Confucianism, Chongqing Market and Cable Car over Yangtze

In the morning we had a presentation on Confucius and his impact today. I was really looking forward to this presentation but I was a little disappointed in the lecture. It was really hot in the room we were in and I was sitting on a stool for the whole time. In addition to that the presentation lasted three hours!

The principal religions and philosophies in China are Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. There are approximately 100 million Buddhists and approximately 60 million Muslims. 

Confucius is a Chinese philosopher who lived around 400 BC. He was at first a private teacher who stressed education as the way to improving ones life. One of the reasons why education is still very important in China today. At 15 Confucius's heart was set on learning. As a youth his family was poor and he would pick out peoples good and follow them. When seeing there bad points he would correct those traits in himself. Being kind and benevolent will come back to you in the future. Confucianism is all about cultivating yourself and improving yourself. Respecting your elders is also a key component in Confucianism. 

"At thirty I stood firm"

"A person should not impose on others what he does not wish to happen to himself;a person who wishes to establish himself and reach his goals should help others to establish themselves and reach their goals"

"At 70: I could follow hearts desire without transgressing the norm"

"When seeing a man of virtue we should think of equalling with him, a man without virtue we should look inside and examine ourselves. Do not watch what is improper , do not listen to what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not speak improperly and do not act improperly. ". 

After the three hour lecture in a sweltering room we walked around in the furnace of Chongqing. Sam, Amy and I had a great time sampling foods and interacting with the locals. Once again the people have been very friendly and good to us. It was a really cool market with lots of sights and smells. 

After our market visit we ate hot pot in an old bomb shelter during World War II. Hot pot is what it sounds like. There is a bowl in the middle of your table with broth and various spices. It's a fun experience because you add the various foods into the hot pot. My exotic food last night was eel with its head on. Certainly have been an adventurous eater here. The spices are something else though. We all were sweating and coughing throughout the meal. But it was a really fun experience nevertheless. 

After dinner several us went to check out the metro situation in preparation for our free day. It was a little difficult to navigate for we couldn't find a map in English. However we wanted to find a good view of the river and were lucky to stumble upon the cable cars that we saw when taking our boat ride. The cable car ride was timed perfectly. It goes across the mighty Yangtze River and we just happened to get there when the sun was setting. When we got across there were spectacular views of Chongqing at night.