Introductory note: Ching-Hua Wang and Nian-Sheng Huang, both professors at CSUCI, arranged this tour to China. They're both from Beijing, originally, and they wanted to take a group of people from the university to China. Among the people named in this journal. Jenn and Scott are students, Jacque, Steve, Kevin and Antonio are professors, colleagues of mine, Jane is Dean of Enrollment Services, and her husband, Lee, was with her, Terry and Louise are staff members, and Louise's family, her husband Dan and kids Danielle and Andrew were with her. Linda and Nancy are members of the President's Circle.
We left LAX on Air China at 1:40 am Friday, July 2 nd , and after a 12 hour, 40 minute flight, and 15 hours of time changes (including crossing the international date line), arrived in Beijing at 5:30 am, Friday, July 2 nd .
I took my PDA and a portable keyboard, and whenever I had the energy left over from the day's adventures, kept a travel journal. What follows is a slightly edited version of that journal. The impressions of others on the trip were probably quite different from mine. This was my first trip to Asia, and my first trip to a Communist country; I had high hopes of finding a just and equitable society, quite different from the U.S. My hopes were dashed, but I garnered new revelations along the way.
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