While in DC, I got to visit the DC Chinatown! I was so excited to get to eat some authentic Chinese and Taiwanese food. I miss it so much, and it’s pretty hard to find authentic Chinese food in Oklahoma… It was truly a Taiwanese-like experience. We sat at a table that was approximately 3 feet wide and on tiny stools, cramped in a corner. Felt truly like I was home in Taiwan again. The food was delicious, and I knew it was going to be because the daughter was sitting up front and yelled to her mother in Chinese that they had customers. I ended up talking to the 阿姨/老闆 (the first directly translates to auntie and the second to boss, but “boss” does not convey the same meaning, so auntie feels more correct!) in Chinese while my friend stood there awkwardly.

As well as going to the National Gallery and some other art museums, we went to the National Museum of Asian Art. We saw lots of amazing art, including some porcelain and jade pieces. I have seen so many of them in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan; these seemed slightly lackluster, though stunning nonetheless. Some of my favorite Chinese art is the long tapestries of watercolor or ink landscapes. I saw some in one of the galleries of the National Museum of Asian Art, which were actually Japanese, but the artist did them in the style of a specific Chinese painter. It is really interesting to see cultures impact each other! I have also been to a few talks about China’s influence put on by the College of International Studies that was really good as well. It focused more on the political side, but it is just as easy to see their influence when looking at other countries around them and seeing how Chinese culture has impacted and affected them. 

Thank you for reading! 

Your sincere friend, Rose Crawford.