Our first stop was Tiananmen Square. We did not make it early enough for the flag raising ceremony, but we did beat a lot of the crowds. It is amazing how large an area this encompasses, to think of the number of people who have been in this square over the course of history, and the many significant historical events that have happened here. From there we walked across the street to the gates of the Forbidden City. It is the image I have always had of China with the big red wall with the large portrait of Chairman Mao. Once inside the gates, it is hall after hall after hall, all with their own special names and functions. Large open courtyards separated the main buildings with smaller quarters making up the perimeter.
All the amazing woodwork, sculptures, and carvings gave you too many things to look at and see. Inside some of the buildings were artifacts from the various dynasties that have ruled China. Sometimes they were displayed as if they were being utilized, and other times you felt like you were in a museum.The Forbidden City is being restored, as is much of Beijing, for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games. Although there were some areas closed or shielded from view, we were able to see almost everything.
Once we exited the Forbidden City, we took a tour of the ancient city of Hutong, which is directly adjacent to the Forbidden City. We took our tour by pedicab, with 2 people in each cab being pulled by a man riding bicycle. The bike is the most popular form of transportation in the city, and the rows and rows of bikes that are parked along the street in certain areas is an amazing site. We were told that motorbikes are becoming more and more popular and starting to replace some of the bicycles.
The pedicab took us to the Drum Tower, and we got there just in time to get up the long narrow staircase and see the beating of the drums. The drum tower was originally used as a watch tower and to signal the time to all the people below by the beating of the drums. There were over a dozen large (about 3' diameter) drums sitting on their side plus one that was 6' or so in diameter. The musicians would move between the drums in a choreographed pattern.
We stopped and went to a local house, which was actually a family of buildings surrounding a courtyard. Different generations lived in the different buildings, and the building you were in depended on your position in the family, with specific locations for the eldest through the siblings. From there we went to another house and had a meal prepared by them at their house. They cooked everything in a kitchen not much bigger than a closet with stove. The food was very good and it was nice to see a couple of local homes.
On Mariah’s birthday, we went to the Great Wall of China. We went to the area called Badaling. Although it fills up with people, going at this time of year the crowds are not as large. The Great Wall is very impressive, especially when you start to think how long it stretches across China, and what it took to build the wall. We saw such a small portion of the wall, but it was massive. The walk up the steps was invigorating and challenging.
At one of the first platforms, there was one of the terra cotta warriors (replica I assume), so we all got our pictures taken with him. Further up was a station that you could have a plaque engraved with your name on it indicating you had climbed the Great Wall, so we all had those made for souvenirs. There were plenty of vendors both on the wall and at the base of the wall selling trinkets, shirts, and handicrafts, so we ended up with a few items to take home. The views were wonderful as this was one of the highest points along the wall.In the evening we had a Peking duck dinner and then went to Kung Fu show, which was a combination kung fu exhibition and theater show. It told the story of a young boy and his dream and quest to become a kung fu master.
Our last day was spent at the Temple of Heaven Park. Here it seemed like we saw a few more everyday scenes, as the park was full of locals doing everything from calligraphy on a large walkway using broom sized brushes and water as their "ink", to playing checkers and chess, to exercising in groups. The kids all had their names written on a large scroll in Chinese characters painted to look like animals and vegetation. This was where the emperor communicated with the heavens. Prayers for good weather and bountiful harvests were done here. There is an elevated circular area with a circle in the middle that represents the center of the universe.
We also visited the Summer Palace. The palace is built on a large made lake (Kunming Lake). The dirt that was dug out of the lake was piled behind the palace and created Longevity Hill, on which several Buddhist temples have been built. Along the lake runs the Long Corridor, which has thousands of painted scenes on the walls and ceilings of the very long overhead archway.After 3 days of sightseeing in the Beijing area, we were all tired, but wished we had more time. It is one thing to read about history and geography of other countries, but is something else to be there and see it in person and hear about it from the natives. Our visit to China was a great and memorable experience.
