I woke up yesterday morning both dreading and awaiting the day.  I had to complete a grueling placement exam which wasn’t too grueling for me because I know nothing.  Really!  The exam is written so that if a student can answer every single question correctly that means they are a fluent Chinese speaker.  Since I am not, I had a joyous time completely skipping whole sections of the exam due to my lack of knowledge.  It was a very contradictory feeling churning inside. I was sad that I could not answer more questions but kind of happy so that I could finish the exam early and no longer worry about it.

After lunch we ventured to the Temple of Heaven.  This temple was created so the emperor could pray for good weather in order to have a successful harvest. 

There were many walkways and gates which the emperor walked through.  The main building was made of wood and was circular.  We were told that there are no nails in that building.  It has been held together through the design and architecture of the building. 

It’s interesting to note that China is one of those countries where the old is a stark contrast against the new.  To the left of this picture (out of sight) is China’s tallest building.

After a very long and draining day, we attended a Kung Fu show at the Red Theater.  It told the story of a young boy who didn’t want to be a monk but studied hard and became a great Kung Fu master.  It was very similar to Cirque du Solei but with specific Kung Fu influences.  It was an amazing show with some performers as young as 13.  Although, I don’t think I could ever be physically capable of what these Kung Fu performers did–broke long pieces of wood on their heads, lay on top of a board of nails while another man laid on top of him for extra weight, etc. It was a very exciting way to end the night at the Red Theater!