Today was a very long day. We got an early start and were at Tiananmen Square at 8:00 am on a very cold and windy November Beijing day. Frank, our guide, told us that we got rock star parking since we were there so early. Frank carefully and patiently explained how large the square was and all of the buildings surrounding the square. He pointed out the special memorial building to Mao that is similar to our presidential memorials in Washington. We took lots of pictures, particularly in front of the Gate of Heaven with Mao’s picture on the front. I’ve tried to search on Yahoo for more information to share with you about the square, but it appears that such information is blocked by the government.
Because it was SO cold, the street vendors did a brisk business selling hats and gloves to our group. So outfitted, we were much more cheerful and went on to the Imperial Palace by means of an underground walkway (which was out of the wind and warmer).
We entered the Imperial Palace by the front gate – the Gate of Heaven. Frank told us that the Imperial Palace has 9,999 rooms – enough that a baby who slept in a different room from the day of birth would be 27 years old by the time he slept in all the rooms. The Palace compound is an amazing space. Except for in the Imperial Gardens, there are no trees – the emperors were afraid that someone might hide in them at night and become a threat. A total of 24 emperors lived in the Imperial Palace.
There are many rooms dedicated to government policy and strategy. The emperor’s personal rooms are a much smaller part of the compound than you might think. There is a large area reserved for the concubines – there were more than 3000 of them at any one time.
My favorite part of the Imperial Palace was the Imperial Garden. It is a peaceful place with beautiful, ornate stone walkways, manicured gardens, and very interesting large stones that look a bit like sponges.
On our way back to the bus, we saw the huge moat that surrounds the palace. Since Beijing has no natural water source, this was a way to bring water to the palace, but also a means of defense.
We were very excited to see the bus – it meant a chance to warm up J. From there we went to lunch at Baguobuyi – Dianmen. I was really proud to see every member of the group using chopsticks and using them well! The lunch was delicious. There were more dishes than we could count and the vegetables were especially wonderful.
Following lunch we drove to the Juyongguan Pass. This pass was one of the most strategically important parts of the Great Wall. It was originally built during the fifth century. It is really an amazing sight to see. We all set off to see how much of this section of the wall we could climb. Jacinda was very glad that she chose gym shoes today! Curtin and Shannon were the fastest of the group to get up and down and they got a special prize from Frank. Legend says that Chairman Mao proclaimed that any person who wanted to be a real hero must climb the Great Wall. We certainly were heroes! Chuck has a hero card to prove it! Climbing the wall is a strenuous aerobic activity. The incline is very steep in places and the steps are uneven. We took it step by step – literally – and a good number of us made it all the way up! I’ll tell you, we certainly weren’t cold after that workout!
Because it was SO cold, the street vendors did a brisk business selling hats and gloves to our group. So outfitted, we were much more cheerful and went on to the Imperial Palace by means of an underground walkway (which was out of the wind and warmer).
We entered the Imperial Palace by the front gate – the Gate of Heaven. Frank told us that the Imperial Palace has 9,999 rooms – enough that a baby who slept in a different room from the day of birth would be 27 years old by the time he slept in all the rooms. The Palace compound is an amazing space. Except for in the Imperial Gardens, there are no trees – the emperors were afraid that someone might hide in them at night and become a threat. A total of 24 emperors lived in the Imperial Palace.
There are many rooms dedicated to government policy and strategy. The emperor’s personal rooms are a much smaller part of the compound than you might think. There is a large area reserved for the concubines – there were more than 3000 of them at any one time.
My favorite part of the Imperial Palace was the Imperial Garden. It is a peaceful place with beautiful, ornate stone walkways, manicured gardens, and very interesting large stones that look a bit like sponges.
On our way back to the bus, we saw the huge moat that surrounds the palace. Since Beijing has no natural water source, this was a way to bring water to the palace, but also a means of defense.
We were very excited to see the bus – it meant a chance to warm up J. From there we went to lunch at Baguobuyi – Dianmen. I was really proud to see every member of the group using chopsticks and using them well! The lunch was delicious. There were more dishes than we could count and the vegetables were especially wonderful.
Our next stop for the day was at the jade factory market where we were given a 
tour that showed us how jade is carved and told us all about the different kinds of jade. We saw this amazing ship that was carved from a single piece of jade – just amazing! It was a nice shopping opportunity and we made good use of this time.
Our last stop for the night was at the Xiao Wang Fu Restaurant where we were treated to a dinner of Peking Duck. Our trip to the restaurant was an adventure. There was an exceptional amount of traffic so once we got close, Frank told us to hop out and we walked the remaining way. We walked through traffic, dodging the slow moving cars, and finally arrived at the restaurant which is the middle of the beautiful Ritan Park.
After this very long day, we came back and went to sleep – thankful that we didn’t need to be on the bus until 8:45 am the next day.
tour that showed us how jade is carved and told us all about the different kinds of jade. We saw this amazing ship that was carved from a single piece of jade – just amazing! It was a nice shopping opportunity and we made good use of this time.Our last stop for the night was at the Xiao Wang Fu Restaurant where we were treated to a dinner of Peking Duck. Our trip to the restaurant was an adventure. There was an exceptional amount of traffic so once we got close, Frank told us to hop out and we walked the remaining way. We walked through traffic, dodging the slow moving cars, and finally arrived at the restaurant which is the middle of the beautiful Ritan Park.
After this very long day, we came back and went to sleep – thankful that we didn’t need to be on the bus until 8:45 am the next day.
Beautiful pictures! I remember doing this starting at Tinnamen Square and just marveling at the fact that I was actually THERE! I was there in March 2009 and , unlike your weather, we were so lucky that the day was mild and in the 60s which made it so nice. The Wall looks so awesome...I missed that. So glad you are having a wonderful time. Lori promised me a picture of the Wall....what a wonder that is! Stay safe! Have fun! Greetings from Home!
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