This morning, we had our final culture lecture with Claudia. She summed up our previous lectures and gave us a taste of some current events in China. The one I found most interesting was the government’s response to the housing bubble. Since the prices for urban housing have skyrocketed, the government has taken measures like limiting mortgages, restraining land sales, and imposing a local property tax to keep housing prices lower. It was interesting to be able to compare Chinese housing problems to the ones we’re experiencing in America.
Directly after the lecture, a few of us took the subway to the Lama Temple, the center of Buddhism in Beijing. Though the style of architecture was extremely similar to the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple had a much different atmosphere. It seemed much less of a tourist attraction and more of the religious center it was intended to be. Many Chinese people, including groups of Buddhist monks, were burning incense at the many alters throughout the temple area. We also got to see a large variety of Buddhas throughout the temples, including a three-story tall one. After we walked through the temple, we took the subway back to the Pearl Market. After having lunch at the fast food restaurant Yoshinoya, I spent some more time perusing the pearls and the fake designer goods, indulging again in some of both. After taking the subway back to the hotel, we walked to a different hotel for our Farewell Dinner. Most of the food was fairly similar to what we had eaten at other meals, and I was excited that I could recognize a great deal of the dishes we were given. I’m going to miss this food back in America – the American Chinese food is nothing like what we’ve eaten during this trip.