The Chicago Urban League is proud to announce that it is once again hosting a student mission trip to China! For the next two weeks, 24 CUL students are being immersed in the Chinese culture, customs and cuisine. This is a journey is an adventure of a lifetime that is sure to change their lives.
The great news is that we get to be a part of their journey through the blogs they are writing. Check out the 7th entry below:
Hello everyone this is Justin Jones-Felder and Gabriel Wilson blogging from Hangzhou, China today on Sunday, June 26, 2016. Today was our busiest day ever and we’re both exhausted. But even though today was very tiring, it was very informative as well. First we went to the Lingyin Buddhist Temple where we saw different types of Buddhists and saw some of the temples where they worship. Next we went to the Hangzhou Flower Nursery where we saw different plant types and living environments. We saw this tickle tree that the leaves shake if you gently tickle the bottom of the tree. We saw banzai trees and our tour guide explained to us how they are made.
We took a short break for lunch then moved on to Hu Xueyan’s former residence. This was a residency for a rich man during the Xing dynasty. From the outside the place looks small and average but inside it’s actually very big and looks very luxurious. They had their own Buddha worshiping hall inside the house so they wouldn’t have to travel to a temple. They were many fancy handicrafts in the residence. Hu Xueyan had 12 wives and lots of children. There was even a fire wall to prevent any fires from spreading.
Afterwards we went to Hefang Street where we shopped around and had a great time. Some ambassadors had a photo shoot with most of the Asian tourists. We then went to the Leifang Pagoda to see the amazing sights on the top of the tower. That was pretty much all our day, which was the longest day in our opinion. We’re exhausted, so we’re going to relax now. Goodbye everyone and have a great rest of your day!
~Justin Jones-Felder & Gabriel Wilson
