Chinese Root Seeking Camp Trip In JingDeZhen Part Two: The Activities of the Camp

The next day, July 19th, the daily activities were initiated.

Day 1 (7/19):

All the campers woke up extra early to get ready for the first TaiChi (太极) lesson. Everyone was provided a white TaiChi uniform with the "Royal China" (皇窑) logo on it. The TaiChi class was started early because: 1. the fact that TaiChi is traditionally practiced in the early morning; 2. to avoid the immense heat produced from the sun. The campers gathered together at the courtyard of the Porcelain Palace, met our instructors, and split into groups to start the classes. We were all very excited about this class and learned 3 moves, QiShi (起式-Ready Position), JinGangDaoZhui (金刚捣碓-Buddha’s Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar), and LanZhaYi (懒扎衣-Lazily Tying Coat) the first day.

1st day of TaiChi in front of the Porcelain Palace

Our morning class is Teasim (茶道). Everyone was very psyched about learning the ancient culture. Teaism is the study of ancient Chinese tea making history and a particularly formal class which has many strict rules. We made green, red, and a few other types of tea. The whole process is absolutely astonishing, where every single step is extremely important in this tradition. After a while, I was interviewed about why I wanted to learn about Teaism, what was for helping people remember this camp and its culture.

 

Teaism class

Me being interviewed about Teaism

Our second class, Pottery Shaping (拉坯), was in the afternoon after lunch. We learned about the history of pottery shaping and the instructors taught us how to do it. The fact that a chunk of clay can become such an amazing material known as China is just completely flabbergasting. It was a particularly enjoyable activity that cannot be done anywhere else in the world because porcelain pottery’s origin is from JingDeZhen, which has thousands of years of history of making China products.  The porcelain clay of JingDeZhen is unique because it is the only material that can withstand 1300° C (typical clay can only reach 1200° C), stabilizing all threatening toxicants. Every single camper was allowed to keep one finished production but we could make as much as we wanted that day. I made a goblet-like vase that became a bowl at the end which I felt pretty accomplished about.

 

Pottery Shaping class

Day 2 (7/20):

We had TaiChi again in the morning. After practicing what we learned from yesterday, we learned 2 more movements, LiuFengSiBi (六封四闭-Six Sealing and Four Closing) and DanBian (单鞭-Single Whip).

Almost immediately after breakfast, we went on our first field trip of the camp. The general idea was to have classes every other day, so the campers could all have some fresh air and to tour the beautiful nature of China. We visited a place called YaoLi (瑶里) and toured many historical buildings of an ancient town. The buildings were all traditional architecture built along a river. Yet again, the climate was really hot, which drained everyone’s energy really early in the day, but I still saw many interesting things that can't be seen anywhere else. We had a special lunch with the local food style/taste.

 

Me on one of YaoLi's bridges

Day 3 (7/21):

We learned 2 new positions, BaiHeLiangChi (白鹤亮翅-White Crane Spreads It’s Wings) and XieXing (斜行-Walking Diagonally).

Our morning class was Painting Under Glaze (釉下彩绘). Our instructors emphasized that we needed to be extra careful because the plates were extremely fragile. Everyone was provided with a glaze less dried but not fired plate to paint whatever they want. Even with the precaution, some campers still broke their plates when they were drawing. I drew a flower like picture-pattern onto my plate with the magical black ink that turns blue when fired. It was a very long process because we had to transfer the picture onto the plate.

 

Painting Under Glaze class

In the afternoon, we had the HKC (汉语口语测试- Chinese Speaking Assessment). The HKC has 3 difficulties: Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each difficulty is divided into 3 more levels. Elementary has levels 1 – 3 (where 3 is the highest and 1 is the lowest). Intermediate has 4 - 6. Same rule applies for Advanced Level. I signed up for Intermediate and I obtained level 5. It was not as good as I expected. I will continue to improve my Chinese speaking skills.

My HKC results

Day 4 (7/22):

Only 1 new position LouXi (搂膝- Brush Knee) was learned because this was another field trip day. We went to WuYuan (婺源). It was a very astonishing and interesting place to tour around. We visited a limestone cave, where we saw bats on the roof and hundreds of vases filled with preserved wine. After visiting the cave, we hiked on a 1.75 KM long trail along a nearby waterfall. The scenery of the waterfall was gorgeous and I felt like I would never forget the picture.

Me in the limestone cave

The hike 

Day 5 (7/23):

The last 4 new moves, AoBu (拗步- Stepping Lightly), YanShouHongQuan (掩手肱拳- Hidden Thrust Punch and Whirling Upper Arms), JinGangDaoZhui (金刚捣碓-Buddha’s Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar), and ShouShi (收式- Closing Form), were taught and practiced. Actually, they are not the last 4 moves. The instructors reduced the form because they feared that the campers could not remember the entire form and would like us to practice more so we would be fluent when performing.

The morning class that we had was Chinese Calligraphy (书法).  Mr. WenQing Peng, the famous local calligrapher, was invited to teach us. He talked about the history of Chinese Calligraphy, demonstrated how to write the 8 words “厚德载物，自强不息” (be virtuous to contain the whole world and constantly be strong and work hard), and explained how to write each stroke of these 8 words with the writing brush. We had grid paper, ink, and a writing brush for us to practice writing those words over and over again. Some students were particularly good at this, but I only did okay since this was my first time.

Calligraphy class

 In the afternoon, a group of local middle school students were invited to join our party. We had a mini talent show presented by us and students and played a few games (hosted by my dad and I). At the end, it was free time for both us and students to socialize and exchange gifts. It was very fun meeting all the new people and spending time with them.

 

The start of the party

Playing the games hosted by my dad and I

Day 6 (7/24):

This time, we went to a place called JinKeng(进坑) which is an ancient Chinese village. The village was mainly hundreds of acres of Lotus Flower fields, with a stream running through in the middle. The weather was immensely hot, so everyone hurried back. I learned a lot of information during the trip, for example, how lotus flowers are also categorized as male and female, male being the white ones and female being the pink ones (male lotus flowers are decently rare).

In the lotus flower fields

 In the afternoon, we visited the JingDeZhen Porcelain Museum. There, I saw an amazing collection of porcelain objects from people to giant sized boats. The sculptures were truly a wonderful sight to see. The museum also displayed information on the long history of JingDeZhen’s porcelain pottery.

 

The porcelain boat at the museum, my favorite product

Day 7 (7/25):

We continued to practice the TaiChi form to perfect it for the performance. When we finished the practice, our instructors demonstrated us a TaiChi form of the sword and fan. The morning class was Painting Above Glaze (釉上彩绘). This is different from Painting Under Glaze because the tile we drew on is glazed and fired porcelain which is not as fragile. Everyone was provided a white glazed fired porcelain tile and a plate of oil with 6 different color paints. The cool thing about Painting Above Glaze is that the paint is partially oil. The oil on the smooth glaze makes erasing possible. When I messed up my drawing, I just wiped the tile with a piece of paper. At last, I drew lots of types of fruit on the tile. After lunch and break, we had a music class (音乐). We learned a total of 2 songs, a song about JingDeZhen and a very famous song about Jasmine flower.

 

Me drawing my grapes for the Painting Above Glaze class

Day 8 (7/26):

We practiced the TaiChi form continuously for the next 4 days. Due to the hot weather, today’s field trip was rescheduled. The morning class was clay sculpture (泥塑), a class that I love. I made a realistic pig and goat, but sadly, they could not be fired, so bringing them home was not an option.

Me in clay sculpture class with my pig

The afternoon class was Traditional Chinese Painting (国画). This type of painting generally is done with a brush and black ink (which turns into different shades of gray/grey with different amounts of water mixture). Just like the calligraphy teacher, our instructor taught us about the history of Traditional Painting and then demonstrated to us how to draw lotus leaves and bamboo.

 

Traditional Chinese Drawing

Day 9 (7/27):

Our morning activity today was to make dumplings. They were extremely easy to make. My 10 person group worked really fast and we had 50 done in no time. For lunch, we ate the dumplings that we made. They were really delectable so the first plate on our table to be cleared was the dumplings. With the delicious self-made lunch and a nice rest, everyone was ready for the talent show.

My group making dumplings

The talent show, hosted completely by my dad, had a total of 16 performances, from a saxophone solo to gymnastics. My group had an edited performance of practical synchronized swimming on land (that was rehearsed 4 times). It was really funny and everyone laughed. With all of the refreshments and the intriguing performances, the talent show ended in a success.

 

My groups performance

Day 10 (7/28):

The field trip on 7/26 was rescheduled for today. The trip was a 3 hour drive (1 way), therefore, this trip was not mandatory. Whoever did not go on that trip was then required to go on a different trip (a lot closer). I choose the closer one because of the hot climate and my hatred of long car rides. The destination of this trip was GuYao (古窑).This is a tourist attraction site famous for its handmade porcelain products produced by the experienced artists (typically over 60 years of age). We saw the whole entire process of the handmade porcelain from the clay shaping stage to the final product. Aside from just the usual plates, cups, and bowls, they also made giant vases and furniture made of porcelain. We also watched a special 7 instrumental performance using 7 traditional instruments made of China. Personally, as a music person, I feel like this was a particularly good place to visit because music is an important part of young people’s lives nowadays.

 

GuYao Entrance

Instrument performance

Day 11 (7/29):

We went to 2 more field trip locations fairly close to our campgrounds. The first one was called GuXianYa (古县衙), an ancient county government office. We toured the complete structure of the office and learned its history also. The second site was called YuYao (御窑), a special porcelain manufacture plant entirely owned by the emperors to make their personal porcelain products/arts. This is also a burial site for the smashed objects. The background story is that whenever the emperor ordered the artists to make something, the artists had to make 13 copies. The emperor’s idea was that the best one would be presented to him. But actually, of these 13 copies, the best ones were smashed and buried in the sites. The worst one of the 13 copies was presented to the emperor because the artists feared that if the best one was handed in, the emperor would have higher expectations, making improvements impossible. The sad thing is, this site was destroyed by war, eventually being reconstructed into a tourist attraction/museum.

GuXianYa's court room

Miniature model of the orignal YuYao

 Day 12 (7/30):

This is the last day of classes at the camp. Originally, the TaiChi performance was scheduled for today, but then it was moved to closing ceremony. With the unused time of the performance, the whole camp visited a porcelain market for souvenir shopping. My friends and I didn’t buy a whole lot of things, but we still had a fun time looking at the interesting stuff for sale.

In the afternoon, we had our final class, Incense (香道). We learned about the history of burning the special plant powder. The instructor also taught us how to make our own incense into fancy shapes. Sadly, I have an allergic reaction to the powder and smoke, so I had to miss out on the experience. 

All in all, I enjoyed going through all of these amazing classes and field trips of this camp. They all covered an important key aspect of the long history/culture of China. I made lots of friends and had lots of fun in the process of it all. I learned lots of information and made me see the inner beauty of China, and also show that judging a book by its cover is a false idea.