China a Many Cultured Place

Yesterday was my last day in China.

First thing I did after taking a long walk was to go to the Chinese Ethnic Cultural Park. The park showed recreations of buildings of many different cultures in China, along with descriptions of religious practices, language, etc, of which there are 56. I learned that many have a different spoken language but the same written language as those city-dwellers. Some groups worship ancestors, others practice ghost worship. Some are quite primitive and still build straw huts-(that is what I got out of it). The park is huge, comprising two city blocks, and includes a bridge the goes between both blocks. Certain musical acts we're playing dances and singers relating to different nationalities. it was a fun time.

That took up most of the morning and afternoon. After that, i was debating weather to go back to the hostel and rest, but instead decided to go to the Temple of Heaven, which was a place for emperors to worship during the 17th century. The temple was closed by the time I got there-but that was ok. I sat on a bench and took a nap. Also walked around the temple, and it was quite beautiful.

After the temple, i got on the metro again and went to a big pedestrian street with big-name department stores, as well as stores like H&M and the Gap. There was a food street with lots of vendors. I had different types of food including lamb, something that looks like a crepe, oyster balls (I think-or something like), rice in a pipeapple, etc. And i found other food as well, which I didn't eat-like stingrays that we're still alive, lizards, etc. The lady had a sign asking for no pictures but I snuck one in.