Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 34

China Through My Eyes
Korean International School, Roy, Kenisha – 6
E
nd of June this year I visited the most powerful country of the present world, The Great China. My father
wanted me to visit this country as he always says; this country is very rich in Tradition, Culture and past
history. Dad is working with a Shipping company and has travelled many countries. So being a shippies daughter I
love to travel, learn new things and meet new people.
Books are my best friends so before this travel I managed to read few books on china and made a ‘Wish list’ of the
places that I wanted to visit. Through books I learned China is a land of emperors, dragons, The Great Wall,
Terracotta warriors and Chinese festivals that include yummy moon cakes.
My Wish list started with Qin Dynasty and Terracotta warriors in Xi An. My Dad took a local Guide so that we
can learn the history behind this big mesmerizing Empire. Thank God that the Guide knew English so it was easy
for us to understand him. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. He became king at the age of
12. He had an army of one-million soldiers and was the one who initiated construction of The Great Wall of
China. The thing that surprised me was Emperor Qin created a Terracotta army of 8000 warriors just to protect his
tomb and his empire after death. Also it is said that his tomb hides great treasures and precious stones. It was a
brilliant piece of work.
My next destination was The Great Wall of China. On the way to The Great wall our guide told us about the past
history and beliefs of Chinese people regarding Dragons. A Chinese Dragon was said to consist of nine different
parts, all resembling different animals; the head of a camel, the horns of a deer, the eyes of a rabbit, the ears of a bull,
the neck of a snake, the belly of a clam, the paws of a tiger, the scales of a fish and the claws of an eagle. They
considered Dragons as divine monsters both wise and strong. Even now in modern age we see big buildings that
leave space for Dragons to pass.
From the car, The Wall looked so long and so widely spread. Initially I told my mom that I will climb the wall from
the start point and will go running till the end. However seeing the very first glimpse of the Wall, I realised that I
need to grow up a bit more and wait few more years to fulfil my dream. Our guide told us there is a saying, ’You
are not a Hero until you have been to the Great Wall and successfully climbed it’. Dad said the real Heroes are the
once who build this Wall and sacrificed the life during the making. We walked the Wall few kilometres and then we
were totally exhausted and returned back to our hotel. We all were very hungry after a long day trip and knowing
so much about their traditions and culture. My Dad always likes to order the local food and wants me to enjoy it
and know the taste. At the end I enjoyed eating yummy moon cake.