Day two began with a great start. We first went to the 798 Art District and got a real taste of the Beijing artist scene. Traditional Chinese art might be the first thing that pops into your head when I say that, but most of it was modern art. Wang Ning, a Chinese native who works for the Business Department at UNA, and I tried to interpret some of the work, making us feel like professional art critics, if only for a moment. Next we visited the massive Olympic Park that was constructed for the 2008 Olympics. After that, we visited the Beijing branch of the Creative Artist Agency and spoke to some really interesting people about China’s relationship with business media. Then we went to a hutong, which is an “old town” that still has traditional buildings, like the tile roofs that might pop into your head when you think of “Chinese architecture”. We also rode rickshaws around the hutong. A rickshaw is like a bike with a big seat in the back so the driver can carry around one or two people. It was a lot more fun than I expected it to be! The hutong was bustling with people, foreign tourists, older locals playing traditional instruments, and Chinese tourists, some of whom were taking pictures with us and of us. And finally we went to a Kung Fu show, which was surprisingly good! I found myself forgetting the more traditional aspects of China, like Kung Fu, after spending so much time around the neon skyscrapers and modern pop culture. Overall, it was another incredible day. I will be surprised if tomorrow can top today.

Colton McCormick

Colton McCormick, from Savannah, Tennessee has just finished his freshman year. He hopes his Study Abroad experience may help solidify his interest and help him in declaring a major. Before entering UNA, he has been to England, France and Italy, but has always wanted to travel to China. Follow his adventure.

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