One reason West Salem school Superintendent Nancy Burns traveled to China last month was to to get a feel for the kinds of challenges American students are going to meet in the global marketplace in the 21st century. In that sense, the trip was a real eye-opener.

“I was amazed at the level of technology,” Burns said. “They have more Internet users in China than we have people in the United States. All the young people have a cell phone in their left hand — rural China, on the other hand, is another world altogether.”

Burns and her husband, Tim, spent two weeks touring China with educators from all over the U.S. The trip was arranged through Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia — the West Salem school board approved $1,500 to help Burns defray her $5,000 cost in lieu of her attendance at a national education convention.

The group took off from Chicago on June 28 and returned July 12. The flight went directly over the North Pole and took 13 hours to reach Beijing. Unlike some, Burns said she did not have a problem being cooped up in such a small space for such a long time: “I was able to read and find things to do,” she said.

Anticipation might also have allayed any discomfort. “Traveling to China has been a life dream of mine,” Burns said. “My mother had an original edition of ‘The Good Earth,’ and I read it either in high school or college. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated by the country.”

Currently, the country is in the midst of a massive program to upgrade its educational system, so the trip had particular significance for Burns’ group. “China’s elementary school teachers are high school grads and their middle school teachers have a two-year college degree. Only teachers in the equivalent of our high schools will have four-year degrees or higher,” Burns said.

One big difference between China and the United States is the attitude toward education. In China, teachers are respected and revered. “It’s the most honored and highest-paid profession,” Burns noted. Class sizes, however, are extremely large — about 50 on average.

In Beijing the group visited the Ministry of Education. There they saw the People’s Free Press, the government office responsible for printing all the school textbooks in a country of well over a billion citizens. They also visited Beijing Normal University, Chinese Central Television University and and the Distance Learning University — which, according to Burns, is the largest university in the world.

A highlight of their stay in Beijing was a visit with Nancy Liang, an exchange student who graduated from West Salem High School in May. Liang and her parents took Burns and her husband to a four-star restaurant. This fall, Liang will be coming back to the United States to begin college at Michigan State University. She will, however, be spending the Christmas holidays with the Burns family at their West Salem home.

It was extremely hot in Beijing, with the temperature in the mid-90s and the humidity hovering around 90 percent daily. Still, the skies were uncharacteristically clear during five of the days in Beijing.

“People were amazed to see blue skies, so the pollution control for the Olympics was having some effect. We did a lot of walking and changed our clothes several times a day if we were able to get back to our hotel,” Burns said.

The biggest difficulty was the food. “Meals were hard because you never knew what you were eating. White rice, watermelon and broccoli were about the only things we could identify and that we felt safe eating. I think we all lost weight from all the walking we did,” Burns said.

Although Beijing has its own McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets, because of the different cooking oils used, the taste is just not the same. Burns said Pizza Hut was about the closest they could get to familiar food.

The Chinese people made a big impression on Burns. “They were kind, wonderful and sweet. I’d wave to them from the bus and they would give me an embarrassed wave back.

“We were told not to worry about pickpockets or making change,” she continued. “In preparation for the Olympics the people have been taking lessons in etiquette (no spitting) and on how to be kind to foreigners.”

The group also spent three days in the ancient city of Xi-An, a three-hour flight south and west of Beijing. There, they visited a school that had 6,000 students from the elementary grades on up through the equivalent of high school. All of the classrooms had overhead projectors and, like almost all schools in China, parents were required to pay tuition — a fact that surprised Burns.

Other surprises included the number of Chinese who spoke English, the tollways, gated communities like in the U.S. and how much fun senior citizens seemed to be having.

“They work until they’re 70, but seem to be in great health — maybe because of how hard they work,” Burns said. “They do tai chi together in the parks but afterwards they stay there. Bands play and people are singing. Everybody hangs out together and it seems to keep them mentally healthy as well.”

During their two weeks in China the group visited many of the popuar attractions: the Forbidden City, the 5,000-year-old terra cotta soldiers, the summer palace and the Great Wall. “Walking on the Great Wall was a very moving experience — it was raining yet it was crowded with people,” Burns said.

The trip went far beyond her expectations and not just because of the schools and the historical sites. “We got to visit a number of private homes, which was something I never expected they’d allow.

“Tim and I are experienced travelers. We’ve been to almost all the states and to Germany, France, Ireland and England, but this was something entirely different,” Burns continued. “I guess the word I would use is ‘intriguing.’ It’s such a totally different culture and the people are so proud of it. Although it was absolutely the dream of a lifetime, there’s nothing quite like landing again in the good ol’ U.S.A. We could hardly wait to get a real hamburger again.”