China 2009 Beijing

China Day 17 – Sunday July 12, 2009 – Beijing

5:30am To the Bus for an 8am flight to Beijing; actually left the hotel at 8:50am, after squeezing so many bags into the bus (it was not a large bus)
8:30am Left the Gate and 8:40 in the air!!
10:12 landed in Beijing; 11am left the airport in our new Bus and driver.

12pm arrive at New World Marriott Courtyard hotel, but rooms not ready, so we went across the street to lunch at a “worker’s” joint, literally, but the food was good and speedy.

After that a short bus ride to the Temple of Heaven, a huge complex (everything is Big here) of temple buildings, courtyards, gates, and connected by walkways through trees. It was getting hot again although nice enough in the morning, so we finally found the East Gate exit.

Across the street was the famous Pearl Market, a huge five story building a big block long, with stalls and little shops selling everything under the sun. The sales people are incredibly pushy about it, just grabbing you in the aisles saying buy this, buy this, lady. I bought a converter for the computer fortunately as the hotel was out of them. And another flash card very cheaply 8G for $10, so I think I’ll buy more another day.

Then we found our way to Sandy’s Pearl shop, a classier place on the top floor, where Ann sent us as she knew Sandy from previous trips. They had amazing fantastic jewelry, mostly of pearls and pearl type stones, so I actually bought a few, some black pearls and some peachy colored ones, as well as a multicolor necklace. Prices were very good of course and we were assured of good quality. About ten of us crowded into a tiny little shop, and they strung up the pearls to order in the size and clasp that you wanted.

Another fantastic dinner, at the most famous Peking Duck Restaurant in China, with hoards of tourists, both western and Chinese, but we had our room reserved for us, thanks to Joe Jin our fabulous guide. The duck dishes were unbelievable, really really tasty and interesting, so I am quite full and ready for bed when I should be walking it off. That’s for tomorrow and the Great Wall!!


China Day 18 – Monday July 13, 2009 – Beijing

This morning was for the Great Wall, and it is truly Great, even the small part that we saw at Badaling, with its thousands of tourists – 400 day campers in one group – all crowding up and down the rather narrow, but incredibly steep walkway. Horses could never make this trek, but perhaps donkeys could if they had donkeys. I managed to walk halfway up two sides of the wall from the entrance gate, but that was enough on a hot day. It is truly spectacular, and the usual photos don’t do the experience justice, as it is much longer and steeper than shown. But we are small and the wall is Big, like most things here in China.

We ate lunch on the road back to Beijing in a small jade factory, where we watched a few people on show making jade carvings with a small hand drill; we were always glad to find a place to cool down and get decent bathrooms (although the tourist shop at the Wall had some sit-down ones). We measure the places we visit by the state of the toilets, but if that isn’t a sign of civilization, then what is.

After lunch we went directly to a Hutong area of Beijing, the old (and I mean OLD) type courtyard houses in narrow alleys. We didn’t have time to visit any restored ones, but the lecture we heard was about the preservation and renovation of these Hutongs, so as to keep the “old Beijing” alive, when too many of them have been torn down for apt. towers. Well the studio where we heard the lecture with powerpoint by a preservation expert was on the fourth floor of a walkup old building, where each floor was as tall as two floors, so that meant eight floors to walk up. Well we all finally made it, and then the studio was hot hot hot, no AC and no fans. We were just suffering trying to follow the talk and keep cool by keeping still. And after lunch no less. But we learned a lot about the state of old and new Beijing, all being built up since the 1950s, when the city was a minor town of few buildings of any size. Amazing changes and thus the stress on keeping at least some of the old town structures.

Well we didn’t leave the talk until nearly six, when we found the bus in the rain (it started to really pour while we were inside, and then the windows slammed shut so we were hotter). So the original plan to go somewhere by Bus was changed to go to a restaurant in the mall from the hotel. Thankfully Marriotts are usually connected to malls, as this one is, so we didn’t have to go out in the rain again.

This was some day of walking for sure, so glad to put my feet up. Maybe I should get a Chinese foot massage, as some people have done.


China Day 19 – Tuesday July 14, 2009 – Beijing

The Lama Temple was very bright and colorful, not too large, with many trees in the area, and not too many people there, so the ideal size. Many were offering burning sticks though, bowing three times in four corners, or kneeling in front of the temple. Westerners were doing it too. None of us did, not being Buddhists.

Then we bussed over to the Olympic site, and that was fantastic; the birds nest stadium even more impressive close up and somehow quite different in person than in photographs, which don’t show the massiveness of the structural webbing. We couldn’t go in, but lots of yellow-shirted day-campers had gone in, but we could walk around the grounds, and admire it, as it must have been truly spectacular in the Olympics, and probably at night lit up from within.

Then lunch of course, but this time quite an unusual one, the “hot pot” place, where you get your own cooking pot on a little stove in front of you, and you pick the food to boil from the cut up foods coming around on the table. I was needlessly fearful of 12 people sitting around the table with cooking oil, but we managed quite well, and the variety was again fantastic, and all the dishes very tasty, except the potatoes somehow, as just boiled they weren’t that good even with the peanut sauce. Meat was good when cooked quickly, shrimp wonderful, fish balls good, etc.

After a short stop at a so-called “cultural street” with more tourist shops, we went by bus to our lecture at the CEAIE (China Educational Association for International Education) given by the Secretary General, a very senior person, and his assistant who gave a power point presentation. Many questions were asked and answered, and we learned quite a lot about the changing goals of the educational system here, and the welcome mat extended now to foreign students. Chinese students are also encouraged to study abroad, but US visa problems makes it difficult, so most of them go to Australia, New Zealand, Britain, and other European countries. Let’s hope our country will be more welcoming in future.

The traffic here in Beijing is intense and unlovely, whereas we had fewer problems in Shanghai or Hong Kong. It takes ages to go from one section of the city to another, so we were a bit late for our dinner at another restaurant, as we made a very short stop at the hotel. This was a buffet type restaurant, and they cooked the food to order, as well as having many types of foods laid out for you. We split up into several tables by now, as our guide Joe Jin had invited several of his friends to talk with us about China things. Most of them were lawyers or top officials, and nearly all had gotten advanced degrees in the U.S., which seems to be the way to a better life here. That may change as the universities and colleges are undergoing massive self-improvements both physically, as we have seen, and philosophically, in their openness to western ways.

Our after dinner ride to see some of the buildings lit up was interesting, but nothing beats Hong Kong for lights at night.


China Day 20 – Wednesday July 15, 2009 – Beijing

Today was a Free Day, no events planned, so we could catch up on shopping and laundry, and museums. I did the first two only, then went to dinner at the restaurant in the mall. Unfortunately there was no English on the menu, nor did any waitress speak it, so we chose from the pictures, and unfortunately one of the dishes was frog stew as we learned later. However it was too spicy so I didn’t eat any, so when we found out what it was I was thankful for that.

Four of us went to the Silk Market, a huge building with stalls selling everything under the sun, with very aggressive sales girls, who poke you and throw scarves in your face until you buy something. Well we bought scarves, t-shirts, etc.

Another building down the block was an older store, the Friendship Store, and it was the first department store in China in 1964. Now it is totally deserted, being government owned, and the sales people ignore you as they chat among themselves, selling nothing. Quite the opposite of the Silk Market, where they accost you in the aisles.

Tomorrow the Forbidden City !!


China Day 21 – Thursday July 16, 2009 – Beijing

At last we get to the Forbidden City. First Tianamen Square with thousands and thousands of people lined up to go into Mao’s Mausoleum. But we did not go there. Headed across the square—and it is BIG, to the FC and more thousands and thousands of people. But the masses of people made it seem as busy as in the Imperial Court with its thousands of attendants. Well of course we are dressed differently, and unlike the old officials who knew their business, we were in a daze at the vastness of it. Many, many courtyards and throne rooms and temples in the complex. Displays in the side buildings, and you could only peek into the throne rooms, not go in and sit on the thrones (ha ha). One display intrigued me the most, it was a huge many windowed display of little terracotta figures and buildings, copying a famous painting with its thousands of people and buildings (I had bought a foldout postcard of this type of painting some time ago). Of course I took a lot of pictures of that display, as you could freely take photos anywhere that was open. One of the wives of the emperor lived in a courtyard house on the side of the complex, and it was unrestored and open to visitors; it was oddly small and modest, in contrast to the throne rooms. But this was a lesser wife, only a concubine, but a chief one at that. Another display held old costumes from centuries ago, massive-looking outfits that must have been incredibly hot and heavy to wear. Eventually after many temples and throne rooms and side rooms we got to the imperial garden and the coffee shop, where we had a snack for lunch.

This took all morning until 1pm, and we were due at the American embassy at 2pm, a long bus ride through traffic to the other side of the city and the brand new and very large embassy building. We couldn’t take any electronic stuff, cameras, cell phones, etc., inside, so left everything on the bus, but the driver stayed with it. Just took our passports, which we surrendered at the gate for visitors’ passes. After passing through several sets of gates (like the emperors! but uglier) we reached the lobby and our very plain meeting room. Two diplomats met us and one gave us a talk about the economic ties and forthcoming ties with China, since he was with the financial side of things. About 500 people work there, some Chinese of course. We were able to ask a few questions and get a few answers, as the meeting was “off the record” and we’re not supposed to publish any remarks. However they were very general remarks, which one could learn from anyone.

Then back to the hotel for an hour’s rest and our next stop for an early dinner at another famous restaurant, where Colin Powell had eaten (his photo was there!). Of course the food was fantastic and we ate too much again. After dinner we went by bus to another hotel, where the Peking Opera show was on. And that sure was fun, even as tired as I was. There were several short stories, rather than one long one, to keep your attention. Things got busier and busier, and the last one had acrobatics included, and about ten guys with two spears each fighting one little lady who also had two swords. Of course she won!!

After the show we bussed over to a tea house for the Chinese tea ceremony, where we had our own little room for a seminar wrap-up. Everyone offered their thoughts on what was important to them about the experience, so it was interesting to hear different viewpoints about the past three weeks, which went by so very quickly. It was a fine way to end the tour, although it made for a very very long but satisfying day.


Now finally to Xi’an