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Health & Fitness

When You're Really Not That Different; A Creative Travel Journal

UMD's School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is in Beijing this summer partnering with National Academy of Chinese Theatre students in a co-production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

It was an exhausting day being a tourist - Great Wall, Olympic Park and the Summer Palace. The history is palpable and amazing. The Great Wall is stupendous and awe inspiring. Two highlights - Laree climbed in flip flops, which none of us thought was going to be possible, and on the way down we ran into a young girl with a rabbit. Since it is the year of the rabbit we all found it quite fascinating, but odd. Who climbs the wall with a rabbit? The Olympic park was busy with tourists and vendors. Helen bought a mile-long kite with about 30 flags. We hope to see her in the Theatre Courtyard outside Applause in nice weather with it!

The Summer Palace was a bit overwhelming.  But - we were treated with a performance of music and opera in the outside Theatre originally used for Peking opera performances for the Emperor and his family. Our tour guide Peter was an amazingly calm and kind man filled with a ton of information. We're looking forward to tomorrow when he takes us to the Forbidden City!

Cary Gillett, Theatre Production Coordinator

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