Nanjing, Day 11

Today was our first experience with public transportation, when we grabbed a 公共汽车 [public bus] to Dr. Sun Yatsen’s Mausoleum. It was a whopping 95 degrees Fahrenheit when we set out at 1:30, and not two steps out of the lobby, we were already feeling the heat. The bus ride was uneventful --I was expecting it to be more crowded considering all the horror stories I’ve heard about transportation in China-- it was a quick ride from the mausoleum, and we were out of the bus and back into the heat.  

Walking towards the Tomb and Mausoleum, there were huge rock sculptures of various animals. I saw elephants, camels, horses, and even a “unicorn” which looked more like a dog type monster, to be honest. Professor Dong had an idea for me to get on top of one of the Camel sculptures, which was huge, so the boys boosted me up and we took pictures. Getting down was a bit tricky, but I made it alive and covered in dirt. We had a brief overview of where we were at the bottom of the Mausoleum, and talked about how Sun Yatsen was really the basis and inspiration for Chinese nationalism. The three pillars that Sun Yatsen was basing the “new China” on were nationalism, democracy, and well being for the people. While democracy isn’t really a pillar in Chinese society nowadays, there is still a large emphasis on nationalism which is apparent in every day Chinese life.

Last night, when Professor Dong had informed us that we would be hiking up 432 stairs at the mausoleum, this news was greeted by the usual groans and sighs, and when we reached the bottom of the Mausoleum, the amount of stairs definitely looked daunting. Once we got started, everyone seemed to take the climb in stride, and there were even a few races to the top (Cedric was the winner, go Cedric!) When we reached the top, we took a bit of a breather, and then walked in the Mausoleum. The Mausoleum was under construction, and as a result some of the tomb and the back garden were closed, but the view from the top was stellar, albeit smoggy.

On the way back we decided to take the subway instead, which was another surprise. While there were definitely a lot of people, everything was clean, air conditioned, and not unpleasant in the slightest. There were even guards to help regulate the on/off process! I think that Boston’s MBTA should definitely take a lesson from Nanjing’s subway station and step up its game.

All in all, everything is going well at Nanjing University. Everyone seems to be studying hard, learning a lot, and enjoying themselves in the process.

- Kelly Winter