From Guilin to Hong Kong: Shannon's Blog!

From Guilin to Hong Kong


 It’s hard to believe that two weeks have nearly passed and our study tour trip is coming to a close. In a matter of days, we’ve braved the steps up Huangshan, sat in the seats of students in Shanghai, and cruised along the Li River in awe of breathtaking sights. Today, we spent our final moments in China in the city of Hong Kong.

 In the first Opium War of 1842, China’s defeat came with the cost of giving Hong Kong to Great Britain. It appeared to be an empty island at first with little use. However, as time passed and the economy developed, Hong Kong earned its name of “Good-smelling Harbor.” Merchants came from far and wide to trade with Hong Kong for Chinese goods and were amazed by the pleasant aroma of incense and spices that greeted them, thus giving the island the name, “Hong Kong.” In the original treaty of the war, Britain had promised to return Hong Kong to China in 99 years. At last, in 1997, Hong Kong was returned to China. However, the government of China understood that the people of Hong Kong had long been converted to British rule and agreed to give them a grace period of 50 years before joining the rest of mainland China in unification. Therefore, presently, there is still evidence of Britain’s culture and laws in Hong Kong.

For example, like the British, the people of Hong Kong have their driver’s seats on the right of the car and drive on the left side of the street. Even the majority of the buffet spread at our hotel this morning was composed of British cuisine! Hong Kong is also extremely populated considering the small size of its island, making living space not only dense, but eye-bogglingly expensive. Presently, the average apartment costs 4 million Hong Kong dollars, and several families or generations in a family will live together in order to save money even with the restrictive space. As a result, products in Hong Kong are also really costly, and only billionaires can afford truly fancy homes or penthouses.

 With this in mind, we arrived at a temple connected by the sea. As it is an island, Hong Kong is surrounded by beautiful beaches and tall mountains. After worshipping at the temple, we walked along the beach and enjoyed the sight of the sun shining above the clear blue water. Not long after, we found ourselves on a water taxi, in which we were brought around the river to observe the bustling harbor. Every day, the fishermen of Hong Kong have an hour at dawn to sail out to fish in the South China Sea in order to return to the market with their catches and sell fresh seafood. We then whizzed past the sight of Hong Kong from high above on the Victoria Peak tram, getting the opportunity to view the city from every angle. Our last stop with our tour guide was the Ladies’ Market, a street brimming with shopping centers and shops. Between this stop and our late-night rush to some convenience stores by our hotel, we ended up going allout with our shopping spree, letting the adrenaline wash over the guilt.

Now, as I sit here typing this blog, we are having our final study session before our journey back to America tomorrow morning, before our journey back to reality. It truly has been a memorable two weeks. There were plenty of times when things didn’t go as smoothly as they could have, when there were come tricky holes in our compromises. Sure, we lost part of the group in the airport and had to run like the wind to catch our plane. Sure, some of us lost our train tickets or room keys when we needed them the most. Through it all, though, I think our group has never ceased to stick together and encourage one another to take advantage of everything this trip has offered us. I’m honestly so grateful to be where I am now when I am, and I’d like to thank these nine friends of mine and our hardworking teacher, 乐⽼师, who had the most stressful job of looking after all of us, for making this trip what it has been. We’ve all gotten to know not only one another better, but the people of China better and their culture. And of course, thank you to CGS for making this trip possible and for sending us around the world to expand our knowledge and international-mindedness. I know that we will all remember the memories we’ve made here, and I do hope with all my heart that someday, we will all have the chance to visit China again, and when we do, we’ll be capable independently as individuals who have started from adjusting our lips to saying the simple “你好,” to being able to hold a conversation with other fluent speakers.