China- Part One- Beijing…
Well I arrived back in Tokyo Sunday night after almost 10 days in China. I have actually uploaded photos already to flickr (I am proud of myself…It is is within a week of returning which is good for me!) and you can see them all here.
On Friday the 10th of August I left work early to head out to the airport to meet up with my mum so that we could fly to Beijing together. Uneventful flight and by the time we got to the hotel we were both pretty exhausted and it was already quite late so despite meeting our tour guide and driver (Both of whom were awesome!) for Beijing we basically just crashed. Good thing we had a good nights sleep because the next 3 days were filled with so much!!!
First up we visited Tiannamen Square and Zijincheng (Forbidden City). Inside the Forbidden City there are 9,999,5 rooms and while it has been rebuilt a few times the original design has stayed the same. It took awhile to actually get into the forbidden city due to the crowds and the different gates you needed to go through to get inside. I could see why people get lost!!
Next up we visited the temple of heaven. I found the story behind this temple really fascinating. The emperor used to visit three times a year to pray firstly for a good crop, secondly for good rain and thirdly to show gratitude. The building itself was amazing….I wished I could of gone inside to have a better look. It is one of four main temples in Beijing (The others include temple of sun, temple of earth and temple of moon, ) but unfortunately I didn`t get a chance to see the others.
Our first proper night in Beijing we went to see a Kung Fu Show which was actually so much better than I thought it would be. I recommend anyone to see it if they get the chance. The costumes and staging and story were amazing. I also ate proper Peking Duck (I have had it in Japan before also) and I am not that fussed…I don`t mind the duck meat but the skin is kind of yuck!
Day 2 took us to the Great Wall of China. I have now seen two of the seven wonders of the world!!! Our guide Velma brought her 5 year old daughter Pearl along since she had always wanted to climb the wall. It really was breathtaking and we were really lucky to have such a great day to climb it. Although i think half of the China population was on the wall the day we were there!!!
Visited the Ming Tombs and The Sacred Way also, which had different animals, generals, officials each of which was made from a signal stone. The carving was amazing and my photos really don`t do it justice. It was perhaps one of the most peaceful places I visited in China, with its weeping willow and nice gardens.
Third day took us to the zoo to see the giant panda`s. I knew that Pandas were special to Chinese people and a symbol for them but I had no idea how sacred they were. Apparently if a Chinese person harms or kills a panda then they will be sentenced to death. Despite this panda numbers a still very low since they are not maternal creatures therefore often leaving behind their young.
My guide also found out my fortune based on my zodiac animal and time of birth. Apparently Shumpei and I are very well matched and while in China most of the time anyone that gets married before 27 is said to have entered a fake marriage (Not there real one meaning it will end in divorce) however because shumpei and I are so well matched we could marry earlier and still have a successful marriage. In the year 2010 is a very good year for me which will bring about a major change that will make my life more happy and prosperous. It was interesting to hear about my fortune…I like this sort of thing but have never really paid much attention to it before.
Summer palace was up next after the zoo, and i liked it a lot more than the forbidden city. Perhaps because it was on a lake and it was nice to be somewhere a little bit cooler for a change. The summer palace basically was the summer holiday house for the emperors and empresses, in particular Empress Cixi who was originally a concubine but because quite powerful when her 3 year old son became emperor.
We also had tours of the Hutongs, back alleys of Beijing where we got to eat lunch in a typical Chinese persons house. It was the best food I ate the whole time I was there!!!!
Next stop Xian, home of the terracotta warriors….
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Hey hun!
Loving your stories about China! You’ve got some great photos. Climbing the Great Wall must of been amazing. Was it really steep? Though the number of tourists would drive me crazy!
That is very interesting about your fortune. I would love to get mine read somewhere in London and might look into that – well, maybe that should wait until after I find a job!
That sux that Shun is still working so hard but at least there is an end in sight! And glad you have settled into Nakano. It’s a great place. Would love to see some piccies!#Anyways hun, take care and hope to hear from you soon!
Mandy oxoxo
WOW! This post makes me want to go there.
I can’t believe how many people are walking on the wall in the background – so very jealous that you’ve seen 2 world wonders
Looking forward to the next update.
Did you stop for a cuppa at the Starbucks inside the Forbidden City ? (Disgusting huh?)
WOW I cannot believe how many people there were on the wall, I had heard about crowds on the touristy parts of the wall but that is some serious people mass. We went to some “unpopular” parts for a private viewing. Unbelievable isn’t it?!! Looks like you had such an awesome time with your mum – welcome back!!
ps What was the other wonder? GBR?
Oh no GBR is a natural wonder….um ??
* Stonehenge
* Colosseum
* Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
* Great Wall of China
* Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
* Hagia Sophia
* Leaning Tower of Pisa
Oh you did Europe so… Stonehenge? Colosseum?
Hey there, glad you had a good trip! The photos are amazing.
xx
Wow!! China has never really been somewhere I have wanted to go see, but your post is making me change my mind, it looks so fascinating!!!
Glad you are home safe in Japan, cant wait to see your next post!
Mandy- Hey babe! How is London going? I have a contact address for another cyber friend of mine that has also just moved to London so I thought I would pass on her email/blog address because you might want to get in touch with her. China was great. Will eventually get around to putting some photos up of the apartment. Getting my zodiac fortune was interesting so you should definitely give it ago!! Can`t wait to hear more about london!
Miss Natalie: I am glad you enjoyed it!! IT was really an intresting place! IT wasn`t a place that I had really thought about going to before but it really was great! Should get the next update up by tomorrow!
Sushi^ Thanks! We should catch up again soon! How is TokyoMade going?? The other one was the colosseum in January 2006.
Suzy: How are you? Thanks for the comment. You must be almost ready to give birth now yeah?
Deb: I felt the same way. But it was really fascinating!!! I am hoping to get to Vietnam next year (Then New York and America the year later, then Egypt, then back to Europe again perhaps…I try to do something every year!…Although somewhere in there I will fit in a weekend to Korea to to visit a friend!) so if you are interested in seeing Vietnam let me know!
HI Lulu- Great to hear about your adventures in china, the pictures look amazing!you’ve convinced me to go there!. Have you been to see the fireworks in the park at Tachikawa yet this year? or did you miss them?.
What would be a good location for an American to marry a pretty Chinese Woman in Beijing in November 2007.