A few days after the swine flu closed our school a few days early in early July, Aaron's parents and two of his siblings, Caleb and Emily, arrived in Beijing for a two week visit. They came partly to visit us, and partly to visit Jing Wei--the exchange student from Beijing who spent a year living with their family and going to high school in Gladstone, Michigan--and Jing Wei's parents. Jing Wei and Mr. and Mrs. Wu were incredibly welcoming, hosting dinner after dinner, taking us all on a trip to Tian Jin, arranging a hotel for the Whitmers to stay at, and the list goes on. It was a very busy and fun time. Here are some photos of the highlights.
dinner at the hotel run by Mrs. Wu
A meal in Tian Jin, a city of 10 million near Beijing
preparing the fish
Caleb surveys the 4 star hotel they put us up in in Tian Jin (the nicest hotel I think any of us had ever stayed in...)
never again will i visit the forbidden city at high tourist season... (and note the umbrellas, not for rain but for protection from the sun)
Emily surveys her kingdom
the night market. everything you never really wanted to eat on a stick.
(silkworms, sea horses, starfish, sheep testicles, etc.)
Gary makes a friend
rooftop cafe in the seaside town of Qingdao we visited for a couple days. The city is pretty; winding streets and German architecture from the late 1800s when the Germans controlled parts of the city.
ah, Chinese beaches.
late night street
worker at the Qingdao brewery; we toured the factory.
bottling area
dinner at the Wu's apartment. In chinese culture inviting someone to have dinner in your home is not a common occurance, so we felt honored to be invited to the Wu's home for a delicious meal. 
the 'squirrel fish'
a lot of jiao zi (dumplings)
more food than we could ever possibly finish
