Then on to the airport for our 2 pm flight to Shanghai.
Showing posts with label beijing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beijing. Show all posts
Saturday, May 28, 2011
GOODBYE TO BEIJING
Then on to the airport for our 2 pm flight to Shanghai.
GOODBYE TO BEIJING
The history of the Chinese dynasties is intriguing. The ancient buildings, art and artifacts are breathtaking. There was so much to observe and experience while in Beijing it was difficult not to feel on overload. Looking over my tour pictures, I had a problem sorting out the what, where and significance. I did keep a diary but now wish I had been much more descriptive. I'm thankful to "google" for providing references for filling in blanks.
Here are some random impressions, observances and bits of information for future visitors.
Beijing is often windy, cloudy, overcast.
Beijing residents still like to hang their laundry on racks outside their windows even those who live in modern high rise buildings.
There seems to be a paper shortage in China. Toilet paper in public bathrooms was not a given. Napkins were cocktail size, extras were not freely given. Our tour guide only had one satisfaction survey for 29 people.
Being a pedestrian is dangerous, bicyclists and scooter drivers pay no attention to traffic signals.
Public bathrooms usually contained one toilet but most of the stalls were "squatty potties". (most of us waited in line for the one toilet)
There were many buildings being erected, many buildings being demolished, many streets being repaired but safety precautions were not obvious in most cases. I didn't see barriers or yellow tape to protect the public.
Our tour guide, Angela was amazing, very knowledgeable and extremely patient. Despite a couple of "wander-offers" in the group, she did not lose anyone.
Here are some random impressions, observances and bits of information for future visitors.
Beijing is often windy, cloudy, overcast.
Beijing residents still like to hang their laundry on racks outside their windows even those who live in modern high rise buildings.
There seems to be a paper shortage in China. Toilet paper in public bathrooms was not a given. Napkins were cocktail size, extras were not freely given. Our tour guide only had one satisfaction survey for 29 people.
Being a pedestrian is dangerous, bicyclists and scooter drivers pay no attention to traffic signals.
Public bathrooms usually contained one toilet but most of the stalls were "squatty potties". (most of us waited in line for the one toilet)
There were many buildings being erected, many buildings being demolished, many streets being repaired but safety precautions were not obvious in most cases. I didn't see barriers or yellow tape to protect the public.
Our tour guide, Angela was amazing, very knowledgeable and extremely patient. Despite a couple of "wander-offers" in the group, she did not lose anyone.
 |
| ANGELA |
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
It's Monday morning and we're on the motor coach headed to the Temple of Heaven, our last tour before leaving Beijing.
There are three main buildings on the Temple grounds (270 acres). The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a triple-gabled circular building built on three levels of marble stone base. It's completely wooden, no nails were used in construction. The Imperial Vault of Heaven is a single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base. The Circular Mound Altar is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by lavishly carved dragons.
The entire Temple Park contains a great deal of symbolism. Centered on the main idea that Earth is square and Heaven is round, the whole park has the shape of a square surmounted by a semicircle in the north. The temples and altars are round and stand on square bases. Inside the Hall of Prayer are 28 huge posts. The four posts along the inner circle represent four seasons; the 12 posts along the middle circle represent the 12 months; and 12 posts along the outer circle represent the Chinese day (12 Shichens = 2 hours). The roof is covered with black, yellow and green glaze representing the heavens, earth, and everything on earth.
During the dynasties, twice a year, the Emperor and his retinue would move from the Forbidden City through Beijing to encamp within the Temple complex. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to view the procession or the ceremonies. The Emperor would pray to Heaven for good harvests. The ceremony had to be perfectly completed; the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation for the coming year.
I was fascinated by the local people who used the park grounds for various social activities. Many were practicing Tai Chi, playing various board games, playing badminton, etc. The most interesting observance was a flamboyantly -dressed middle aged couple, probably from the northern region who danced energetically as a crowd of admiring bystanders surrounded them.
T
There are three main buildings on the Temple grounds (270 acres). The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a triple-gabled circular building built on three levels of marble stone base. It's completely wooden, no nails were used in construction. The Imperial Vault of Heaven is a single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base. The Circular Mound Altar is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by lavishly carved dragons.
The entire Temple Park contains a great deal of symbolism. Centered on the main idea that Earth is square and Heaven is round, the whole park has the shape of a square surmounted by a semicircle in the north. The temples and altars are round and stand on square bases. Inside the Hall of Prayer are 28 huge posts. The four posts along the inner circle represent four seasons; the 12 posts along the middle circle represent the 12 months; and 12 posts along the outer circle represent the Chinese day (12 Shichens = 2 hours). The roof is covered with black, yellow and green glaze representing the heavens, earth, and everything on earth.
During the dynasties, twice a year, the Emperor and his retinue would move from the Forbidden City through Beijing to encamp within the Temple complex. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to view the procession or the ceremonies. The Emperor would pray to Heaven for good harvests. The ceremony had to be perfectly completed; the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation for the coming year.
I was fascinated by the local people who used the park grounds for various social activities. Many were practicing Tai Chi, playing various board games, playing badminton, etc. The most interesting observance was a flamboyantly -dressed middle aged couple, probably from the northern region who danced energetically as a crowd of admiring bystanders surrounded them.
T
Thursday, April 28, 2011
MY CHINA TRIP
I just returned from China. What a wonderful adventure! What a great time! Adding to the fun was the fact that two of my sisters were among the group of 29 on the tour. Our tour group left the St Mary's County Chamber of Commerce Office at 6:30 am April 14. We traveled by motorcoach to JFK in New York. How appropriate that the coach drove through Chinatown on the way to the airport. Perhaps this was an intended introduction to the culture we were about to experience on a larger scale. I had not been to NYC in years so it was a treat to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance as we drove; to see the Brooklyn Bridge; and of course to see the New York skyline. We arrived at JFK about 1:30 pm. Our flight left about 5 pm, a direct flight to Shanghai. We arrived at 8:45 pm April 15 but had to collect our baggage, go through customs and board a plane to Beijing. The plane to Beijing left about 10:30, arriving at 12:30. My seatmate on this flight was a Chinese journalist who specialized in economics. He was a fountain of information about everyday Chinese life, shopping, exchange rate, the written language. So interesting!! We finally checked into our hotel room at Pullman Beijing West Wanda at 3 am. Exhausted! How many hours did we travel? TO BE CONTINUED
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