Temple of Heaven
Beijing has quite literally bloomed before our eyes. As the days have gone by the magnolia blooms have fully opened and more and more tress are showing their beautiful yellow, pink and purple blossoms. The temperature is still cool (high of 60) and the sky a pastel blue-what better day to visit the Temple of Heaven and its beautiful surrounding park.
We walked through the park with expanses of bright green new grass, flowering trees, music and laughter everywhere. The park was full of people on this Sunday, and no one was lounging on the grass or picnicking-they were all actively doing something: cards, board games, dancing, playing instruments or exercising. Others were gathered around trees sharing the resumes of their eligible single offspring in a sort of parent-driven, Chinese J-date. The park was also on the route of the Beijing Marathon run earlier today.
This setting became our venue for trying a few of the more gentle “internal” martial arts. I tried my hand at Tai Chi, and really enjoyed the experience and found it very relaxing. The next thing I knew, my husband was participating in some sort of balance paddle ball game, easily flipping balls under his leg and behind his back to his Chinese instructors and game-mates. Called Taiji Bailong Ball, it is a type of Tai Chi and the object is to keep moving the wrist so the ball doesn’t ever touch the ground, but stays on the paddle until tossed. He was great. First using chopsticks and now this, what next?
After playing in the park, we visited the beautiful Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan), the round, ancient building typically used as the signature visual symbol for Beijing. Another relic of the Ming Dynasty dating from 1420, the Temple has religious and cylindrical significance, and was used for the Emperor to make sacrifices and pray for a good harvest. It’s a truly beautiful venue, even with the lights and staging being set up for the Beijing Film Festival which is just getting underway.
A few of us visited a nearby Tea Shop for a lively, rapid-fire presentation and tasting about different teas and their health benefits. The young lady who did the talking must’ve had to really practice to get it all in this fast – she was cute and funny and we felt like we were in a Saturday Night Live skit. It was effective, however, I think we all bought tea.
We took advantage of the lighter Sunday traffic to see the impressive new skyline of the business district, and then made our way to the area of town where most of the foreign embassies are located. It was a pretty area and reminded me of fraternity row. The buildings all looked pretty similar, and had Chinese guards, since the local government doesn’t allow any other country’s military to be visible. It was in this leafy neighborhood we had a light and delicious lunch at a spot called Panino Teca. You can guess from the name it was Italian and featured really good sandwiches (I had toasted prosciutto) and yummy desserts and gelato.
The afternoon was dedicated to some more exploration of the hutongs. We returned to the area we had previously visited near the northern lakes and took another trishaw ride. BTW, a trishaw is a hybrid rickshaw-bicycle. This time, we took a different route, and rode along the other side of the lake and through the hutong’s narrow streets. Ultimately, we ended up at the typical siheyuan home of a local artist who we were able to visit. The couple was probably in their mid-60s, and through a translator we were able to have a lively and candid discussion about their lives and how they live. Nothing was off limits, and it was very interesting. The wife was a retired factory worker, and the husband an artist with his own gallery. They were successful enough to have traveled to the U.S., and he had been all over China. Yet they share a bathroom with two other families now housed in their courtyard home, and live in conditions markedly different than their counterparts in the U.S. It was a highlight to have the privilege to meet them, and also to speak with our guide on a more in-depth level.
The trishaws navigated us out of the hutong and back to our bus for the trip back to the Regent.
Tomorrow we head to Xi’an, and there has been a lot of (apparently unnecessary) concern about the published weight restrictions on the Chinese airlines. Thanks to our Tauck guide Annie for today’s tip.
Tip of the day, “Don’t worry about the weight of your baggage-just worry about your weight.”
Intricate art and gorgeous colors in the Forbidden City.
Starfish are just one of the delicacies at the Wangfujing Night Market.
Today was a study in contrasts. To list just a few:
- Ancient history at the Forbidden City vs. a visit to the contemporary 2008 Olympic site;
- Massive crowds of people pressing into sites intended for peace and serenity;
- Tasty meals vs. a market featuring scorpions, snakes and worms; and
- Cool blue skies vs. a haze of pollution.
We started it all under the watchful gaze of Chairman Mao at the infamous Tiananmen Square (Tian’an Men). The Square was more modern than I expected and surrounded with large, impressive buildings. Two huge electronic video screens were playing in the middle of the Square, and the guards kept watch over the nation’s flag. No one seems to mind having their picture taken these days, including the military. The crowds were tremendous, apparently due to the fact Mao’s body was on view today. He has not been on display much recently due to some “facility” repairs. That, combined with the nice weather, made for lots of togetherness with what we estimated to be several hundred thousand comrades over the course of the three hours we were in the area.
BTW, the streets are very clean here; there is very little graffiti, no sirens and in spite of the crowds and crazy traffic you do have a sense of order.
From Tiananmen, we walked through the underground tunnel that took us across the street to the Forbidden City, or as it is known here, the Palace Museum. It is impossible to imagine how large it is but when you understand there are almost 10,000 rooms, and during the Ming dynasty 100,000 eunuchs lived here to serve the Emperor’s family and concubines (24 Emperors over the 500 year period). Completed in 1420, the complex is constantly undergoing necessary restoration, and you can see scaffolding and work-in-progress throughout. We traveled through several courtyards, including those that were used for soldiers, to reach the Halls of Middle Harmony and Supreme Harmony; the Palaces of Heavenly Purity and Earthly Tranquility and finally, the Imperial Gardens. We did not see all 9,900+ rooms. We did visit the Palace of Eternal Spring in the Western section, where the imperial concubines lived. The décor here is original, and yet to be restored, but is beautifully elegant. There are so many halls, gates and palaces, it is actually quite confusing. But we got the gist – it’s big, imposing and built to demand reverence.
I wasn’t too concerned about which part I was in, since every part had such beautiful features, such as carvings, trompe-l’oeil paintings, glazed relief art, intricate tiles, dragons, and various roof guardians. It would have been heavenly if I could have banished the throngs and been able to take photos without someone walking in front of the camera every half second. I could spend much more time wandering around just enjoying the wonderful workmanship.
During our time at the Palace, the haze moved in, masking some of the Garden’s color and beauty. Although the Gardens were pretty, they seemed cramped by comparison to the interior and were so crowded it was impossible to experience them as intended.
During lunch the winds kicked up, and our blue sky returned in time for our afternoon visit to the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. We went inside the iconic Bird’s Nest Stadium and saw the swimming Cube, torch and other facilities used for the games. The expansive plaza outside the stadium was busy with other visitors, families and vendors. It was a lively, festive setting.
Tonight we visited the downtown Wangfujing Night Market, open from 5-9:30 pm daily, with a long block of various food vendors hawking their products. Crowds of locals were partaking. We spent enough time there looking at each booth to effectively minimize any appetite for dinner we might have had. I actually think the smells were really much worse than the sights – I shouldn’t have lingered quite so long or gotten so close taking pictures. In addition to the normal items such as squid, prawns, crab, dumplings of all sorts, fruit, fish, and noodles, there were the less appetizing snakes (skin on or off), worms, various organs, what I think were pigeons, sea serpents, beetles, large or small scorpions, starfish, sea urchins, and baby sharks, and last but not least, the items we couldn’t figure out. I always thought those pictures on the internet were made up or a joke, and when I did hear about this market I thought it might be for tourists, but it’s for real; it was 99% a local crowd and very loud and lively. Add it to your to do list for any first time visit to Beijing.
We ended up leaving the restaurant for which we had a reservation when told it was only a pre-fix tasting menu (with not one appealing item), and instead, enjoyed a light dinner of fried rice with a spicy broth and dumplings in the Wangfujing Dajie area. There are scads of restaurants in the same (6-story) building as the large Apple computer store. Our return to the local Haagen Dazs ended up costing more than our dinner.
Tip for the day: don’t look at raw snakes, worms and scorpions before dinner (maybe not after either).
The incomparable Great Wall of China, Badaling section.
What a day to visit the Great Wall of China! We headed out early to the Badaling section from the Ming Dynasty, which is the most restored portion of the Wall. Going early helped beat the crowds and they were substantial on this beautiful day. Crowds notwithstanding, it was everything I thought it would be and more.
It’s hard to visualize the experience – in words or photos.
The mountains are beautiful and because it’s early spring, the trees are still leafless and the slopes are filled with peach trees in white bloom. When you see the PR pictures of the Wall it is usually against a rich green tree line, but our view was more monotone with layered shades of distinction. In person, it was beautiful; in the photos it loses much of its contrasts and looks almost like frost in the surrounding hills. Speaking of frost, there were still some piles of dirty snow pressed up against the rock walls outside the Wall entrance; it has been a cold winter here. The early morning light and brown/beige palette was not conducive to great photos, but did improve as the morning went on and the blue sky got brighter.
The best thing we did was break from the masses and take the long hike straight up the South side. We climbed and rested, climbed and rested, then climbed some more; shedding layers of clothing along the way. I was proud of us for being one of only a few to make it up to the highest watchtower – about a mile away. Part of the walkway is sloped and parts are uneven steps of various heights (the better to thwart nighttime invaders). Breathing was compromised on the way up, and coming down had the fear factor going for it. I’m sure I will feel the consequences tomorrow. But the view was nothing less than majestic and the feeling exhilarating.
On the way back to Beijing, we stopped to see the much quieter Juyong Guan portion and enjoy a excellent and substantial Chinese lunch at the Commune by the Great Wall, a boutique hotel located near an un-restored area of the Wall. We both tasted everything (and consequently probably had way too much). The eggplant was incredibly good and our favorite, but the dumplings and sweet/sour chicken were close runners-up.
As predicted, we are being stopped for pictures with Chinese tourists who seem to enjoy getting Americans to pose with them (often while they pose making peace signs). It’s all in good fun, and we don’t mind, even though it does make one feel a bit like a circus freak or better yet a Hollywood star without the autograph.
In the afternoon we toured the expansive Summer Palace and picturesque grounds. The wind picked up over the lake and a haze seemed to have settled in. We started with a ride on a colorful dragon ferry boat around Lake Kunming and saw all the famous spots such as the Marble Boat, Longevity Hill, and the beautifully painted (and now restored) Long Corridor reputed to be the world’s longest covered walkway. The colors here are so rich and the artwork painted along the corridor and in the buildings is charming. Along the way our local Tauck guide explained the history, excesses and intrigue surrounding the Empress Dowager Cixi. She sure was a nasty piece of work.
We were pretty exhausted as our driver fought the late Friday afternoon traffic back to our downtown hotel. My husband and I decided to stay close to home for a light dinner, so we went across the street to the Peninsula Hotel’s lovely Chinese restaurant Huang Ting where we shared some wok-fried shrimp and vegetables, along with some fried noodles with chicken. Delicious.
Tip of the day- train on a max elevated treadmill setting before climbing the Great Wall.
Square Pond and Pavilion at the Mansion of Prince Gong.
This morning we headed north of the Forbidden City to the recreational lake area of Qian Hai and Hou Hai. We decided to start with a visit to the fabulous Mansion of Prince Gong before exploring the delightful surrounding hutong neighborhood. It’s another clear, beautiful, cool day in the city.
The Mansion is the best example of an historic property of its type, built during the reign of the Qianlong emperor and then inhabited by its namesake Prince Gong from 1851-61. As a State Protected Site since 1982, it is a very large and impressive property. For Americans, translating it as a “mansion” is a misnomer, since the property features five rows of courtyards in three columns with numerous buildings, alcoves, smaller patios, and beautiful gardens. Tickets were ¥40 (about $6.50) each and well worth it. We had read and been told there would be huge crowds and it might be difficult to get in. But as luck would have it, we were able to walk right in and easily avoid the groups of Asian tourists also visiting the site.
I am taller, blonder and usually older than most everyone here; and then, of course there is the matter of my curly hair . . . so it is not possible to even think about blending in. For most of today, we were the only two Westerners among thousands wandering around the sites we chose to visit. That’s a good thing as far as we’re concerned.
More about the amazing Mansion: it has more than 56,000 square feet of buildings and grounds and has been beautifully restored and maintained. The vibrant colors of the structures and entries were complemented by the Garden of Various Beauty (Cuijin Garden) with trees just beginning to bloom, ducks in the spring-fed lake and rock gardens. The white apricot blossoms were especially delicate and beautifully well-suited to their environment. I particularly loved the shiny green glaze on the roof tiles, a technique just a little less important than the type of work reserved for use on imperial structures. Even the modern bathrooms now on site were well maintained and pretty nice. For my opera-loving friends – apparently in the summer, the Beijing Opera is performed in the Grand Opera House at this location.
We negotiated a ride in one of the dozens of trishaws lining the streets outside the Mansion for a quick, delightful ride around two lake areas: Hou Hai and Qian Hai. The sparkling lakes featured a couple of bridges resembling those in Venice, of which the most famous is the Yinding Bridge – restored several times since it’s construction during the Ming Dynasty, when it was built to resemble an inverted silver ingot (called a Yinding).
This is such a nice area of the city, there are dozens of inviting shops, bars and restaurants along Lotus Lane right on the lakefront. It was packed with young adults out for an afternoon of fun. One nearby government mandated “Specialty Shopping Street” is the Yandai Byway – named after a “smoking pipe.” Here they direct you to the “Pipe Street” they say is shaped like a pipe; in reality the pedestrian narrow street is about the length of two and a half football fields, and dates back two centuries when it was filled with shops related to pipe smoking. Today, local craftsman display a variety of wares in a very nice, quality environment.
We continued walking to the nearby Drum and Bell Towers. The Towers date from 1420 and both featured very steep stairways a very long way to the top; I lost count and was NOT going back up for a redo! The Drum Tower had one extremely large drum and 24 large watchman’s drums. The Bell Tower features a 15’, 42-ton bell cast in 1420. The drums and the bell were used to mark the various important times in a day such as the close of the city gates, time for bed, dawn, etc. If you time it right you can hear demonstrations of both. One ticket for entry to both is ¥30 (less than $5) per person.
It’s hard to imagine this area was once home to Genghis and Kublai Khan . . .
We walked on and completed our day’s investigation with a stroll down Nan Luo Gu Xiang, part of a neighborhood dating from the Yuan and Ming Dynasties that is now the center for an area preserved as representative of the old hutongs. It is the only remaining example of the chessboard layout style with eight parallel alleys radiating from this central commercial street. Filled with teens and young adults, this was a happening spot today and very busy with well dressed pedestrians, cars trying to navigate, bikes, trishaws, and lots of busy restaurants along the half mile route. So “stroll” might not be the right word – you do have to keep on your toes around here, or you could be run down at any second. We also finally spotted a fluffy, orange Chinese cat in addition to the many fluffy dogs we have already seen.
We called it a day and headed back to our hotel for a welcome Chinese dinner with our Tauck tour director and group. Tomorrow we will begin some guided tours of the major sites.
Tips for the day, negotiate before you do anything and take a moment to enjoy the beauty around you.
