Trip to Xi'an

Earlier last week, a few of us decided that we wanted to travel, and we quickly decided on Xi’an as our destination. We didn’t really know too much about the city, except it’s claim to fame as the home of the famous Terracotta Army.  So this trip basically had two phases: the long train rides there and back, and our time exploring n Xi’an.

This was our first time booking a trip on our own, so we were still a little bit unaware of the train situation. We ended up with a nice even number of 10 on the trip, which ended up working really well on the train.  Initially split up in random seats, I was able to befriend a Chinese dude and get him and his buds to switch with the rest of us, so we could all sit by each other.

There are a few things that are different about trains in China than in America.  First off, there are two different types of trains: high-speed and regular. High-speed trains are much nicer, cleaner, more spacious, about 2-3 times faster than regular trains, but also more expensive.  On the other hand, regular trains are more cost-effective, but much less enjoyable. One cool thing about regular trains is that you can choose 1 of 4 types of tickets: soft sleeper (nice beds and own cabin), hard sleeper (decent cots), a normal seat, or standing. Yeah…that’s right, standing.  

So both of these train rides were…how should I say this…an experience.  We got regular seats on a regular train, so we were in the lowest class of transportation possible, what we now fondly call “the cattle car”. We really didn’t understand what we got ourselves into until the first night on the train. It was kind of like we stepped inside a crowded, sketchy alleyway, and got stuck in it for 20 hours.

During the evening we played games and watched movies, and had a crowd of Chinese standing ticket owners – or standers - around us at all times. We were basically the equivalent of onboard entertainment for the passengers. We were the only foreigners on the whole train, and legitimately would have at least 5 Chinese people staring at us constantly. I honestly did not think I was that intriguing, but apparently on Chinese trains I am ridiculously interesting. If we were writing on our computer, they would be reading it.  Or if we were playing a game, they would stop and watch.  A guy walking past even picked up a card off of one of my friend’s laps without saying anything, looked at it, looked at all of us, and set it back down. I honestly had a guy try resting his butt on my shoulder while trying to block off my view of our showing of “Mean Girls”; safe to say I was not too pleased. Overall there’s definitely a different set of socially acceptable actions over here, which I’m not going to get into for the sake of keeping this blog short.

Hot, sticky, smelly, loud, smoky (because you can smoke cigarettes freely), and just all around uncomfortable, we got minimal sleep at night. Standers slept on the ground, in the sink, against walls, basically anywhere there was an open inch. Standers would snag an open seat faster than you could even notice, and then you would have to play the awkward ummmm-that’s-my-seat game and send ‘em back to the floor.  There was a nice wake up at 5 AM though, when the soup and mystery meat lady would haul down the aisle belting it out that spicy, salty breakfast was served.  Whenever a window was opened, it was amazingly refreshing to get the stench oozing from the squatting toilet room out of the air.

Finally, after rides of 20 and 24 hours respectively each way, we were ecstatic to get off the train. We definitely saw a different side of China that we hadn’t really spent a whole lot of time with before.  In summary, we survived, and it was an eye opening experience…but never again.

 We went crazy with the Ramen noodles.

Americans: pure entertainment.

 Probably the least crowded the train was on the entire trip

 Now to the fun part: the city of Xi’an. Unfortunately, we only had a short time in Xi’an, but we were able to see a lot. Before I got to the city, I knew absolutely nothing about it. As it turns out Xi’an is actually a city of about 9 million people, and is not solely a tourist destination for the terracotta army, because the army was only discovered in the 1970’s. Right away, we went to check out the army, which is actually about 45 minutes out of the city.  When we walked into the first, and largest pit, it was like stepping inside of a national geographic show. All lined up and standing tall, they were quite the sight to behold. Since the excavation of many of the warriors is still in progress, there were some without heads, missing arms, and some that were still completely rubble. Overall, it was super cool to see in real life.

Some of my favorite pictures of the Terracotta Army:

At night, we were all pretty tired, but because our hostile was so centrally located we decided to walk to the town center. The bell tower we visited was literally in the middle of the 4 main roads in Xi’an, with a 5-lane roundabout circling it. After we checked that out, we did some more sight seeing and shopping around town.

The next morning, we were able to do something has been one of my favorite things in China so far. Since Xi’an is a very ancient city, there is a 40-foot rectangular wall around the main part of the city. This 14 kilometer long wall is flat on the top, and the city rents out bicycles for people to ride on top. When we walked up to the rental, Mike and I saw that they had tandem bicycles, so of course we got one of those. So we rode around the wall, which even had some ramps and made for a very interesting ride on a tandem bike.  Overall the time spent in Xi’an was awesome, but there’s no way I’m ever taking a 24-hour train ride in a cattle car again.

Here's some pictures of our ride on the wall:

I’m currently on a high-speed train (thank God) headed to Beijing for our mid-semester break. I’ll be sure to give some updates on this next trip sometime soon! 

Wild Week

Well this week was insanely hectic. We had our first Thermo test on Thursday (after only 5 lectures) so basically all free time I had this week was put towards studying. However, we did do a few really cool things this week. On Tuesday afternoon our group was invited to go to Shanghai for a reception of a new UW opening in Shanghai. A bunch of us thought it sounded like a cool idea, so we all packed up after class, took the high-speed train to Shanghai, navigated the subway and made it to the event. Not really knowing what to expect, I dressed in a shirt and tie. Good thing I did, because the reception turned out to be on the 64^th floor of a skyscraper in downtown, with two entire floors rented out just for the UW event. We were also warned to pack snacks because food might not be provided, but I ended up getting thirds on the buffet line that included some of the most delicious food I’ve had in China. I also heard something from a friend that I never expected I’d hear on my trip, “Awww man, they just ran out of crème brulee”.  Mingling with business owners, deans of UW colleges, the chancellor David Ward, and other important people at UW for the night was an incredible experience. It was especially cool, because it was one that I never would have expected to have on this trip, being 7000 some miles from home.

 The view from the UW event. 

 The group of us that rode to Shanghai for the day, along with Professor Pfotenhauer and Chancellor David Ward.

Kings of Chinese public transit. Dramatically got separated from the rest of the group when the automated doors shut in the middle of our group while boarding. 

As a part of this study abroad program we have partnerships with various companies in Hangzhou, so our group can take industry visits and check out what it would be like to be an engineer in China.  Yesterday we visited Runpaq, a heating & cooling company that serves about 50% of the market in China. We toured the facility, saw some of their devices, and were given a presentation about their work. It was pretty interesting, but the real fun came after the visit. Earlier this week our professor told us that they had challenged us to a basketball game at the local Zhejiang campus. Not thinking much of it, 6 of us brought some athletic shorts and sneakers to the visit. We eventually made it to the courts thinking it would be a friendly pick up game, but what we saw was a little bit different. They had a team of about 15 guys, all wearing custom made jerseys, with about another 20 spectators to watch the matchup. The team we assembled included a guy who had never played basketball in his life, and another guy wearing cargo shorts. We were definitely less prepared for what came next, a legitimate basketball game, including 2 refs (one was a recently injured friend, Mike) and 4-twelve minute quarters. Once the game started, it was tons of fun. They were far more skilled than any other Chinese players we had faced before. They were quick, scrappy and surprisingly physical, but we had one big advantage: size. I was our point guard for most of the game, and I would have been the tallest player on their team. In the end, we outmuscled the Runpaq team 39-26, but it was a really cool experience. They were all really nice guys, and we could tell they loved having the chance to play against Americans. While I was off the court for a few minutes I was able to snap some pictures of the game.

 Fernando shooting a free throw.

 You can see the size advantage we had pretty well here. Jamen (shooting) is a good 5 inches above everyone else. 

Postgame picture with the Runpaq team and the ref's. Team America came out victorious. 

The group of people in China with me is really awesome. Basically everyone gets along, and everybody really likes to explore and have a good time.  There’s 21 of us taking Thermo and EPD, with another 3 ChemE students doing research, and everyone is really cool. We're starting to get past the "freshman pack" stage, where everyone hangs out with everyone all the time, and beginning to break into smaller groups. Even though cliques are forming, I still love hanging out with everyone here. It's a very diverse and interesting group of people, and I'm finding more and more about everyone with each passing day. Here's a full group photo (minus Jack):

 Well, that's enough writing for this morning, thanks for reading! Keep stopping by for more updates!

Long Weekends

One of the awesome perks about this study abroad program is that we only have class 8-12, and from Monday to Thursday. With only 4 day weeks, that allows us to travel and do lots of stuff on the weekends. This past Thursday, we went to Wuzhen (which I just realized I posted a picture of in my last post, but didn't really explain). So, as I said in the caption, Wuzhen is a city built on canals, similarly to Venice. Everyone with the UW program (27 of us, including professors) took the 2 hour bus ride out there, and got to spend the entire day touring the city. The city was really unique, we were given a tour that sent us all around. At times, the city seemed fake, almost Disney-world-like. I honestly thought it wasn't real for a while, but then I would see a lady hanging laundry, or a guy through the window kicking back and watching tv. At night, the city was especially cool with all of the buildings along the canals illuminated. Here's a few pictures from my trip to Wuzhen:

 Some houses along one of the canals. 

A worker asleep in one of the boats on the canal. Really cool to ride in one of these at night.

I alluded to the mountain behind the campus in an earlier posts, and today, Cooper, Ben and I hiked up it to take some pictures. Even though we went in the morning, the heat and humidity still got the best of us. Besides a drenched shirt, the hike was really enjoyable. In total the hike is a about 720 steps carved into the side of the mountain. It's actually the most popular form of exercise for us to run up the stairs of the mountain, I did it a few times this past week. Before we went this morning, we thought it was pretty clear, but it turned out to be a classic China day - foggy and hazy. 


For the first time since 8th grade, basketball is a big part of my daily life again. I play just about daily now, 4 on 4 pick up games with UW guys and Chinese students. The Chinese students, and just Chinese people in general, LOVE basketball and the NBA. By far the favorite team around here is the LA Lakers, and the favorite player is definitely Kobe Bryant. I guy I talked to today was actually really upset that the Lakers are out of the playoffs.  I’d probably say that they care more about the NBA on average than the average American person, which is really surprising, and a little funny. I can have a better conversation with a Chinese student about an American league, than I can an American. Another interesting thing about their infatuation with the NBA is that is the style of basketball they play. Us Wisconsin kids can do pretty well against them because of our size advantage, but the Chinese players are so good at ball handling, one on one and jump shooting it’s ridiculous. They legitimately play NBA style pick up basketball, which includes minimal passing and no rebounding. Not only do they play a different style, but they wear one too.  Yesterday a guy wearing two polo shirts, with popped collars, khaki’s, and flip-flops schooled the crap out of me one on one.  I honestly don’t get it, I looked like a fool.

Life in Hangzhou

Hey everyone!

I know it's been a while since I've updated, but it's been a really busy week. To catch up on my life a little bit here, I officially moved in to my room last Saturday.  We were given single rooms in the International student dorm, which is really neat place to live. It's a really similar set up to freshman year all over again, with a hallway of a bunch of Wisconsin guys. On a daily basis we get to interact with people from America (NC St., Michigan St., etc.) but also students from around the world (Austrailia, Spain etc.). The local students here have been really friendly and helpful, showing us where to eat, giving us tips and helping us settle in. People in general are really excited to talk with an American to practice their english and just get to know us. We started classes on Monday, and we've been having a ton of homework for our Thermodynamics class.  Besides the homework, everything is going great!

Hangzhou is an amazingly gorgeous city! I had always read online that it was one of the most beautiful in China, but it is honestly something else. The campus I'm living on (Yuquan campus of Zhejiang University) is situated at the bottom of a mountain and about a 15 minute walk from the West Lake area. It is ridiculously beautiful here. Even campus is far more scenic than I would have expected. All of the roads are lined with trees, providing a natural canopy when walking around. This is becoming more and more crucial because it's really starting to heat up here. The first few days were in the high 70's, sweatshirt weather for the locals. But now the temperature is creeping up higher and higher, and tomorrow it's supposed to 94. Not only is the temperature high, but what's deceiving about Hangzhou is how humid it is.  Because of the surroundings, the huge West Lake, and the natural climate for a city of this latitude (same as Jacksonville, FL) the humidity is extreme every day. It's rare for me to walk back into my dorm room and find a dry room.

The food around here has taken a bit of time to get used to. Let's just say appreciate Americanized Chinese food, because it is not the same at all.

Besides doing homework all the time, I have found some time to explore the area. On the way over to Hangzhou, we met at the airport in Shanghai, and a group of us opted to take the maglev train to the airport. Now, this is a little bit nerdier of me, but this was amazing. I studied high speed rail systems for an engineering class earlier at UW, and finally riding a maglev was amazing. A quick explanation of a maglev train is that it is levitated off of the track by magnets, and then shot down the track. The ride was so smooth, quick and amazing. We reached a top speed of about 300 km/hr (186 mph), and it barely felt like we were travelling at all.

Another awesome exploration was running to the peak of the mountain right behind campus. Before I came here I thought Hangzhou would be a medium sized city. Which it definitely is for China standards, not American. Hangzhou is actually the size of Chicago, and once I was on top of the mountain, I realized it. The city goes on for miles and miles, with huge buildings everywhere.

Man, there's just so much to talk about, but I can't do it all in one sitting. So I'll end it here for today, but get back to it tomorrow. Here's some pictures of the trip so far.

West Lake, amazingly beautiful.

 Our international dorm building. 

 Wuzhen, the Venice of the East, at night. 

Our classroom. Chinese desks don't work too well with long American legs.