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We will post emails and pictures for the WCE China Basketball/Student Trip and the WCE China Track & Field Trip (scroll down past the WCE China Basketball/Student Trip Pictures) as we receive them!!! Encourage your
friends to view the WCE Web Site and follow the trip!!!
2010 WCE China Basketball/Student Trip
6/30/2010 Wednesday (Seattle) Our 44 Member WCE Basketball/Student Delegation led by Coach Ed Lundberg departed from Seattle (although a little late), will transfer planes in Beijing, and arrive in Guangzhou to visit Guangzhou,
Hong Kong, Xi'an, and Beijing, China. The Guangdong Education Department will host School Visits and a Tour with Local Students (who speak perfect English) in Guangzhou, China and the Guangdong Sports Federation
will Host International Basketball Competition also in Guangzhou, China. Emails and pictures will be posted here on this web site during the trip.
7/1/2010 Thursday Guangzhou (10:30 am Seattle Time 1:30 am Guangzhou Time on the 02nd) We have just spoken with Jessica Chen (our exceptional Guangzhou Tour Manager). Our 44 Member Basketball/Student Delegation has
arrived safely in Guangzhou (although late as thunder storms delayed their departure from Beijing….best to be safe) and will shortly be on their way to the White Swan Hotel where they will have a very quick meeting
and will then get a well deserved night of rest. Tomorrow the delegation will visit the kindergarten, tour Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s Memorial Hall, and shop on Nine Pedestrian Road with Students from Peizheng High School.
Their adventure has begun. Eva Zhang (our excellent guide in Guangzhou) will send us pictures and updates from Guangzhou daily!
7/2/2010 Friday Guangzhou (8:55 am Seattle Time 11:55 pm Guangzhou Time on the same day) We have just spoken with Coach Lundberg and Jessica Chen (our exceptional Guangzhou Tour Manager) and both have informed us
that our Students had an outstanding day. We have also received an update from Eva Zhang (our Exceptional Guangzhou Tour Guide) with our first pictures! “In the morning we went to the No.2 Kindergarten and we are
divided into four small groups to play games with the lovely kids. Even the weather was so hot, we still had a very good time. Then we visited the Dr.Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall and enjoyed our first Chinese Lunch.
In the afternoon we toured the Guangxiao and Chen Clan Temple. Afterwards we met the local students (they will go to USA next month) at Nine Pedestrian Road for shopping. They became good friends with each other
and shared the Dimsum dinner at Lianxianglou Restaurant. Tomorrow we will play our first Basketball Game and send more photos!"
7/3/2010 Saturday Guangzhou (8:35 am Seattle Time 11:35 pm Guangzhou Time on the same day) We have received an email from Peter Zhang (our outstanding Guangzhou Guide), “We had an excellent day today. It was hot,
but we still enjoyed our trip to Yuexiu Park. In the park, we visited the Five-Ram Statue and Guangzhou Museum together with the local students. Through this, we knew much more about both the modern and ancient
Guangzhou City. We all had a good time playing shuttlecock with the local people. For lunch we tried McDonalds in China finding that all these fast food are the same around the world. In the afternoon, we played
basketball matches with Hengfu Middle School Boys’ Team and True Light Middle School Girls’ Team respectively. The competition was fierce but the friendship came first. We knew each other better and made good
friends with them. After the games, we exchanged gifts and e-mail addresses so that we could keep in touch with each other in the future. In the evening, we went to banquet. The restaurant was grand and the food
was delicious and full of Cantonese characteristics. We really enjoyed ourselves. Though we were a little bit tried, we looked forwards to tomorrow’s match with No.7 Middle School students.” Pictures are below!
7/4/2010 Sunday Guangzhou/Hong Kong (8:00 am Seattle Time 11:00 pm Hong Kong Time on the same day) We have spoken with Randy Li (our outstanding Hong Kong Tour Manager). Our Students are now in Hong Kong following another
jam packed day. In the morning our Students visited Guangzhou High School No. 7 for a school visit, two basketball games, and a friendship exchange. Our Students returned to The White Swan Hotel to check out and
enjoyed lunch at the Lizhiwan Restaurant. In the afternoon our delegation traveled from Guangzhou to Hong Kong by Chartered Bus (this bus ride allows students to view the China Countryside with its quaint villages,
joint venture factories, growing cities, and cross the China Hong Kong Border passing through Immigrations and Customs for both Countries). Our Students checked into the Regal Riverside Hotel and enjoyed dinner at
New Town Plaza (www.newtownplaza.com.hk/eng/index.html). Two pictures from the Girl’s Basketball Game today are posted below!
7/5/2010 Monday Hong Kong (7:35 am Seattle Time 10:35 pm Hong Kong Time same day) We spoke with Randy Li (our excellent Hong Kong Tour Operator) who informed us that our Student Delegation had a perfect day in Hong Kong
as the weather was outstanding. After their American Buffet Breakfast, the delegation spent the day touring Hong Kong's major sites (Victoria Peak for a spectacular view of Hong Kong, Repulse Bay with its magnificent
Buddhist Statues, and the Floating Village of Aberdeen Bay where some residents have never stepped on land). After the tour our members visited Tsim Sha Tsui (a tourist shopping area); enjoyed The Avenue of Stars (modeled
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront and honors celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chen, etc.); before returning to the hotel. Tomorrow is
another great day in Hong Kong! (We also received and posted a couple of banquet pictures from Guangzhou AND our first pictures from Hong Kong!)
7/6/2010 Tuesday Hong Kong (7:00 am Seattle Time 10:00 pm Hong Kong Time same day) We have received another update with a picture from Randy Li (our excellent Hong Kong Tour Manager). Today our Students took the Hong Kong
Walking Tour (always a fun day) which includes a KCR (light rail) & MTR (subway) Ride to Kowloon to visit Nathan Street (view pearls at a wholesale outlet, barter for clothes, sun glasses and more), and enjoyed a ride across
Victoria Harbour (the #1 Container Harbor in the World) on the Star Ferry. After lunch the delegation took a Double Decker Bus Ride to Mong Kok to visit Bird Alley, the Flower Market, and Women's Street Market. All of this
public transportation allows our Students to experience Hong Kong as the local people do. Tomorrow our Delegation will transfer from Hong Kong to Xi'an.
7/7/2010 Wednesday Xi'an (7:00 am Seattle Time 10:00 pm Xi'an Time same day) Our Students have arrived in Xi'an and are checked into the Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza Hotel Xi'an. It was a very busy travel day for our delegation.
After checking out of the Regal Riverside Hotel in Hong Kong, our Students took a charter bus from Hong Kong to the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. This trip entailed passing through both Hong Kong Immigrations and Customs and China
Immigration and Custom at the Hong Kong/China Border. After lunch our Students took a 2 ½ hour flight from Guangzhou to Xi'an and checked into their hotel. For dinner our Delegation enjoyed the spectacular Tang Dynasty Dinner
(a Xi'an dumpling specialty) Show, a performance of Chang'an music and dance originated in China's Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago. (It has been recreated in accordance with various historical records as well as ancient
art and relics discovered in Xi'an, the Capital of the empire during the Tang Dynasty.) We spoke with Jessica Chen (our China Tour Manager) and she informed us that the trip from Hong Kong to Xi'an was a very smooth trip.
Pictures from today are now posted!
7/8/2010 Thursday Xi'an (7:15 AM Seattle Time - 10:15 PM Xi'an) Eva, our exceptional Guangzhou Guide who is traveling with our delegation in Xi'an, has sent us an update with MORE PICTURES! “It was a wonderful day with the nice
weather. Even there was a little rain. It was better than the hot hot weather. Our delegation toured the Terra-Cotta Warriors factory and the museum in the morning (The Terra-Cotta Warriors were discovered in 1974 near Xi'an,
Shaanxi province and were buried with the first Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang) in 210-209 BC.) After a local lunch at the famous Belt Noodle Inn we went to visit the Ancient City Wall of Xi'an (It is the most complete city wall
that has survived in China, as well as being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world) and everybody was so excited for shopping at the Muslim Market (a local street market). Tomorrow we will leave for Beijing!
7/9/2010 Friday Beijing (6:45 AM Seattle Time - 9:45 PM Beijing) We have received another update from Eva Zhang (our outstanding China Guide),
“We flew from Xi'an to Beijing in the early morning. We arrived at the Beijing Airport about 11 o'clock. After we enjoyed our first local lunch and checked in the Lake View Hotel (where every room has a computer). Then we went to visit
the Summer Palace (It consists of Longevity Hill (59 metres high) and Kunming Lake with a total area of 290 hectares.) and we went boating on the Kunming Lake. Everyone had a wonderful time. Dinner was a local traditional dinner -Peking
Duck. Tomorrow the Great Wall!" Pictures are posted below!
7/10/2010 Saturday Beijing (8:30 AM Seattle Time - 11:30 PM Beijing) We have received another email from Eva Zhang (our excellent China Tour Guide). Eva informs us that it was another very happy day! “Today our Students stood on The Great Wall of China. The
students spent more than 2 hours climbing up the Great Wall for a breathtaking view. It was really an unforgettable moment! After the Lunch we visited the Ming Tombs Spirit Road with its large animal sculptures. Then we visited shopped at
the Silk Factory to see how silk is made. In the evening our Students had a Pizza Dinner and enjoyed a fantastic Acrobatic Performance. Tomorrow the Forbidden City.” (With the late evening Acrobatic Performance, pictures will not be sent
until tomorrow.)
7/11/2010 Sunday Beijing (8:00 AM Seattle Time - 11:00 PM Beijing) We have received an update from Eva Zhang (our exceptional Guide) and she has informed us that everyone is happy and having a wonderful trip. In the morning Our Delegation toured
the Forbidden City (the largest, well preserved, ancient buildings in China as the Forbidden City was off limits to everyone for 500 years). After lunch, our Student enjoyed a Hutong Tour (This hard-to-get-opportunity allows you to visit a 300-year
old courtyard and experience a 30-minute rickshaw drive through the zigzag and narrow alleys of the hutongs. Our delegation members were able to learn and experience the Chinese Culture by visiting with a family whose ancestors may have lived for
centuries in the same hutong and seeing the old hutong and courtyard from the past.) In the evening they returned to the hotel and enjoyed a special dinner at the Hard Rock Café Beijing. For Parents Meeting the Delegation tomorrow: First check (call
Hainan Airlines at 1-888-688-8813 or go online at www.hainanair.us and check the Flight Status of Hainan Airlines Flight #495) to make sure the flight is on time. We will meet the delegation at International Baggage #1 or as they walk up the stairs
from the South Concourse. Remember they will need 50 – 60 minutes to clear US Immigrations and US Customs after their flight arrives. We will see you at the airport tomorrow.
7/12/2010 Monday Seattle - Welcome Home!
Pictures from the 2010 WCE China Basketball/Student Trip are below:
2010 WCE China Track & Field Trip
7/07/2010 Wednesday (Seattle) Our 16 Member WCE China Track & Field Delegation led by Dorris Cronrath departed from Seattle, will transfer planes in Beijing, and arrive in Guangzhou. Our WCE China Track & Field Delegation
will visit Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Beijing, China. The Hong Kong Track & Field Association has invited our WCE Track & Field Team to compete in the 2-day HKAAA International Track & Field Meet along with 38 Track & Field
Teams from 12 different countries including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, USA, and Vietnam. Pictures and emails will be post on this page during the trip.
7/8/2010 Thursday Guangzhou (8:45 AM Seattle Time - 11:45 PM Guangzhou) We have just spoken with Dorris Cronrath (Trip Leader) who informed us that it was a great trip (two flights) to Guangzhou and with Jessica Chen (our
exceptional China Tour Manager). Our 16 Member Track & Field Delegation has arrived safely in Guangzhou (on time) and will shortly be on their way to the White Swan Hotel where they will have a very quick meeting and will
then get a well deserved night of rest. Tomorrow the delegation will take the Guangzhou Bus to Hong Kong for the HKAAA Inter-City Challenge International Track & Field Meet. Their adventure has begun. We have received a picture
from Guangzhou!
7/9/2010 Friday Hong Kong (7:00 AM Seattle Time - 10:00 PM Hong Kong) We have received our first update from Peter Zhang (our outstanding Guangzhou Guide), “After a delicious breakfast at the White Swan Hotel this morning,
we took the WCE Delegation to the Bus Station for their trip to Hong Kong for another wonderful experience there. On July 12th, they will return to Guangzhou.” (Peter’s picture from the White Swan Hotel is posted.) Our
delegation traveled from Guangzhou to Hong Kong by the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Bus (this bus ride allows students to view the China Countryside with its quaint villages, joint venture factories, growing cities, and cross the
China Hong Kong Border passing through Immigrations and Customs for both Countries). After checking into the Regal Riverside Hotel and lunch our Students enjoyed the Hong Kong Island Tour (a bus tour of Hong Kong's most
important sights including a tram ride to Victoria Peak for one of the most celebrated views in the world; a visit to Repulse Bay to view unforgettable Buddhist Shrines; and a sampan ride through the floating fishing village
of Aberdeen Bay where some locals have never stepped on land). We should receive pictures from Hong Kong later!
7/10/2010 Saturday Hong Kong (7:00 AM Seattle Time - 10:00 PM Hong Kong) Today Colton Berry won the 800 Meters in 2:00.12 and our Girls’ 4 X 400 Meter Relay (Tori Felton, Kayla Loop, Mackenzie Sanders, Reggie Standley) placed 2nd
in the HKAAA International Track & Field Meet on a hot and humid day in Hong Kong! All five Athletes received medals! These are outstanding performances as our Athletes had traveled from the US and only had one day in Hong Kong
prior to their competition. Kayla also placed 5th in the Women’s Open Division in the Shot Put. We spoke both with Dorris Cronrath (Trip Leader) and Randy Li (Hong Kong Tour Manager) who both informed us that it was a great ending
to a long day (the meet started at 7:45 am for some of our athletes and the delegation did not return to the hotel until 8:00 pm). Dorris also informed us that our Athletes truly enjoyed impromptu friendship exchanges with Athletes from
other countries who are also competing in the meet. Tomorrow is the last day of the HKAAA International Track & Field Competition. Rosita Cheng (our excellent Hong Kong Tour Guide) will send us pictures shortly!
7/11/2010 Sunday Hong Kong (7:30 AM Seattle Time - 10:30 PM Hong Kong) We have spoken with Randy Li (our excellent Hong Kong Tour Manager) and Rosita Cheng (our outstanding Hong Kong Tour Guide) both informed us that it was another
fantastic day for our Delegation in Hong Kong. WCE had two more exceptional results on the final day of the HKAAA International Track & Field Meet: Colton WON the 1500 Meter run in 4:15.66 and Kayla threw the Hammer in the open
division 102’ 2”. After the meet our delegation was able to relax, sightsee, and shop. It was an outstanding day! Tomorrow our Students will return to Guangzhou where our Delegation will tour Guangzhou with local Chinese High
School Students who speak perfect English. A few pictures are posted below!
7/12/2010 Monday Guangzhou (8:30 AM Seattle Time - 11:30 PM Guangzhou) We have received an update from Dorris Cronrath (our excellent Trip Leader) in Guangzhou, China! "Hello! We had a wonderful day! Things went super in Hong Kong!
Everyone was sad to leave but ready for more adventure! Guangzhou has been great so far! We had a delicious lunch and checked into the hotel. Only minutes later we were visiting with students from True Light Middle School. Our group
enjoyed the visit very much. Email addresses were exchanged and friends were made quickly! Our only regret was that the time went too fast! So the sun sets on another day! Tomorrow we visit the kindergarten and some sites of the city.
Everyone is enjoying the trip!" Today our Delegation traveled from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, China. They are now staying at The White Swan Hotel which is a great hotel to send an email to your Student! Also results from the HKAAA Inter-City
Challenge Track & Field Meet are now posted at www.hkaaa.com. On the Home Page the results are listed under What’s New! We have also received pictures from Jessica Chen (our exceptional China Tour Manager)! AND we have received a trip
report from Peter Zhang (our excellent Guangzhou Guide), “We had a wonderful day today. We arrived at Guangzhou at noon and tried our first Cantonese lunch. It was delicious and we all had fun trying to use chopsticks. After lunch, we
visited True Light Middle School and toured around the campus with the local students. They presented their hundred-year-old school to us and we had deep communication with them. Then we went to the Up and Down Nine Pedestrian Street
for shopping! The local students were really good at bargaining and we enjoyed ourselves trying to use Chinese to bargain. After that, we had dim -sum for dinner. It was really delicious and we knew much about the eating culture in
China from the local students' introduction. We liked to be with each other so much that we did not want to say goodbye even when it was the time. We left each other the way to communicate and promised to stay in touch. What a day!
We are looking forward to tomorrow's visit, too!”
7/13/2010 Tuesday Guangzhou (8:15 AM Seattle Time - 11:15 PM Guangzhou) We have received another trip report from Peter Zhang (our excellent Guangzhou Guide), “It is another excellent day today. We went to Guangzhou No.2 Kindergarten
in the morning. The children were really cute and energetic. We played games with them and gave them gifts. During this process, we knew more about Chinese education system as well as the unique one child policy. We really had a great
time there. Then we went to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Memorial Hall. We walked around there and knew more about the great Chinese revolution pioneer, the Chinese George Washington. For lunch, we had Cantonese cuisine again and we liked it. In
the afternoon, we went to the Five-Ram Statue and the Guangzhou Museum. We knew much about the history of Guangzhou through this visit. Then, we went to the Chen Clan Academy. We had a look at the local buildings and learned something
about some local history. To make the trip perfect, we also went to a folk store to learn how to write with and Chinese writing brush and how to paint traditional Chinese pictures with fingers. That was new and interesting to us. We all
liked this! For supper, we took a boat cruise and had buffet dinner there. This is another marvelous day and we will go to Beijing tomorrow. We are looking forward to that!” (Pictures are posted!)
7/14/2010 Wednesday Beijing (7:00 AM Seattle Time - 10:00 PM Beijing) Our Students are now in Beijing and staying at The Lakeview Hotel where each room has a computer therefore you may be receiving emails! We have received an update
from Dorris Cronrath, “Yeah we are here!!!! We made it to Beijing with ease! We have eaten a wonderful Chinese lunch and have checked into the Lakeview Hotel. Our guide Mr. Li has given us a lot of information about the city and way
of life here in Beijing. The Summer Palace Tour was nice. Not too many people!” We have also received an email with pictures from Peter Zhang (our outstanding China Guide), “We left Guangzhou early this morning. The flight took us about
3 hours to get to Beijing. For lunch, we tried Beijing cuisine. It is like the Cantonese cuisine but with slight differences. After the lunch, we checked into the Lake View Hotel and it is a great one. Then, we went to the Summer Palace.
The buildings inside are really Chinese style and the scenery is very beautiful. Tomorrow, we will go to the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.”
7/15/2010 Thursday Beijing (8:55 AM Seattle Time - 11:55 PM Beijing) We have spoken with Jessica Chen (our exceptional China Tour Manager) and she has informed us that it was another great day for our Students. In the Morning the Delegation
toured Tiananmen Square (it is a national symbol and said to hold up to a million people) and the Forbidden City (the largest, most well preserved, ancient buildings in China as the Forbidden City was off limits to everyone for 500 years).
After a Chinese Lunch our Students visited the Temple of Heaven and in the evening they enjoyed The Acrobatic Show (this 2000 year old art form captures everyone's imagination). We have received an update from Peter Zhang (our excellent China Guide)
“Today, it was really cool. We had gone to so many places and it was really impressing. In the morning, we went to Chairman Mao's Mausoleum first. It was important to take a look at such an indispensible leader. Then, we went to the Tian'anmen
Square. It was so huge and so amazing to hold so many people there. Afterwards, we went to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was also very huge and very beautiful. The buildings are also very marvelous. For lunch, we had Chinese meal again.
In the afternoon, we went to the Temple of Heaven, the Nan Zhonggulouxiang Avenue and the Great Wall from Ming Dynasty. They are all real traditional buildings. We also went to a Silk Shop to learn how the silk is made. That is really interesting.
Last but not least, we went to the acrobatics show and it was of great fun! Tomorrow, we will go to The Great Wall!” Pictures are posted!
7/16/2010 Friday Beijing (8:55 AM Seattle Time - 11:55 PM Beijing) We have received our last report with more pictures from Peter Zhang (our outstanding China Guide), “It was a great day today because we went to the Great Wall. In the morning,
we went to the Junyongguan (Badaling Area of The Great Wall of China is the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall, built during the Ming Dynasty 1368-1644. This section with an average altitude of over 1,000 meters (3,282 feet) is the outpost
of the Juyongguan Pass and has an incredibly breath taking view.) That was a really cool place with so many good buildings. It was kind of tired to go such a long way at the Great Wall but it was necessary and important to go. In the afternoon,
we went to the Spirit of Ming Tomb. And then we went to the Xiushui Market (Items which you can find in this market include: Shoes, Jeans, Trousers, Jackets, Shirts, Chinese Souvenirs, Chinese Rugs/Carpets, Golf Equipment, Pearls, Watches,
Sunglasses, Silk by the roll, Chinese Paintings, Small Electronics and many other things. It also has a small supermarket in the basement. Prices are generally very reasonable here compared to the USA and if you are a skilled bargainer, you
might be able to get things ridiculously cheap.) and had a good time and bargain there. The day ended with a good Pizza Dinner!” For Parents Meeting the Delegation tomorrow: First check (call Hainan Airlines at 1-888-688-8813 or go online at www.hainanair.us and check the Flight
Status of Hainan Airlines Flight #495) to make sure the flight is on time. We will meet the delegation at International Baggage #1 or as they walk up the stairs from the South Concourse. Remember they will need 50 – 60 minutes to clear US
Immigrations and US Customs after their flight arrives. We will see you at the airport tomorrow.
7/17/2010 Saturday Seattle - Welcome Home!
Pictures from the 2010 WCE China Track & Field Trip are below:
WCE Reminder:
If you receive an exciting email or picture from one of our delegation members, please forward the email or picture to the
Washington Cultural Exchange Office and we will post it! Our email address is start@wce.org.
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