Greetings from Beijing!

Ni Hao (Hello!) Greetings from Beijing!

We began our first day in China with a great "American" breakfast at our hotel. After getting our bellies full, we loaded the buses and headed to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the palace of the emperor throughout the Qing and Ming Dynasty, dating back more than 500 years; this large complex was filled wth vibrant colors and an amazing imperial garden. We thoroughly enjoyed taking in the ancient architecture and learning about the history of the Chinese culture. After our adventures in the Forbidden City, we traveled to an authentic Chinese resturant where we were all amused with each others lack of skill with chop sticks! When we finished our chineese lunch, we went to the buses to change into our official dress and head to the U.S. Embassy. However, on our way to the Embassy our bus had a small "run-in" with one of the local vehicles. After moving the bus, we all unloaded at the emabssy and listened to experts brief us on Chineese agriculture and trade. We also had the opportunitiy to ask questions about U.S. and Chineese relations in agriculture. After leaving the embassy, we stopped and particpated in a Chineese Tea Ceremony, where we sampled many different flavors and kinds of tea. Finally we arrived back at the hotel and changed back into casual cloths for our journey to dinner. We had the distinct pleasure of indulging in a Peking Duck dinner and other Chineese delicacies. After the conclusion of dinner, we ended our day at a Kung-Fu Show, that was quite entertaining to say the least. As a whole, it was a great first day in China and we are sure to continue to make new memories.

Peace Out!

The China Bears

Blake Becker, Nebraska

Adrienne Boyette, Florida

Matt Dybedahl, South Dakota

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Kris Newsom, Tennessee

Anna Savelle, Georgia

Shasta Sowers, Virgnia

Ray Scott Spence, North Carolina

Katie Zenk, Minnesota

Clay Zwilling, Illinois