Here we are at the end of our journey through China. We've learned about food, language, holidays and my personal experiences. As we wrap up, let's take the chance to talk about life in China more broadly. Through a story about my travels in China, we'll learn about history, culture and the places that are important to the Chinese people.
I traveled to China in June 2018, right after I graduated from high school. To get there, I took a big plane and spent 24 hours of travel time sleeping, watching movies and eating plane food. When I stepped out of the plane on to the tarmac in Beijing, I was immediately struck by the heat and humidity. A translator met me at the airport and a driver took me to my hotel, where I had a few hours for my body to adjust to the 12-hour time difference.
I spent my first few days in China in Beijing, the capital city in the north. Beijing has been the city of emperors and scholars for a long, long time, and there was lots to see. I saw a palace filled with treasures and art that once only allowed nobles inside the gate, old neighborhoods filled with bicycles and narrow alleys, and temples the size of skyscrapers. I also saw the famous military statues and parade grounds of the Communist era.
