A Month of Family, Part Two May 31, 2010
Posted by freda in China.1 comment so far
The boys arrived late in the afternoon on Thursday, April 22nd. Poor guys were back on a plane first thing Friday morning, as the four of us (the boys, Mom and I – Don had gone the day before to attend the Beijing Auto Show) flew to Beijing. After the usual suitcase retrieval, we met our tour guide, Selina, and were taken to our hotel to check in and freshen up. Don met us there, and then we were off to the Ancient Observatory. Astronomy is one of Nico’s passions, so I knew this would particularly interest him, but it was fascinating for all of us. The observatory is one of the oldest in the world, dating back to 1442, and has several bronze instruments on the roof, including an azimuth theodolite, used to measure the altitude of celestial bodies, and an armillary sphere for measuring the coordinates of planets and stars. (Yes, this info comes from the guide book!)
Ecliptic armillary sphere on the left
one of a collection of reproduction astronomical devices in the courtyard
Our next stop was a rickshaw ride through one of Beijing’s hutong neighbourhoods. As I described in the blog of Elsie’s visit, a hutong is an old courtyard-style of housing, found in the alleyways and particular to Beijing. (The old-style housing in Shanghai is different, and I’ll talk about them next blog.) It was a lovely afternoon for a rickshaw ride.
Nico and me
Don and Lucas
Mom
shop-lined streets
narrow lanes
and roasting ducks in the windows...
The traffic in Beijing was horrendous, and we’d had a bit of a late start, so by the time we finished in the hutong, we were pressed for time to get to our reserved acrobatic show. It was decided, as we sat idling in traffic, wondering how we’d fit dinner in before the show, that we would have pizzas delivered to the theatre, and we gobbled down a couple of slices each sitting on the theatre steps. I wish we’d taken pictures! The show was spectacular…
these ladies were amazing!
and these men and women also!
All in all, a great finish to our first day in Beijing. Back to the hotel for a good sleep before tackling the Great Wall.
Saturday was a gorgeous, sunny day. Don and I were excited to be going to the Great Wall in such perfect conditions, especially after our snowy visit in early March!
This time we went to the area called Mutianyu. It was a long, steep climb just to get to the cable car to take us to the top….
walking the hill up to the cable car - our tour guide, Selina, was a great help
and I was worried about mom making it, given she is waiting for hip-replacement surgery and in some pain, but she was determined.
On the Great Wall
We walked a little of the wall all together, and then Don and the boys went off on a longer walk, while Selina and I helped mom to make it up to the first tower and back again….
Mom did it!!
some steep steps to climb on the Wall
so amazing...
view through a tower window
very mountainous terrain
wedding photos at the Wall
the bride was beautiful
it was a lovely spring day
a great day to be on the Great Wall
After clambering about, the boys tobaggoned down while Selina, mom and I went back by cable car. Then we went to lunch.
After lunch we went to the Summer Palace. This is where the emperors from the Qing dynasty spent their summers. Housed on extensive grounds (716 acres) with a large lake, on a beautiful day it’s a lovely place to stroll. After climbing the Great Wall, however, we were a little too tired to stroll for long, so we took a “dragon” boat ride across the lake. We also walked the “Long Corridor” which is 2,388 (728 metres)long, and decorated with over 14,000 different paintings.
scenic bridge near the entrance
small boats to hire
"dragon boat" to cross the lake
the 'dragon' points the way
various structures on the palace grounds
Long Corridor
one of the 14,000 paintings on the corridor
a perfect day for flying a kite
and a lovely place to be as the sun went down
We went back to the hotel to clean up, and then out for dinner to the Beijing Noodle King Restaurant, where we had eaten in March, and loved – great food!
the 'welcome' at the restaurant entrance
We went back to the hotel for a drink in the lobby, and then fell into bed.
On Sunday, after breakfast and checking out, our first stop was the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven, was completed during the Ming dynasty and is more correctly known as Tian Tan. It is one of the largest complexes in China, and it was here that the emperor would make sacrifices and pray to heaven and his ancestors at the winter solstice for a good harvest .
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
detail of the building
The roof of the hall is supported on 28 highly-decorated pillars. At the centre, the four huge columns, known as Dragon Well pillars, represent the seasons, while the other 234 smaller pillars symbolize the months in a year plus the two-hour time periods in a day.
inside pillars
But, the best part of visiting the Temple of Heaven on a Sunday morning is the surrounding park that is a meeting place for practitioners of tai ji (tai chi), as well as dancing groups, musicians and players of dominoes….
waltzing through the park
tai ji ball
tai ji ball
Don gives the tai ji ball a try
dancing with a ribbon
I love the concentration on these faces
After the Temple of Heaven we went to the silk carpet factory we’d gone to in March, and bought two smaller carpets for our cavernous hallway. Mom bought one too. After lunch we were off to Tian’an Men Square and Forbidden City.
The boys were blown away by how large Tian’an Men Square is, which can hold one million people.
Tian'an Men Square
Mao's Mausoleum, where his embalmed body lies
revolutionary statue outside Mao's Mausoleum
Forbidden City is also massive…. every time mom and the boys thought we were through the last gate, there was another one!
just one of many sections of Forbidden City
Forbidden City
lions guard the entrance
We made it through the Forbidden City just in time for the skies to open and the rain to pour down. Back into the van and off to the airport. Unfortunately our flight out was delayed by 3 1/2 hours due to bad weather. Not such a great ending, but a wonderful weekend.
Next up, the boys in Shanghai….
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