Two marvelous weeks in China
Updated: Apr 23, 2022
The Huawei Seeds for the Future program offered me an unforgettable opportunity to travel to China for a two-week period focused on ITC technologies (Information and Communication Technology). So, on September 29th in 2017, one great Chinese adventure began for me. First of all, I was captivated by the greatness of everything, like airports, skyscrapers, crowds and traffic jams. Since my stay began during the biggest Chinese holiday and their weekly working holiday, I experienced the abundance of Chinese people very fast. Also, the ubiquity of smog and red flags was also a surprise, but I slowly got used to it.
My stay began with a one week exploration of Chinese history in Beijing. Crossing all the gates and squares in the Forbidden City took me several hours, and the presence of the royal family was felt everywhere. The next day I visited the royal family´s summer residence, the Summer Palace, what was a pleasant place by the lake with lot of green and I even forgot that it is located in the centre of a hot and noisy city with lot of smog that covered even the sun. In the afternoon I moved to the most famous monument, the Great Wall of China. After endless climbing the stairs, I was awarded with a breath-taking view of the endless forests.
During the week I attended the course of Chinese language and Chinese calligraph at the Beijing University of Language and Culture, which was a real challenge for me. During this week I also met with the Slovak ambassador and saw the Olympic Stadium. Visiting the traditional Chinese market was an unforgettable experience, where I had a real gourmet experience with scorpions and snakes. At the very beginning of my trip, I realized that seeing Europeans is an extraordinary experience for the locals, because the interest in photos was really huge. Rice, vegetables, duck and green tea were never lacking, but a full stomach was conditioned by fast learning to eat with chopsticks.
The next week I came to the important and new city in the south, Shenzhen. The first day I visited the China Folk Culture Village, where I had the opportunity to see a typical architecture and customs of all Chinese regions. The bonus of this visit was the theatrical performance which was full of colours and dances. The next day I visited the Shenzhen Museum of History and Folk Culture, where they introduced me to the history of this country. At the beginning of the week, the training program began in Huawei's laboratories in the form of lectures and practical exercises. I also visited an exhibition hall full of services and products of the company. The weather was extremely hot and humid but according to the locals, it was already autumn with much pleasant weather than during summer.
The last day, October 14th, was full of experiences because I visited Hong Kong. The visit of the religious temples was full of scented candles, the view of the city took my breath away and showed this port city in all its beauty. I also did not miss the area full of street shops and I enjoyed a meal in a local sushi place (the best I´ve ever had). During the evening visit of the port I enjoyed the view of the illuminated skyscrapers again. Hong Kong surprised me with its own dollar currency, cars driving on the left side and a huge amount of European tourists.
Spending two weeks in this large and historically rich country was truly a lifelong experience. I have experienced a different culture, cuisine and language, made new friends and learned something about ICT technologies.
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