A Trip of Leisure to the United States

- Summer Camping Notes

 

1. Flying over the Pacific Ocean

In fairy tales, a child digs a hole in the ground and instantly he arrives at United States. But in reality, we have to fly over the Pacific Ocean. You ask me how long it will take. I can tell you that if you depart at 9am on July 23 in Shanghai's Pudong Airport, you will get to Los Angeles in the United States at 10:30am on July 23. Is it true? To fly over the Pacific in one hour and a half? If you are smart enough, you will give a second thought on it. Yes, we have to cross the International Date Line. That means we have to fly 15 hours. Won’t it be boring to fly for so long? Close your eyes, and think about this: lying on clouds 39,000 feet high, listening to beautiful music through headphones, the Japanese stewardess as tender as water lotus carrying some delicate salmon sushi to you, and in two hours and a half, there you are at the Narita Airport in Japan. And then you will hear the exclamation from a team member- Little fatty: "What delicious octopus balls! How authentic the oden are!" The taste buds of the young team members are in full swing in front of the barbecue at the airport, and kawaii little items tempt the young girls, which hinders them from switching planes. Eventually, we get on a gigantic Boeing 777 two hours later. No scenery can match the picturesque Pacific scenario seen from the plane. Land plates in geometric form and winding coast lines are like painting lines drawn by masters. The vast calm sea shows different layers of blue and green while ships wave thin white tails like commas. If you want to go there sometime in the future, make sure you get everything ready--- interesting books, beloved Ipop, snacks ... ... and surely your eyes to find unique beauty!

2. China Town——Monterey Park

You must have heard of the sunshine, the Sunkist Orange, and the grapes in California, but have you heard that there are one million Chinese there? That means there is one Chinese in every twelve California people! The Monterey Park where we stay is also known as the "China town." Here, almost all the people you can see are yellow-skinned and all that you can hear are Chinese dialects of different provinces. Putting down our baggage, we hear the lady at the reception desk say “Nihao (Hello)!” in Chinese with a smile. In the elevator, a guest from Suzhou city greets us in Suzhou dialect: "Oh, you are aHangzhou person!" To buy phone cards, you can just go to the hotel store owned by a Shanghainese; to buy snacks, you can walk 5 minutes to the Hong Kong supermarket.

Don’t worry about your poor English. You can speak mandarin here and everyone understands you. Don’t worry that you’ll be eating instant noodles every day, because you can find every Chinese cuisine here. If you like spicy food, go for a Sichuan dish like the slippery and hot boiled fish; If you like fresh food, go to Yunnan Cross-bridge Garden to taste its special cross-bridge rice noodle and steam pot chicken. For Western food, go to McDonald, Pizzahut or Mexico Taco. You may have a western-style breakfast with bread, jam and fruit juice, or a Chinese one with deep-fried dough sticks, soybean milk and pan-fried dumplings with spring onions. Do you still feel unsatisfied? I am only afraid that you’ll say it is too "Chinese".

 

3. Miss Lebanon and the "Independent Home"

In the Miss World beauty pageant, you can always find a Miss Lebanon. So it is really our honor to have Natalie, a beautiful lady from Lebanon, to give us lectures. Though a 23-year-old college student, she is a very experienced teacher. She knows how to teach according to the level of students. When she learns that our team members are only primary school students in fourth and fifth grades, she adjusts the difficulty of her course immediately. She knows how to arouse mode in the classroom. She uses exaggerated body language and stressed pronunciation to improve students’ understanding. She makes well preparation for classes, citing Li An or Ma Youyou with ease. Every answer from the students will get a sincere praise- "Good job!" In each period, students will review the vocabulary and knowledge learned last time first and then a game is played to put the theoretic knowledge into practice. Different from the domestic teaching process, she writes down the class schedule at the upper right corner of the blackboard at the beginning of every period so that students can follow the arrangement at different time sections.

Miss Natalie imparts on us the common knowledge of American life: how to order dishes, accommodation, going to the bank and the airport, going through customs and taking buses, etc. Students are actively involved in the production of menus and name cards, the speeches on their dreams and ideal schools, the performance of actions to let others guess their career, and Bingo games. What impresses the students most in the short-term learning is the democracy of an American classroom where teachers have knowledge but not authority and they do not spare any praise. Students can even choose lunch freely by ticking their favorite dishes. When Natalie receives a souvenir silk scarf from a boy student named Hao Nan, her brilliant smile makes her even more beautiful than the winner of Miss World!

I’d also like to mention a substitute teacher, a "head woman”. Even when she sits on a high-legged stool owing to her injured leg during lecturing, she still can see the head of a person standing. In addition, she is a doctoral student in an Ivy University. So the team members call her a “head woman” in admiration. She shows us the independent spirit of the American. She "never mind" her injured leg and takes care of herself. She has volunteered to support the refugees in the Middle East, and she has visited a lot of countries alone with a backpack. Though she speaks fast, we get to know her grandmother who lives on herself in her 90s, her uncle’s family who love sailing, and her maverick cousin with the help of her family album. The family members are hugging passionately on the photos, but each one has his own independent spiritual world and life, and this is the unique cultural identity of America.

4. From Sunset Boulevard to California University

Driving through the down town of Los Angeles, we see the familiar "Hollywood" logo flaunting on Beverly hill. Then the famous Sunset Boulevard is under our wheels. Looking around, it seems as if you could still see the Hollywood stars taking a walk under the palms. Today, stars are nowhere to be seen at Beverly Street Garden. What we have is the warm sunshine that kisses the faces of the gaily dressed fashionable young men and young women. Individualized street bars keep silent during the day, but enjoy their paradise of night. Maybe at a rearward glance, you will be greeted by the smiling eyes of an international superstar. Passing the bustling shopping street frequently visited by stars, our bus runs into a broader and quieter district. Without knowing it, we pass the school gate of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). If you don’t pay enough attention, you would miss the four small letters of "UCLA" and its open gate. Believe it or not, all the world-renowned universities in America do not have luxurious gates. On a second thought, we can’t help agreeing to this. Do they still need ostentatious appearances to boast on with such profound connotation? The great quietness and tolerance make us speechless in reverence.

Walking down the trail along the hill, we see an enormous stadium, with quiet dark red venues and green lawn. While we are thinking that it must be an empty area in vacation, a basketball team comes along, with their olive-colored skin sending out a smell of the sun and their athletic long legs marching in flexible steps. That’s the essence of youth for the old academy. We exchange friendly smiles, and the air seems to be infected with our happiness. Suddenly, some team members start to run, because they see a gigantic copper bear ahead. That’s the Bear of California, patient and dynamic, strong and friendly. Dr. Wang, our guide, looks around amorously because this is the place where he has studied for eight years. Every corner of the campus keeps a mark of his hard-working image as the President of the Chinese Student Union.

How he wishes that more Chinese students can enter this public university to receive first-class education and to enjoy the sunshine of California. Yes, we admire the young people studying in this picturesque campus. With admiration, we come into the central teaching building and library as elegant and munificent as religious halls, equipped with solemn red wooden furniture, towering bookshelves and shining crystal chandeliers. In the wooden compartments sit the students reading in silence, freedom and relaxation. Thick books are open on desks. Some students fall asleep due to tiredness from reading and taking notes. Maybe their dreams will be filled with the fragrant smell of books. We envy this learning environment, but it is not an impossible dream. As long as you learn the foreign language well and pass the application and test, you can study here, or even enter into a better university like Yale or Harvard. Please do make early preparation!

5. Santa Monica Beach and "Hepburn"’s Horses

Poseidon, god of the sea, is valiant. When he is roaring up with piles of snow-white sea waves, the human beings are just like small ants at his disposal. However, the Pacific Ocean wants to show his amazing different sides for the human beings to marvel at. Thus, Santa Monica beach is all graceful, with high palms standing like giant umbrellas, colorful sunset shooting through the leaves and gentle evening wind tossing the passengers’ hair. Holding the camera at whatever angle, you can get a scenic postcard picture in a click. People running along the beach inhale deeply the fishy sea air. Lovers holding hands in walk whisper softly. An old man sits quietly on the ground, intoxicated by the wonders of the sunset. And the others? They are not satisfied with appreciating the sea on the coast. The rising and falling rhythm of the sea is tempting everyone to approach, to come closer, and to get in her arms.

The sea overshadows the seaside entertainment park. Everyone runs straight towards the sea. They kick off shoes to let the sand squeeze in between toes, to let the moist rise from feet to their heart so that the heart becomes soft and lively. People rush back and forth to get a close touch with the sea. Then the late tide rises, spewing white foams to cover our feet. Not fun enough? Come closer, and even closer. Having detected our happiness and expectation, the waves give us an unexpected surprise. They come slowly and slowly. Then, BANG! All of a sudden, they give us a hug in trap. Screaming is the acme of happiness. Who cares even if we get all wet, and we would be quite disappointed if the next wave comes low.

The sunset draws a beautiful skyline. Then dusk sets in. Mountains deep down the sea presents a faint color like an ink-and-wash painting, while the peak still keeps a warm golden sunset glow. Could any artist show a beach like this? Then the beach turns more and more uproarious. Night is another side of Santa Monica beach. With lively music coming into our ears, we can’t help rolling with it. A black man is drumming under the light with countless plaits on his head. The sounds knock into our soul. The lively music from a guitar invites people passing by to join in its happiness. Beach bars turn vigorous, beer foaming like sea waves and fried fish and shrimp offered by the sea sending out a delicious smell. How we want to spend a night on the beach with the carnival crowd! But we can’t. We are just passing travelers who could only take memories away.

We linger on, and see two rows of table selling souvenirs. All of a sudden, we see "Audrey Hepburn" standing at a table. She is selling photos and T-shirts with her signature. Though time has carved deep imprints in her face, she is still beautiful and has a kind of gentleness and charm, which young people don’t bear. We are amazed at the difference between her and the beautiful figure with shining eyes in the black and white photos. Then we see she is not "Hepburn" but an actress with certain resemblance. She definite has a young heart because she is selling her pictures for the sake of the patrolling horses. Until then, we start to realize that the two policemen in formal dresses on horsebacks behind her are not models for visitors to take pictures. They are real scenario preserved out of history.

The brown horses are tall and strong. They receive visitors’ stroke in tame. They seem so peaceful, because they know that so many people in the world are willing to open their wallets to keep them. They are not only horses of "Hepburn", but horses of everyone.

It is well-known that the slogan of the Song Dynasty Town in Hangzhou is: “You give me one day, and I’ll give you a thousand years in return.”  But do you know that there is a place where "You give me one day, and I’ll make all your dreams come true”? It is a dream place for every child, or even every adult, all over the world. Yes, it is Disneyland.

In our childhood, we heard Mickey says: "The show begins!" Now, standing at the door of Disneyland, we are at a loss. There are so many large entertainment facilities, so many people and so many toy stores. We really want to learn from the Monkey King how to split into different persons. How could one day be enough? Even at the world's most advanced high-speed roller coaster, we could at least spend ten rounds of time. Map in hand, we split into several groups, running towards our favorite activities.

Let me introduce to you those fun programs. Nothing needs to be explained about the roller coaster which makes people scream at a voice audible beyond 100 meters. Rolling on the winding track on Mickey’s huge head, it soars into the sky at one time and falls deep down at another. It is difficult to count how many "heroes" almost "stop" their heartbeats, or how many hearts bang back into the chest after falling out of it. A lot of people enjoy the flying pleasure in screams. The boy team members are seen queuing for a ride again and again. Some girls also have extraordinary bravery and enjoy the feeling of soaring in "Rapid Rocket". At the countdown tickling, they close their eyes, and the speed out of the gravity from the Earth invites a collective scream.

Satisfied, not satisfied. Excitement drives everyone to a disorder. Look, the girls are attracted to the swinging Ferris wheel. To swing, or not? Somehow they all get into the cage. It swings people higher and higher, the range becomes wider and wider, and scream rises one after another. Face flushed, hair messy and brain spinning, they have full happiness! Need a rest? Of course not. Who cares about the California sunshine? Everyone buys a sprayer. Filled with cold water, the sprayers spray out fine mist on us. Don’t forget to try this: spraying water to the sun, you may get rainbows.

We play on and on. Load the stomach with super McDonald Hamburger, you will have infinite strength to go on. A spiral cutting is made on the skin of an enormous California "orange" where people can sit on a swing hanging on filament rotation to spin. The centrifugal force makes people swing higher and higher. Do you think I’m dreaming? No. After we appreciate the panorama of the park on parachute, we are eager to spin ourselves like dreaming. Have you ever took part in drifting at Shuangxi( double streams)? Compared to the adventurous torrent in the park, the calm waters in Shuangxi is like a cradle. Sitting on the rubber boats, you should always be prepared to be thrown up by the rapid current like a ball in rotation, and then drop down from ten meters high. Who wants a raincoat? Just let the “storm” come stronger.

With the silent nightfall, our tired legs surrender to the thrilling and excited hearts, and we choose a place to sit down. It is still crowded in the evening wind as everybody is waiting for the cartoon parade at night. All the animated figures we see in the animation movies will show up in front of us unexpectedly. We are waiting, and the whole crowd is waiting. Meanwhile, the night roses are blooming, and so are wild lilies in a dream of fantasy. Take one and put it beside your ear. When your Snow White princess comes, you can knee down and give it to her. Lights start flashing, and music comes nearer. Holding the hands of Minnie, Mickey comes in waltz dancing. The long-nosed boy carried on the back of a lady beetle must be the liar. Behind the seven dwarfs is the clown who can play magic. Have the three little piglets finished building their houses? The American Eagle is holding its head high ... The sound of parading bagpipes slowly fades away. Watching the night sky in full bloom of fireworks, we think that, for us, the place where dreams come true is actually a place where our dreams start. We always expect Mitch to say, "The show begins"!

Perhaps that is what one team member thinks. She is willing to stay forever at this place where ceremonies are held every day. So, when gathering together we find Xu Jiangchun is missing. It seems that this girl crazy at playing is always with us, laughing and screaming with her typical style, but then she disappears. While we are worrying that she would become a "little overseas student", she is found. You wanna know her “Adventure"? Actually, children are the most distinguished guests to Mickey at the park. When our little Xu is separated from the team, her puzzled look draws the attention of a conservator immediately. So she is invited to the "lost children's center", and when she is eating a freely-ordered supper happily, all her personal information is conveyed to the working staff by a translator. At our inquiry at the gate, the conservator then leads us to "take over". As a matter of fact, everyone wants to get lost atDisneyland, and lost forever!

7. Strolling in Hollywood

Paramount, MGM, Warner Brothers, Universal, all these make Hollywood a dream factory. We have enjoyed the audio-visual feast of the American blockbusters, but we never expect that one day we will walk in the dreamland of Hollywood.

Have you ever lamented on the destiny of human beings to see them trapped in the seas while in lack of freshwater in the movie "future water world"? At Universal Studios, you may be able to find a new continent driving a motorboat. Do you like the simple and honest ogre Shrek? Well, then in the 4D cinema you can save his bride with the donkey, and you can even smell its fart stink clearly. If you like, you can also take part in the counterstrikes in A Bug’s Life, except that you don’t have to scream and hide when the dung beetle is throwing big dung balls at you, because it is only the 3D illusion.
    Walking along the road, Spiderman is posing up and beckons at you to take a photo with him. Monroe's skirt is blown up even if there is no wind, and the charm of her lips and eyes stir the air around. People here get into a car for an adventurous dream trip of California, while people over there wait quietly to find out how the stuntmen work. While they are still murmuring the fearfulness of swallowing a poisonous snake and eating a dead fish, they stand in the line of another group.

The most wonderful part here is hidden at the foot of a mountain by Universal Studios. Going down the escalator, two major theme parks emerge in front of us like a magic. Monsters of the prehistoric Jurassic period behind the back gate are a strong temptation to the adventurers. Moving slowly on a little train to get deeper into the area covered by ferns and cycads, you can see the herbivorous dinosaurs move their heavy bodies peacefully, and a long-necked diplodocus stretches out to look at us curiously. The calmness suddenly disappears, and we quickly move into the age of small carnivorous dinosaurs. The current becomes fast and the river twisted. When we move into a cave, the cold water droplets result in goose bumps in our skin immediately.

In the dim light, dinosaurs jump out swiftly to bite from time to time, which makes the children sitting on the edge of the ferry panic. They know danger is coming closer, their hearts beating violently and blood roaring in the body. When the titanic tyrannosaurus opens its big bloody mouth toward us, the ferry enters into endless darkness, and we plunge into a pool down a waterfall 85 meters high at an angle of 75 degrees. All wet, we can not help but admire our bravery without realizing that harder testing awaits us. Do you want to try the speedy journey over death in darkness in the movie “Mummy Returns” to travel across time and space? How tempting it is. Who don’t want to reach out for the treasure of Pharaoh and read the mantra that can raise people from death?

 

The door of the pyramid roars open. No one shrinks in our group. Flying in the high-speed car which seems to be split into molecules, our fear overcomes curiosity. Every pore is permeated with the ghastly blow. When the muddy flood of Nile stands in front of us like a wall thousand meters high, the only thing we can do is close our eyes to follow the baton of distinguished Pharaoh. Mysterious chant echoes in ears. History unfolds at a wide angle, from which you can see the brilliant civilization of ancient Egypt. It feels like we have travelled thousands of years across time on a time machine. A mysterious bronze gate shows up in darkness. Under the dazzling sun in the afternoon, we feel like living in another world. A hideous yellow arm reaches out from behind the shroud, and we all run away in fear. Then the mummy greets us with a friendly hello. Such a wonderful world! Can you imagine it?

Yes, everything here is out of your imagination. And those incredible blockbusters are turned into games inviting everyone’s participation. Those special effects and familiar cartoon figures are quite beyond my words. So I only want to say, “Come and enjoy it yourself!”

8. Incidents on the Expressway

Expressways in the United States are like veins in the human body, with a delicate distribution and extending in all directions. For the US, a country on cars, more people choose expressways. So we also try this traffic means other than the flight – traveling by buses, which will take us 5 hours to get to the luxurious Las Vegas. The bus drives out of Los Angeles smoothly at an average speed of over one hundred yards. With the road ahead stretching, the Canadian broad-leave forest is gradually replaced by shrubs, and then by the camel thorn introduced from Xinjiang, China. The dark brown soil also turns into greenish yellow gravels. And the road ahead is evaporated into a twisted vision by the sun.

When temperature rises to 52 degrees Celsius, we know we get into the desert area. Out of the window, Rocky Mountains are stretching along the horizon line, and occasionally clouds pass to cast enormous shadows on the mountains, resulting in the effect of a structured oil painting. The leisurely walking clouds make us feel so relaxed that we start to dream of growing old in a house at the hillside. Unlike the steep Huashan or picturesque Huangshan, RockyMountain sits quietly at this vast uninhabited place like a simple and rough farmer who has stood the test of silence and surrounding harsh natural conditions.

While we are appreciating the changes of clouds and searching for the Mexican cactus tree, suddenly a car runs past us fast with a woman and a little girl waving to us desperately. Finally they drive to the front to stop our bus. Maybe they want to ask for our help. But this thought is immediately overturned by the driver’s shout. We all turn around only to find the baggage door wide open. My God! We don’t know when the baggage door opens up. Does it mean we are throwing baggage all the way like a planter? Everyone’s heart squeezes at the moment at the thought that perhaps my own baggage has gone with the wind. Fortunately, only one luggage is found missing after checking. Some members are praying silently in the heart, and some pray to God. All hope that their baggage is not the lost one.
    The camp guide said calmly: "The baggage is not the most important, security is. We can not blame the driver, nor shall we worry and blame others." Then we have a unique experience –driving back in search of a trunk under a high temperature. According to the clue given by the enthusiastic woman, we find the scattered clothes and one lonely shoe on the way back. They are baggage of a student named Haonan. And the terrible thing is his passport and ticket are all in his baggage. That means if we can not find it, our tour over the United States will die half-way. After searching in a range of one kilometer for several times, several camp guides then get off and become" ragpickers” on the road sides. 
    Under the scorching desert sun, with gravels squeezing in our sandals constantly and whirling wind resulted from cars passed, we ragpickers acquire a genuine western flavor. Eventually, the lost uniforms, slippers, shorts and the book without a cover are found. We have quite a “harvest” along the way. You can hear the exclamation frequently, "Wow, look what I’ve got here!”. And I would like to mention the Li Ning brand sports shoes in particular. They remain intact even after being rolled over. One of the camp guides has been concerned with products innovation lately, and he suggests we should write a letter to Li Ning Company, because this is the best advertisement to show the quality of domestic brand products, and Haonan can even be their image ambassador. At these remarks, the atmosphere in the bus turns lively and everybody is amused.

At last the team guide comes back with a smile on his face. Haonan’s passport and ticket-the most important thing are found without any damage. It can be called a miracle compared to that broken trunk. And miracles follow us all the way up: A kind-hearted person sends back the team guide’s lost wallet containing a huge sum of money amounting to 3000 U.S. dollars. A lost team member enjoys a delicious meal provided by the police, and Little Fatty’s stolen wallet is found again.

The Principal tells us, “Kindness will always bring good luck. When we find a baggage is lost, we should not make lucky pray or malicious guess. We would rather the lost one is ours.” Honestly, we are just common people, so we can’t help feeling happy on our own good fortune. But we are also full of sympathy and a lot of team members lend a helping hand to Haonan for comfort initiatively. From this unique expressway incident, all the children have a unique experience in their growth.

9. Play ！ play ！ gameboys

What is Game? It’s a modern way of life and our living condition. Or you may as well say it is all of our lives and the essence of our lives when you see the psp in every hand of our young team members and their intoxicated faces. They won’t even answer your calling when they are playing. You will say I am exaggerating. But you will believe me if you have read the news reporting that billions of people are indulging themselves in online games and keep trapped there. This is a common phenomenon around the world. Then, why not quit the game? Well, things are not so simple. 
    Even educators advocate the concept of learning in playing, don’t they?  Games are actually a kind of compensation for the real life. In games, you can become a hero in fantasy, or you can realize dreams that you can never achieve in reality. You can choose to be a marvelous leader or a fairy in charge of a planet. A sense of achievement and satisfaction enriches your life. So in a real world full of enormous stress, we need a virtual space to release ourselves whether you are an adult or a child. Games are not terrifying flood or beasts!

As we come from Hangzhou-the capital of animation, so we will visit a place well-known for animation making. The children are so eager to witness the birth of a game. So we go to the "roaring lizard", a young game company founded by young entrepreneurs, where imagination is the greatest wealth. What is needed here is not huge investment but brainstorming, passion and enthusiasm, which is strongly manifested in the young 30-year-old president himself. Games do not mean idling you time away. Rather they can create wealth, and materialize your successful career. The eyes of our team members are sparkling with joy. I think they have found the best reason for their love of games. They see an ideal model to build their careers on their hobbies. Maybe the visit today will lead to the backbones of the animation industry in the future.

Such a belief is strengthened in a visit to another game company, the biggest one in Dallas actually. The LOFT building gives everyone a shock with its post-modernism structure. Personalized workplaces scatter in open space with light music. You can design your own workplace if you want privacy, and if you want communication, someone is just one hand wave away. This working environment does not exert a slightest halt of imagination. That’s why it is growing bigger and its productions are becoming fine works. You know what? The video clip of the movie "Transformers" is produced by them. The team members witness the whole process from plot design, hand-paintings to 3D animation in the computer, and to the final production of models with great interest. Walking out of the gate, I think now the company only has Hong Kong and Taiwan staff members, and may be in the near future, the yellow-skinned Chinese will become a major working power in it.

10. Whip Your Way Forward

If you fall for Mr. Little Smart who can run guns at both hands at ease and with charm in the movie “Peace Hotel”, you definite will adore the American western cowboys on horsebacks who can make every shoot count. It is the dream of each boy to ride on a high horse, with a blue steel revolver on both sides of the waist. Faced with crowds of enemies, he will just spit out the chewing tobacco with contemptuous smile on the corner of his mouth. Such ease and charm are repeatedly imitated in the dreams of every boy. It is easy for everyone to have a hero complex, but to be a hero like that would be rather difficult. Now we have the opportunity and luck to witness such scenes and figures at Fort Worth, the birthplace of the western cowboys.

At Fort Worth, time seems to run very slowly, and Heaven forgets to change the world of human beings. The original historical features of the early west have been in perfect preservation in this small town. Walking into a traditional cowboy restaurant, the “No. 1 sandwich in the world" grilled with pine branches in the fireplace is sending out a tempting smell. You may chew on a tender beefsteak with the prickled cucumber that makes your mouth watering. Or you may cut a large potato in half and pile thick cream on the white meat of it. If you think that’s not satisfying enough, you can also sit up a high-legged stool made from a saddle. With a knock of your knuckle on the smooth bar counter, maybe you will be greeted by a broad smile from the waitress.
    Though as students, we do not meet the requirement to raise a goblet in toast, still we can sit there smell the unique mixture of tobacco and alcohol, or have a look at the trophy won by the cowboys, and let them carry us far away into the past time. Standing on the racetrack, with a newly-bought wide-brimmed hat woven in wool, a small colorful scarf, and a pair of wear-resistant long riding boots, you will make a cool and handsome cowboy yourself!

11. A Feast of Museums

One small step for Armstrong is one giant leap for mankind. Everyone knows about the advanced aerospace technology of the United States recorded in books, but no one would expect the kind of shock when they see them with their own eyes. Our team members have a deep understanding of America’s leading position in modern science and technology in the aviation and space museum where there are planes with a variety of styles and functions. Various aircrafts, once operated smoothly in space, are now sitting quietly at venues as basic education materials for kids. We witness the life in space which you can only see in TV or pictures. We can even taste a pack of space food at the price of a few dollars.

Among the visitors, you can see babbling children. Seeing the curiosity in their eyes, you will understand how important it is for our development in the future to popularize scientific knowledge and to show the unknown fields. Many science and technology genies are created out of their childhood dreams, like Franklin, Bell, the Grimm Brothers, to name just a few. The team members exclaim out of amazement. They stare at the simulated starry sky with fascinated looks and touch the earthquake apparatus carefully. How numerous the questions are in their minds, there must be an equal amount of imagination and creativity induced.

Have you ever had a close look at Rodin’s statue- the Thinker? Have you seen the painting style of Monet in his early age? Can you imagine the plot of religious stories on Italian frescoes? You may say no, but our answer is a definite YES. We have a close touch with these rare and priceless treasures at the National Gallery of the United States. We only regret that we do not have enough time. We walk from a venue to another, from Rembrandt to Picasso, from still life oil paintings to large-scale sculpture. Our feet get numb, but we expect to see more. How different the figure paintings with detailed hair and cloth folding are with the powerful figure skeleton of Wudaozi, a famous ancient Chinese painter. Meanwhile, fruits and flowers in stillness seem real. Art was born from beauty, and beauty is captured in art. Although we only have a short time, the appeal of art is deeply planted in our heart.

After that, we go to the Natural History Museum excitedly where wonderful nature and serious history are perfectly united to meet the needs of every person. Turn right if you want to see how life comes into being and flourishes out of bareness on the Earth in the ancient organism area, and go to the animal area if you want to see species of wild animals on the Earth. Being amplified, even small insects acquire metal texture. Tourists can feel the photographers’ anxious care for endangered species from photos there. According to Chinese legends, it is Suiren Clan (燧人氏) who firstly make fire by drilling wood. But in Europe the story turns into Neanderthals people making fire by hitting rocks. And people queue in long lines eager to see the trouble starter-the Hope Diamond. Geological evolution brings about bright jewelry and unique fossil. If you want one, go to the souvenir area.

For us, Washington SAR is more than just a special administrative region.  More importantly, it provides us with a feast of museums. Time is too short for us to sip the flavor of all the museums such as National History Museum, Indian Museum, Spy Museum, the Modern Abstract Art Museum, and the New National Museum of Fine Arts and so on. Those palaces and treasure houses of art will wait for our next trip. They are the reasons for a longer stay next time.

12. A Glimpse of Manhattan Street

 “If you love a person, send him to the United States; if you hate a person, send him to the United States.” It is an impressive line from the TV series "Beijingers in New York”. The United States, especially New York, is both heaven and hell. As a microcosm of the United States, New York is everything you can find in the world. Therefore, here we come, the last stop of our trip - Manhattan peninsula.

A few hundred years ago, facing the Statue of Liberty with open arms to greet them, the immigrants longing for freedom and independence shed tears of emotion. When they set foot on this free and open virgin territory escaping from their own separate lives, they had difficulty finding words to express their feelings. Gazing at the Statue of Liberty from all angles on a ferry, we have a strong feeling of her gentleness, perseverance, tolerance and generosity. Holding high the blazing torch of light, she guides all the people coming for her. Like an ocean accepts all the waters from rivers and streams, this generosity gives birth to the world’s most prosperous cosmopolitan.

Among the rows of skyscrapers in Manhattan, buildings of unique styles still stand out. Boarding “top of the rock" in GE Building, we see the magnificent Empire State towering over the others in mist. The classic Trinity Church stands on the busy Fifth Avenue where luxury goods and exquisite steeple rest in harmony in the business district. The ruins of the World Trade Center are scars we dare not touch. But hope is already shining in the reflected glaring sunshine on the newly built No. 7 building.

Human beings can always rehabilitate from trauma, and march into the future from the ruins. The bustling Wall Street is the best interpretation of this succession. Go and touch the head of Copper Cow, it will bring magic good luck. Go and shop in NBA malls, you can take home shoes with Kobe and Yao Ming's signature. Go to the Times Square, you will see how strong impact the gigantic ads will bring to you. Go to the United Nations headquarters, and you can shoot with your camera the twisted pistol. 
Like nimble birds, we fly over the city, our wings bringing the voice of China. In this summer, we have a great experience that will dwell long in our memory.