It's been a while since I posted part 2. Since then, of course we have seen the drama of the corona virus unfold in China, and elsewhere (and as I am finishing this up, here as well). I've been wanting to continue, but watching, and worrying about friends and family in China had kept me away from this. But, now that things there seem to be improving I thought I would pick up where I had left off.
We walked around to the noodle shop again ordering the usual fried bread, but this time adding some Baozi or steamed buns. A wise choice since our tour today would require an extensive amount of walking. Got a short rest at the hotel, then off for our tour on day two. The itinerary was as follows;
We walked around to the noodle shop again ordering the usual fried bread, but this time adding some Baozi or steamed buns. A wise choice since our tour today would require an extensive amount of walking. Got a short rest at the hotel, then off for our tour on day two. The itinerary was as follows;
Day Two
Tiananmen Square
Forbidden City
Great Wall
Since our hotel was in the inner ring we were one of the last to board, and soon we were getting out of the van at Tienanmen Square. As previously mentioned I had booked this tour through TravelChinaGuide as part of a two day tour in Beijing. We had a different guide this day, and I have to say she was exceptional. As you can imagine we had plenty of driving this day, she sat back with us and rarely stopped telling us about what we were seeing, life in China now, etc. She told us how they regulate driving, and car ownership in Beijing, the education system (its only free through middle school so poor or rural kids never get an education past that), and home ownership. If you ever use these guys for a tour in the Beijing area Candy is definitely the guide to request. I will remember the refrain follow Candy, and her flag on the telescoping pole for as long as I live. Once we arrived at Tiananmen Square the first thing I noticed was this enormous gate.
It is called Zhengyangmen and was once part of the Tatar or Ming wall surrounding the inner city including the legation quarter. Sadly most of the Ming wall was demolished except for the section directly behind the train station. I did not make it over to look at it, but, there is supposed to be a museum in the remaining corner tower. Something to do next time! If you are familiar with the Boxer rebellion, the Ming wall would have been the one adjacent to the legation quarter. And this gate would have been the one closest to the Russian and American legations. To the right of this picture I noted a monumental sculpture, so popular in communist countries.
There is one of these on each side of the building in the middle of the square. What is that building you may ask? Well, it is Mao's mausoleum. And that crowd of people you see there, and continuing to the other side of the square.
Well that is the 2+ hour long line to view the Chairman as he lies in repose. Just like waiting in line for a ride at Disneyland. Long wait, short time at the end. We were not there for that so we headed towards the Forbidden City on the other side of the square.
On this side we saw the Monument To The People's Heroes, and more of the line.
And, some of the decorations from the previous weeks 70th anniversary celebration.
And then you come to the Tiananmen gate of the Forbidden City. With the portrait of Mao that you have more than likely seen at least once.
The Forbidden City is a huge complex built during the Ming Dynasty as a palace for the Emperor. Many of the structures, though seemingly very old date to more or less medieval times. The Chinese government does do a good job of maintaining them. The city is huge and impossible to view in any complete manner in a tour type format. It will certainly be on my list for a self guided tour one of these days. Here are a few random shots of what you can expect to see there.
The crowds you see are pretty typical, Though there were still some lingering Chinese tourists from the anniversary celebration. Here is a shot of our little group.
We were soon back on the bus and heading to our next destination. The Great Wall. But, before we got there we made one last stop in Beijing for a look at the Olympic Center.
Here you can see part of the Birds Nest, the Torches, and the Olympic Hotel, in the shape of a dragon. Chinese dragons frequently feature a ball in the dragons mouth. If you look closely you can see a blue ball in what would be the dragons mouth. After this brief stop we traveled a little over an hour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.
We arrived late afternoon and since this a less frequented section, and it was off season, It was pretty quiet. No crowds, a cool but comfortable time of day. It was going to be an amazing time. We had a quick bite at a buffet located just inside the gate, then got on the bus to go up to the wall. Once we got up the hill we took a cable car up the final slope to the wall itself.
The wall is absolutely breathtaking. Of all the things I did in China, this was really the highpoint of the trip, as far as touristy things go. Here are some shots of the wall for you. I took a bunch but these will give you an idea of the experience.
After climbing around for a while we made our way back to the bus and back to Beijing, a much more tired and quiet group than had started out that morning.
Next installment: Off to Siping deep in the heart of Manchuria!
It is called Zhengyangmen and was once part of the Tatar or Ming wall surrounding the inner city including the legation quarter. Sadly most of the Ming wall was demolished except for the section directly behind the train station. I did not make it over to look at it, but, there is supposed to be a museum in the remaining corner tower. Something to do next time! If you are familiar with the Boxer rebellion, the Ming wall would have been the one adjacent to the legation quarter. And this gate would have been the one closest to the Russian and American legations. To the right of this picture I noted a monumental sculpture, so popular in communist countries.
There is one of these on each side of the building in the middle of the square. What is that building you may ask? Well, it is Mao's mausoleum. And that crowd of people you see there, and continuing to the other side of the square.
Well that is the 2+ hour long line to view the Chairman as he lies in repose. Just like waiting in line for a ride at Disneyland. Long wait, short time at the end. We were not there for that so we headed towards the Forbidden City on the other side of the square.
On this side we saw the Monument To The People's Heroes, and more of the line.
And, some of the decorations from the previous weeks 70th anniversary celebration.
And then you come to the Tiananmen gate of the Forbidden City. With the portrait of Mao that you have more than likely seen at least once.
The Forbidden City is a huge complex built during the Ming Dynasty as a palace for the Emperor. Many of the structures, though seemingly very old date to more or less medieval times. The Chinese government does do a good job of maintaining them. The city is huge and impossible to view in any complete manner in a tour type format. It will certainly be on my list for a self guided tour one of these days. Here are a few random shots of what you can expect to see there.
The crowds you see are pretty typical, Though there were still some lingering Chinese tourists from the anniversary celebration. Here is a shot of our little group.
We were soon back on the bus and heading to our next destination. The Great Wall. But, before we got there we made one last stop in Beijing for a look at the Olympic Center.
Here you can see part of the Birds Nest, the Torches, and the Olympic Hotel, in the shape of a dragon. Chinese dragons frequently feature a ball in the dragons mouth. If you look closely you can see a blue ball in what would be the dragons mouth. After this brief stop we traveled a little over an hour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.
We arrived late afternoon and since this a less frequented section, and it was off season, It was pretty quiet. No crowds, a cool but comfortable time of day. It was going to be an amazing time. We had a quick bite at a buffet located just inside the gate, then got on the bus to go up to the wall. Once we got up the hill we took a cable car up the final slope to the wall itself.
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| This was taken near where we entered the wall. I walked over to the tower in the middle of the slope. |
The wall is absolutely breathtaking. Of all the things I did in China, this was really the highpoint of the trip, as far as touristy things go. Here are some shots of the wall for you. I took a bunch but these will give you an idea of the experience.
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| Looking up at the tower where we entered the wall |
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| This shows a barrack tower down in the gullybelow. The tower where we entered to wall is in the middle of the far slope. I walked up to this tower where I am taking the photo then over to the far tower on top of the hill, just past where we entered the wall. |
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| The slope from the barracks tower to the first tower I climbed to. Yes it is that steep, and it was a rough climb. |
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| Our group again. Qiuyan opted out of climbing on the wall since she had been there before. That freed me up to do what I wanted so it was all good. |
Next installment: Off to Siping deep in the heart of Manchuria!
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