Well, the news all of you have been waiting for is finally official: the Shanghai Jia is officially ours. (Note: the 'Shanghai Jia,' 上海家,is what I'll be calling it – is just means 'Shanghai House' or 'Shanghai Home.') Needless to say, this is a historical moment for the program; really, finding the 'right' facility is in some ways one of the most important parts of the program, as it is the place you will be calling home for either the semester or year.

Actually, the property has been officially ours for about 3 weeks now, I've just been far too busy to get to the announcement on the blog. After signing the lease, we've been busy working on getting renovations scheduled and started, which will begin shortly. If I remember correctly, Charles Hall, the IP Dean, showed some pictures of the Jia at the program orientation, but I'll post some more here for your viewing enjoyment too. William and I looked at literally dozens of properties; the reality is, there are only so many places in a city that could really work as a 'Pepperdine House.' The 'big-4' qualifications for the Jia, as I saw them, were: 1) Adequate size 2) Convenient/ Ideal Location 3) Not made of cardboard, or popsicle sticks 4) Has the right 'personality'. Although the pictures don't really do it justice, you can see that the facility is actually comprised of 3 buildings; buildings one and two are shown in the first picture (building two has the large green-box looking thing on top), and the next picture shows the garden in the middle, with building three at the back of the garden. In the right part of that same picture, you can seen the entrance gate to the facility where the guard sits. The other pictures show the stairwell in building one, as well as a classroom - just to give you a sample. Keep in mind that although the Jia is already 'up to our standard', we'll be spending the next 3 months in renovations to make it even better - adding bathrooms and showers, a student lounge, and some extensive changes to the garden. I think you'll be pleased.

The more I am at the Jia, the more I am convinced that it was unwittingly prepared just for our program.  First, it is a wonderful representation of Shanghai's diverse history. Constructed in 1937 (the same year that George Pepperdine College was founded), the original facility was built toward the end of the foreign concession period of Shanghai's history, when the city was still divided in control by foreign colonial powers. The facility was built to house the Chinese owners of a German-affiliated paint company, and reflects a European "garden-villa" style residence. During the rise of the communist party, the house, along with many other residences of it's size, was controlled by the government and made a home for multiple families in order to 'redistribute wealth' amongst the working classes. In the 1970's and 80's, when China began opening up to more economic development, the property served as offices for several businesses. The facilities and property were renovated and expanded in the late 1990's, adding 2 additional buildings. Its location places it in one of the most historic and convenient locations in the city.

The Shanghai Jia is located in the beautiful and historical Jìngān district – exactly a 10-minute walk west from JingAn temple. Although accessible to the heart of JingAn district, the house sits off of the historic and quaint Yuyuan Road, Lane 532, which is full of preserved, historical residences. Within a 10-minute walk of the Shanghai Jia, students can reach the historic JingAn Temple and park, the Jiuguang (shopping mall), a fantastic mix of local and western restaurants, side-alley markets, two subway stations (JingAn Temple and Jiangsu Rd on line 2), and a major business district that features some of Shanghai's largest commercial high-rises. It's the best blend of familiar, western places, sprinkled with 'real China' markets, noodle-shops, baozi stands, and quaint alleys where you can play 'name-that-smell' to your heart's content. It is also located 1.5 km north of the American consulate and the Héngshān International Community Church. Besides the student rooms and a faculty apartment, the property also features a private flower garden, and accommodates the program offices, 3 classrooms, a library and computer lab, and a large student lounge room. Basically, it's great - and stood neck and shoulders above every other place we saw.

I also want to take a moment here to mention something that is particularly relevant in light of the topic of this blog. As I'm sure many of you have been reading in the papers recently, just as Pepperdine has found it's 'home' in Shanghai in the last few weeks, literally hundreds of thousands of people in central China have lost theirs. The Sichuan earthquake, which happened just 2 weeks ago, continues to affect the lives of millions of people across China. Although the earthquake was too far away from Shanghai to affect the city with any direct damage, many have lost friends or family members in this terrible disaster. As of today, over 62,000 people are confirmed dead, and that number is expected to rise above 80,000 in the following weeks.

A week ago today, on the 1-week anniversary of the first earthquake (which has continued to cause aftershocks), all of China began 3 days of mourning with 3 minutes of silent reflection for the earthquake victims. William and I were on our way to a meeting with the renovation company, and stopped with the other cars in the middle of Nanjing Road in the heart of Shanghai. Thousands of people came out of their office buildings, shops, and homes, and stood silently for three minutes to pay respect for those killed or injured in the quake; the stillness was surreal, especially knowing that it was not just silencing the usual breakneck pace of Shanghai, but of the entire country. For the next three days, the government mandated that all public entertainment would be suspended in mourning for the victims. For 72 hours, every television station either went off-air, or broadcast one of two national news channels, which showed only 24/7 coverage of the earthquake relief effort.

I mention this because, although you are not in Shanghai yet, this is a major part of the 'China' that you are about to enter into and experience. As you prepare to come to Shanghai this summer, take a moment to pray for those that are affected right now – those that have lost homes, children, parents and other loved ones.  Pray for those in Myanmar as well, who are facing the same – and most likely, without the prospect of substantial help or relief arriving any time soon. We are exceptionally blessed to be where we are with the provisions for the program, and to have such an exceptional group coming this first year; as you get ready to depart for the 'Motherland,' foster an expectancy to learn and grow deeply, and in doing both, to better serve...the need is great.