Monday, July 26, 2004
China Trip - Day One and Two in Beijing
Ni hao,
First impressions
Well, I got to Beijing with no major mishaps. Unfortunately I didn't get a wink of sleep on the plane but had a good chat to a German guy sitting next to me who worked for Volkswagon in their Chinese base in Changchun (north of Beijing).
My first view of China were the misty, layered mountains, as seen from the plane. Suddenly all those traditional Chinese pictures, often seen in restaurants, make sense. When I got to the Beijing airport, at 8.30 am local time, there was a bear wrestling match on the TV. This involved two bears, each with different coloured all in one stretch leotards (like the ones judo atheletes wear) sparring off in a boxing ring with a human ref in the middle with them. Crazy!
Pam et al's flight was slightly delayed so I changed some money and bought a Coke. I hate to say it but Coke can sometimes be a life saver. It enabled me to stay awake all day on Sunday. Adrenalin also helped as I was excited to arrive.
I had no worries intercepting Pam et al at the airport arrivals gate. The hotel she booked us into is very nice (4 star) and central. We gave ourselves an hour to freshen up (I had a quick power nap) and then headed out to the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is beautiful and huge. If you enter from the North you first strike some lovely gardens and rock formations. As you get further on you come across a series of courtyards surrounded by palace buildings and connected by walled pathways. Of course the layout is symmetrical. I particularly liked the integration of brightly coloured ceramics into the exterior decoration of the buildings and the intricately carved wood (inside) and stone (outside). Jade and bronze wre also used for decoration. Dragons, lions, phoenixes, elephants and even the odd turtle were featured both in ceramic and sculpture. The attention to detail, especially around the roof area, was amazing.
As with most impressive palace complexes around the world we started to take it all for granted as each courtyard with surrounding buildings began to look the same. The scale increases however when you get to the great halls and palaces. These have beautiful names like the 'Hall of Supreme Harmony', the 'Palace of Heavenly Purity' and the 'Palace of of Earthly Tranquility'. There have been many fires destroying parts of the city however the buildings that stand today are mostly post 18th century.
Tianamen Square
At the South end of the Forbidden City is a huge picture of Chairman Mao. Also at this end is Tianamen Square. I'm quoting from the Lonely Planet now "This is Mao's creation and the heart of Beijing. During the Cultural Revolution, the Chairman, wearing a Red Guard armband, reviewed parades of up to a million people here." Crazy!
In between the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square we saw some government/army recruits being put through their paces performing a set martial arts routine. There were also lots of people dressing up as the aristocracy of old did and having their photographs taken in royal style settings. They looked like they were having lots of fun.
Baby adoption
There are many parents of newly adopted Chinese babies in our hotel. All of the parents, mostly from Europe as far as I could tell, looked well off. It is an expensive and involved process to adopt a Chinese child but apparently not as difficult as it is to adopt in Western countries therefore adopting in China is popular.
The Great Wall
Well, in case you had any doubt I can confirm that it is Great! We had such fun climbing up the wall. It is quite a trek and steep in some areas. The whole wall covers 10,000 km! Or is it miles? I better check my facts. A very long way though! We captured some great Kodak moments so I'll get the photos onto our photo gallery asap.
Peking Duck
Peking is the original name for Beijing. We were taken to a restaurant famous for its Peking Duck. Apparently Bill Clinton had dined there. The duck was delish, although the quality of the duck in London is pretty good too. We also had eel but no dog....thank goodness.
More impressions
Beijing has progressed a lot in the last few years. 10 years ago you would have still seen people wearing Mao uniforms. Now, for the women, it is all Sex in the City style fashions, strappy heels and all. The streets are clean and tidy, and the walls graffiti free (a rare thing indeed).
First impressions
Well, I got to Beijing with no major mishaps. Unfortunately I didn't get a wink of sleep on the plane but had a good chat to a German guy sitting next to me who worked for Volkswagon in their Chinese base in Changchun (north of Beijing).
My first view of China were the misty, layered mountains, as seen from the plane. Suddenly all those traditional Chinese pictures, often seen in restaurants, make sense. When I got to the Beijing airport, at 8.30 am local time, there was a bear wrestling match on the TV. This involved two bears, each with different coloured all in one stretch leotards (like the ones judo atheletes wear) sparring off in a boxing ring with a human ref in the middle with them. Crazy!
Pam et al's flight was slightly delayed so I changed some money and bought a Coke. I hate to say it but Coke can sometimes be a life saver. It enabled me to stay awake all day on Sunday. Adrenalin also helped as I was excited to arrive.
I had no worries intercepting Pam et al at the airport arrivals gate. The hotel she booked us into is very nice (4 star) and central. We gave ourselves an hour to freshen up (I had a quick power nap) and then headed out to the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is beautiful and huge. If you enter from the North you first strike some lovely gardens and rock formations. As you get further on you come across a series of courtyards surrounded by palace buildings and connected by walled pathways. Of course the layout is symmetrical. I particularly liked the integration of brightly coloured ceramics into the exterior decoration of the buildings and the intricately carved wood (inside) and stone (outside). Jade and bronze wre also used for decoration. Dragons, lions, phoenixes, elephants and even the odd turtle were featured both in ceramic and sculpture. The attention to detail, especially around the roof area, was amazing.
As with most impressive palace complexes around the world we started to take it all for granted as each courtyard with surrounding buildings began to look the same. The scale increases however when you get to the great halls and palaces. These have beautiful names like the 'Hall of Supreme Harmony', the 'Palace of Heavenly Purity' and the 'Palace of of Earthly Tranquility'. There have been many fires destroying parts of the city however the buildings that stand today are mostly post 18th century.
Tianamen Square
At the South end of the Forbidden City is a huge picture of Chairman Mao. Also at this end is Tianamen Square. I'm quoting from the Lonely Planet now "This is Mao's creation and the heart of Beijing. During the Cultural Revolution, the Chairman, wearing a Red Guard armband, reviewed parades of up to a million people here." Crazy!
In between the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square we saw some government/army recruits being put through their paces performing a set martial arts routine. There were also lots of people dressing up as the aristocracy of old did and having their photographs taken in royal style settings. They looked like they were having lots of fun.
Baby adoption
There are many parents of newly adopted Chinese babies in our hotel. All of the parents, mostly from Europe as far as I could tell, looked well off. It is an expensive and involved process to adopt a Chinese child but apparently not as difficult as it is to adopt in Western countries therefore adopting in China is popular.
The Great Wall
Well, in case you had any doubt I can confirm that it is Great! We had such fun climbing up the wall. It is quite a trek and steep in some areas. The whole wall covers 10,000 km! Or is it miles? I better check my facts. A very long way though! We captured some great Kodak moments so I'll get the photos onto our photo gallery asap.
Peking Duck
Peking is the original name for Beijing. We were taken to a restaurant famous for its Peking Duck. Apparently Bill Clinton had dined there. The duck was delish, although the quality of the duck in London is pretty good too. We also had eel but no dog....thank goodness.
More impressions
Beijing has progressed a lot in the last few years. 10 years ago you would have still seen people wearing Mao uniforms. Now, for the women, it is all Sex in the City style fashions, strappy heels and all. The streets are clean and tidy, and the walls graffiti free (a rare thing indeed).
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