I had the wonderful opportunity to travel around China during the winter holiday and take in more of its history and culture. My first stop was the ancient city of Xi’an to view the city wall as well as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. I was impressed that such a tomb was completed in China’s the distance past after viewing the magnitude of the burial site and the details of the soldiers and horses.
        在寒假期间我有幸游览了中国的一些地方，体验了当地的历史文化。我的第一站是古城西安。在那里我参观了兵马俑，墓葬的大型规模和兵马俑的精美细节给我留下了深刻的印象。
        My next stop was Luoyang. During my wonderings in the Shaolin Temple I watched a martial arts show where they invited individuals up on stage to imitate the martial arts students. After much fun and laughter at the volunteers courageous yet failing efforts I developed a great sense of respect for any who master the moves. I spent the next day impressed by the Longmen Grottoes
        我的下一站是河南洛阳。在少林寺我观赏了武术表演，第二天还参观了龙门石窟。武术表演让我对中国武术充满了向往和崇拜，龙门石窟让我感受到了中国历史文化的深厚底蕴。
         I then traveled to Qingdao by the sea where I was able to wonder along the beach. Only spending two days there I headed to Ha’erbin for the Ice and Snow Festival. Braving the below freezing weather I was able to view the ice sculptures which created a small wonderland of ice. After nightfall lights from within the ice illuminated the palaces and sculptures in many shades of color.
        下一站我又来到了山东青岛，在那里我漫步海边，无比惬意。在青岛逗留两天后我又前往哈尔滨，正巧赶上了冰雪节。哈尔滨仿佛一个冰美人，与青岛的热情似火形成了鲜明的对比。我冒着零下几十度的严寒欣赏了各种冰雕艺术作品，每个冰雕里都有灯光漫出，照亮了整个冰雪世界，分外美丽。
         In Datong I was able to see the Nine Dragon wall.
         在山西大同，我有幸参观了九龙壁。
         It was then time for me to visit the capital of China. I decided to spend the Spring Festival there where I viewed Spring Festival fireworks. I was able to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I knew the Palace Museum was large but it was not until I began walking through the many courtyards and smaller areas that I was able to take in just how large it was. After wondering for four hours I still had not viewed everything there was to see. I then head to the Great Wall. On the first day of the New Year I visited the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas which I learned means ‘bear cat’ if translated word for word into English.
        不知不觉就快到中国的新年了，我打算前往中国的心脏——北京，并在那里度过这个中国传统节日。春节期间，北京城里四处可见绚丽的烟花，灿烂夺目。在北京期间我参观了天安门和紫禁城。特别值得一提的是故宫。在去之前，我就听闻故宫之大。然而直到我真正的徘徊在众多院落和区域时，我才切实感受到故宫有多大。走了四个小时， 我依然没有全部参观完，大概这就叫意犹未尽吧。接下来我又去了长城和北京动物园，与熊猫亲密接触。
        The following day I went to the Temple of Heaven, the grounds of which were relaxing to walk through. I was as able to see the Olympic Stadium also known as the Bird’s nest while only viewed it from the outside I was able to imagine the excitement that existed during the Olympic Games.
        在北京的第二天我去了天坛，还参观了鸟巢。虽然仅仅从外面看了一眼鸟巢，但是我已经可以想象到北京奥运会期间里面的盛况。
        Throughout my travels in China I took the slow train from destination to destination. This was one of my favorite and frustrating moments of my journey since I was able to see the Chinese countryside and interact with Chinese individuals traveling the same direction however, my limited understanding of the Chinese language led to some confusion. The people I encountered were helpful; I meet many Chinese individuals who were excited to share about their country. During my time I gained a great appreciation for Chinese history and culture, the diversity among the provinces, the vastness of country, and the Chinese people.
        在中国旅行期间我都是乘坐绿皮火车，这是旅途中我最喜欢又最让人沮丧的部分。喜欢的是在火车上我可以欣赏窗外的中国乡村风景，并且可以和列车上的人交谈。沮丧的是由于我的中文有限，常常在交谈中引起一些小误会。我碰到的中国人都非常热情，他们给了我很多帮助，很多中国人都会很兴奋地和我谈论自己的国家。这次的中国之旅让我更欣赏中国的历史文化，多姿多样的风土人情，幅员辽阔的中国大地，以及热情好客的中国人。

                                                                                                    （文：瑞贝卡         译：蔡一凡）