Day Three, Great Wall of China

Everyone talks about China with the Great Wall being number one as the tourist attraction and destination to visit.  We were so excited today as we had waited years to be able to tackle this Bucket List wish.  Sam met us again at 8 am and yes, it was sunny and fairly smog-free.  Before we drove to the Great Wall, the usual jade factory visit awaited us.  There were other tour buses there (we saw our cruise friends Doug and Suzanne from Australia there).  It truly was interesting and amazing to see the artisans using their mechanical drives to transform a chunk of jade into an intricate circle representing family.  And of course, after the demonstration, we were led in the jade showroom. Beautiful earrings, necklaces, and bangles, all ranging from adequate jade to incredible pieces of jade.  Jade bangles are worn on the left wrist as the Chinese feel the pathway to the heart flows from the left hand quickly.  Jade is worn to protect the wearer.

We arrived at Mutianya, a Great Wall section that is slightly less congested than Badaling section.  It was very interesting to be passengers in the back seat of the car, enjoying the passing scenery and seeing the rural life around us.  We did not get a chance to take any photos as we made our way to the Great Wall.  Badaling section of the Great Wall is easier to reach from Beijing so many tour operators take their guests there.  However, since we were private clients, we asked Sam if we could go to a less congested part of the Great Wall.  So we made our way to Mutianya, not quite as busy as the other section and not as 'repaired' either.  When we arrived, yes, we did see other tourists and tour buses and vans.  Quite interesting!  We had to make our way through the throngs of souvenir hawkers selling trinkets, tee shirts, tablecloths, etc.

We paid extra to take the enclosed cable car ride up the steep hill to the Great Wall.  It is possible for you to actually take an hour and walk up the hill instead. We just wanted to get up to the top and start exploring!

After leaving the gondola exit area, we turned left and proceeded towards our destination, Tower 20.  We started at Tower 14 and we looked at a posted map first, just to see the layout of the Wall.

We walked along the fairly wide rock path (perhaps eight--ten feet wide?) and along the way, we met up with an English speaking group of elementary students (grade 2?) doing a field trip. 

 

Showing you the views along the way:  here I am, cllimbing more steps

 

 

 



The Great Wall does look like the backbone of a dragon, doesn't it?

 

 

Here you can see the uneven height of the steps, some very low, others fairly high.  Remember, the Great Wall was built long before building codes and standards!

 

 

Notice the steep climb up the hill.  That was our next challenge!  We climbed it and still had more towers to reach!

 

Making it to Tower 20.  It is 420 steps from this spot up to the tower.  And yes, you do get tired and you are breathing hard (but so were all the younger people next to us!)

 

 

This is showing you how misty it was, October afternoon.  It was fairly warm so no need for jackets.

 

Conclusion:  Wow, what a rush!  To be able to say that yes, my feet touched/walked along part of the Great Wall!

 

 

Day 2, Summer Palace

The gorgeous weather lasted throughout the day.  After lunch our driver drove us to the Summer Palace, the Imperial Gardens originally built in 1750 (approximately).  The gardens and surrounding buildings were destroyed in 1860 but six years later, reconstruction began.  Unfortunately, the funds used had been earmarked for the Chinese navy so when war occurred a few years later, the Chinese navy was found wanting.

The Summer Palace and gardens have now been designated as a UNESCO Heritage site.  This acreage is a masterpiece of Chinese landscaping garden design.

The Empress Dowager Cixi was an avid fisherperson and she enjoyed fishing in Kunming Lake (2.2 km) in size.  One of the Palace workers stocked the lake with fish to ensure that his Empress was successful each time she enjoyed her hobby.  Kunming Lakes is a man-made lake.

In the lake there is the Marble Boat (Qingyan Fang) which is 36 metres long.  It was started in 1755.

 

The Long Corrider (Chang Lang)  is 728 metres long.  An Emperor had it built for his mother and hundreds of artists decorated the ceiling with paintings ranging from native flora to typical Chinese scenery.  This corridor thoroughly impressed us with the artistic details.

The Summer Palace is also home to many pavilions and temples.   The Tower of Buddhist Incense is the highest building in the complex.  It sits atop Longevity Hall which is 60 metres high.

After walking about the gardens and seeing all the amazing buildings we drove back to Beijing and attended a kung fu show (interesting, but very short performance).  And of course, I must mention our dinner that night:  Peking Duck....yummy!

Another awesome day in Beijing!

Day 2: Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden City

It would be the unusual person who would visit Beijing and yet not visit Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City.  We expected a gigantic Square jammed with throngs of people.  Yes, there were people walking about but the crowds were very manageable.  The Square is the largest one in the world, being 500 metres wide and 880 metres long. The flag raising ceremony is held every morning between 5 and 6 AM.  In our hotel room there was a card with the next day's flag raising time.

Monument to the People's Heroes

 

 

Beautiful flowers at the Square

 

After walking through the Square, we walked to the Forbidden City.  Everyone has read or heard about the Palace that had been home to 24 emperors since its completion in 1420 (14 years to construct).  There are approximately 800 buildings and more than 8700 rooms.  It would take several days if not weeks to see all the rooms and buildings in this example of Imperial architecture.

 

As we approached the Forbidden City walls:

 

 

 

 

 



 

Some of the buildings within the complex

 

In the photo below, one of the many pots used to gather rainwater.  Note the scratches made by foreign soldiers.  The rainwater was used to put out potential fires.



 

 

Not many buildings were open to the public but here is one photo that showed a building's interior:

 

 

 

 

More buildings with their beautiful colourful roofs

 

 

A protective lion 

 

After two hours, we had walked from the south end to the north end of the Forbidden City.  We did not visit any of the buildings that were to the east or west of the main pathway.  We hope to return and explore these other areas on another visit.  It was definitely worth having a guide to explain all the many interesting details about the buildings.

Day 2: Temple of Heaven

Another sunny warm day greeted us.  At 8 AM we waited for our guide Sam and driver Lee; we were not the only tourists waiting.  8 AM appeared to be the starting time for most tour groups.

We set off to explore the Temple of Heaven, which is an example of Ming architecture.  The drive through Beijing was  congested!  So many cars whizzed by; and please don't forget all the scooters, bicycles, buses, taxis, vans and commercial trucks on the road too.  Our driver was excellent as he swiftly changed lanes, beeping his horn of course!

Temple of Heaven:  I  knew little  about this tourist attraction but we were very pleased we managed to spend some time here.  Sam purchased the tickets while we photographed the interesting looking trees.  Some of them had 'knotted' portions on the trunks.  Make for great photographs.

 Right away at the Temple of Heaven we saw  tai chi being practised by the locals.

Our guide said that the man on the right leads the group each morning.  He is considered an expert in tai chi.

This other gentleman also visited daily to write poetry.  Each morning, depending on his mood, he used his brush, some water, and wrote the poem on the sidewalk blocks. Of course, by the next day, all was gone so he would begin anew.

We continued walking until we saw this amazing building, the actual Temple where the Emperor  prayed for a good crop.  In the fall he thanked the gods for the plentiful harvest.

 

 

The stairs leading to the Temple.

 

 

 

The Temple itself

 

There were many other buildings on this expanse of land.  Below the beautifully painted interior of one of the other buildings.

 



 

 

Love this cast iron (?)urn  Notice the blue sky.

 

This park is very well used by the Chinese locals.  Each morning it is jammed with people, mainly seniors, who use this locale for their knitting projects, card playing or chess games.

 

 

 

 After spending time walking about the grassy acres, we continued on our way to the next stop, Tian'anmen Square.