Beijing, China

Finally after almost 18 months of living in China we have now visited Beijing which is so rich in history and cultural importance.  We hired a local guide recommended from friends and what a great job he did the entire time with our family.  Of course our first stop was Tiananmen Square and I cannot explain how excited we were to be experiencing it all.  I guess the excitement stems from all the events in Chinese history or from the 1989 pro-democracy protest that took place.  The square is named after the Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City.  The Tiananmen Gate to the Forbidden City was built in 1415 during the Ming Dynasty.  The Tiananmen square was designed and built in 1651, and has since enlarged four times its original size in the 1950s. 

We strolled through the square, passing through the Tiananmen Gate and arriving in the Forbidden City.  The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty.  For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.  Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of a mind boggling 980 buildings and covers 7,800,000 sq ft!  It was a fascinating visit and I actually took a brick from the ground (already loose of course) as a memento. 

Next we headed to the Temple of Heaven.  This was a place visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest, constructed from 1406 to 1420.

To close our first day in Beijing we went to see the Beijing Chaoyang Theater Acrobatics World.  This show presented world-class Chinese acrobatics including juggling, martial arts, balancing, group bicycling and so much more.

For our second day we were unfortunately met with rain.  However this did not dampen our sense of adventure.  We started by visiting the Summer Palace, which contains Longevity Hill and surrounded by Kunming Lake.  Longevity Hill is about 200 feet high and has many buildings positioned in sequence with halls and pavilions.  It was used for royal families to rest and entertain, later becoming the main residence of royal members in the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Following the Summer Palace we made a brief stop at the Beijing planning exhibition hall.  This is located beside Tiananmen Square which features miniature model of the entire Beijing metropolitan area.  This was a great way for us to see everywhere we had already visited and also planned to see in the coming days.

Of course what would a visit be without a dinner experiencing Beijing Duck!  We stopped for a rest and enjoyed dinner at Beijing Bianyiang Roast Duck restaurant with our guide.

To end the day we went to see the Legend of Kung Fu show.  This was a great way to explore the real Chinese Martial Arts & culture.  We found that it had great story, stage design, and absolutely amazing professional martial arts actors!

Our third day was planned with perfection.  Knowing typical China weather and pollution which hampers visibility, we knew that a preceding day of rain would lead to blue clear skies the following day.  Thus we set forth for The Great Wall of China!!  Our first stop on the way to the wall was to a Cloisonné factory, where we learned how the art was hand-made with such amazing detail.  Of course we had to buy a vase that was created by a master artesian.

The moment we had all been waiting for....  A visit to the Great Wall of China, Mu Tian Yu location.  What amazing weather we had for our visit and something we will always remember, hoping that one day the boys will return with their children someday.  The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected with Jiankou in the west and Lianhuachi in the east. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.  I think our pictures summarize what a great time we had!  By the way, climbing (yes I did not say walking) along the Great Wall is an exhausting but well worth it experience!

Next we visited the Ming Tombs, from the Yongle Emperor onwards13 Ming Dynasty Emperors were buried in this area.  It is located on the southern slope of Tianshou Mountain and chosen on the feng shui principles.  According to these, bad spirits and evil winds descending from the North must be deflected; therefore, an arc-shaped area at the foot of the Jundu Mountains north of Beijing was selected.  A seven kilometer road named the "Spirit Way" (Shéndào) leads into the complex, lined with statues of guardian animals and officials, with a front gate consisting of a three-arches, painted red, and called the "Great Red Gate".

 

Finally before heading back to the hotel we stopped at a Jade Factory where Natalie bought a beautiful bracelet, she is becoming Chinese I am afraid ;)

Our last day was finally upon us.  We started our day by visiting the Hutong area.  A Hutong is a type of narrow streets or alleys, most commonly associated with Beijing, China.  In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences.   We explore through a Rickshaw ride and even visited a local family who greeted us into their home with open arms. 

 

Right within the Hutong area we visited the he Beijing Bell Tower.  This provided the correct time in Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasty and it is one of the most important construction systems at that time. At past, people use the drum and bell to telling the time, so the drum and bell has very important part to the people to help them live and work regularly.  We also viewed the Drum Tower from a distance.

 

Next we headed to the Lama Temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism.  It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple is a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.  It is here we saw a statue of the Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of White Sandalwood. The statue is one of three artworks in the Temple which were included in the Guinness Book of Records in 1993.  As we left the temple my comment to Cooper was, "we sure have seen a lot of Buddha here in China"!

 

We continued on to the Olympic area, home of the 2008 games.  Here we got a chance to see the Bird's Nest stadium and also the Water Cube.

 

Finally we concluded our tour with a visit to Snack street.  This is a fun must when you visit Beijing.  It is here you can find traditional Chinese street food and the sights/photo-ops are amazing.  It never even entered our mind to buy anything and eat it, however we just enjoyed the sights...  But certainly not the smells ;)

 

Well that concludes our visit to Beijing, cross off another beautiful city and also a visiting to another Natural Wonder of the World!