Wednesday,
March 11, 2015:
Tiger Hill Pagoda is my favorite
part of the trip so far! Seeing the
park, the stones, the trees, and the water reassured me that what I expected of
China environmentally was applicable somewhere.
After seeing all of the skyscrapers and not much green in Beijing,
Suzhou was completely refreshing. I
could spend an entire day exploring that place, especially since there was an
adorable cat there. On a more serious
note, it was interesting to see a foundation built in the 1600s with a half
soil and half rock foundation. I am
impressed that it is still standing, but the area is gorgeous. The canal tour afterwards even further
explained why Suzhou is known as “the Venice of China.” I saw real houses for the first time and
people doing their laundry outside. I
also saw a poor part of China and a few homeless people. I could tell that I was seeing a real,
genuine part of China due to seeing how both the rich and poor lived as well as
the new and old parts of the city. I
feel like in Beijing, since the city is so developed, it is harder to see what
the majority of the locals live like. I
could honestly see myself living in Suzhou.
The
Silk Factory tour was cool because we got to learn how silk worms produce the
soft material people like to wear, feel, and even just look at. Apparently there used to be a room full of
live worms eating mulberry leaves and spinning cocoons but they were replaced
by models in 2009. I wanted to buy a
silk scarf, but they were expensive and I figured I would have another chance
to buy a cheaper one. I saw more cats
while eating KFC and loved Suzhou even more!
The KFC was pretty much the same tasting as American KFC except for the
sauce that was on my sandwich. I tasted
Sijia’s spicy chicken sandwich and tasted no difference besides the softer,
unprocessed meat. The egg tart, however,
was completely new to me! I have been
slowly noticing that the kind of sweet flavor Chinese people enjoy is different
from the sugary, chocolate sweetness that is promoted in America.
The
AMD visit was informative. We got to
tour their quality and analysis centers, but I felt the Q&A at the end was
the most educational part. I found it
useful to hear about the financial stresses the company has, because it reminds
me that business is a constant struggle and it is important for employees to
know how to work their way out of tough situations. The man also talked about how AMD chose
Suzhou as a location because of issues with turnover as well as how difficult
the market is becoming. When the VP
talked about how convenient and smart it is for start-ups to happen in China,
he really grabbed my attention. He
explained how the market was larger and how the government helps start-ups
unlike the United States government, and if I ever have a brilliant idea I will
definitely keep China open as a location.
After we returned to the hotel I had
the chance to explore the little street market area a few blocks away, and I
watched Amy and Peiyu eat chicken foot, which was gross! I myself got spring
rolls and chocolate milk tea. I loved
the chocolate milk tea so much—I hope I can find it somewhere else! It tasted like chocolate milk, but it also
had a soothing effect that tea tends to have.
It was handmade on the spot when Hewen ordered it for me and I am
worried that I will never taste something so homemade and perfect again. We also had karaoke tonight, which was a
blast. The KTV building was ginormous;
there were probably hundreds of rooms! I
wonder why the place is so big. Is
karaoke such a huge deal in Suzhou or all of China, and why?
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