beijing

Our first stop is a required stop. The
Great Wall stretches nearly 4,000
miles, from the Eastern shore to the
Gobi desert. But it passes just outside
of Beijing where many sections have
been restored. Although we visited a
very busy part of the wall, it is still awe
inspiring. One of the seven wonders of
the world, the part we climbed took us
several hours. It is extremely steep at
times. As we climbed, the crowd of
tourists quickly thinned out. Mao
Zedong said that anyone wishing to be
a hero must first climb the Great Wall.
We are all heros, although Heather's
dad is the only one who paid to get an
official card. Even heros can be
suckers.

Our first of many Chinese meals was this lunch at a state operated gift store/restaurant
intended to receive tourists on buses. We definitely worked up an appetite after
climbing the Great Wall, and everything tasted very good. Food is always served on
large "lazy susans". Before lunch you must tour a small Cloisonne (enamelware)
factory. After lunch you are given time to shop in the market for jewelry, jade, rugs,
trinkets, and lots of cloisonne. We quickly figured out that when you "tour" china, your
guide will make many unscheduled stops; we think they are required to do this to teach
Chinese culture and to encourage spending.

Summer Palace was built in the 18th century as a playground for members of
Beijing's imperial court. Emperors and Empresses used the grounds as a
Summer retreat. Most of what is seen today was laid-out in the 18th century.
However, in the late 19th century, Empress Dowager used funds she
misappropriated from the Navy for a lavish remodel, which included the
commissioning of a marble boat which is permanently moored to the shores of the
lake.

The Chinese Acrobat troupe in Beijing was our last stop on our 1st day of
touring. These amazing young people do stunts and acrobatics that,
even after seeing it, is hard to believe is possible. The first two pictures
are a sequence showing a acrobat flipping through what appears to be a
3ft ring, 12' in the air without touching it. The 3rd picture is the of the
finale, with a dozen women balancing on one bicycle while the rider
pedals around small stage.

Tian'anmen Square, the site of the government crackdown
on student revolts in 1989, is where some of the most
momentous events in modern Chinese history have taken
place. This vast square is 2,400 feet x 1,650 feet. The
125 foot granite tower near the center is the Monument to
the People's Heros; it is dedicated to all those who
struggled for the revolution. In the background is the
Great Hall of the People built in the 1950's with an obvious
Soviet influence on its architectural design. To the left of
this the Great Hall is Chairman Moa's Memorial Hall, where
Chinese citizens can be seen waiting in line for hours to file
past his preserved remains. To the right of monument is
Tian'anmen Gate, the first entrance to the Forbidden city.
This gate served as a place for emperor's to announce
their edicts. Appropriately, Mao used the gate as a place
for announcing it was time for a cultural revolution. A giant
portrait of Mao hangs from the center, one of the last
portraits of him publicly displayed.

"Hot Pots" is the Chinese equivalent to Fondue. Boiling pots of broth are placed in
front of each person and raw meats, vegetables, and tofu are brought to the table
and served family style. Everything was good until the waitress brought out duck
blood; it looked like chocolate tofu. Nobody in our group was very brave, and
Heather forbade me from trying it.

The Lama Temple is an active and functioning Tibetan Buddhist temple. It is lively and colorful
and has a strong smell of incense. There numerous buildings and courtyards in a complex
layout. You can hear chanting and praying as worshippers practice their religion while tourists
mill about the temple.