Marie's Birthday

Today was Marie's birthday and we celebrated by going to a Uygur Restaurant for dinner and having a delicious cake. We have had many birthday's in the group over the last four months but Marie's is the last! It is unfortunate for those whose birthdays fall outside our time in China as it is a great place to celebrate. Due to the unique environment – not the nightlife!

local kindergarten class

This morning we had a visit from a local kindergarten class in our Comprehensive Chinese class. We told the children where we are from and our names in Chinese, we also taught them how to say "hello" in our own language. They sung a song for us and recited a poem.

Shui Che Yuan Primary School Visit

We visited a local Lanzhou Primary School, Shui Che Yuan. The School has 2,200 students and they study English from a young age. I spoke to a 7 year old who had excellent English skills. Some students performed for us and we then played some games with them. This school is very different from the rural one we visited, it was very well resourced.

My Birthday!

Today is my birthday and its the 3rd time in the last 4 years I have spent it abroad. It has been a really good day. I first treated myself to extra time in bed - the only problem being that the hot water is cut off at 9am :( We went for lunch at a western cafe just outside the University - I had a burger and it was amasing!!! Then a group of us went to my favourite restaurant in Lanzhou - the Japanese place! I must go there about once a week, but it's really good. After dinner Marcia, Team Extreme (the 3 Japanese) and myself went to a Karaoke place, I really am a terrible singer!

It was a Japanese style birthday in China :)

I do love burgers!

Cutting the cake whilst wearing all my gifts

Me and the girls

As if I don't already know what I'm going to order!

Me with my cake-for-one sent from Scotland :)

First Hospital of Lanzhou University

This afternoon we visited the First Hospital of Lanzhou University. The Hospital has an 23-storey inpatient building with over 800 beds and 18 operating rooms. The Hospital first opened in 1948 as the Medicine College of Lanzhou University. A lot of the equipment in the hospital comes from the U.S. The key areas of this hospital are cardiovascular surgery, blood diagnosis, general surgery, and obstetrics. Gansu has a high incidence rate of Congenital Heart Disease (nearly 8%) and since 1998 medical teams from other countries have been sent by an international charitable organization, Children's Heartlink, to work with the Cardiovascular Surgery Department. While visiting the hospital we met a 3 year-old who is due to leave the hospital tomorrow after a heart operation.

Some of the machines bought from the United States

Test day!

This morning we had our second test in our Elementary Chinese class. The quiz after our first five lessons was a lot easier! Although some of us struggle with the Chinese characters and pronunciation, we have definitely made some progress. For some reason most people in the class already knew most of the expressions for shopping before we came to that lesson. Unfortunately our final exam in a couple of weeks probably won't focus on how to ask for a discount!

Chinese cooking 101

Today a group of us went to another campus for a cooking class. We learnt how to make a beef dish, a tomato and egg dish, and most importantly, noodles. It was interesting to see what goes into the food that we eat everyday. The cookers use coal and I imagine this doesn’t help with the air pollution problem.

The venue for our master class

Remember - Don't ask what it is!

Scott showing us how it's done

Cleaning the Wok after each dish

Me showing people how not to do it

Noodle making

The best thing about cooking - the tasting!

Gansu Agricultural University

This afternoon we visited the Gansu Agricultural University, which is located on the banks of the Yellow River in Anning District, Lanzhou City. This is the only Agricultural University in Gansu Province and has over 11,000 undergrad and 1500 post-grad students. The University has set up a number of exchanges, in particular with American universities.

It reminded me of Stirling University as it is set in a really nice campus. There were a lot of people playing sports including table tennis, badminton and football. It was also the first time we have been able to walk on grass in Lanzhou.

One of the labs

A lot of work is done with plants - thats as much as my brain would take in!

One of the outdoor badminton courts

City break to Xi'an

This weekend 13 of us from the group decided to take a trip to Xi'an, Shannxi Province. Called Chang'an in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization and 13 dynasties such as Western Zhou (11th century BC - 771 BC), Qin (221 BC - 206 BC), Western Han (206 BC - 24 AD) and Tang (618 - 907) placed their capitals here. Many tourists travel to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors that were unearthed after a group of peasants found some pottery while digging for a well near the royal tomb of Qin Shi Huang in 1974. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang had already begun to work on his mausoleum (which took 11 years to finish). Today the museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. Seeing the warriors was definitely top of our list of things to do in Xi'an.

We took the overnight train from Lanzhou on Friday night and arrived in Xi'an on Saturday morning. After checking in we all went our separate ways for breakfast. I'd like to say that I resisted the temptation to go to Starbucks.........but I didn't! We then took a bus to see the Terracotta Warriors. Unforfuntally Pit 2 was closed as work was being done to the roof. Pit 1 was worth the visit alone as it is very impressive. At first I thought that making the warriors was probably not the best use of time and money however, with the number of tourists who visit they have probably paid for themselves already.

Afterwards we visited the Huaqing Hot Springs. These Springs were a popular retreat with Emperors more than 2,500 years ago. The legend says that in the Qing Dynasty Emperor Xuan Zong fell in love with an ordinary girl, Yang Guifei, after whom the Springs are named in honour of her beauty. Xi'an also has a large Muslim area with many excellent restaurants and a very good market. The next day I visited the local market for some shopping. Visiting when there are less tourists made it easier to get better prices than normal. As soon as you started to walk away from a deal the price fell rapidly. The train back was a little cramped but you can't really complain when it costs $12 to travel 9 hours. Fortunately most of us were so tired that we slept all the way home.

Pit 1

The Huaqing Hot Springs

The Muslim market

Pit 1 warriors

Xi'an: Where East meets West

mmmm.......

The beds on the train weren't the biggest.

Bringing the East to Starbucks

Welcome to Fife

Today was my chance to present information on Fife. I focused on the economy and the many benefits that Fife can offer businesses. I also gave out some demographic information as it is interesting to compare our different countries. I also showed a short DVD about Fife and it reminded me just how beautiful Fife is. Everyone commented on how great Fife looked and how they wanted to visit - I think my spare room will be busy next year!

People are interested in how the Scottish Parliament works

I covered the economic opportunities for Fife

Practice, practice, practice

Geely Car Company and Rural Primary School Visit, Zhong Chuan County

Today we visited a manufacturing plant of the Geely car company. The plant can make 30 per day and they are for export only. The main markets for these cars are Central Asia and Eastern Europe. There is space for the plant to expand production within the current building and there is also land nearby for new buildings. They chose this location in Gansu as it is near the airport and their main export markets. Geely have larger facilities in the South of China.

One of the cars in the Geely range

After lunch we visited a rural school and it was a fantastic experience. There are over 230 kids at the school however it's poorly resourced. The kids were great and they seemed very keen to learn. We visited some classes and spoke to their teachers. We are going to collect money to buy books and pencils for all the children as well as some footballs.

One of the classrooms

Quiz time children!

Hard working kids

Gansu Investment & Trade Promotion Bureau

Today we met with the Gansu Investment & Trade Promotion Bureau. It was a good opportunity to find our more about the Gansu economy. Zhang Shien the Director-General spoke excellent English and will be a useful contact for companies looking for more information about the Gansu economy. He confirmed that the Gansu economy is based around natural resources with companies like JISCO & JNMC major employers. The majority of large companies are state owned.

Local Theatre

This evening we attended a local theatre in Lanzhou and the acrobatics were very impressive. Some performances were very beautiful and once again the 'Dance of the Thousand Buddha Hands' stole the show. The show was free to enter as the local government was keen to promote local culture during the 17th National meeting of the Communist Party.

Halloween

We threw a Halloween party at a local Karaoke bar and everyone dressed up. We were all put to shame by the effort that the Japanese contingent put into their costumes. Tatsuji shaved his head! I hope his wife doesn’t ask why he is wearing a hat in all pictures for the next month!

Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute

This afternoon we visited the Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute (GNERI). This Institute was established in 1978 and is mainly involved in the study and development of solar heating and energy-saving techniques. There are a number of buildings demonstrating solar technology. The Institute has invited many foreign experts to study at its facilities.

Beijing

I have come back from spending a few days in Beijing. It was very interesting to see the contrast between Lanzhou and Beijing; it’s like a different country. Some of the obvious differences are the higher proportion of private cars on the streets and the presence of Western brands. I must confess that one of the first things I did when I arrived in Beijing was go to Starbucks. I’m not proud of it but that hot chocolate tasted so good! It was also the first time I have had milk in two months. Another thing that I noted straight away was the higher number of foreigners; I was no longer drawing quizzical stares (well no more than I do back home). A lot of people speak English here so it is a lot easier to communicate although I did use my Chinese as much as possible.

When in Beijing I met with a number of people and that really helped expand my knowledge of China. In particular my meetings with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the China British Business Council (CBBC) helped to develop my understanding of the business environment in China. It seems clear after speaking to them that China has to be considered a global region in it’s own right as there is such a vast difference between different parts of the country (none more so than Lanzhou and Beijing). The CBBC works very closely with UKTI and they have a network of offices through-out the country that can offer support to British businesses thinking about the Chinese market.

Beijing also has a rich cultural heritage and it is easy to see why there are so many tourists. The Forbidden City is the ultimate symbol of power, a city within a city only to be enjoyed by the privileged few (and their servants). Tiananmen Square, the largest of its kind in the world, has an interesting history. There is a large number of tourist and shopping spots in Beijing however after spending 2 months in Gansu I feel it’s million miles away from the lives of the vast majority of Chinese. I think people who come to China and only see Beijing or Shanghai don’t even scratch the surface of a country as vast and diverse as China.

Local Middle school

Three of the other delegates have started teaching a few English classes at one of the local Middle schools. Today I went along and to help Erika from Hungry as she was teaching a class about the UK. I told them all about famous Scottish things like Kilts, Haggis and the Loch Ness monster. Some of them didn’t believe that Nessie existed, they were soon corrected! Their knowledge about of the UK was impressive and they knew all about Harry Potter and JK Rowling – I guess that’s why she’s a Billionaire!

Dumpling making

I am a big fan of dumplings and this morning we visited another campus and learnt how to make them. Like Tai Chi, making dumplings is a lot harder than it looks. We all had fun, but since it took us over 2 hours to make them, and we usually pay less than 40p for 8 delicious dumplings from the student canteen, I don't think I'll be making anymore dumplings anytime soon!

I think that one of the strangest things about returning home will be the cost of food. Here I feel ripped of if I pay more than 50p for lunch (including a bottle of Sprite). However, not all food here is cheap. If you go out for dinner in a foreign restaurant dinner will cost around a massive £2!!

The start of our dumpling production line

The dumpling frying machine

Tai Chi

We have started a Tai Chi class on Thursdays. When we see others doing Tai Chi their movements look very graceful. Ours do not. Tai Chi seems to be one of those things that looks easy to do, but isn't. Although for some reason we all seem to pick up the Kung Fu moves a lot easier! I have actually been really impressed with the attitude towards exercise here. In the mornings there are many people out doing Tai Chi, playing badminton, running and walking. I have seen a lot of people playing a game of table tennis in their suits on the way back from the office. It seems to be that everyone, no matter how young or old, exercises. School children also do compulsory exercises in the morning.

Baiyin Technology Park

Today we visited the Baiyin Technology Park in Baiyin City. Baiyin is located approx 80 km north of Lanzhou. The park is in the early stages however the local officials have high hopes for it.

The fountain display in the centre of Baiyin

Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

This weekend we went on another road trip. This time we headed south to Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. On Saturday night we visited the Grassland area near our hotel. This area is absolutely amazing. The scenery is world-class and the people are very open and friendly. I rode a horse for the first time in the evening we were entertained with local dances whilst we ate dinner. The next morning we visited Labrang Lamasery. This is one of the six major monasteries belonging to the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was erected in 1709 and is also the largest institute higher learning of Tibetan Buddhism.

However, my image of the monks leading secluded lives was shattered when one of the young monks (aged about 8) came over to me pointed at the AC Milan top I was wearing and said “I think Kaka is over-rated”.

A rather ridiculous tea pot