If Beijing has mesmerized me, well, I can't find the right word to describe how beautiful Xi'an is.

When people talk about China, you would often hear Beijing, Guangzhou or Shanghai. Xi'an is not as popular as these three, but little did others know that this city possesses several of the most famous landmarks of the country, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities not just in China, but in Southeast Asia as well.

As summer campers of Confucius Institute, aside from enjoying perks such as "free dining, transportation and tour" for fourteen days, we are required to attend Mandarin classes, including learning the language, and some of the traditional Chinese culture.

That is why in traveled for 12 hours via train (with cabin beds) all the way from Beijing to Xi'an, and stayed in Northwest University for ten days.

For several days we attended morning classes with two of our favorite laoshi's (teachers), Heidi and Christine, whom both we have known in the Philippines before. We are fortunate enough to have them, since it will comfortable for us to learn because we already are familiar with them.

During the afternoons, we have the culture classes. We learn one traditional culture per afternoon, such as Chinese traditional painting, Chinese calligraphy, and TaiJi (Tai Chi).

During TaiJi classes. GAME FACE ON!

After-class photo with TaiJi Master Hua.

With the one who is so professional in Chinese calligraphy, Viga Li laoshi!

All of them are boasting their paintings, and then there's me... nevermind.

And if we ever have free days or afternoons, we are all in tourist mode! ;-)

One of the first places in Xi'an that we had the chance to visit is the Bell Tower. It is located at the center of the city, and people value it so much that they don't build establishments higher than the said tower because of the respect that they give to the popular landmark. If there would be a building in Xi'an that is higher than the Bell Tower, that establishment will be ordered to be demolished.

The view from the Bell Tower. Sorry we didn't have a photo of the tower -- the view's too nice!

Groupie at the Bell Tower

Just nearby the tower, there is this place called the Muslim Road, where you can buy cheap souvenirs like ref magnets, keychains, chopsticks and even different kinds of street food.

We have also visited the famous and historical Terracotta Warriors...

The famous Terra Cotta Warriors

I bless you, my dear warriors... ;-)

The Historical Ruins of Imperial Hot Springs...

I just used to see this on postcards...

I just had to. I'm sorry. ;-)

And the Great Wild Goose Pagoda!

Guess who almost touched the tip of the Pagoda? ;-)

But my most favorite spot is the South Lake (also known as the Swan Lake). It is that kind if place that you often see in movies and TV shows, wherein there is a beautiful lake, a beautiful bridge, and a beautiful sunset to look at! Perfect for taking photos, definitely.

"Lumot sa Bato"

Again, I just had to. Duibuqi. :-)

There are numerous unexpected adventures, like visiting the new campus of Northwest University, and our "great escape" to the 人人乐 (big supermarket), but I guess the post would just be too long if I included the whole story (especially the great escape. Hihi).

The whole trip was nothig but memorable. Maybe it's great since its "free," we only paid for our airline ticket and the rest was sponsored by Confucius Institute, but the whole experience is priceless.

China may not be in good terms with the country that I am from, but I don't have a bad experience at all with dealing with the locals. At first we tried to hide our nationalities because of the dispute, but since our complexions and dialects were too obvious, we decided to just tell them truth. Frankly, most of them did not care about the dispute. They were so warm and welcoming, especially the students of NW.

The China Babies with ate Nicole, the sole Filipina in studying in Northwest University.

Me with some of the Chinese students I talked to before going home.

Because of this, I see a slight resemblance of China to Philippines in some way. China, despite all the bad things about it, especially these days, you can never deny that their country is beautiful. Just like how beautiful Philippines is, in spite of all the negative things people would usually associate our country with.

I consider this an achievement — travelling to a country (which has a dispute with my country, beat that!) without anybody related to me waiting for me there. After all the shits I went through, from the hassle of getting a new passport, to dealing with the error on my name stated on my airline ticket, I should say that the whole trip is worth it. So worth it.

to Jairalaine Trogo and Aaron Paul Dela Rosa for some of the photos posted above. :)

Labels: Mandarin, summer, Xi'an

Photo from: yanchengxu.net

Labels: Jerry Yan, Mandarin

Beijing is beautiful--- I don't even know where and how to start.

We stayed there for four days --- three before moving to Xi'an, and one before we went back to the Philippines. And since I was still having an internship hangover the moment I boarded the plane to China, I don't have any expectations on what will the place, food and people be like in there. I just hopped on the plane, slept and landed on Beijing, also known as Peking --- the next thing I know, I was amazed.

Beijing's traffic is almost similar to Manila's, the only difference is that they don't have trikes and jeeps, and it is much more quieter --- no angry drivers blowing their horns anywhere and the city's buildings reminded me somehow of Makati. This is one reason why I think I did not experience culture shock at all.

We checked in at Majesty Hotel after taking our first lunch, and rested after a sleepless and tiring flight.

We started touring the second day, and it was 12-13 degrees Celcius kind of morning, and I cannot help but to savor the chilly wind carressing my face. Our first destination is the National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆) located on the East side of Tiananmen Square.

Their museum is boasting of a total floor space of 200,000 sqm with four storeys, and it has a very tight security system wherein they would scan each visitor and his bag, just like in the airport. If they found a bottled water in your bag, they will let you sip it in front of them to make sure that it is not some kind of explosives.

Sorry for the LQ photos, I was only using my iPad and it was too dark. :(

But what amazed me the most is the fact that the Chinese people are incredible when it comes to preserving their culture and their past. For a country that is too big and is rich in historical stories, their people are doing a good job when it comes to educating their next generation about their history --- one of the things that I would like to happen in our country.

The next stop is the famous Forbidden City (紫禁城) located at the center of Beijing. The place served as home to the emperors and his wife, including his concubines for almost several hundreds of years. It was called forbidden because nobody can ever enter or leave the walled city without the emperor's permission.

The Forbidden City covers a total of 72 hectares, so yes, it was a hell of a long walk for us. But I must say, the view is great, and before I was only seeing this palace on TV and in encyclopedias, so it's definitely worth it.




On our third day in Beijing, we visited a jade gallery and factory. What people don't usually know is that China is not just famous for jade jewelries but jade plays a big role in Chinese culture.

The jade gallery and store

How a jade ball is being carved

A pure jade ball

Zodiac animals made of jade

 And then after, we climbed the Great Wall!

There are absolutely no words for this one. Yes, the Great Wall (長城) was hard to climb (because we chose the path where there were less tourists, but more steep steps!) but the view up there was breathtaking. I haven't managed to go up further and reach an end, (thanks asthma!) but the feeling was amazing. I climbed down thinking to myself, "I can climb anything now!" LOL!

Long way up

Just before climbing the Wall

View from the top... the "top that I reached", actually. ;)

After visiting the Great Wall, we proceeded to Beijing Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, and to the Beijing National Aquatics Center, or the Water Tube. These two architectures, which were built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, were my most anticipated stop because I thought we weren't going there anymore, and I am a sucker for unique architectures like these! Luckily, we have enough time just before we boarded the train to Xi'an.

I met Minnie as I was going to the Olympic Stadium!

Bird's Nest, finally!

After the name shits before entering China, we are now here! Hello, ate Ellaine! <3

Paulinians represent! :) With Albert Tante in front of Beijing National Aquatic Center

After ten days of staying in Xi'an for Chinese classes and some tour, we went back to Beijing again to have our one last tour in the city, and visited the Summer Palace (颐和园).

The Kunming Lake, which is a 100% man-made lake, dominated the palace, along with the Longevity Hill which is about 60 meters high. The place was called as the Summer Palace because way back during the times of Ancient China, the emperor used to go there during summer since the wind there would be cooler because of the waters.

Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill

Last tourist mode before flight back home ;)

Just like any other cities in the world, Beijing has its own flaws:  the traffic, the pollution, and the reckless drivers... But I bet not one city in the world has nothing wrong with it. Maybe because somehow, this city reminds me so much of Makati and Manila, but I think Beijing is just too beautiful to not be appreciated by foreign tourists. Given the chance, I would surely go back once more (hopefully this time, with someone!), visit more places and take more photos.

Labels: Beijing, Mandarin, photography, summer

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Fiona is 19 years young, and always wears her heart on her sleeve. She is currently majoring in Journalism and aspires to be a courtside reporter. A certified foodie and a homebuddy, and enjoys devouring chocolates on rainy Sunday mornings.

She is an alumna of St. Paul College of Bocaue, and has decided to take up her bachelor’s degree in Bulacan State University in Malolos, Bulacan. She loves watching PBA and NBA games, and is an avid supporter of San Mig Coffee Mixers (PBA), and San Antonio Spurs (NBA).

She doesn’t have a favorite color; it changes every now and then. During weekends, she stays up late under her sheets, mulling over the songs of the 90's. Books are her best friends; she takes inspirations from great novels that are written by JK Rowling, John Green, Haruki Murakami and Dan Brown. She loves beautiful houses. She fantasizes living in one someday, with a husband and two kids.

You will usually find her spending some quality time with herself in the nearest coffee shop in her university, but I’d advise you not to bother her when you see her there, for it just means that she needs some time alone, with just a muffin, a good book and an espresso, off limits to the world.

This site is like a nest of unspoken thoughts, sometimes accompanied with illustrations and photographs taken by a camera, by the princess herself. She created this as her world apart from the frequent harshness of field that she has chosen, so that she may be able to write down using her own perspective, not aiming to please others, but to spill the ink within her.

All that you see in this site is (c)princessfionadiaries unless otherwise stated. Read with precaution.

Impasse
You
不求回报
Hush-hush
Granted Wish: A fangirl's take on her team's grand...
1175 (If Only)
10 things I learned in China (aside from Mandarin)
The Xi'an Experience
Down With Love: my temporary distraction
Mesmerized by Beijing

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