Jason Lyu, G9 During the Christmas vacation, I traveled to Shenyang, the capital of Northeast China’s Liaoning Province, which was a wonderful experience. Upon arrival in the city, I headed straight to a skiing resort and relished the thrill of speeding down the slopes. The freezing cold air and the whistling winds in my ears only added to the excitement. Later, a dear friend joined me in Shenyang. We indulged in mouthwatering barbecues and sampled a variety of local dishes and snacks. The food was exceptional, and we savored every bite. We enjoyed hearty steaming stews of pickled cabbage, dumplings filled with fresh seafood, “beggar’s chicken” cooked in lotus leaves and clay, and bowls of Korean cold noodles to slurp to our heart’s content. Then, we went shopping for souvenirs to bring back as gifts for our friends and relatives. In our leisure time, we watched several movies. One of them was Ning Hao’s “Crazy Alien,” a box office hit from 2019 that still entertained us today. The storyline follows a monkey trainer whose performance goes awry when an alien crash-lands on Earth and injures his monkey. Striving to salvage the act, he attempts to train the alien, only to face consequences when the alien recovers his powers. We also took leisurely strolls around the city, admiring the delightful Christmas decorations and unique architecture. Our explorations led us to local museums where we immersed ourselves in the history and culture of Shenyang. Particularly impressive was the Shenyang Palace Museum, situated in the city center. Originally built in 1625, the former imperial palace served as the residence of the first three Qing emperors. Spanning over 60,000 square meters, the museum showcases ancient cultural relics such as Nurhaci’s sword and Hong Taiji’s broadsword. A wide array of artworks, including paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, sculptures, and lacquerware, are on display as well. In addition to enjoying ourselves, I also dedicated some time to reviewing my lessons, which provided me with a sense of accomplishment. | 