Just another weekend IN CHINA

So you step outside and look out, think to yourself, “Is it going to rain?,” and then you decide to move on in your daily life and ignore mother nature. Bad Idea! As a general rule, when you are in Yiwu, China in June, IT IS GOING TO RAIN, so take an umbrella and have some waterproof shoes, because at some point the sky will open up. Just a warning for those of you thinking about traveling to China.

This past weekend we went on an “excursion” to different parts of Yiwu. We started by visiting the Dongyang Woodcarving City, a building located near the Yiwu International Market. There were some very intricate pieces created by very talented artists. Along with the wood there were many pieces made from an old style of art, which uses bamboo. These sculptures and pictures are made with hair-like strands of the plant, and its woven together to make a solid, beautiful piece. This art form is fading out however, due to the diminishing number of artists with knowledge of the style.

Next on the trip was the Zhejiang Hengdian World Studios, where they film many movies and shoot thousands of scenes, such as Jet Li’s ‘Hero’ motion picture. The landscape was amazing, and the buildings very intricate, a very cool place to visit while in the area. This is a sort of tourist attraction, so on one portion of the land there was an entertainment sector which we visited. Our hosts were insistent on us viewing some of the live acts they hold, and we weren’t about to pass up the opportunity. We started with a skit on the history of China, and with colorful suits and loud bangs with confetti, it really reminded me a lot of the Power Rangers! Next, we watched an amazing acrobat show, consisting of jugglers, dancers, gymnasts, and a finale I will not soon forget. Finally, we watched an old tradition of a lady on a balcony who would throw a ball out to the crowd, and whoever was to catch it would wed her. Oddly enough Peter from our group, a very tall guy who was treated with paparazzi wherever he went due to his build and ethnicity, caught the ball, and was summoned to the balcony to speak and sing, hilarious I must add.

This week I will be an intern at Lang Sha, the world’s largest hosiery manufacturer. I do not know yet what tasks I will be up to, but it will be quite the experience to work for such a large, successful business.