Untitled Document

THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND SIGHTS OF BEIJING

We went to visit the Temple of Heaven, the grounds of which include a long colonnade which is a popular meeting place on the weekends.

Among the activities was competitive group singing (loudest wins)--some groups even brought sheet music--and instrumental music on traditional instruments.

The Temple of Heaven is built on a platform on a hill in the middle of the park and is a major tourist destination. More steps to climb. . .

The interior of the Temple is beautifully decorated with elaborate carvings and painting.

We visited a cloisonne factory, where we learned how this ancient craft is done--except for the "secret process" of final firing.

We also visited a "hutong"--one of the traditional neighborhoods of Beijing. While they look poor and cramped, the city maintains these areas for people who prefer to live in the traditional manner.

We climbed up. . .up. . .up to the top of the drum tower

When we got up. . .it was a long way down

Well, there's a reason it's called the Drum Tower

Not everyone reads the sign, I guess.

We did get a really good view of the hutong

Although Beijing is crowded with cars, there are still those who use more traditional forms of transportation.

We went to visit a local kindergarten

A Visit to the Summer Palace

On a trip to the Summer Palace, we took a boat ride across the lake. Once we were on the other side of the lake, the unthinkable happened: we split up. Amy and Jason had already announced an intention to walk home, much against Stanley's advice. Now Ed, Tana, Rudy, Elsie, Arlene, and Pat all decided to stay at the Summer Palace and explore the grounds while the others went back to the hotel. After extracting from us a promise that we would take taxis home, Stanley agreed to the plan--as long as Ed was with us.

So the six of us walked along the colonnades, admired the decoration, took our best guesses at making up stories to match the paintings from Chinese mythology, and generally had a relaxing time. The ride back in taxis, however, was hair-raising, as our driver played chicken on the expressway with a car that had cut him off and wove his way though traffic that seemed to obey neither traffic nor physical laws. We only hoped that Jason and Amy would make it back in one piece. (They did.)

In addition to the Forbidden City, we spent a whirlwind two days in Beijing visiting other sites.

We went to visit the Temple of Heaven, the grounds of which include a long colonnade which is a popular meeting place on the weekends.

Among the activities was competitive group singing (loudest wins)--some groups even brought sheet music--and instrumental music on traditional instruments.	The Temple of Heaven is built on a platform on a hill in the middle of the park and is a major tourist destination. More steps to climb. . .

The interior of the Temple is beautifully decorated with elaborate carvings and painting.

We also visited a "hutong"--one of the traditional neighborhoods of Beijing. While they look poor and cramped, the city maintains these areas for people who prefer to live in the traditional manner.

Our transportation through the hutong was the modern equivalent of the rickshaw--the pedicab.



We climbed up. . .up. . .up to the top of the drum tower	When we got up. . .it was a long way down

Well, there's a reason it's called the Drum Tower	Not everyone reads the sign, I guess.

We did get a really good view of the hutong	Although Beijing is crowded with cars, there are still those who use more traditional forms of transportation.

We went to visit a local kindergarten



Then we had lunch at the home of a family of artists who live in the hutong.
A Visit to the Summer Palace
	On a trip to the Summer Palace, we took a boat ride across the lake. Once we were on the other side of the lake, the unthinkable happened: we split up. Amy and Jason had already announced an intention to walk home, much against Stanley's advice. Now Ed, Tana, Rudy, Elsie, Arlene, and Pat all decided to stay at the Summer Palace and explore the grounds while the others went back to the hotel. After extracting from us a promise that we would take taxis home, Stanley agreed to the plan--as long as Ed was with us.


So the six of us walked along the colonnades, admired the decoration, took our best guesses at making up stories to match the paintings from Chinese mythology, and generally had a relaxing time. The ride back in taxis, however, was hair-raising, as our driver played chicken on the expressway with a car that had cut him off and wove his way though traffic that seemed to obey neither traffic nor physical laws. We only hoped that Jason and Amy would make it back in one piece. (They did.)

	On the way back on the bus, Chuck spotted the only giraffe of the trip