Day 8: Moos'n out in Mojo

So Thursday's class was more of the same.

We got our itinerary, so you can follow my journey through China when I am out of contact. This is where my footprints will be:

Friday, March 4: Morning flight Burlington, VT to Newark, NJ, to Beijing, China.

Saturday, March 5: Arrive in Beijing in the afternoon. Two-hour flight to Wuhan. Stay in Wuhan’s Xinagu Hotel that night.

Sunday, March 6: Settling into Wuhan; visit with HuaZhong Normal University students and faculty. Home Stay in Single Sex Pairs – Night #1.

Monday, March 7: Wuhan – Home Stay in Single Sex Pairs – Day #2.

Tuesday, March 8: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat.

Wednesday, March 9: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat.

Thursday, March 10: Wuhan – Royal Gorge exploration by boat. Fly to Beijing – stay in Jiangou Garden Hotel.

Friday, March 11: Beijing – Great Wall of China “Wild Wall” Day Tour.

Saturday, March 12: Downtown Beijing - Tiananmen Square/Forbidden City in the morning; Shopping/markets in afternoon and evening.

Sunday, March 13: Leave Beijing; Return to Vermont.

The rest of class we finished Part 1 of Gates of Heavenly Peace.

The movie showed a clip of Chinese Government footage from the 1976 incident in Tiananmen Square. It was a funeral procession and it showed images of the citizens sad, and lining the streets in honor of the political figure, and the music in the background was grand, and depressing. It reminded me of a propaganda film I watched last year, Triumph of the Will, about a Nazi rally.

Both are propaganda pieces meant to show the support of the nation, with the dramatic music and footage.

The movie is wicked intense. It showed the dedication of the students and that no matter what, or well in their case, the lack of what, the government did, they wouldn't give up their dream. They had a Hunger Strike for over a week, and ended with a peaceful sit in. Students were being rushed away in ambulances from lack of food, yet they never left. They weren't afraid when the People's Liberation Army was ordered to enter the Square, and the leaders of the Student Unions decided to lay their lives on the line.

Can't wait to see what happens next.