China

Shanghai – The City of Tomorrow

Shanghai was the last stop on our two week tour of China. For those of our tour group who were extending their stay with Sinorama, the tour continued to Guilin (with its dramatic landscape, rice fields and rivers) and Hong Kong. However, I needed to get back to work, so this was the end of the road for our family group.

Central Shanghai is divided into the older eastern section and the fast-growing western section (known as Pudong) by the Huangpu River.

A little fruit market in eastern Shanghai.

A view of eastern (more typical) Shanghai, just across the river from the futuristic Pudong area.

Standing on the eastern bank of the river near an area known as the Bund, Pudong looks like the “City of Tomorrow” from a science fiction movie. It really is a stunning skyline, both during the day and at night.

The Pudong (central Shanghai) area with the Huangpu River in the foreground, as seen from the Bund.

Considering all that Shanghai has to offer, we really didn’t do much during our one day, but recognizing that it’s huge city to get around, I think we did what was realistic. Our tour company must have felt Shanghai was a good shopping opportunity, so it seems that giving us opportunities to spend our money was the main priority.

After visiting the Bund with its view of Pudong the first evening, we went to a silk shop the next day and then had time on the famous Nanjing road to walk among the endless array of big-brand stores and take a few pictures.

Nanjing Road, one of the world’s busiest shopping streets. The eastern end of this road runs right into the Huangpu River with its views of Pudong.

The view of Pudong at the eastern end of the Nanjing Road.

That evening we attended an acrobat show, which was really fun. I’ve been to China on business a few times, and had wanted to attend one of these shows, but it seems the plan to attend never worked out. It’s difficult to capture the incredible acts in a quick photo, because you’re not quite sure what the next move will be. While this show is not as big budget or refined as Cirque du Soleil, the performances were good and I have great respect for the athletes and their extraordinary skills.

Trampoline and balancing acts at the Acrobat show.

Another aerial exercise at the Acrobat show.

The next day we began our long trip home, filled with wonderful memories of a dynamic country with its amazing people, long and fascinating history and stunning landscape.

Overall Sinorama Tours was a great experience. Our guide, Jessie, was patient, funny, and always helpful.

Our tour guide, Jessie, with our family group.

As I mentioned in my last post, Sinorama Tours has gone out of business, but there are certainly many other options for a tour of this fast-changing country.

Visiting the Pandas (and other sights) in Chongqing

Chongqing, formerly known as Chungking, was the end destination for our Yangtze River cruise. We disembarked the cruise ship in the morning and visited three sights in Chongqing that day: the Chonqing Zoo (known for its panda bears), downtown Chongqing (for a walk through its modern center and lunch), and finally the nearby old town of Ciqikou, known for its porcelain.

Chongqing Zoo

Of course China is famous for its panda bears, and this was our one chance during the two week tour to see the pandas in their homeland (as opposed to a U.S. zoo).

The crowds entering the Chongqing Zoo, most stop at the panda exhibit and don’t go much further.

The zoo is large (over 100 acres), and if you happen to be a panda bear, you’re treated like a king, if you’re not, then your living conditions didn’t look as comfortable. The panda enclosure was large with lots of vegetation and things for the pandas to play on, but for other animals, the enclosures were smaller and more barren.

Panda enjoying the large play area.

A panda scratching an itch with its left hind leg.

Another panda view. They are cute with those black eyes and ears!

Here’s a red panda, also found at the zoo. I had not seen a red panda before, and although it’s called a panda, it’s quite different than the black and white pandas–it looks more like a cross between a fox and raccoon!

In addition to the pandas, we saw many typical zoo animals. In such a huge city, this zoo provides a nice respite from the concrete, noise and traffic of this municipality of 18 million.

This rare white tiger was not happy, it kept pacing back and forth along the fence.

Monkeys with mom keeping watch.

Asian elephant (the ears are smaller than African elephants).

Downtown Chongqing

Like almost everywhere we went in China, I was amazed at the overwhelming size of the city and the endless apartment towers and ongoing construction everywhere. It seems like Chongqing (as with most Chinese cities) has grown up overnight.

Some of the never-ending stretches of apartment buildings in Chongqing.

Example of the interesting architecture found in parts of Chongqing.

Modern square in Chongqing–almost like Times Square in New York!

A panorama shot of the same square in Chongqing. With all the high end shops nearby, it’s clear the economy must be doing well.

Old Town of Ciqikou

This was one of the most interesting stops on the tour for me, and unfortunately our visit showcased why I don’t like traveling with tour groups. We arrived at the old town, which is in the Chongqing metro area, on a Saturday afternoon towards the end of the Chinese National Holiday period.

One of several views of the crowded streets in Old Ciqikou.

Given the historic nature of the town it was jammed with “locals” on holiday (vs. tour groups). However members of our tour group were so nervous walking through the crowded area (“they might pickpocket me!”) that after several complaints from the group our guide shortened our visit considerably, leaving those of us who wanted to see more of the town less time to explore this interesting village. For the record, neither my wife nor I ever felt unsafe or threatened.

Another view of Old Ciqikou.

Ciqikou reminded me a bit of old medieval villages in Europe where every little street has something to reveal. The town is about 1,000 years old and provides a view into what Chongqing might have looked like a hundred years ago.

Flags flying in Ciqikou Old Town for the Chinese National Holiday.

The town sits on a small hill at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jia Ling rivers and was known for its production of porcelain. However, time didn’t allow for us to explore the porcelain shops (not that we need more trinkets!). As a side note, we saw lots of tempting street food too – we tried some savory chicken on stick!

As we hurriedly visited what we could, we turned a corner and saw stairs leading up a short hill to an interesting Buddhist temple, called Baolun. The lower streets were packed with the holiday throngs, and yet when we climbed up to this temple, there was hardly a person in sight. The temple is over 1,000 years old, with interesting halls, courtyards and architecture everywhere.

Baolun Temple, Old Ciqikou, Chongqing, China

Climbing the stairs up to the Baolun Temple. I guess it looks a little steep to other visitors crawling the streets below.

Baolun Temple, Ciqikou Old Town, Chongqing, China

The architecture of the temple and halls is beautiful. The main temple was built without use of nails!

The main Baolun Temple structure, Old Town Ciqikou.

Buddha on a lotus flower.

A representation of Bodhisattva, demonstrating compassion with all the arms.

View from the Baolun Temple, overlooking the endless apartment towers on the outskirts of Chongqing in the distance.

As the saying goes, “you haven’t been to Chongqing if you haven’t been to Ciqikou Old Town”. While our visit to Ciqikou Old Town was short, it was definitely worthwhile.

Chongqing can keep the visitor entertained for a long time. We had just a day here, but I would highly recommend spending at least a few days in this sprawling city if you have the chance.

Cruising Up the Yangtze River

My wife and I have been on a number of cruises over the years, and although it’s not our preferred method of sightseeing, we have enjoyed the cruises we’ve taken (various Caribbean cruises and one in northern Europe). As part of our tour of China, a Yangtze River Cruise was included*. This was a four night trip, and prior to its start, our guide touted the cruise as a highlight of the tour. To be honest, we found the cruise a bit boring, especially after the first couple of days.

The reason I say this cruise was somewhat boring is because we are used to a lot of shore excursions and on board activities on other cruises. However, on this trip, other than a few organized stops, we were “stuck” on the ship and since a river cruise ship is smaller, it really didn’t offer a lot of entertainment options–there were a few shows, a few shops, a swimming pool and the typical buffet meals and that was about it.

Our Yangtze River cruise ship – the Yangtze Gold 8.

The pool on our cruise ship.

If you want a quiet cruise with little to do, this might be the one for you. My advice – bring a couple of good books, download some movies or games and enjoy the quiet time.

Overall, I was impressed with the cruise ship itself, it of course is smaller than ocean-going cruise ships, but it still had a number of amenities and comfortable staterooms, every stateroom has a river-view balcony.

Our stateroom on the Yangtze River Cruise.

The food on the ship was reasonable, but if you get a late night craving, it’s a good idea to bring your own snacks!

The cruise started in the city of Jingzhou and travelled up river, ending in Chongqing (a total distance of about 700 km or 435 miles). We briefly toured Jingzhou before embarking on the cruise. It is a very historical city and has a good museum.

Jingzhou has an old wall surrounding the city, not unlike Xi’an and cities in Europe. This is one of the gates.

This is a mummified corpse found near Jingzhou from the Han Dynasty (221 BCE – 24 AD). Note the facial and teeth detail. The Jingzhou museum has artifacts discovered in this region of China dating back 4000 – 5000 years.

A number of cruise lines offer cruises of a similar length and itinerary. The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world. It is a major industrial thoroughfare, with continual freighter traffic moving all kinds of goods up and down the river.

Typical freighter traffic on the Yangtze River. The scenery around us on the first couple of days was quite beautiful. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy with a continual threat of rain.

The first part of the cruise was interesting, with gorgeous scenery. You go through the locks of the Three Gorges Dam the first night. Three Gorges is the largest dam in the world, a controversial project that took about 18 years to complete.

A view of the Three Gorges Dam. It was hard to get a photo that conveys the immensity of the dam, since tourists get very limited viewpoints. The dam is 594 ft high and 7661 ft long.

A view of the locks at the Three Gorges Dam. Ships can be seen in the closest lock–our cruise ship passed through these locks.

We then visited the Water Village, and while this stop is a bit of a tourist trap, the scenery along the Long Jin stream feeding into the Yangtze and traditional buildings on this part of the tour were beautiful, along with narrow canyons and mysterious peaks all around us.

Water Village, Yangtze River Cruise, China

The Water Village, along a beautiful stream that empties into the Yangtze River.

Water Village Tour, Yangtze River Cruise, China

View along the Long Jin stream near the Water Village.

Another view of the Long Jin stream near the Water Village.

Food vendor in the Water Village – with fish on a stick!

Another highlight was the Wu Gorge, where we transferred to small boats that took us up into the narrow passageway with waterfalls and wildlife visible.

Going up the Wu Gorge in our tour boats.

After the first couple of days, the river widens out, appears more polluted and the shoreline becomes more populated, with endless high-rise apartment buildings and large cities lining the banks.

Shibaozhai Pagoda, Yangtze River Cruise, China

One other interesting place we visited near the end of our cruise was the Shibaozhai Pagoda, with its 12 levels built into the mountainside. Through a narrow stairway you can climb to the top. It was originally built in 1572, and is the highest ancient multi-story wooden structure in China.

The hill on which Shibaozhai Pagoda sits became an island after the building of the Three Gorges dam, the pagoda was protected by building a large wall, visible at river level. At the top of the hill a Buddhist temple contains displays of numerous gods, with explanations on their importance.

Display of two Buddhist gods in the Shibaozhai Pagoda Temple.

Tourist market near the Shibaozhai Pagoda.

The cruise ended in Chongqing (formerly Chungking), a huge and fast growing city (the metropolitan area’s population is about 18 million).

View of Chongqing and the Yangtze River.

In Chongqing, we visited an interesting old section of the city and a zoo, specifically to see the cute Panda bears. I will cover Chongqing in another post.

*I just learned that Sinorama Tours, based in Vancouver, Canada, has ceased operations as of August 2018. They were the company we used to arrange our China Tour. This is unfortunate, they offered a great tour value.

Xi’an at Night Will Have You Dancing in the Streets

In addition to being the home base for visiting the world-famous Terra Cotta Warriors, Xi’an (China) is a great city to wander around at night – the colorful well-lit buildings, towers and walls give it a magical air. Our visit was right before the Chinese National Holiday period in October, and the city seemed to come alive with all kinds of activities on a Sunday night, including groups of locals dancing in the streets – below is one example.

The central part of the city is surrounded by a massive and long (8.7 miles) rectangular wall, which dates back to the 14th century and has the distinction of being the most complete city wall fortification in China. The top of the wall is now a park for walkers, joggers and bicycle enthusiasts.

Old city gate (right side of image).

South entrance of Xi’an’s massive city wall.

Inside the old city are a number of brightly lit towers, providing a festive feel inside this old city.

The 14th century Drum Tower in central Xi’an.

The 14th century Bell Tower marks the geographical center of old Xi’an .

Outside of central Xi’an, on the south side of the city is the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (or Dayan Pagoda), a Buddhist shrine built originally in the 7th century. It has a bit of a lean to it after all these centuries. It overlooks a large park with huge fountains. On the night we were there, thousands of people were gathering to watch a choreographed water and light show, as part of the kick-off to the Chinese National Holiday.

Dayan Pagoda between the spotlights at the beginning of the water and light show.

Another image of the water and light show near the Dayan Pagoda.

The intricately carved wall surrounding the Dayan Pagoda.

Near the Pagoda are some excellent restaurants and a variety of street food options.

My wife and brother-in-law enjoying the street food booths in Xi’an – some of which looked great, other things were a bit scary-looking!

Doing our best imitation of Kung Fu Panda!

Enjoying a bowl of EXCELLENT spicy noodles.

If you’re in Xi’an for an overnight stop to see the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum, don’t miss the opportunity to explore this amazing city, especially at night – quite a sight in itself!

A Visit to Xi’an’s Terra-Cotta Warriors Museum

Our next stop in China after Beijing was the city of Xi’an, which was put on the tourist map after the discovery of the Terra-Cotta Warriors. A farmer in the mid 1970’s was digging a well, and discovered what is now called Pit 1, the largest of three Pits with lengthy columns of carefully placed warriors, horses and chariots. The warriors are part of the funerary art created to protect the first emperor of China (Qin Shihuang) in the afterlife and date from about 210 BCE. The emperor’s tomb is about 1 mile away. The massive effort required to create such a display reminds one of the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Although it seems a shame to have buried such amazing art, thank goodness it was, because we now are able to appreciate it 2,000 years later.

The Terra-Cotta Warriors museum is about 45 minutes by bus outside Xian. What impressed me most about the museum is its immense scale, I had no idea the museum was as large as it is, with 4 buildings, covering Pits 1, 2 and 3 and a separate building that houses the bronze chariots and other figures also discovered here (don’t miss this building during your visit).

The entrance to the Museum. This was a moderately busy day!

They are called “pits” because they are literally earthen pit shelters where the terra-cotta warriors were buried.

Given the size of the museum complex, our tour guide did the right thing by giving a quick overview and then letting us wander the site on our own for a couple hours. We visited right before the start of the Chinese National Holidays, and I was glad we did. The museum was still busy, but less so than it would be just a few days later, when our guide said the line of traffic to get to the Museum was 10 km long! The Terra Cotta Warriors Museum is probably the #1 attraction in China for locals as well as tourists.

Pit 1

Pit 1 is the largest exhibit, but because of its scale, it’s a little more difficult to get a close observation of the warriors. It contains about 2,000 warriors and horses.

Terra Cotta Warrior Museum, Xi'an, China

Entrance to Pit 1, the largest of the three Pits.

Most people stop (and clog) at the view by front entrance, but make your way around to the sides (visit both sides) to get other interesting views of the warriors. Be prepared for lots of shoving and pushing as you deal with the mobs. Hang on to your belongings carefully!

Terra Cotta Warriors Museum, Xi'an, China

View of Pit 1 near the entrance. Quite a sight to behold.

Another view of the warriors in Pit 1.

A side view of Pit 1. The original discovery was made from the digging of a well near the lower right of this photo.

A little closer view of the warriors. Their headgear denotes their rank. You can also see a bit of their color here.

A closer side view near the front entrance of Pit 1.

At the rear of Pit 1, the painstaking restoration work on the terra-cotta figures continues.

Pit 2

Pit 2 is the smallest of the three pits, and excavation work continues here. It was discovered in April 1976, about two years after the discovery of Pit 1.

This is a view of Pit 2, the smallest of the three. It consists of more variety of figures than Pit 1, with archers, chariots, calvary and infantry.

A closer view of Pit 2.

Pit 3

Pit 3 was the last to be discovered, in June 1976. Extensive damage to the figures in this pit occurred anciently. It was the “command center” for the warriors in the other Pits.

A view of the original sloped entrance into Pit 3.

View of Pit 3, showing the original earthen coverings and entrances into the Pit.

Detail of Pit 3.

Another detailed view of Pit 3, showing how all destroyed pieces have been labeled.

Bronze Chariots

In a separate building you will find perhaps the most amazing pieces of art at the museum, including two bronze chariot displays from the same era as the terra-cotta warriors.

The building where the bronze chariots are located (on the basement level).

These chariots were discovered in 1978, near the emperor’s tomb, and brought to this museum for display. They are amazing in their detailed craftsmanship and have survived well over the centuries. They are made of bronze and painted, with some use of gold and silver too. They are on a 50% scale to full size.

One of the bronze chariots.

The second bronze chariot. The horses look so lifelike! Note the figure in the cart behind the horses.

This figure, along with a number of other figures and artifacts are located in the same building as the bronze chariots. This guy is one of seven generals found in the Pits. His armor, headgear and neck bows all point to being a high-ranking officer.

I’m not sure of the story behind this boat carved from jade, located in a hallway in the building with the bronze chariots. It has nothing to do (as far as I know) with the Terra Cotta Warriors, but it is an incredible piece of art!

Please note that you enter the huge museum complex in one direction, and on your exit you go a separate direction through a myriad of food vendors and shops. The displays were quite colorful and entertaining!

Old central Xi’an itself is quite a stunning city, and in my next post I’ll share a few pictures of central part of the city.

The Summer Palace – A Bit of Paradise in Beijing

The last tourist sight we visited before leaving Beijing was the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is about 15 km (9 miles) northwest of central Beijing.

The Summer Palace is a huge expanse of gardens, temples and other structures, all dominated by the central feature, Kunming Lake. The Summer Palace provides a welcome respite from the traffic and noises of the city. If I were the Emperor, I would probably find an excuse to spend most of my time here!

Tower of Buddhist Incense, Summer Palace, Beijing, China

The Tower of Buddhist Incense sits on Longevity Hill, which was created from the excavation of Kunming Lake in the foreground. We did not have the time to climb up the tower, which would offer great views of the Summer Palace grounds. Unfortunately it was a bit hazy on the day we visited.

The Palace was initially built in 1750 by the Emperor Qianlong, and served as a royal retreat. It has undergone many restorations, particularly after 1860 due to the destruction caused by various conflicts. The person most associated with the Palace is the Empress Dowager Cixi (officially “Holy Mother Empress Dowager”). She was born in 1835, became a concubine at the Palace and eventually saw her son (and later a nephew) become Emperors. However, she was the real power behind the throne for almost 40 years. Much of the restoration of the Palace took place during her “reign”.

As a tourist, it would be easy to spend a full day visiting the Palace, but at a minimum, allow 3 hours for your visit. Unfortunately it was late in the day when we arrived so we only had a couple hours to explore the surroundings. Since the Palace covers such a large area, be prepared for a lot of walking, climbing and possible boating excursions. (The photos below are in the order of our visit through the Palace Gardens).

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, Summer Palace, Beijing, China

Just past the East Entrance is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (“one who is benevolent enjoys longevity”) used as an administrative area of the Emperor and Empress, where they would receive diplomats and conduct various affairs of the court.

Next to the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity stands this mythical creature, called Kylin, which had the power to punish evil and repel the wicked – not hard to see why! It has a dragon head, lion tail, deer horns, and cattle hoofs, with a scaly, fish-like skin.

Wenchang Tower, largest of six gate forts in the Summer Palace garden. The tower is located near the East Entrance to the Summer Palace, along the shore of Kunming Lake.

Long Corridor, Summer Palace, Beijing, China

A view of the Long Corridor (or Long Gallery), which runs from near the east entrance to the Marble Boat along the north shore of Kunming Lake. Hundreds of paintings decorate the interior. It is probably the most iconic feature of the Summer Palace. The Long Corridor is 728 meters long, or nearly half a mile.

An external view of the Long Corridor.

One of the four octagonal pavilions in the Long Corridor, which represent the four seasons. The decorative paintings along the whole walk are quite beautiful.

View of the ceiling of one of the four octagonal pavilions in the Long Corridor.

Marble Boat, Summer Palace, Beijing, China

The Marble Boat (Han Chuan, or Clear and Peaceful Boat) can be found at the end of the Long Gallery, along the north shore of Kunming Lake. It was originally built in 1755. It is quite a sight to behold.

Looking up at the Tower of Buddhist Incense from near the Long Corridor.

17 Arch Bridge, Summer Palace, Beijing, China

The 17 Arch Bridge in the distance – it is the largest bridge at the Summer Palace. It connects Nanhu Island in Kunming Lake to the mainland. (a couple of the arches are hidden by the boat).

The Palace is a bit of paradise in the huge, sprawling city of Beijing, and was one of my favorite places to visit. Bring your lunch and enjoy the scenery and people watching. Please note that the main entrance fee does not include several attractions (such as a boat ride) within the Palace gardens, those attractions will require separate fees.

Climbing The Great Wall of China — One of the Must-Do’s Near Beijing

The Great Wall without a doubt is the first thing that comes to mind when anyone thinks of China, possibly second only to Panda bears (which we also got to see, more on that in a later post). It’s probably one of those sights that’s on just about everyone’s bucket list. The Great Wall is very impressive, no matter what small portion of it that you are fortunate enough to visit. On this Sinorama tour, we visited the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, which was a heavily fortified portion to protect a key route through the mountains on the way to Beijing, 31 miles away.

Juyongguan section of the Great Wall. We climbed up the Wall seen in the hills behind me. It took us about 1.5 hours to climb to the highest point (not quite visible), moving at a fairly quick pace.

The steepness of the climb can be appreciated in this photo.

I cannot imagine the labor that went in to constructing the wall through the steep, rugged terrain and other natural barriers for thousands of miles. We found enough challenge in just climbing the section that we did, which was steep enough to be hard on the knee joints coming down.

Taking a short break on the only semi-level section of the Wall in this area.

North of Juyong Pass is Badaling, also considered part of the same pass, and a popular section of the Wall to visit. Years ago I visited the Mutianyu section, which is a bit further from Beijing.

Juyongguan Pass, Great Wall, Beijing, China

Looking towards the Badaling section of the Great Wall (in the far distance) from Juyongguan section, high above the Juyong Pass.

When we think of a wall, usually we think of a pretty straight line with two sides, and the Great Wall, at least in this part of the country, is anything but straight, partially due to the span of multiple construction eras over the centuries and partly due to the rugged landscape.

Other parts of the Juyongguan section of the Wall can be seen across the valley.

Lots of stairs–if your job was to patrol this section, you’d be in great shape!

Wall Facts:

The origins of the Wall date back over a millennia ago, although most of the wall we see today was built during the Ming Dynasty, between the mid 1300’s and 1600’s. The Wall runs across norther China and is about 5,500 miles long, of which about 3,800 miles is actual stone wall construction, with the remaining sections being other types of barriers (ditches and natural landscape). Source: Wikipedia

If you visit the Great Wall, be prepared for a LOT of walking, steps, and tourists, at least in the sections of the Wall near Beijing.

Some of the crowds making their way up as we were coming down. Get there early in the day if possible!

Get your souvenirs here!

Of course, there are many tourist shops at each location with food, drinks and souvenirs.

A view of the little village and shops at the base of the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall.

Visiting the Forbidden City and Other Sights in Beijing

My first visit to Beijing was in 1997. My, how things have changed in twenty years. I recall back then flying in to a small, drab airport that reinforced the feeling of being in a third world country (the current airport was under construction at the time). There was very limited car traffic and the roads were clogged with thousands of bicyclists. Central Beijing felt like a relatively small city (for China) that was easy to walk.

The city has expanded and changed dramatically in the past 20 years, but even so, the key tourist sights are still there and just as amazing now as they were then. We even lucked out on this last trip and had beautiful, clear weather rather than the common heavy gray smog.

In this post I’ll share several of the sights we visited on the first day of our China tour.

Temple of Heaven

This is one of the sights I had visited previously during a business trip to China (see my post here). The Temple of Heaven is a postcard symbol of Beijing. The Emperor would make his way from the Forbidden City to this temple to pray for good harvests each year.

A view of the Temple of Heaven.

The thing I noticed on this visit was the many senior citizens playing card and other games along the entrance corridor to the Temple, probably because it was a beautiful day and the Temple’s grounds are a park-like oasis in a very busy city.

Playing cards near the entrance to the Temple of Heaven.

Hutong Area

I had not been to this area of Beijing previously and I would have loved to explore it further. The word Hutong refers to traditional Chinese neighborhoods with narrow alleys, streets and homes with hidden courtyards, and that’s exactly what this area is like, along with some pretty lakes and park-like areas.

The peaceful setting of the Hutong Area.

On our rickshaw ride in the Hutong Area of Beijing.

Another view of the shops in the Hutong Area.

Many Hutongs have been demolished with the rapid growth of Beijing and the government seems intent on preserving what remains of these examples of Chinese history and culture. We took a rickshaw ride through the old streets and ate lunch here in a person’s home. Some Hutongs date back to the 13th century.

Our tour group having lunch (which was one of our best meals) inside a person’s home in the Hutong Area of Beijing.

Tiananmen Square

Beijing is laid out in a series of concentric circles, and at the center of Beijing lies Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is probably best known to people in the U.S. as “ground zero” of the student uprising in 1989, which is known locally as the “June 4th incident”, where thousands of students camped out in the Square and were eventually forced to flee the troops and tanks sent to clear the Square. In the process of squelching the protests several hundred demonstrators were killed.

Beautiful displays in Tiananmen Square in preparation for the National Holidays. The entrance to the Forbidden City is in the background. The Square can hold one million people.

Monument to the People's Heroes, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China

The Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square. Dedicated to the martyrs of the Revolution. The monument is 10 stories high. In the background is the Great Hall of the People, used for legislative and ceremonial activities.

Worker’s Statue, Tiananmen Square.

This historic, huge square is surrounded by a national museum, the mausoleum of Mao Zedong, a Great Hall and other government buildings. The Square is used for public events, government celebrations and as the main route for entrance into the Forbidden City, the main attraction in central Beijing.

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is directly north of Tiananmen Square and it’s called the “Forbidden” City since no one other than members of the Imperial Court or special dignitaries were allowed inside. There is a specific route from south to north that you follow through the Forbidden City, the photos below are in the order of our visit from the south entrance to north entrance.

Entrance to the Forbidden City is through Tiananmen Tower, located just to the north of Tiananmen Square.

Meridian Gate, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Meridian Gate is the actual entrance to the Forbidden City and lies north of the Tiananmen Tower.

This was the Imperial Palace of China for 500 years, from the early 1400’s to the early 1900’s. The emperor would live, work and receive audiences here, and oversee the care of his thousands of consorts and concubines.

Gate of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Gate of Supreme Harmony provides access to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the surrounding courtyards.

Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

After the Gate of Supreme Harmony is this courtyard, with the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the background. It is one of the largest wooden structures in China and the largest Hall in the Forbidden City.

More than a million workers labored for 14 years to build the enormous palace complex and surrounding Tongzi Moat. The palace includes almost 1,000 buildings and covers an immense area. Only the Palace museum, main halls, gates and squares are open to tourists, and disappointingly, in some cases a direct view into the halls for photos was not allowed. I have no idea why. Be prepared for a LOT of walking.

From the steps of the Hall of Supreme Harmony looking southeast.

It was difficult to get a good photo of the interior of the Hall of Supreme Harmony due to barricades surrounding the entrance.

Hall of Central Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Interior of the Hall of Central Harmony. Once again, it was impossible to get a good view of the main throne area.

Large Stone Carving, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Large Stone Carving, behind the Hall of Preserved Harmony. Anyone caught touching this carving during the time of the Emperors would receive the death penalty!

The Gate of Heavenly Purity, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Gate of Heavenly Purity leads to the last set of Halls and Palaces before the Imperial Gardens at the north end of the Forbidden City.

Hall of Heavenly Purity, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Palace of Heavenly Purity. Intricate stone carvings are found everywhere in the Forbidden City.

Hall of Union and Hall of Earthly Tranquility.

Hall of One Thousand Autumns, Imperial Gardens, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Hall of One Thousand Autumns, Imperial Gardens of the Forbidden City.

While audioguides are available, the English signage is good throughout the Forbidden City. Surprisingly on the day of our visit, the City was not terribly crowded, probably because we were there just prior to the start of the Chinese National Holiday. The palace receives 15 million visitors annually.

2008 Olympic Venues

We made a quick stop at the sight of the 2008 Olympics, hard for me to believe it’s been 10 years since Michael Phelps won a world record 8 gold medals in swimming in Beijing. Of course, the event locations are spread out over a large area, and there is no one location or overlook to view the entire site, but our guide and driver were kind enough to stop and let us at least get a quick glimpse of where some of the main events were held.

A view of the Aquatic Center where Michael Phelps won his 8 gold medals and the “Birds Nest” arena behind it from the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

In my next post, we’ll visit the Summer Palace and the Great Wall.

A Tour of China – Overview

Although I have been to China a number of times on business, I had visited only a few cities and never took the time to be a tourist. My wife had not been to China and since this country was high on her bucket list, we finally took the plunge and did a tour in late September / early October. Overall, the fall was a pretty good time of year to go, the weather was reasonable (not too hot or cold). The only downside was that October 1st is a Chinese National Holiday (celebrating the anniversary of the communist revolution) and the Chinese have eight straight days of vacation time around October 1st, meaning they were taking road trips to the tourist sites just like we were. Luckily, we were able for the most part to stay one step ahead of the local holiday revelers due to our savvy tour guide.

Our family with our Sinorama tour guide, Jessie, who was fantastic.

Although I’ve made it clear over the years that I am not a fan of tour groups, we found that a tour was the way to go in China, saving a lot of headaches trying to figure out how to get around this huge, somewhat confusing country independently. We used Sinorama Tours, based in Vancouver, Canada. The tour was an amazing value, largely because the Chinese government subsidizes the tours to promote tourism to China. Our 15 day tour price (approximately, per person) of $1,750 included roundtrip airfare on Air Canada from San Francisco (your departure city may cost more via Vancouver, B.C. to Beijing), all hotels (which were very good business-class hotels), most meals, entrance fees, a 4 night Yangtze River cruise, internal flights (3) and local transportation! Some activities (acrobat show, some dinners and other side tours) were extra. Since the tour company is Canadian, about half our group was from Canada, the rest from the U.S.

An acrobat show in Shanghai, which was a great experience.

We started our tour in Beijing and ended in Shanghai (other members of our tour group continued on from Shanghai and ended in Hong Kong via a few other stops). You can find our itinerary here.

A few observations about China and this tour:

Soak up the culture. China is teeming with a variety of peoples and cultures within its expansive borders. We were were able to just get a glimpse of its amazing history – take advantage of the local scene where you can, along with the art, museums and world-class sights.
A local grocer in Shanghai.

Street vendors in Xi’an, one of my favorite cities in China.
A fast developing economy. China is changing dramatically and extremely quickly. What blew my family away more than anything was the fast pace of growth in China – new buildings, highways, airports, bridges, etc. going up all at once and everywhere. The scale of construction activity is really beyond comprehension.
A panorama of the ultra modern central square in Chonqing, on the Yangtze River.

New apartment buildings going up in Wuhan, just a small example of the endless construction going on in China.
Weather. Expect that most days will be gray and overcast, due to the humidity and smog (bring an umbrella!). I think the government is trying to improve the air quality, but we had very few clear, bright sunny days.
A pretty rare clear day – a view of the Shanghai skyline driving in from the Pudong airport.
Crowds. Just plan on lots of local people filling the streets wherever you go. Some pushing and shoving is to be expected in really heavy crowds and you just have to hold your ground (somewhat true at airports or on planes too). However, I never felt unsafe or worried about theft, although I made sure I knew where my valuables were at all times and limited what I carried with me during the day. Take the usual precautions with your belongings and you should be fine.
At the Terra Cotta Warriors museum. This was a very light day in terms of tourists!
On the tour, the food is OK. Sinorama runs many tours, and the tour groups tend to eat around the same time at the same locations, sometimes hotels or other venues with large eating areas. Real Chinese food in China is not quite P. F. Chang’s. The quality varied, and we would say it was “OK” for the most part – some meals were good, some so-so, some not so good.
A typical meal (lunch) layout (most meals came with 5-6 dishes, they are just starting the service here).

Sinorama admits the food quality varies. Just go with the flow. Common dishes included some bland vegetables, scrambled eggs in a tomato base soup of sorts, fried chicken pieces, occasional other meat dishes, and always a serving of watermelon at the end of the meal.

We found an EXCELLENT noodle shop close to our hotel in Xi’an.

Learn how to eat with chopsticks! We also wandered around and found some excellent small restaurants on our own.
As part of the tour, expect some visits to local businesses. This is the part that I usually hate with tours, the “forced” shopping and feeling that you must buy something to support the locals. However, over 15 days we only visited a few factories: silk, cloisonné, jade, terra cotta, and some other art shops. Not too bad for the length of the tour, and few of these workshops were quite interesting – we even bought a few things!
At the Terra Cotta Warriors shop in Xi’an, where you can buy a statue for your home, not far from the actual Museum.

Workers (I would call them amazingly skilled artists) at the cloisonné factory near Beijing.

Finished product at the cloisonné factory.
The tour provides excellent transportation. We had large, comfortable tour buses in each location and the three flights within China were comfortable. As stated above, China is developing rapidly and every city we flew into had a new, huge, modern airport.
Interior view of the Beijing airport.

My future posts will focus on the sights we visited. Once again, I commend Sinorama for their excellent work in accommodating such varied tourist needs and coordinating so many logistics.

The Temple of Heaven-Beijing, China

On a business trip to China in August 2010 I was in Beijing and took the opportunity to visit the Temple of Heaven complex. I had seen pictures of the round Temple, but I had no idea it was part of such a large complex covering about 675 acres on the south side of Beijing (to see more of Beijing click here).

Beijing is laid out in a series of concentric “ring roads” with the main historical area (Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square) in the center ring. I stayed at the Ascott Hotel on the west side of Beijing, about 15 minutes by taxi from the Forbidden City and about 15-20 minutes from the Temple of Heaven. The Ascott is a great business hotel, and my room (with a corporate discount) was less than $150/night. The rooms are large-actually small apartments with a clothes washer, small kitchen and living room. It is also within walking distance of the “Beijing Friendship Store” on Jian Guo Road which has about 5 floors of packed shopping stalls with everything you can imagine for sale-be prepared to be hounded by the shopkeepers!

I arrived at the North Gate of the Temple of Heaven after a $4 taxi ride from the Ascott, and paid about $10 for the entry fee, which included not only the Temple of Heaven itself, but some of the other important buildings on the site as well. (Be sure to verify what your ticket provides access to, since there are a few options). There is a nice souvenir map available at the ticket office.

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

The Temple of Heaven (or “Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests”) was built in 1420. The other buildings date from the 1400’s and 1500’s. The Emperors’ annual procession (must have been quite impressive-over a mile long and included elephants, musicians, imperial guards and other officials) began in the Forbidden City and marched south to this complex. The extensive, tranquil gardens provide a good buffer to the exterior world. The Temple of Heaven is where Emperors would offer sacrifices and pray for a good harvest. The Emperors also lived here and fasted during the ceremonies, keeping themselves focused in a state of worship.

Hall of Fasting

In addition to the Temple of Heaven, visit the Hall of Fasting, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Echo Wall, the Circular Mound Altar and the Divine Music Office, which has a display of interesting instruments and huge drums.

Imperial Vault of Heaven.

North Kitchen, Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China.

Other buildings include the kitchen complexes and the butcher house, which prepared the animal sacrifices. Apparently the animal sacrifices were beaten with mallets rather than butchered with a knife-not something I really want to think about too much.

A long covered walkway protected the sacrifices as they made their way from the Divine Kitchen to the altar in the Temple of Heaven. The walkway is open, but the kitchens and butcher house were not open during my visit.

The Independent Tourist

Travel Locations and Tips for Independent Travelers