Beijing Part 2

This is the observatory at the Summer Palace where royalty used to come to get away from the summer heat in Beijing. It is built around a large lake. From the tower, the emperor used to watch naval maneuvers on the lake. The Summer Palace has one of the longest covered corridors in the world, (2,500 feet), is adorned with paintings (8,000 according our guide) and was a beautiful place to walk. The observatory is built upon a hill made from the dirt excavated to build the lake. The hill is shaped like a bat, the Chinese symbol for happiness and there is a turtle shaped island in the lake to symbolize long life.

One of the interesting things I saw was people practicing their calligraphy. They had a long pole with a knob of rags tied on the end. They dipped the knob in a bottle of water and then made the Chinese characters on the sidewalk. One of my Chinese friends told me that this is how people who are interested in becoming "serious" calligraphers practice their art. I was fascinated as I watched them. Sorry the shadows keep you from seeing just how beautiful the characters are. Good Chinese calligraphy is truly an art.

Also at the Summer Palace was the stone boat. The top is wood but the base is made of marble, so of course it didn't sail anywhere. It was originally built sometime during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in a Chinese style, however, the top burned down and was rebuilt in 1888 in a western style. When it was built it was supposed to represent the government while the water represented the people. This meant the government would sail forever on the backs of the people, if it was benevolent. However, the boat faces the wrong way--toward the land--so it was never able to sail forever without running aground. Sure enough, the government didn't last forever.

After the Summer Palace we went to the Olympic area. It was so fun to see the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. We were able to go into the Water Cube. Unfortunately, they have turned the swimming pool, of Michael Phelps fame, into a fountain pool. There were pipes and spouts criss-crossing the whole water area. In between the swimming pool and the diving pool, there were chairs set up for an orchestra. We were told that every week-end there is a water and light show accompanied by the orchestra--ala Las Vegas style--and that it is very beautiful. Personally, I was disappointed because I wanted to see the original pool. The diving pool was in tact however, and it was fun to be there and see where the water activities took place. It looked just like on TV (of course.)

The most fascinating thing about the Water Cube was the construction. From the outside it looked like plastic stretched over hexagons. It looked rather like that from the inside also. At any rate, it was a beautiful and unique structure. The Chinese went all out to make an impression on the world, and they accomplished their goal

Here is Jim at the Great Wall. I was most impressed by this. I have always heard about the Great Wall of China and it was amazing to be able to walk along it and get such a sense of history as I thought about all the work, the workers, the guards, and just the people who had walked there before me. One of the good things about going in the winter is that the trees have no leaves and you get a sense of just how long and massive it really is. Jim is considering running the Great Wall Marathon next May so we hope to go back for that.

One of the fun things about China is what you see when you are looking for something else. We were walking through a park to go to see the Temple of Heaven and were amazed at the variety of people doing various things there. We saw small orchestras playing both western and Chinese music, a few choirs, people playing card games, and this group of dancers. I love the parks on the week-ends. You can see dancers, musicians, singers, skaters, and myriad other things. It is so fun!

This is the Temple of Heaven where the emperor worshiped on certain days each year. The Temple symoblizes going to heaven and incense is burned so the smoke will take the prayers of the emperor to heaven. The building was last used in the 1920's. The Temple was beautiful and freshly painted, courtesy of the olympics. We got there just at sunset so the light was perfect to catch the ornateness of the building. It is on a hill and we were able to see out across Beijing and watch the sun set. A perfect close to a couple of days of touring.

One night we had Peking Duck, along with a dozen other dishes, for dinner. I like Peking Duck; I had had it before, so kenw what it was like. The chef came to the table to cut it up and we were able to watch him in action. It was interesting to watch how he could get almost every bit of meat off the bones. We enjoy most of the Chinese food we eat, and this was no exception.

Our last evening in Beijing we went to an acrobatic show. I had seen Chinese acrobats on TV, but this show was truly amazing. The strength, agility and acrobatic feats of the men and women were truly breath taking. It was a perfect ending for our Thanksgiving week-end in Beijing.