View from the outside of the Lingyin Temple

Being raised a Catholic, I knew little to nothing about Buddhism until I learned about the religion’s beginnings and basic principles in world history my sophomore year of high school. However, I knew from studying Chinese that Buddhism is a major religion in China, with many temples all across the country and millions of devote members. It was my hope when I decided to travel to China for the summer program that I would be able to experience Chinese Buddhism first hand, and that is exactly what our group did when we visited the Buddhist Academy of Hangzhou.

Inside a classroom at the Buddhist Academy

we stepped onto the grounds of the academy, and even before that, how different the lives of the monks that live there really are. Even before we arrived at the academy, we visited the Lingyin Temple and the surrounding area and it was interesting to see how different it was from anything I had ever seen. We observed carvings in the rock and ponds with fish and turtles that created a very peaceful environment, even with the temple being such a large tourist attraction nowadays. Once we had left the temple, we proceeded to have lunch at a local eatery that was on the way to the academy. Even at this restaurant, which I don’t believe was actually on the grounds of the temple, the food was vegetarian, which I was quite surprised by. This just goes to show how dedicated the people in this area are towards their religious beliefs.

View of one side of the campus

When we arrived at the Buddhist Academy, we were greeted by one of the head monks along with maybe 10 students of the academy. They were all extremely friendly and eager to practice their English language skills. I was really surprised at how young they were! Most of the girls seemed like they were 14 to 16 years old. We were given a very nice tour of the campus, which was absolutely beautiful, and then led to a room for meditation. The meditation was very relaxing. The monks helped us to properly position ourselves to partake in meditation and we sat in silence for about 15 minutes. The meditation was unlike anything I have ever done before! It was actually a lot harder than one would think. First, to be able to cross your legs and sit as they do can be quite uncomfortable even for a short time. Second, it is also difficult to keep your mind from wondering. Overall, the meditation was a great experience that really opened my eyes to the power that total relaxation can have on the body and mind.

Inside the Buddhist Academy

and done in a very specific manner. I was thoroughly impressed with the fashion the meal was carried out in and the overall taste of the food. For a vegetarian meal, the food was very good and diverse, as well as being filling. I only had one serving of everything and when I was finished I was actually pretty full. The monks make sure to give an amount of food that you can finish so nothing is wasted. It was also interesting how fast the monks eat their food and the servers came around to give seconds. I was not even half way done with my food by the time they came around again, so I could not get more even if I wanted to!

Valpo students with the monks of the academy

When the time had come for the two groups to part ways, many pictures were taken and Wechat IDs were exchanged so that we could keep in contact with the monks of the academy. It surprised me that most, or maybe even all of the monks had smartphones. I’m not sure why, but I have always been under the impression that monks do not possess such objects having to do with technology because it may become a distraction from their focus. The life of a monk is so different from that of a normal westerner’s that it is hard to comprehend. From their outfits, to the strict schedule of their daily life, and the constant focus that must be maintained, it is hard to imagine myself being able to take on the life of a monk. However, after visiting the academy in Hangzhou, I feel as though I have a much deeper understanding of the like of a monk and also a much higher level of respect for what they do. Getting to spend the afternoon with a group of Buddhist monks is definitely one of the most unforgettable things I will ever be able to do in my lifetime.

Shanghai buildings lit up at night

For our second weekend in China, we traveled to Shanghai as a group on Saturday, spent the night, and returned to Hangzhou on Sunday. We took a small bus that we booked through our travel agent. The driving in China is really quite hilarious. The drivers are all so impatient and taxi and bus drivers are always honking. This trip was no different, as our bus driver probably honked anywhere from 150 to 200 times throughout the 3 hour journey. Also, when on the road in the city anything goes. I have seen people drive on the wrong side of the road to make a turn and even drive right at oncoming traffic! It’s a lot different from driving in the states, even in big cities like Chicago.

Statue from the Shanghai Museum

largest jade Buddha in the world! My favorite part of the trip was seeing the skyline and especially the Pearl Tower. Shanghai is definitely a westernized city, with restaurants like McDonalds and Starbucks appearing on the street quite frequently. However, it is still a very Chinese city. It does not take much at all to find an authentic Chinese restaurant on the street to eat at. I would recommend having a plan of what to go and see and do when you arrive in Shanghai because it is easy to get lost and not know what to do in this massive city.

Inside of a temple in Shanghai

We stayed in the Swan Hotel, which was very nice and western. However, for being such a bustling city it was quite difficult to get wifi in the hotel and out on the street, which surprised me. I also noticed that the prices in Shanghai for food and souvenirs were much higher than in Hangzhou, which is similar to prices in the U.S. increasing in big cities. Shanghai was very fun and offered a different picture of China than seen in Hangzhou. I would most definitely want to go back and see more of the city!

Night Market

The night market was very interesting. There were dozens of booths selling various items from pearls to watches at very cheap prices. Some referred to the market as the “knock off” market because most items have a brand name on them but are actually fake. The night market was also where I experienced street barbecue for the first time. It was pretty cool and very efficient how they prepared the food that you wished to eat. You selected what you wanted them to cook, gave it to them, and they cooked it! All of the food was on a stick and was grilled on a small griddle off to the side. The food ranged from squid, to chicken, to beef, and some other interesting things that I did not know what they were. Overall, the night market was a very pleasant experience and I plan on going back to buy some gifts for people back home.

The group hiking near Zhejiang University

that are right next to the campus to hike. It is deceiving that these are called hills because we probably climbed some six to eight thousand stairs! It was very tiring but the views from the “hills” were very nice and it was a really enjoyable experience hiking it as a group. We hiked for around 4 or 5 hours as a group of about 10. Along the way many locals stopped and wished to take pictures with the group. We visited one of the temples in the mountain which was awesome! Inside the temple was a giant budda statue and they had dozens of candles burning outside the temple area.