereas on my left, the inside of the wall, the more traditional architecture and way of life was more evident. The tour guides told us how greatly China is evolving to more modern times, and I can see how—it’s almost saddening; it seems like they are losing their traditional feel and antiquity just to keep up with, and even surpass, the rest of the world. I finish the eight mile ride and take it all in—I’m in China!” Morris Pulver of Highland Mills Leaving ancient Xi’an behind, the students flew to Shanghai for the last two days of the trip. From the world’s tallest observation deck, the students took in the sights of Shanghai, which they describe as “super modern and high tech,” and compared it to an even more modern version of New York City. This stark contrast between new and old seemed to be the theme of the trip for many of the students who hope that China can grow without leaving too much of its beautiful past behind.