Sunday seemed like a day of recovery considering we arrived at our Zhejiang University dorm rooms at 2am Saturday night. Upon arrival we were just a bit surprised. Until this point we had been spoiled with fancy hotels, but the dorm rooms essentially had the bare necessities to go about life: bed, bathroom, and a roof. After a short rest we woke up at 9 a.m. where some of us walked to the dining hall and received noodles, eggs, and other various traditional Chinese foods for breakfast.  We even scrounged up some towels from the nearby student union hotel to borrow in the dorms for a shower considering we were only provided with hand towels.

Shortly after breakfast we headed out on our day of adventure. The first stop on the agenda was a trip to West Lake. Legend has it that the West Lake was a heavenly jewel fallen to earth. During the bus ride we encountered a minor problem as we got sideswiped by a motorcyclist (no one was hurt, but we caused quite the traffic jam).  Eventually, we made it to the lake where we parked in the furthest possible parking lot away because of the enormous amounts of tourist buses arriving from all over the country.  Sunday is a big day for tourists in West Lake! After a 30-minute walk from the bus through beautiful NYC Central Park style scenery, we made it to the lakeshore. There we found traditional wooden Chinese boats that took us for a cruise around the lake where we were greeted with sights of the city, fisherman, and the surrounding forest. Once the boat ride was over we started heading back to the bus, however we found a Starbucks so the group had to stop and buy some coffee and American comfort food.

After leaving West Lake we stopped to eat at a Chinese restaurant where we got to try some of the regional foods. After eating our fill we climbed on the bus and headed to Dragon Well Tea plantation where they produce their own famous brand of green tea. Due to the mild climate, the Dragon Well Tea Plantation is famous for arguably the No. 1 green tea brand in China. Here we learned how the tealeaves are picked and then dried before they can be used. We were then provided a private room where we participated in a Chinese tea ceremony. A women taught us the correct way to prepare and drink the tea. After many members of the group purchased their own green tea products we boarded the bus for a ride back to Zhejiang University.

We went to the newest and most modern Zhejiang campus (there are two campuses in Hangzhou) to eat dinner with some of the Chinese students. Many of us were surprised when we learned that the dining hall we were in was also the largest dining hall in all of Asia. During the dinner we received various foods such as chicken, beef, rice, shrimp, octopus, and even American smiley face potatoes. As the dinner progressed we talked with students from the University. Most of them are actually coming to Champaign Urbana later this summer for a 6 week research internship in the College of ACES food science program! This is a joint exchange program and UIUC also sent 6 students to ZJU for the first time this summer for a return research appointment.

Once we arrived back at the dorm rooms it was still reasonably early (8 p.m.) so we explored the town and campus. One of our most gratifying discoveries was that of a coffee shop called Peet’s Coffee. At this coffee shop there was free Wi-Fi, which was awesome because the dorm rooms offered no Wi-Fi. Additionally, the Wi-Fi at Peet’s had access to all social media sites due to the VPN. As a result, we were able to catch up on what was happening back in America.  Eventually, we all made it back to the dorm rooms to get ready for the next day of events.

Photos here!