Eric's Beijing Diary

Invited a bunch of students to join me for a hike yesterday here at the Hills. Twenty-one of them took me up on it. Another year has passed, and they have worked hard to develop their English skill. They still have many tests coming up, but they have worked hard and they need a break.

I took them to an area outside the park that has lots of hiking trails. we hiked up to the ridge and then along the ridge and came down into Cherry Valley. While we were hiking, I taught them a couple folk songs. Toward the end of our hike, we came to a grassy area near the West Gate of the Botanical Gardens, and they wanted to stop and take some pictures. In one of the pictures I took of them, they assumed a Cultural Revolution pose, so I made them sing "The East is Red." After our hike we went to a local Fragrant Hills coffee bar that has a rooftop cafe. Fortunately it was not raining, and it turned out to be a very nice evening.