Beijing - day two

There were a few little changes to the itinerary.  Day two in Beijing itself was actually the third day as the previous day we went out of the city to the Great Wall.

Arguably the two major attractions in Beijing itself would be the Forbidden City and Tianenman Square, but we did also see some other lovely places, particularly the Buddhist Temple and the Temple of Heaven and its Gardens.

The Imperial Palace was first up. Ringed by a 52m-wide moat at the very heart of Běijīng, the Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings, and the largest palace complex in the world. So called because it was off limits for 500 years, when it was steeped in stultifying ritual and Byzantine regal protocol, the otherworldly palace was the reclusive home to two dynasties of imperial rule until the Republic overthrew the last Qing emperor.  The site is extensive, and as you go through, you progress from courtyard to courtyard, each surrounded by a series of very traditional buildings with many rooms - over 8700 rooms in the complex.  When you consider the Emperor had over 3000 concubines, then I guess he needed a few rooms to accommodate everyone!

The exterior of the Forbidden City, with the 52m wide moat

The imperial buildings generally showed a great deal of yellow and red, depicting Imperial dignity, and auspicious events and happiness respectively

A lot of visitors, so it wasn't easy to take pics of the palace without a throng of people

Moving through another gate towards the Three Great Halls

The last courtyard before leaving the main part of the city, near the Imperial Garden

The Temple of Heaven consists of a large series of gardens surrounding the Temple itself.  Lots of room, space and peace for people to indulge in keep fit, dancing, kite flying, singing, tai-chi and so on. I did get dragged out to dance but am afraid the photos had to be censored!!

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven - roof detail

The Temple of Heaven gateway

And on to Tianenman Square, albeit a little later than intended, so we were only just able to get into the Square, and just ahead of the Ceremony of the Lowering of The Flag, which happens each evening.  The flag is lowered, folded, with a great deal of ceremony, and then marched by a group of around 18-24 soldiers through the gate leading into the Forbidden City, beneath the rather large portrait of Chairman Mao.

The flag is lowered

marched out of Tianenmen Square

and through the gate beneath the portrait of Chairman Mao

As soon as it had disappeared, the surrounds of the Square were opened to traffic once more, and the crowds were moved quickly out of the centre.  This was probably the once place where you didn't argue with security.  They shepherded you out of the central area and off towards and across the road very quickly and very efficiently, with shouted orders and a number of security vehicles. No messing!  And apart from Jenny and Arthur being shepherded out of the other side of the Square to where we were due to meet, and us then spending an anxious half hour trying to find them or for them to get back to the minibus, all was well as we approached the end of our time in Beijing.

Beijing - day one

Well, I arrived in Beijing on the day of the worst smog since the beginning of July.  It was strange, and just seemed like a very hazy, misty day, but with the light beginning to fade I wasn't sure if it was just approaching dusk.

Anyway, picked up from the airport and driven into the edge of the city centre, and the Oriental Bay Hotel. The tour wouldn't begin until the following lunchtime, so settled into the room and off down to test the local beer in the restaurant.  Pretty quiet that evening - didn't see many people - but the hotel was very nice, and the room pretty comfortable.

Brief chance the following morning to have a brief wander around the area and see what was about.  I didn't venture too far - not so much the fear of getting lost, but of being late back for the start of the tour. Overlooking the canal, there was a busy, bustling area leading away from the waterside, and a very busy local market and local shops selling various delicacies (some looked more appetising than others!) both savoury and sweet.

A small peaceful park area was nice for a wander, and the first sign of locals indulging in tai-chi, dancing, singing and exercising.

Then we got to meet up with one another for the tour, and that got under way with a short trip to the local Hutons, which is the older streets where the city grew historically, and we were given an intro into the local way of life and architecture etc.  A rickshaw ride (one poor guy pedalling the bike, towing two of us in the rickshaw itself), and chance to see what one of the original houses.  A very pretty courtyard, with pomegranate trees, willow, and lotus, and a series of living areas, still used, and some of which were used for learning things like calligraphy for example.

Next stop the Summer Palace on the edge of the city.  In a sense this was like the summer retreat for the Emperor to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and its environs.  Listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites, it was essentially constructed in the time of the Qianlong dynasty around 1750, and consists of a large lake, palaces, walks and pavilions.

We didn't have the time to actually explore any of the buildings themselves, but did get to go for a wander around the island and along the lakeside.  The locals were very friendly, and offers to take photographs usually involved several shots, from most angles, and attracted the interest and observation of any number of Chinese visitors.  The guidebooks had all suggested there would be plenty of interest in tourists, and people were quite forward in saying hello and asking if "First time in China?"  There wasn't much staring as had been hinted at, but simply greeting people with "Nihau" was met with raised eyebrows and smiles and almost surprise that western visitors were able to say anything in Chinese.  The app I downloaded onto my tablet had earned its first piece of kudos!

Wow!!!

Apologies that some of you may well have spent some fruitless time on here trying to get an update, only to find that the Chinese Government thwarted me, by point blank blocking access to most things Google, so not even working through a VPN company in Hong Kong was going to enable me to update the site.

So, here I am, back in the UK, after what I can only describe as an awesome experience.  Some remarkable sights, some incredible places, and an amazing country.  It could all have been very much different, but I felt quite relaxed and at ease whilst I was there, which may have been Judy watching over me.  I want to thank the people who I was on the tour with however - we all got on very well, and despite splitting part way through the tour, they really helped to make it the holiday that it was.  My constant companions Jenny and Arthur (who did the Yangtze bit with me), and Sally, Peggy, Lesley and Mike who went a different route part way through, really were special and helped immensely in making the trip everything it was.

Peggy; Sally; Mike; Lesley; oneself; Arthur and Jenny at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the 

Temple of Heaven in Beijing

I'm certainly looking to update the blog in the next few days, so there is every chance you can catch up with what I did and what I saw, and the experiences.  One or two friends in Worcester have suggested that I have a cheese and wine evening at home, or a chinese takeaway and show some of the photos etc.  I took over 3500, but don't worry - many were taken two or three times to ensure I got some great shots.

Just as a taster and a bit of an "ahhhhhh", here's another couple of piccies from Chengdu Panda Sanctuary to keep you going ........

Hi everyone,

This is Kath, David's niece here!!

Just a note to let you know that Unc has asked me to let everyone know via his blog that he is finding it nigh on impossible to access his blog in China, so if you wish to contact him, drop him a line at dspearson@talktalk.net instead.

Bye for now!!

Kath x

Blog update

Blogs are high on impossible here. Not sure if I will get on again.

Anyone can contact my email however - dspearson@TalkTalk.net

Cheers
David

Blog update

Blogs are high on impossible here. Not sure if I will get on again.

Anyone can contact my email however - dspearson@TalkTalk.net

Cheers
David

Testing testing!!

Well I'm checked in, through into departures andset to go. Felt a bit daunted this morning but now I'm here ....  If Ive forgotten anything then its tuff! Thanks to Chris B for the lift - apart from them trying to charge £1  for a 10 minute drop off!  The M42 was quiet so managed to dodge the trucks even with a 25kg case behind me.
So this is a test to see if Ican update the blog oOK. Everyone says they want lots of pics, so what can I start with other than .....