China: Beijing, Part II

I was in Beijing for work, but we were fortunate to get some time during the week we were there to see some of the amazing sites around the city. My favorite by far was the Summer Palace, Yihe Yuan. This massive park and historic area sits in the far northwestern corner of the city. It is a great place to get away from the hectic atmosphere of Beijing itself and just relax by the lake, or one of the historic buildings, or in the many gardens or woods. It was a remarkably peaceful place, and the grounds are so huge, you can easily find a place all to yourself.

Painting on the ceiling of one of the old buildings...the hilly grounds are sprinkled with old pagodas, temples, and palaces.

A woman practicing her flute. The locals definitely appreciate the beautiful and tranquil surroundings here.

The Summer Palace was started in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong. His artisans took the garden and archtectural styles from various regions throughout the Chinese Empire.

This palace was built in the Tibetan style.

This area near one of the few entrances has a bunch of little shops along the river.

Another person practicing the flute.

These walkways wind throughout the grounds...which are absolutely massive. We gave up on trying to figure out where we were...we just wandered and enjoyed everything we stumbled upon. Guides will try and intimidate you with numbers when you enter. They say the place is 3.0 sq kilometers, which is true, and that it is easy to get lost, which is also true. However, the reality is that while the property itself is around 3 sq km, 3/4 of that is covered by the lake, so the grounds you can actually wander are much smaller. A map is included with your entrance fee, and overall, the place is small enough that you can just walk in relatively one direction and find something major pretty quickly...finding the way out isn't hard.

A bridge near the Marble Boat (seen in the background on right).

This massive complex overlooked the main lake...it was enormous...once again, pictures do no justice.

Catching the late afternoon sun.

There were many statues of dragons, lions, and phoenixes scattered throughout the grounds. Dragons represent the Emperor, while the phoenix represents the Emperess. Lions were to protect people from evil spirits.

Once again, the painting and detail on the woodwork was intricate and absolutely stunning.

Looking out over the rooftops to the lake.

Attention to detail...and symmetry.

The newly restored Qianmen area, due south of Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately, not many of the stores and restaurants along this main street were open yet, but renovations are nearly complete and they will be open soon enough. This was a great area to come at night since all the buildings are lit up. There is also a cool night market just off of this main strip.

Back through there is one of the most famous Peking roast duck restaurants in Beijing.

The moon cooperated nicely for this shot...

Qianmen by day.

This was the little side street where the night market runs...though don't let the name fool you...most places are also open for business all day as well. One of the most famous tea shops in Beijing is down here.

Inside the Forbidden City. This place is old...and massive. It was built in the early 1400's, and these main courtyards were supposed to be large enough for the entire imperial court, which was comprised of around 300,000 people!

Many lion statues here.

Put these next three photos together to make a panorama of one of the main courtyards...

This place is enormous...impossible to translate by photos. There were throngs of tourists here too...mostly Chinese, but fortunately they stuck primarily to the main North-South axis through the City...so going off-axis a bit is a huge relief!

The Emperor had thousands of concubines and servants. They supposedly had a code system using the color of the roof tiles to let them know which buildings they were allowed to enter.

These carvings were amazing.

Lots of people crowding around trying to get a glimpse and picture of one of the thrones. The complex is set up along the North-South axis, with a series of large palaces separated by massive courtyards and gateways. To the flanks lie a maze of smaller passages and buildings. I didn't like it here nearly as much as the Summer Palace. There is a severe lack of living things other than a few small gardens scattered here and there (ignoring the throngs of tourists that is). The massive, paved courtyards give a very dead feeling to the whole place.

I couldn't get enough of these tiled roofs with the various protective statues on them. As you can tell...I love historic architecture.

Beware when you exit to the north...you WILL be accosted by people trying to sell you stuff...and it seems impossible to get a taxi from here, despite tons of them sitting around.

China: Beijing, Part I

China, where to start? This country is huge in pretty much every way. It is the fourth largest country in the world by way of land area and the first by way of population. It is one of the strongest nations in the world in terms of military and economy. The Yin and the Yang are fundamental concepts in Chinese philosophy, and these opposite yet interconnected and interdependent forces are seen throughout China. The country is home to some of the wealthiest individuals in the world, yet it also claims some of the poorest. It has several of the worlds most densely populated cities while at the same time, some of the most remote regions, which are practically devoid of human life. It is home to the world's highest piece of land yet its coastline stretches for thousands of kilometers. Its cities are infamous for their polluted air and waters, yet its less known national parks and preserved areas are pristine and beautiful. It is a massive country of contrasts with an incredible and very, very long history. Where to start? I will start where Missy's and my trip started, Tiananmen Square, at the center of Beijing and the heart of the country. Here, I will do my best to relay the incredible three weeks we spent traveling through this country. We did our best to see a lot, but we barely scratched the surface in China.

The picture above is of a guard at attention in Tiananmen Square with the southern gate in the background.

One of two nationalistic statues flanking Chairman Mao's Mausoleum.

The Mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong. As with other Communist leaders of the past, like Lenin and Ho Chi Minh, Chairman Mao was embalmed (against his wishes; he wanted to be cremated) and entombed in a crystal coffin so the masses could look at his body long after his death.

The other flanking statue. I particularly like the SKS (assault rifle) in hand, but it is fitting as Communist China was founded by revolution.

Tiananmen Square is the largest open-air city square in the world... and it is absolutely massive! The square itself covers 100 acres and it is named after the Tiananmen, which translates to Gate of Heavenly Peace and is the famous red gate featuring the enormous portrait of Mao. Missy and I walked through here...taking our time to take in the enormity of the place as well as the incredible history it has seen.

Looking south down the main axis of the square, and also of Beijing itself. Feng shui is very important to Chinese architecture and civil engineering, and a good North-South axis through the city's center (i.e. where the leader lives...the Emperors Palace in the Forbidden City for Beijing) is vital.

Tiananmen, Tianan Gate, the Gate of Heavenly Peace. This is of course one of the most photographed places in China, and thus, there are plenty of people around it...even more so when you consider that it is one of the few ways to get access into the Forbidden City, which lies directly North (along the main axis) through the gate. It was near here that Missy and I first had the feeling of how few Westerners get to China. We had a couple groups of students ask to have their pictures taken with us as well as plenty of stares from some of the Chinese tourists. Overall, the people were very friendly though, and they got a kick out of my terrible attempts at Chinese. They particularly liked when Missy and I would smile and thank them in Chinese, xie xie.

They must have been repairing some of the tiles on the roof...gives you a good idea of how big that portrait is though.

A traditional gate outside of the Yonghegong Buddhist Temple near sunset. Beijing has a brand new subway system thanks to the Olympics, and Missy and I found it most useful (and extremely affordable) to travel around using it. We hopped on at Tiananmen and got off right outside the temple...unfortunately it was already closed by the time we go there though.

With the temple closed, we decided to go check out a cool little hutong we had read about. Hutongs are the old neighborhoods in Beijing...the old Beijing that is. They are networks of alleys and lanes with old houses, shops, and restaurants. It is in the hutongs, and there are many of them, that you will find some of the best food in Beijing...you just have to be willing to dive in, and probably get lost once or twice, to find it. We ended up going down into this one, North of the Forbidden City and West of Yonghegong, where we found an awesome little cafe with a rooftop patio to enjoy a snack, some Tsingdao beers, and the hazy sunset.

I don't know what it was, but I loved the fact that there was an active skate culture in China. I think it is because it goes so much against the strict, rigid and overwhelmingly studious stereotype of the Chinese youth.

A typical house entrance in a hutong West of Yonghegong Street. Missy and I wandered down here looking for a cafe. We didn't find the one we were looking for, but we stumbled onto the beautiful, tree-lined and historical Guozijian Street and a cafe that was just perfect.

One of the entrances to the Confucian Temple along Guozijian Street.

Guozijian Street is a very well preserved historical street in Beijing. It, as well as the area around it, is well worth a stroll down if you are ever there.

Pagoda inside the Yonghegong Temple grounds. The colors of the paint and the intricacy of the architecture are just absolutely stunning.

There are lots of lion statues in China...this is because lions are believed to protect humans from evil spirits.

Symmetry is very important to Feng Shui and Chinese architecture and planning.

We were blown away by the roofs in China. This is still in the temple, so we expected the intricate rooftops here, but this style is seen on so many buildings, including the some of the average homes and shops, not just the large palaces and temples!

One of the statues flanking the masterpiece of the Yonghegong Temple...an enormous statue of Buddha inside the last building, which you can see some of the intricate painting on here in the background. Despite literal tour busses full of tourists, it was great to see that the temple was still run by monks and used by the devout as well.

For a bit of nightlife, check out the area around Houhai and Beihai (lakes North of the Forbidden City)...though I must admit, the price for a beer is outrageous for China (~35 yuan = $5.00...like prices back home!). There is a cool little, but touristy, night market street near here when coming in from the Drum Tower and some awesome restaurants around the area between the Drum Tower and the lakes.