Growing up on a small farm, my family’s idea of a vacation was going to a farm sale. Needless to say, we didn’t travel much and I had never been abroad.
Well, it is often said that college is the time to try new things and find yourself, so when I heard about the opportunity to take a travel-abroad trip, my interest was sparked.
Every year the College of Ag & Bio at SDSU puts together a trip to China, with the focus being on the country’s agriculture and culture. After convincing my parents, I signed up and planned to join 18 other students and two faculty members. Prior to leaving, our group took a semester-long class about China in preparation for the trip.
Four days after completing finals, it was finally time!
Our group left from Sioux Falls, connecting in Chicago and after a short layover we headed on a direct 17-hour flight to our destination. The adventure began in the province of Hong Kong, which is a series of islands south and east of mainland China. We stayed in Hong Kong’s capital, the city of Hong Kong, on the main island.
For comparision, Hong Kong is only about 420 square miles but has a population of 7.4 million people, according to the 2015 census, while Beadle County is 1,265 square miles and has a population of around 18,000.
The weather was absolutely beautiful in Hong Kong, with spring temperatures in the 80s. During our stay, we visited the U.S. consulate and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Ag Trade building. We also met with some of the U.S. trade officials who are working overseas in China, one of whom was from Corona.
We toured the HOFEX International Food Exposition, which is the largest food trade show in China with more than 38,000 exhibitors. Next, we went to Ocean Park, an amusement park on an island with amazing views of the ocean. I went on my first rollercoaster and had a blast. Finally, we rounded out the day with a trip to the famous Happy Valley Race Track & Jockey Club, which was built more than 125 years ago and hosts horse races every Wednesday. Hong Kong is a very modern city with many international influences.
The next city we visited was Guangzhou, which is in mainland China. Forty years ago, Guangzhou was a small fishing village of about 15,000, but now has a population approaching 14 million. It is located next to the coast and has booming ports and a huge shipping industry. While in Guangzhou we visited a fish farm, a grain port, fruit and vegetable wholesale markets, Canton Tower park, and went on a river boat cruise. Food safety is of huge importance in China, so everyone wants their food to be as fresh as possible. Large chain grocery stores with pre-packaged food are not popular, so instead they have massive fresh wholesale markets.
It was amazing seeing all the exotic fresh seafood and fruit. The riverboat cruise was probably my favorite activity in Guangzhou. The boats were decorated festively and the bright lights of the city reflected on the water.
For our third stop we flew to Xi’an. In Xi’an, the local people prefer hard mattresses, so in our hotel we got a “cultural experience.” The first day in Xi’an we rode tandem bikes on the old city wall, attended a folk-dance show, then ate a dumpling dinner.
The next day we also visited a local feed mill, toured the King Bull high-end beef operation, a local equipment implement dealership, a local dairy farm, and then got traditional massages in downtown Xi’an.
We learned how local Chinese farming operations differ from the ones back home with which we were more familiar. In southern China, many of the farms are very small, with farmers only having one cow or a few pigs. Most people do all the farm labor by hand, but those who do have equipment have small three-row planters and harvesters.
The following day we toured the Terra Cotta Warrior burial site and learned a lot about the history of China. The Terra Cotta Warriors were amazing; each of the 8,000 warriors has a unique face and body posture. Later we visited a dairy processing plant and a local farrow to finish operation. The dairy industry is a lot smaller in China compared to the U.S., and one interesting thing that we learned was that in China, because the houses are so small the kitchens rarely have room for a large refrigerator. People buy their dairy in small quantities, and flavored yogurt is more popular than milk. They also process their dairy differently. Their dairy products are radiated so that they can sit on a shelf warm, and keep longer.
On our last morning in Guangzhou, we visited a wet meat market and spice market. At the meat market nothing is pre-packaged; everything is fresh waiting to be cut and sold individually.
We rode a high-speed train to our final destination, China’s capital city of Beijing. In Beijing, we visited the Femur Head Hospital, the Olympic Stadium from the 2008 Olympics, China Ag University, the Great Wall of China, and a jade factory. The Great Wall was the highlight of the trip, it was probably the coolest thing I have ever done, but it was an intense cardio workout. The view was absolutely breathtaking, and I would most definitely recommend that to anyone.
The next day our group visited Pioneer - DuPont’s headquarters in China and heard from the US grain’s council while we were there as well. Later we visited a Tea House and tried a variety of different traditional Chinese teas. We rounded off the day by going to the silk market. The following day we toured the John Deere Plant in Tian Jin, Artex Barn Solution’s factory, as well as a pearl factory. The next day we visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We did a rickshaw city tour, went up into an old drum tower and heard a traditional drum performance.
Later that evening we saw an acrobatics show and enjoyed Beijing’s famous Peking duck dinner. On our final day in China we went to the pearl market, and drove to the airport.
Compared to the 15 1/2-hour flight over, the 12-hour flight back home seemed to whizz by. I had an amazing experience that I will never forget. One thing that really stuck out to me was how friendly everyone was in China.
I learned just how universal the smile is, because everywhere we went, people wanted to take pictures with us.
I also have a greater appreciation for home. After visiting China, I won’t be taking many of the small things for granted, such as western-style bathrooms, safe drinking water, safe food, clear skies, or fresh air. I realize now just how lucky I am to have been born in the United States, and to be raised on a farm and grow up in a small South Dakota town.
My name is Katie Schoenfelder and I graduated from Huron High School in 2016. I am a sophomore at South Dakota State University, where I am currently pursuing a degree in Agricultural Communications.
