During the last two weeks of this program, I learned more about tuina, which is Chinese massage. There are many techniques, such as rolling manipulation (“rotating the forearm outward and inward in circles to lead to the flexion and extension of the wrist joint”). I really enjoyed being able to try the techniques in class.
We also went on an excursion to the Summer Palace, which is only three subway stops from Peking University. The Summer Palace was built by the last emperor of the Qing dynasty, for the Empress Dowager. Apparently, instead of using the money to build a stronger navy, the emperor used it to build this palace instead. Because of this, China lost Taiwan! We climbed “Wanshou” mountain, or Longevity Mountain, and rode the ferry to the other side of the lake.
Last weekend, my friends and I took a quick day-trip to Tianjin, a city 35 minutes away by train. Jianbin (savory crepe) originated from here! Tianjin is a very westernized, modern city that was once split up into different foreign concessions (France, Great Britain, etc). We went shopping at “Binjiang” street. At the end of the street was a cathedral built by foreigners. It was really cool to be able to walk in and observe a service in progress. We spent the afternoon at an Italian-style touristy town. Although, we were scammed by our taxi driver on the way over there. To make up for it, I had the best pasta at an Italian restaurant there!
