Before I went there, China was unfamiliar to me. As most Koreans have  prejudices about China, I also had a distorted image. At first, it was hard to accept Chinese culture. To be specific, I thought Chinese people have a strange-sounding intonation and what seems like a rough attitude. I thought most of the streets were unsanitary and that people eat whatever they want.

Last winter, I had an opportunity to go to China because my uncle invited me to his house, and ever since then I have had an interest in China. I took a basic Chinese language class and made Chinese friends through the ‘Global Buddy’ program. In addition, last summer vacation I was captivated learning Chinese so I went there to enrollment in chinese language courses. Everything was awesome and I had a great experience compared with other students.

This winter vacation I went to China again with my cousin and my sister. The bustling streets, the harsh Chinese tones, stimulating herbs and spices: all these things made me feel close to China. First, I went to my uncle’s house and took a rest after the fatigue of my journey. After recovering, I made a plan where we should go. Like Seoul, Beijing also has a great subway system. For this reason, when I travel in Beijing I decided to take the subway. I especially liked the palaces. The gorgeous colors and distinctive architecture was stunning. I went to the Yonghegong Lama Temple, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. Among them, The Temple of Heaven was the best for me, because I could see the whole city from there. Actually, the other places were great too but all the buildings were so huge that it made me feel overwhelmed. However, the Temple of Heaven was different from the other architecture. In this place the most famous building is the Circular Mound Altar. It was built during the Ming Dynasty. The purpose of the Circular Mound Altar was for the emperor to pray for rain in times of drought. Moreover, people who wanted a good harvest could also pray in front of the Circular Mound Altar. There was a big pine forest near the main ceremony hall. Many people took a rest in the forest or went jogging around the park.

Next, I went to Wangfujing to see the growth of the cities. Like Myeongdong, Wangfujing made a strong impression on my memory. In Wangfujing, there are so many people, beyond a person’s wildest dreams. China has a significant gap between the rich and poor. A great number of shops and stores lined the street in Wangfujing but it is hard to find a market or luxury shops in the other areas. Don’t forget to eat grilled skewers and tasty Chinese traditional food if you go to Wangfujing. There are so many delicious foods and beverages in the street restaurants. At first, I did not eat Chinese food because of the strong herbs and spices. But now, I like Chinese food better than other countries’ food. They sell the grilled skewers and people can eat easily. Chinese put various meats on the stick. There are a lot of different meats, like mutton, chicken and cuttlefish, for example. But, even more surprisingly, they also put scorpions, sparrows and caterpillars on the stick and then immediately fry them. I was so astonished at those foods but I tried to understand the cultural diversity.

At first, it was hard to get into the Chinese culture but now I can understand their life style. My mother country is Korea, but now my second country is China. Through this travel, I discovered that China has a great amount of potential energy to become an influential country in the future. Their civilization is getting closer and stimulating people around the world. I think it is a revolutionary phenomenon. I met an American in China, and he told me that China will be the strongest country in the world soon. I agree with his opinion. China has a tremendous labor market, latent commerce fields and immensely talented people. Based on this, I am sure that China will achieve remarkable growth. The supreme task facing the Chinese government is to modify its citizen’s way of thinking. If they solve these obstacles, they can increase their influence much faster. I will continue to visit China to learn more and I want to continue this valuable experience in my life.