SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER, 2017 – UWI TODAY
13
TRAVELS
The group of 13 left Trinidad with such great anticipation
of the visit to China that the 13 ½ hour flight seemed
inconsequential. A warm welcome from Ms. Ayesha
Wharton, Charge d’Affairs of the Embassy of Trinidad
and Tobago and Mr. Nolan Holder, the Financial Attaché
greeted us in Beijing. They guided us through the processes,
important cultural practices, and provided a survival
package complete with pollution masks. On the journey
to the Jianguo Hotel, we got our first images of the City
with its architectural projections reaching for the sky and
dominating the landscape.
The following day we were given a lecture on China,
its economy and culture, by Professor Jiang Shixue at the
Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago, and then we hit the sight-
seeing road to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
We passed through several squares where senior citizens
played card games, sang, danced and exercised – and we
joined some of them. As the tour proceeded, we were
surprised to find ourselves instant celebrities (some more
than others) with a stream of requests to pose for pictures.
It was difficult to cope with the demands of stardom!
On the second day we visited the Ming tombs and the
Jade Emporium where the process of manufacturing items
from jade was explained. After jade shopping and lunch,
we went to the Great Wall of China. This was an experience
beyond imagination; the climb, the view, the engineering
feat were all mind-boggling. Tired and enthralled the group
went off for the carnivores’ high point: Beijing roast duck
which was viewed in various stages of preparation before it
became a culinary delight.
Day Three’s activities began with a visit to the Temple
of Heaven and the Silk Emporium. We saw the processing
of silk from the silk worm and we emerged financially
weakened, but enriched by our silken acquisitions, including
pillows which guaranteed silky sleep. The next stop was the
Huton Houhai, where we were taken by rickshaw to lunch
in a traditional home. After lunch was a snap visit to the 798
Modern Art Centre, then we were hosted by the Caricom
Caucus of Missions in China at the home of its Coordinator,
Ambassador for Guyana, Mr. Bayney Karran. There we met
the Ambassadors for Suriname, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica
and staff from the embassy for Trinidad and Tobago.
The next morning was spent at the Old Summer Palace,
and after lunch we visited the Olympic Park and Water
Cube which are further examples of Chinese architectural
creativity. For dinner, it was the Hot Pot experience which
Discovering China
B Y R I T A P E M B E R T O N
The ‘UWI DISCOVERS’
series of international study tours
is one of the University’s strategic activities for contributing
to the enhanced competitiveness of our Caribbean.
These immersive experiences provide an opportunity for
academic, cultural, social, political and economic exposure
to some of the world’s most rapidly advancing countries.
Each study tour is designed to foster critical thinking and
increase awareness through a series of carefully arranged
and academically guided activities. Many participants have
commented about the transformational impact of their
experiences.
The series started in 2012 and groups have visited Brazil,
India, Cuba, South Africa and now, China.
UWI DISCOVERS
is open to students, staff and faculty of The UWI (all
campuses) as well as students and staff of all regional
higher education institutions. Alumni of The UWI as well as
members of the public who are active in fields related to
the study tour theme are also welcome to apply.
For further information
on
The UWI DISCOVERS
and
our upcoming 2018 tours, please contact Afiya Francis at
+1-868-662-2002 ext. 84280, +1-868-224-3707 or email
we all relished. The Sunday shopping day was mostly spent
at the nearby Silk Market Mall.
After an early-morning flight to Chengdu, we checked
into the laps of luxury at the Tibet Hotel with its extensive
breakfast buffet and daily choice of scented, health and
personalized pillows.
We visited the Sanxindui ruins and museum and then
an outdoor tea house where we had a lecture on its history
and culture. Next was a visit to the Dujiangyan irrigation
systemwhere we had the novel, and for some, nerve-racking,
experience of crossing a swing bridge, and the Qingcheng
Mountain. Then we went to Jinli Street for a Sichuan meal
for which this province is famed and later we saw a changing
face performance at the Chengdu Opera house.
Day Nine was full of wonder as we were introduced
to the panda world. At the sprawling Panda Base we saw
pandas at breakfast, baby pandas in their neonatal unit,
panda cubs in sibling revelry that got tense at points, adult
pandas, some of which posed for pictures, the red pandas
and the nursery for the giant pandas. Then we walked along
Kuanzhaqangzi Cultural Street for a spot of shopping and
for the more daring, a taste of exotic Chinese preparations.
We had a city tour of Guilin, which was followed by a
three-hour cruise down the Lijiang River, with its variety
of landscapes that was unforgettable. While the rain
prevented a close visit to Elephant Trunk Hill, the visit to
the enchanting Reed Flute Cave with its fascinating stalactite
and stalagmite formations and dramatic lighting system,
was a journey into a world of fantasy.
We sped to Shenzhen on the Bullet, the speedy train that
cut the journey to three hours, and spent some time hearing
about the development of the city and visiting amuseum. On
the last day of the tour we visited the impressive Southern
University of Technology, and a city tour, a visit to the park
and shopping, mainly for electronics, followed.
It was a valuable learning experience, much knowledge
of the history of China was quickly acquired from the
expert professors with supplementary information from
the professional tour guides, the distinctions and cultural
variations between the different provinces were understood
and Chinese respect for their history and heritage were
admired. Most impressive were the facilities provided
for senior citizens, the respect shown to them and their
recreational space and the strong culture of outdoor activity
in which members of this group happily participated.
Then satiated, tired, penniless, and overloaded with
shopping acquisitions, the group ambled home with fond
memories of the Great Wall, luxurious hotels, pandas, the
river cruise, pearls and jade and their short-lived celebrity
status toNew Jersey and the cramped flight back to Trinidad.
