Day 1 Report

Our first day in China (not counting the travel of yesterday) was a true eye opener. First, it is quite apparent that not many Americans make it to the center of China like we have. For those of you that don't know, ChengDu is a two and a half hour flight inland from Beijing. Sort of the Upstate New York of China. (You can find more information about ChengDu on the Wikipedia link underneath the photo of the 8+ to the right) Everywhere we go, whether in a group or own our own, people literally stop and stare.

The second aspect you immediately absorb is that the culture here is very VERY polite. You would think a place with a road system similar to the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books would create some hostility, however everyone that comes across us is quite polite, gracious, and excited to meet a new culture. If you say "xiexie" (thank you) after any service whatsoever, they refuse the thanks and are almost embarrassed, as if they are helping you out of a sheer sense of duty.

Today we had a Chinese take on a hotel's breakfast buffet (including omelets and cereal) and went off to the course. The drive is around 15 minutes or so, but very enlightening to the surrounding area. Hundreds upon hundreds of shops without displays, doors or the like, but simply metal guard gates that rise up to allow customers in.

The course itself is a man-made 2,000 meter lake. (Which means, as we found out, we'll only be racing 1k). Our boat is a Woody. This is a Chinese version of the company Wintech which makes semi-Empachers. It is relatively new and quite nice, especially compared to what some other universities received in the lottery. You should pity Yale. (Or, not.)

We managed to get the boat rigged and out on the water quickly in the morning and once again immediately after lunch, covering 16k between the two rows. It's not a whole lot by any means, but they have us on a strict schedule.

To our hosts, rowing is part of our western culture and steeped in tradition. They are honored to have included it in their culture especially after all the effort they put into the 2008 Olympics. They are also honored to have all of us bring our specific knowledge of the sport to China. The President of the district came to our table to make a toast (a fantastic custom they have here of toasting often and finishing your drink when you do) saying that Peter Graves (our leader for the trip) is a new friend but will hopefully become an old friend. He went on to say that it was an honor to have the winners of the 2005 Henley Royal Regatta here to compete and share with the Chinese crews.

In the same air they are truly honored to share their culture with us. They keep us on a strict schedule so they may have us experience as much of China and the Chinese as possible with our limited time here.

After our second practice, we showered and changed and made our way to the Garden of the Dancing Flowers,which didn't have many flowers to be honest but beautiful grounds, fountains, and rice fields. We had a tour of the grounds and then relaxed with our guides (we are assigned four for the duration of our trip by the Chinese Government) before dinner. Tangent: While waiting for dinner I bought a snack. Pickled Spicy Chicken Feet. The name does not lie. They are indeed boiled chicken feet (claws and all), pickled and spiced. While well spiced, I couldn't bring myself to look at them while eating.... Not fully recommended.

Dinner itself (as pictured above) was a formal banquet with all the teams. It started with speeches by the President of the Xinjin District, the representative of the international crews (from University of Copenhagen), and a gift giving ceremony where we were given a very beautiful Buddha and gave a Trinity Blade with a bronze plaque expressing our thanks. The meal consisted of platter after platter of true chinese cuisine ranging from deep fried pigeon to duck tongue. All was delicious and most everyone tried all the delicacies. Throughout the meal, toast after toast was made between tables and teams, creating a chance to meet all the rowers and share in the pleasure of being here. After a short drive home and some walks about the streets surrounding the hotel, it was time for bed, jet-lag and sensory overloads catching up to us.

Tomorrow we are off to see the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest carved Buddha in the world. Information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Giant_Buddha

~Ed