Summer Palace
Sidewalk painting at the Summer Palace
The boat we took across the lake to the other side of the Summer Palace
The 17 Arches Bridge with 99 different lion statues
Freshwater pearls at the Freesky Pearl Factory
The main (north) entrance to the Forbidden City
The emperor's red room
Katie and I at the exact center of the Forbidden City and the city of Beijing itself
This building boasts 9 ornations at the roof corners (the maximum allowable), indicating it is of highest architecural grade, complexity, and honor
A view of a small portion of the massive Forbidden City
Katie near the south entrance to the Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square
The first of many Olympics countdown signs
We were so 'zen' at the Temple of Heaven
A glimpse inside the Temple of Heaven - every pillar, every wall, simply everything was ornate in nature at every temple we visited using bold brilliant colors and very complex designs
Most roofs of temples were yellow to represent the riches of the Yellow River, but the Temple of Heaven structures were distinct with blue roofs.
Katie stepping over the shoulder, which was in nearly every entrance around Beijing (stepping on the beam directly is an insult and represents stepping on the shoulder of the buddha or emperor)
Katie made friends with all the vendors while I was trying on clothes and shoes
We were distraught when the shops literally closed down around us - we weren't ready to be done shopping yet
One of many squatty potties - ooh aah - this one is deluxe as it has toilet paper
Starbucks is everywhere!
Katie got her groove on at Hou Hai Bar Street
A little irony here?! Don't miss the hookah on the table on the left.
On the agenda for today was the Forbidden City which is actually a Palace, the Summer Palace which is actually a Garden, and the Temple of Heaven which is actually an alter of prayer. Our guide Andy attributed the misnomers to bad translations. Strange that the names of these major icons haven't been corrected over the years.
We first visited the Summer Palace, the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden, which is regarded as a museum of gardens in China. We walked along the longest pathway in China (750m), and took a boat ride across the lake to the other side of the gardens. We crossed the '17 Arches Bridge' which boasts 99 lion statues, all with different features. Interestingly, every mountain and lake at the Summer Palace is artificial.
Just down the street from the Summer Palace, we stopped by Freesky Pearl Factory, where we viewed a demonstration opening a freshwater shell with more than 10 multi-colored pearls. Ladies, if you want to see if your pearls are the real deal, just rub them together which will produce a white powder and no scratches (though a mis-shapen pearl may result).
From there, we donned our celebrity status at the Forbidden City, a massive compound boasting the largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palaces with 500 years of history. A middle courtyard marking the center of both the Forbindden City and Beijing itself which delineates the boundary between men and women. They were not permitted to cross sides. It is here that we learned that the building's architecture grade or complexity is indicated by the number of ornations along the roof corners (the more, the better). Doors were adorned with gold nobs (a place with greatest honor having nobs arranged 9 by 9) - the higher the nob you can reach, the greater your blessing. We saw building after building with remarkably similar names - countless Halls of (fill in the blank) Harmony. Did you know that Katie and I are in high demand? We were photographed, filmed, gawked at, and posed with as the rare white people in China. Surely this will change after the Olympics, but it was absolutely shocking to see everyone's reaction to our group of white American tourists.
Our next stop was lunch where we ate french fries with chopsticks and appreciated their bathrooms (no more squatty potties, please!). After begging and pleading, our guide agreed to give us a requested bonus stop at Tiananmen Square, the largest open square in the world, home to Beijing's version of the 'Lincoln Memorial' and the first of many Olympic countdown signs.
Next we had a chance to visit the Chinese traditional medicine culture at Tong Ren Tang Pharmacy. We were each given a pulse diagnosis by an old Chinese doctor. I learned that I am overall very healthy but have poor blood circulation to my brain resulting in a bad memory. I used this excuse throughout the rest of the trip.
Our last stop of the tour was at the Temple of Heaven, the largest ancient imperial worship architecture group in the world where the ancient emperors prayed for peace and harvest. The wood structure is pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle (or Lincoln logs). There were lots of locals singing, playing sport/games, and knitting along the pathway to the temple.
After the tour, Katie and I hightailed it back to Silk Street, our favorite new spot for bargaining. We are pro's, let me tell ya. It didn't take us long to realize that the more purchases you carry, the better deals you'll find. We paid roughly 10% of asking price and other vendors were shocked and impressed with the prices we paid. Katie made lots of friends while I tried on clothes and shoes - shopping has never been so fun. We were devastated when they closed the shops down around us.
Forced to leave, we headed to Hou Hai Bar Street to check out Beijing nightlife. After a romantic stroll around the lake, we settled onto one of the many riverside couches for the one round of drinks we could afford (we perfectly allocated our ATM withdrawals to not have excess foreign currency). We wondered what type of herbal refreshment was so readily available from the countless hookahs on blatant display. Our taxis always seemed to be driving in circles, but never failed to deliver us to our intended destination.
