Three Days In Beijing

After a surprisingly satisfying breakfast at McDonalds, David took us to his favorite stop along the tour—the Temple of Heaven.  Constructed in the 1400's, the complex was used by Emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties as a ceremonial site to pray for good harvests.  The majestic architecture of the Temple of Heaven is rich in symbolism and color.  Squares, representing Earth, and circles of Heaven can be found on and throughout the complex.  Pillars symbolizing the four seasons, twelve months, and twelve Chinese hours stand below a blue-tiled roof; the color of Heaven.

The bright sun was beautiful, but it was deceivingly cold that day.  Feeling particularly under the weather, I used my scarf in a feeble attempt to muffle my coughs and block my lungs from exiting my body.  Dramatic, I know.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and location of 28 symbolic pillars.

The expansive grounds surrounding the temple were saturated with people engaging in various activities from tai chi chuan (a soft form of martial arts that focuses on slow, concentrated movements to improve health and meditation) to singing and dancing.  A perfect people-watching location, the colorful sights and sounds drowned out the cold weather and lifted my spirits.

  

This reminded me of 2-stepping.  But, maybe it was only in my head.

Tai chi with rackets

Tai chi with swords

Nothing like 2-stepping

Old men—cute no matter what country they're in.

Live performances...

Our next visit was to a diminishing Chinese neighborhood, characterized by narrow alleys and courtyard residences, referred to as a hutong.  Hutongs, once popular during the days of emperors and empresses, are now facing extinction throughout Beijing and some effort has been made to preserve the cultural treasures.  Although they appear miniscule from the outside, the siheyuan (courtyard residences) often open into many adjoining buildings once through the front gate.  In an effort to safeguard the buildings from city expansion and educate the public, some people have opened up their homes to tour groups.

  

Because cars are not allowed to drive inside the hutongs, elaborate pedicabs were the next best thing.

A typical residence within the hutong neighborhood, although I specifically remember them telling us cars are not allowed.

The number of posts above the front door depict the owner's status.  In the "old days," a girl who lived in a 4-post residence, such as this, was not allowed to marry a boy from a 3-post house.

Since recently opening his house to the public for tours, this man has seen thousands of visitors come through the front gate.

 

Multiple buildings surround the interior courtyard—perfectly positioned to obtain optimal sunlight infiltration.

 

The interior of his family's main living quarters.

Of course, lunch was located adjacent to another tourist trap market.  This one, however, was full of beautiful pearls I found hard to resist.  After a brief lesson on pearls and how to distinguish between the real and fake ones, we were released into the sparkly show room.  The temptation was too great and the necklaces too brilliant so I willingly gave in.  

As the sun was beginning its decent, we made our way to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace, as its name implies, was used by many of China's imperial rulers during Beijing's warm months.  Its location outside of the city provided a cool, tranquil environment that encouraged relaxation and meditation.  The palace is a well-preserved example of traditional Chinese gardening, which intoxicates visitors with its beauty and poetic backdrop.

 

The frozen lake, although beautiful, was man-made.  The excavated soil and dirt from the lake was used to build Longevity Hill, which acts as a stage for many beautiful temples.

The Summer Palace was the last stop of our Beijing tour and we were to spend the last two days on our own. Three days of non-stop touring had taken its toll on me, and I conceded to the flu and opted out of dinner in exchange for some much needed rest at the hotel.  However, in doing so I missed out on an important adventure... a trip to Wal-Mart.  From the stories I heard and pictures I saw, a Wal-Mart in China is strikingly similar to one in America. One noticeable difference is the presence of fresh pig's feet.  Luckily, I wasn't along or the temptation may have been too great.  Once you eat duck brain, there's no telling where you will draw the line.    

Two Days in Beijing

I began Christmas morning surrounded by food at the hotel buffet.  However, unlike the delicious home-made waffles I typically enjoy at home on Christmas, we were restricted to the selection of bad Chinese food and stale American options.  Unfortunately, the only semi-edible dish was a take on Cocoa Crispies and I semi-enjoyed 2 bowls.  Without a proper meal, our bodies were running on the adrenaline and excitement of seeing the Great Wall.  

Before stepping foot on one of China's most famous landmarks, David decided to take us to a jade factory (another tourist trap).  Just like their tea, Chinese believe jade has many mystical powers to improve health.  The popular jade bangles are to be worn on your left wrist in order to promote a healthy heart. Of course, the jewelry was all very beautiful, but once again out of our price range. 

     

Sculpting a decorative, and very popular, jade ball.  

Before our trip, we discussed what the Great Wall would look like.  I've seen many pictures of lush green grass blanketing the countryside with the majestic wall winding its way through the hills for an infinite number of miles.  Visiting the Great Wall in December, one must realize that this iconic view will be obsolete.  We assumed the grass would be dead, leaving behind a scratchy blanket reminiscent of a burlap bag.  I hoped for a fresh snowfall throughout the hills, but at the same time prayed for unusually warm weather.  Stepping out of the van and onto the base of the wall gave us an unexpected first glimpse.  Just as we assumed, the area around the wall was neither grass nor snow, but a prodigious array of brown sticks and dirt.  Thankfully, the sun was bright and the infamous smoggy sky of China was absent.  The unexpected part came from the hundreds of stairs that inched their way up the mountainside. Ironically, I had never thought about how we would ascend the wall, and climbing hundreds of stairs seemed formidable when battling the flu.  But, this was the Great Wall and I was determined to see it so I climbed one, slow step at a time.  

   

Standing at the base and realizing how many steps I would be climbing.

A tiny patch of snow!

I was soon thankful a blanket of snow did not cover the ground.  I'm sure my traveler's insurance would've been utilized.

Taking a breather and hiding from the stairs.

We decided to go up a little higher to get a better view.

It turned out the view was the same, just higher.

Almost how I pictured it would look.

And... done.

Since I had burned off the Cocoa Crispies within the first 10 minutes at the Great Wall, I was starving and ready for our next Chinese lunch.  Of course, lunch was located within the building of another tourist trap—a cloissene market.  Again, the restaurant's food was delicious and I found myself wondering whether I had chosen the right country to live in.  The colorful cloissened animals and dishes filled a brightly-lit room and we did our best to browse while avoiding the pursuit of many saleswomen.  

Once David meandered back to retrieve us from the cloissene market, (he always disappeared and gave us ample time to shop in the tourist trap markets despite his quick pace through each historical visit) we headed off to the Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs.  Located at the foot of the Jundu Mountains, the location of the tombs was selected by emperor Yongle in the 1400's. According to Feng Shui principles, its location is pivotal in warding off bad spirits and evil winds.  Today, only 3 tombs are open to the public including the Changling, which is the burial mausoleum of Chengzu Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty.  

I commend emperor Yongle for selecting such a beautiful location for the tombs.

The entrance to the tomb.

The mausoleum/artifact museum

Resting at the feet of the emperor is a pile of money.  I suppose he can use it to purchase things in the after-life...

I'm sure he almost has enough to buy a new ipod mini.

After quickly viewing the Ming Tombs, David must have felt too much time had elapsed since our last tourist trap so he graciously took us to a silk market. Before heading to the store portion of the market, we were treated to an informative demonstration on how silk is retrieved from the worms.  The process was interesting and the end product, beautiful, but I'm still baffled when I see Koreans eating silk worm larvae on the street.  Apparently, the worms have a dual purpose.  

Retrieving the silk from the worm and winding it onto spools.

After cleaning, the silk is ready to be stretched and layered into bed-sized blankets.

That evening, we were treated to a Christmas Peking Duck dinner.  The dinner was quite delicious and included various side dishes including noodles and vegetables.  Peking duck, a prized dish since the imperial era, is cherished most for its crispy skin.  The dark meat was greasier than chicken with a slightly gamey taste.  In the spirit of China, and because the head was also delivered to our table, I ate the brain.  I'm unsure as to whether the Chinese believe it holds magical powers like their tea and jade, but I choose to believe something good is coming my way...

After dinner, we used our free time to explore the famous snack street in downtown Beijing. Shops and restaurants line an area known as the "walking street," and offer everything from Chinese medicine books to ubiquitous souvenirs.  Snack street is a dare-devil's paradise.  Small tents line the congested sidewalk and offer rare foods that are at times, still moving.  Vendors vie for the attention of each passerby with loud, verbal invitations to try their less than tantalizing delicacies.  

   

Candied fruit on a stick—not too weird

Scorpions and worms—getting weird

On the left, starfish.  On the right, snakes curled on a stick.  Very strange.

Since I had already eaten duck brain, I had nothing to prove and settled on a dry ice beverage. It's flavor wasn't as exciting as the presentation.

As we walked around and shopped at our leisure (without the pressure from a tourist trap market), our group decided this Christmas Day would be one to remember.  The amount of Christmas decorations was surprising, and David shared with us the reason behind the city's outward celebration of a Christian holiday—the foreigners.  How thoughtful of China.

 

It was strange, however, that so many people were buying and wearing devil horns.

Santa and Satan—this sends the wrong holiday message.