The first day in Beijing, we went to the Temple of Heaven complex, which has three temples from the imperial cult of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temples are very colorful and impressive. In one part of the complex there is a circular wall which is built so that if you and another person stand at opposite points in the circle and talk, you can hear one another. It's pretty cool!
Our second day in Beijing, we decided to try being true American tourists, and we hired a tour guide and van through the hostel to take us to Ming Tombs and Great Wall. The plus side of this was that Jon got to sit back and follow someone else's lead, rather than having to guide us everywhere. The down side of having a tour guide is that they give cheap rates by subsidizing their tour with commissions from various shopping spots that they take you to along the tour. We were warned about this in advance by the hostel, and we actually opted for it because it meant it cost us less money. We visited three different places during the day in addition to our desired destinations. We stopped at a jade factory, a pottery factory, and a Tibetan Medicine hospital (that was the funniest, because it was an actual hospital with a real Tibetan doctor that came and listened to our pulse, asked us questions about our health, and then gave recommendations about which Tibetan medicines would solve all of our problems!! They made it look so official, but it kind of felt like getting your fortune told.)
Anyway, the Great Wall was obviously the highlight of the day. The part we visited was very steep, and a great workout! Apparently it is famous because there is a famous quote by Chairman Mao about that section of the wall. He said that if you could climb to the top, you were a "real man." I'm happy to report that by the end of the day, we were all "real men!"
That same evening, we went to an acrobat show, which if you've never seen Chinese acrobatics, you've never been truly impressed! If you want a taste, check out this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeOb3ZiXRQ4
Our last day in Beijing, we visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City or Imperial Palace, and the Lama Buddhist Temple. The Forbidden City is where the emperor of China used to live (it's also the famous one you always see with a huge picture of Chairman Mao on the front -- but Chairman Mao has nothing to do with it, I'm not sure why they put him there). It really is a whole city inside of Beijing that is isolated from the rest of civilization. It is huge, and there is tons to see!! Really, I'm pretty sure the castles of Europe have nothing on China when it comes to royal living!
That evening we boarded a train for the final time to head to our teaching city in Nanjing. We had to pay extra for our spots, because the cheap beds were full, so we got to go first class in the soft sleepers. We had our very own compartment, and it was practically like a hotel with a complimentary toothbrush and washcloth -- the works!!
Real men at top of the wall!
Tiananmen Square
The Temple of Heaven
3 comments:
Wow! Keep the posts coming!
Interesting stuff...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous. This all begs the question--Have you eaten any true chinese food, instead of "chinese" food?
I haven't gone to beijing and the Great wall.I really want to be "real man".you are so happy and exciting,aren't you?Have you eaten the famous food in beijing?we call it "roasting duck".very delicious.
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