# A quick trip to China leaves us longing for more



## Aussie Wendy

For those who have followed me from PrincessinOz to see some pics of Beijing welcome. For others a quick intro to this story.

I am a 50 something Disney fan from way back who lives in Brisbane Australia and usually travels with my hubby and often my DD who is now 25. I have, not by deliberate planning, visited every park but newly opened Shanghai in the past seven years. Around early November I received a message from the Melbourne Disgirls that they had discovered an unbelievably cheap airfare to Shanghai and was I interested in joining them in exploring Shanghai Disneyland? Was I! Over the course of a couple of nights messages flew faster than the speed of light between us as we coordinated 5 sets of people to be in Shanghai at the same time. In the event I had work commitments that meant I had to be back a bit earlier than the rest but I could get away a week earlier. DD jumped on board and proposed we headed to Beijing first and DH decided he would be overwhelmed by all the girls (no, he had to work) so stayed home to feed the budgy and keep an eye on things.

Who I am: in Tokyo DisneySea in 2012





And DD ditto





Turns out the airfare was open jaw though with days of the week constraints so DD and I headed out on the Monday to Beijing for 4 nights, caught the bullet train to Shanghai on Friday where we rendezvoused with PrincessinOz (hereafter shortened to PIO) and her DM who had managed a flight out a day earlier and then Sunday am rendezvoused in the park with the rest of the gang who had arrived late on Saturday. As we had an early flight out Wednesday morning when the others were flying to Hong Kong Disneyland for 3 nights, we transferred to an airport hotel for Tuesday night and then flew home via Hong Kong on the Wednesday.  

Obtaining our visas was a piece of cake with a Visa Processing Office in Brisbane city and we took the forms in personally. The forms were quite lengthy and while I took duplicates of everything they only wanted to see one set of hotel reservations once they had ascertained DD’s name was on the airfare itinerary as well as mine and she was my travelling companion in all the hotels where only my name + 1 was listed.

Visa photos were taken care of at the local Post Office who have a machine that prints the pic automatically to suit the country requirements – I wouldn’t go anywhere else now to get them taken as you can be pretty sure they will be right. We also had PIO’s useful experience to guide us on not wearing earrings etc. and just in case, made sure we wore conservative clothing (not that it says anything about that in the visa guide).

Disneyland hotel bookings (we did a split stay) were made online through the Shanghai Disneyland website after we created an account with them (using our email address not a mobile phone) and tickets were purchased separately later from the same site not as part of the hotel package. For these we were sent a confirmation form to print out and bring to the turnstyles with our passport. At this time only two day and one day tix were available.

Other hotel bookings were made using a combination of advice from TripAdvisor and either direct booking or via a third party co. Train tix were researched (e.g. times and types) using Seat61 and bought using China DIY Travel who I can highly recommend if you are happy to go and collect them yourselves. They sent comprehensive instructions including in Chinese to show to people, videos of how to collect the tix from any railway station and how to catch the train, favourite eating spots and all sorts of other useful info and only charged $10 per ticket for the service. Other companies will also arrange delivery to your hotel if you want.

We purchased a one month subscription for $17 of ExpressVPN and downloaded it onto our phone and made sure it was working before we left (having missed a free one week trial offer). This was to get around the Great Firewall. We also planned on using What's App to keep in contact with DH at home. We had a Vodofone and planned on using the $5/day roaming option (only for days you activate it) if we needed it (and ended up activating it on three days).

Happy to answer any other questions. Onto the show. Links to each day or site below.

*Day 1 Arrival*
Nihao Beijing
First explorations
Dinner

*Day 2 Forbidden City, Jingshang and Houhai Lakes*
Always start the day with a good breakfast
Ti'ananmen Square is off limits
In the Forbidden City
Everything is symbolic
Palace Overload
The Imperial Garden
Jingshang Park
Exiting the park and Dongcheng
Late afternoon at the Houhai Lakes
Sunset
Being adventurous

*Day 3 Off to the Wall at Mutianyu*
Sights en route
Mutianyu village and cable car
Walking the wall
Exploring the watchtowers
A steep climb
DD goes over the wall
The explorer returned
Dinner in

D*ay 4 The Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace*
The Temple of Heaven
The Imperial Vault of the Heavens
The Circular Mound Altar and Pearl Market
Getting confused but we reach the Summer Palace in the end
Heading round the lake
By the lakeshore
Sitting on an island watching all the crowds go by
We close the park


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## Aussie Wendy

*Day 1 Nihao Beijing*

Our day began with a 00.45am flight (yawn) (in economy). Since neither of us sleep on planes we occupied ourselves with various movies – several Disney of course!  This was our first time flying with Cathay Pacific and we were very impressed. Lots of entertainment choices (though not quite as good as Singapore Airlines), excellent food (choice of 3 not 2 mains!) and the air con stayed cold and fresh never stuffy – a big thumbs up. I thought we took some pics of meals but obviously not. Our dinner was sliced duck with creamy coleslaw, for main I chose stirfry chicken with veg and rice, and a Weiss mango icecream bar. Both of us skipped the hot part of the breakfast before landing but it looked pretty good. The end of the trip was pretty turbulent – usual early morning thermals.

We passed over lots of fields and some cities as well as several areas with big high rise apartments surrounded by fields which looked very odd.






As part of our hotel deal we were met at the airport which saved us the worry of dealing with taxi drivers who can’t speak English and don’t understand the instructions even if written in Chinese that I have heard can be a problem. Our driver drove carefully through the crazy traffic offering us cold bottled water along the way and delivering us to the hotel door where we were greeted with hot tea and friendly staff.

We stayed at the Red Wall Garden Hotel situated in a hutong to the east of the Forbidden City and Wanfujing St tourist area. The hutongs are the traditional alleyways formed originally by adjoining courtyard houses. They originated in the Yuan Dynasty (founded by Kublai Khan in 1279) but most were built in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) Dynasties. Now they are occupied by several families and many courtyards have been built in to form more housing. I suspect this might have been a new build on a demolished site. We loved our stay here and plan to stay here if (when!) we return.

The entrance to our hutong

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The hotel

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A statue by the entrance to the courtyard

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And another

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Our room was twin bedded opening onto the courtyard at ground floor level. In summer I think this would be noisy with diners and people chatting outside at all hours but this time of year it was very quiet.

In the courtyard

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Our room

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Lots of traditional touches

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Cute tea service

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And old fashioned phone

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## PrincessInOz

Oh!  Wonderful!


You started a TR.  I was out tonight and I was so pleased to see this waiting for me to read.  

That's a cute hotel you found.  Let's say "when" we return, we'll be staying there.


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## PrincessInOz

Aussie Wendy said:


> in Tokyo DisneySea in 2012




I meant to say....that's a great picture of you and Ghepetto!





Aussie Wendy said:


> Cathay Pacific and we were very impressed.



I was rather impressed by Cathay as well.  I'll be happy to fly them again WHEN we go back.


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## Fairy Floss

PrincessInOz said:


> I meant to say....that's a great picture of you and Ghepetto!



Made me remember we were there- my DD says " look! There's Papa Giuseppe"


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## WanderlustNZ

Great start to your TR Wendy.  That hotel is gorgeous and I suspect you are right when you say that it is a new build.  
The hutongs we saw 10 years ago were lovely, but very run down.  I remember that most didn't have bathrooms and that every block or so, you walked past a communal one (obvious from the smell).  
We entered a couple, one an old artists home and the other the home of a lovely old lady who took us into her courtyard to make dumplings.  It was a fabulous experience, but neither of the homes had the modern wealth of that hotel.  

I hope one day I'll be able to join you ladies on a Dis trip.  The whole thing seemed like a wonderful experience.


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## OrangeBirdGirl

OOOhhhhh I can't wait to read about what you did in Beijing.  I just started my pre-trip report.  We leave in less than a month.  We are staying near where you did, just mapped it, 950 meters directly to the west.


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## zanzibar138

Yay you've got a TR! Looking forward to reading some more about Beijing and getting your point of view on Shanghai 

I'm so glad that everyone was happy with Cathay after my recommendation - I would have felt awful if they'd turned out to be no good lol!

And I will definitely be looking up that hotel *when* I make it to Beijing.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Our first evening exploring *

We just dumped our stuff after our quick reccy of the room and headed out while there was still some light in the sky.

More views of the Courtyard as we exited









View down the hutong






A close up of an entrance to a courtyard house along the alleyway. Many were very prettily decorated.







We just wandered pretty aimlessly and in a very roundabout way we ended up in Wangfujing St. This is tourist-central. It is pedestrianised for a few blocks and lined with expensive shopping malls and all your known shops - and some less well known outside China. 

This is Sheng Xi Fu Chinese Hat store, an old Chinese brand with a big reputation for quality and workmanship. Chairman Mao and Premier Xhou have been customers.





Snacks for sale




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Looking down Wangfujing towards the new Omega clock tower (the chimes on the hour were very sweet).




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I presume this is a Spring display



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## Aussie Wendy

Dinner

As you can see it was getting dark and we were getting hungry. Where to go?

Not the expensive Peking duck restaurant tonight (we should have done as then never quite made it to one).





Instead we found a place on the upper floors of a shopping mall (always head upwards if you want to find food, unlike Singapore where you always head to the basement for the local’s food court). This was a chain called Macau Tastes and yes they sold Portuguese custard tarts – how could we resist. They came out first, warm and delicious (and better than our Hong Kong ones back in 2015).





I took a bite before I remembered I needed to take a piccy.





DD had dumplings and noodles. It was such a big serve we should have shared it.





I tried sticky rice and pork in a lotus leaf – I needed PIO to tell me how to unwrap it! I have tried this at dim sum before and liked it but in this meal size it got a bit sickly. We waited ages for this to be made.





By the time we got out it was fully night. We made a half-hearted attempt to find the infamous night market down Dong’anmen St with its fried scorpions and other exotic wares for sale. However, after one or two long blocks, we decided we were getting too sleepy to keep walking.  The street was pretty.





Consulting maps we navigated our way home. On the way we passed this beautiful church.

We love the contrast between west and east






St Joseph’s Church was originally built by the Jesuits and finished in 1655. According to one source, at the time the Jesuits were the only group of people from Europe given permission to live in the capital city on account of their insight into astronomy. Over the next 200 years it was destroyed by earthquakes and fire and anti-western sentiments. It was rebuilt after the Second Opium War but the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 again burnt it to the ground.  It was rebuilt in 1904 using Romanesque Revival architecture but was used a school during the communist era. It was finally restored and reopened for Catholic services in 1980 and was further renovated in 2000.





Every bank building we walked past had mostly lions but some also had a Qilin, a mythical beast that brings prosperity. I think this may be one of the latter as it has hooves (though not cloven so don’t quote me!)






Along every street we came across people dancing, boom box playing, to mostly old style 1950’s or nostalgic Chinese tunes…if they weren’t dancing they were practising Tai Chi or similar gentle martial arts. This is a bit blurry as we didn’t feel like dodging the traffic to get closer. Passers-by were being enticed to join in..





Our welcome hutong after dark but we were looking forward to exploring tomorrow.


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## PrincessInOz

Wow!  Amazing pictures of Beijing.  Now I really wish I'd gone to Beijing as well!


We really should have made the effort to find a Peking Duck restaurant!
Those Po-tarts look delicious.
The sticky rice with lotus leaf?  Looks like you were managing just fine!


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## Aussie Wendy

WanderlustNZ said:


> Great start to your TR Wendy.  That hotel is gorgeous and I suspect you are right when you say that it is a new build.
> The hutongs we saw 10 years ago were lovely, but very run down.  I remember that most didn't have bathrooms and that every block or so, you walked past a communal one (obvious from the smell).
> We entered a couple, one an old artists home and the other the home of a lovely old lady who took us into her courtyard to make dumplings.  It was a fabulous experience, but neither of the homes had the modern wealth of that hotel.
> 
> I hope one day I'll be able to join you ladies on a Dis trip.  The whole thing seemed like a wonderful experience.



I hope so too. It was lots of fun visiting the parks and exploring with fellow enthusiasts. Maybe we need a group trip to Paris.....though Tokyo is closer! and I didn't have long enough and got sick in the afternoon on our one and only visit to Tokyo Disneyland park. Then we'd have to add HP at Universal in Osaka!


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## shushh

Love the hotel! Great mix of new with Chinese features. I read with interest. Other than our recent visit, I last went to China when I was 10 with my parents. And it was VERY different back. Unfortunately as a 10 year old I don't think I appreciated what I was seeing and experiencing. And sadly I was somewhat scarred by my experiences. Which explains the "not wanting" to visit China until recently.


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## darrenf67

Just joined in. My wife and I are only just back from Beijing, Shanghai and HK ourselves. I will be interested to see what you thought


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## Aussie Wendy

darrenf67 said:


> Just joined in. My wife and I are only just back from Beijing, Shanghai and HK ourselves. I will be interested to see what you thought



Hello! We loved Beijing, liked Shanghai a bit less - bit more like Hong Kong (which we visited in 2015) - but enjoyed the park! Hope you got good weather as we (mostly) did.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Tuesday – always start a big day with a good breakfast*

The day dawned beautifully and we had a great sleep with very soft beds and pillows – not the hard ones reported as common in China. Breakfast was served in the same room as their Courtyard Restaurant (that moves indoors in the colder months).





The lovely mural on the back wall





We took the opportunity to look around some of the other ground floor rooms, like the tea room where you can arrange for a formal tea ceremony





The downstairs guest lounge (I gather there was another on the first floor and a calligraphy room on the top floor which we missed).





Back to breakfast, there were lots of hot dishes to choose from – sweet potato, corn on the cob, fried rice, stir-fry veggies, congee, soup and wontons, pork buns, and a chef standing by to cook you one of several speciality breakfast items (which I admit we never tried). There were also the cold salads and meats, yoghurts, and a range of cakes, croissants, pastries and breads. We filled up on wontons which were amazing, as were the pork buns, and lots of veggies.





The speciality breads today were baguette and banana bread-slice yourself
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Our first plate (we did have several!)





Suitably prepared for the day ahead we headed out into the cold, sunny day.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Ti’ananmen Square is off limits today*

This is Dongsi Sth St on our way to the subway. I liked the coverall for keeping legs and hands warm while you cycle (most in pretty material though not the front man using it on a motorbike here).





The subway was very easy to use with self explanatory automatic machines that had a button for English. You choose the line your destination station is on and the station and put your coins/notes in (some machines did not take 1Y notes and most didn’t take larger than a 20Y note). You get a cardboard ticket that you then put through the slot in the entry machines and retrieve to use again when exiting, like most subways the world over. Some you swiped smart card style. New to us was a security checkpoint before entering the entry turnstyle area so we got well used to carrying our bag loose to quickly drop on the conveyer belt.

Trains came every few minutes. Our first stop today was Ti’ananmen Square. When we exited we came across HUGE lines to pass through a security tent (that looked temporary). We were a bit unsure if we needed to go through these to get over to the other side to the Forbidden City (this hadn’t come up in my research!) Lots of people were looking baffled but there were lots joining the lines after asking security police, who were present in large numbers. We joined a queue hoping we weren’t wasting our time. A boy in front practising his English agreed we needed to go through here to access Ti’ananmen Square. We were so confused we neglected to take a pic of the lines! Actually the queues moved quickly and soon there we were – to find most of Ti’ananmen Square closed off to tourists. We later discovered there was an annual party conference being held with the President Xi Jinping himself in attendance – hence the unusual security measures.

So here are some probably rare pictures of an empty Ti’ananmen Square. This is looking towards the Great Hall of the People, home to China’s highest legislative body, the National Congress (and where the important conference was to be held) and the People’s Monument.





A zoomed in pic of the Monument to the People’s heroes, a 28m high granite column that honours the dead from the Chinese revolution.





The Chinese National Museum, our friend in line encouraged us to make time to visit but sadly we did not – next time.





It was too hard to try to work out if we could get round to Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum or if it was open and time was marching on so we headed straight for the Forbidden City.

This is looking towards Mao’s Mausoleum at the opposite end of the square. Ti’ananmen Square was where Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 but most of us in the west remember it for different reasons. It is one of the largest public squares in the world (800m x 500m) and most buildings date from the late 1950’s when it was expanded as a symbol of Communist power. During the Cultural Revolution it was the focus of mass rallies with up to a million Red Guards chanting Mao’s name and waving the “little red book”. It was the hoped for democratic reforms of Mao’s successor Deng Ziaoping that didn’t happen that led to the student protests and retaliation by the government in 1989.





We were able to access the subway under the road and come up in front of the entrance to the Forbidden City which is through the Ti’ananmen Gate (originally a gate in the wall of the Imperial City)





The entrance was bracketed by these two columns with dragons and phoenixes on them.  Originally such columns were designed for commoners to address their grievances by writing or sticking up petitions but these examples apparently are purely decorative. One source says they watched over the Emperor when he was travelling and called him back if he spent too long away.


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## Aussie Wendy

*In the Forbidden City*

Approaching the Meridian Gate and Ticket Office. In summer they limit the number of tickets sold to 80,000 per day (you can prebuy on line). Today it was quiet. You have to show your passport when buying tickets here, as for many tourist attractions in China. From the Meridian Gate the Emperor reviewed his troops, passed judgement on prisoners of war and presented the new year Calendar to officials.





Through the gate to the courtyard beyond. In this part of the outer court, the five marble bridges signify the five virtues of Confucius. The centre bridge over the Golden Water River is reserved for the Emperor only, the two flanking it for royal family and the outer two for officials. 





The Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420 during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle. It involved 1 million labourers, 10,000 craftsmen and on completion was the largest palace complex in the world covering 729,000m2. This is taken from the Emperor’s bridge looking towards the Gate of Supreme Harmony.





Looking back at the Meridian Gate and the five bridges. This courtyard can hold 1,000 people. The central ramp in the front carved with dragons is reserved for the Emperor (carried over it by his eunuchs who walked on the steps either side).





Detail of the steps





A particularly fine lion (this one is a female as it has the baby lion under her paw) – I particularly like the seeming delicacy of the draped cloth in bronze.





Detail of some of the painted woodwork inside the Gates (that precede each main hall).






The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the most important and largest structure in the Forbidden City and the first of three great halls that make up the outer court. It was first built in the Ming Dynasty in 1420 but was actually named the Hall of Supreme Harmony in 1645 under Qing Dynasty Shunzi’s reign referring to the harmonious co-existence of all creatures on heaven and earth. It was burnt down by fire several times and this structure was rebuilt in 1695. It is now the largest surviving wooden structure in China. Important events included New Year, winter solstice and the emperor’s birthday celebrations, imperial weddings, announcement of the Palace examination results and the launching of major military expeditions. It stands on three terraces of white marble.





Close up view.





The Emperor’s ramp showing the dragon relief





Inside view . The columns supporting the roof are carved from a single tree trunk. The ceiling above the throne is decorated with a coiled dragon from the mouth of which is a chandelier-like set of metal balls. Called the “Xuanyuan Mirror” it harkens back to a mythological Chinese ruler, the Yellow Emperor. According to legend, the metal balls will fall and strike dead any invaders of China.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Everything is symbolic*

Outside on the terraces, a fearsome tortoise, symbol of longevity





A crane, ditto





The sundial, a symbol of continuity for the Empire.





One of 308 gilded bronze vats used to store water in case of fire (of course they failed to hold enough and the palace burned several times).





Pavilions to the side of the courtyard





The Royal Guardians are on the eaves of every building. At the tail of the procession will be an imperial dragon, representing the authority of the state. At the head of the procession will be a man riding a Phoenix, one legend suggests that this represents a minion of the emperor who grew greedy for power and was hanged from the roof gable for treason. Another version of this figurine is an immortal riding a fenghuang-bird or qilin while another interpretation is that this is a person serving the emperor, being watched by the following beasts. In between the man and the dragon are mythical beasts, usually an odd number of them. The mythical beasts are set to pounce upon the man and devour him should he stray from performing his duties with faithfulness and rectitude. The most important building (e.g. the Hall of Supreme Harmony) has 9 mythical beasts, an auspicious number for the Emperor. So I guess this pic is from there?
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The second hall, the Hall of Middle Harmony and distant views of the city and mountains showing how clear the day was.





The throne inside the Hall of Middle (or Central) Harmony. This was the smallest of the 3 outer court halls and was the Emperor's robing room. Incense burners shaped like mythical beasts (I couldn't work out where they were) are said to speak in tongues and travel great distances in a single day, hinting at the Emperor's divine powers.





The Hall of Preserving Harmony, used for banquets and under Emperor Yogzhen, the setting for the civil service exam.





The central dragon walk for the Emperor leading from the terrace is a stunning feat of art and engineering (20,000 men and 1,000 horses took a month to move the 180 ton block of marble 50km from the quarry. The carvings always include dragons, symbol of celestial power and the Emperor.






More lions, the female lion with a paw on a cub represents a prosperously growing family and clear never-ending succession.


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## PrincessInOz

You're really making me want to go back to China and see more.  I think I've decided I need to go to Beijing, Xian, Guilin (and the Li River), Chengdu, Shangri-la, Zhangjiajie Stone Forest, cruise the Yangtze and maybe see if there is a cruise down the Grand Canal.  Is that a 7 week trip???   LOL


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## PrincessInOz

Awesome pictures of the Forbidden City.  You are so lucky to see it with very few tourists there.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Palace overload*

Yes it’s another hall, now in the Inner Court and the private part of the Palace during the Ming Dynasty. This is the Palace of Heavenly Purity where the Emperor retired for the night and was laid out in state after his death and the casket containing the name of his chosen successor was concealed.





A reflected view inside one of the Inner Palace Halls





The Hall of Celestial & Terrestrial Union with its lovely gold ceiling. Empresses would receive birthday greetings here.





Getting lost in the side palaces and corridors





In the Courtyard of the Palace of Gathering Elegance which still keeps its appearance as it was on Dowager Empress Cixi's 50th birthday.

Cixi is infamous and history is still divided as to whether she was a despot responsible for the fall of the Qing Dynasty or a reformer who became a scapegoat.  She was a concubine of Emperor Xianfeng when she was a teenager and gave birth to her son in 1856. When XianFeng died in 1861 he became the Tongzhi Emperor and she became the Empress Dowager together with the existing Empress Dowager Ci’an. She persuaded Ci’an to join her in ousting (and executing several) of the eight regents appointed by Xianfeng and assumed co-regency with  Ci’an (who though not his birth mother nominally was considered the mother of all the Emperor’s children and controlled his harem). After Tonghzi died in 1875, Cixi consolidated control installing her nephew as the Guanxu Emperor and breaking the traditional rules of succession of the Qing Dynasty that had ruled China since 1644. While both continued as co-regents, Cixi appears to have been the dominant personality and while she tackled administration at a time of internal chaos and foreign challenges, she was ruthless in maintaining absolute power. During the Hundred Days’ Reforms in 1898 Cixi placed the Emperor under house arrest for supporting radical reformers and had several supporters executed. She effectively controlled the Chinese Government for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.





Close up of the bronze animals










We loved the paintings of everyday life that decorated the courtyard (many very faded)





View inside a bedroom





Empress Dowager Cixi’s bedroom.


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## Aussie Wendy

*The Imperial Garden*

In the Imperial Garden, a classical Chinese Garden built in 1417 by the Ming Dynasty and used exclusively by the royal family









DD and a gilded unicorn by the entrance to the Hall of Imperial Peace





Gnarly trees and rock “sculptures” on plinths.





A consort pine – one of a pair symbolising the harmony of the Emperor and Empress.





Mosaic pathways





More details as we wandered around





DD and a bull somewhere…





A Queenslander feels the cold!





The north gate now the only exit from the palace

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Views of the surrounding moat

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## Twilight Sparkle

I love your trip report.  The photos are gorgeous, and the info you're providing is so interesting.  I've been to China several times but always for work and only in the south and central parts of the country.  Never Beijing or Shanghai.  This makes me want to be a tourist there!  If I ever return for fun, I will be sure to stay at that lovely hutong hotel.  Thank you for sharing your trip with us.


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## darrenf67

The Forbidden City was amazing - the ornate ceilings really took my eye!


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## zanzibar138

PrincessInOz said:


> You're really making me want to go back to China and see more.  I think I've decided I need to go to Beijing, Xian, Guilin (and the Li River), Chengdu, Shangri-la, Zhangjiajie Stone Forest, cruise the Yangtze and maybe see if there is a cruise down the Grand Canal.  Is that a 7 week trip???   LOL



Count me in PIO! Those places are all on my wishlist too.


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## Aussie Wendy

OrangeBirdGirl said:


> OOOhhhhh I can't wait to read about what you did in Beijing.  I just started my pre-trip report.  We leave in less than a month.  We are staying near where you did, just mapped it, 950 meters directly to the west.



I hope you have the lovely weather we had and enjoy it as much. I will duck over and read your pre-trippie shortly. Just watch out for crossing the roads, the traffic is really lethal. We got used to crossing with locals rather than going it alone especially as you are concentrating on the main road and miss bikes zipping up the inner bike-lanes or buses that seem to suddenly loom. Traffic light signals mean nothing - just because they say it's your turn to cross don't trust the traffic to stop! We needed much longer there!


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## Aussie Wendy

shushh said:


> Love the hotel! Great mix of new with Chinese features. I read with interest. Other than our recent visit, I last went to China when I was 10 with my parents. And it was VERY different back. Unfortunately as a 10 year old I don't think I appreciated what I was seeing and experiencing. And sadly I was somewhat scarred by my experiences. Which explains the "not wanting" to visit China until recently.



I imagine it was very different. I had a friend who visited with a group back in the mid '80's before the 1989 Ti'ananmen Square incident. (I am quite jealous as he has also visited Checkpoint Charlie while the wall was still active and Russia during the communist era etc so has seen a lot of 'history'). It all looked very different back then and of course you could only visit with a guide. I would be interested to hear the incidents that you remember one day.


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## Aussie Wendy

PrincessInOz said:


> You're really making me want to go back to China and see more.  I think I've decided I need to go to Beijing, Xian, Guilin (and the Li River), Chengdu, Shangri-la, Zhangjiajie Stone Forest, cruise the Yangtze and maybe see if there is a cruise down the Grand Canal.  Is that a 7 week trip???   LOL



Ooh that's my perfect trip too. I'll come --mmm how many weeks do we have?


----------



## Aussie Wendy

Twilight Sparkle said:


> I love your trip report.  The photos are gorgeous, and the info you're providing is so interesting.  I've been to China several times but always for work and only in the south and central parts of the country.  Never Beijing or Shanghai.  This makes me want to be a tourist there!  If I ever return for fun, I will be sure to stay at that lovely hutong hotel.  Thank you for sharing your trip with us.



I am glad you are enjoying it. I love reading them so seems only fair to write them too! I would love to see the south of China as well. I hope you at least manage to add a couple of days sightseeing around your work commitments! I am hoping we keep getting good airfare deals as it means it's more likely I will get back there in the next few years with my DH this time. NB Love your name!! and castle avatar.


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## Aussie Wendy

darrenf67 said:


> The Forbidden City was amazing - the ornate ceilings really took my eye!



Yes the ceilings were magnificent. We never made it to the hall that had the clocks in it (missed it and decided as we needed a rest we'd give it a miss). Did you find it and visit it? Have you ever visited Spain as you would also love e.g. the ornate palace ceilings of the Alhambra.


----------



## shushh

PrincessInOz said:


> You're really making me want to go back to China and see more.  I think I've decided I need to go to Beijing, Xian, Guilin (and the Li River), Chengdu, Shangri-la, Zhangjiajie Stone Forest, cruise the Yangtze and maybe see if there is a cruise down the Grand Canal.  Is that a 7 week trip???   LOL


Take me! Take me! I can speak Mandarin...sort of...


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## shushh

The more I see of your hotel, the more I like it!
And what an amazingly clear blue sky you had! Incredible photos of the Forbidden city! All those details were lost on me when I was 10...
I might have missed this but how cold was it on the day? Was it significantly colder in Beijing compared to Shanghai?


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## shushh

Aussie Wendy said:


> I imagine it was very different. I had a friend who visited with a group back in the mid '80's before the 1989 Ti'ananmen Square incident. (I am quite jealous as he has also visited Checkpoint Charlie while the wall was still active and Russia during the communist era etc so has seen a lot of 'history'). It all looked very different back then and of course you could only visit with a guide. I would be interested to hear the incidents that you remember one day.


Always happy to share!
My aunt lived in Shanghai and she was with us most of the time. We visited Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai as well visiting my father's village in Xiamen in the Fujian province. We may have visited more places but I can't remember. I do remember people looking/staring at us which can be uncomfortable at times. Things that were awful were:
1) the toilets. It was one long drain with partitions and no doors. I saw poop floating down...and all the toilets stank.
2) The food was also not crash hot. I remember everything being oily and tasteless.
3) The hotel we were at in Beijing was musty. My experience was coloured by me being very unwell with a high fever in Beijing.
4) We caught a train (I don't remember where we caught it from and where we went...) and it was one of the worst experiences ever. It was hot and dirty. The air coming in was sooty and at the end of the train ride, I remember rubbing sweat off my face and neck and seeing black grime coming off. We had to put our suitcases under the seat and I'm not sure I ever wanted to touch those suitcases again but I remember my parents saying that we had no choice.
5) The spitting. It was everywhere and I could hear someone bringing up phlegm nearly every few seconds and just wanted to gag.

The good things!
1) My father's family home was still there and his remaining family were SO happy to see us. They gave us gifts and the home made food was so much better.
2) Seeing my aunt! She clearly loved spending time with us. I remember her very fondly.


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## PrincessInOz

zanzibar138 said:


> Count me in PIO! Those places are all on my wishlist too.





Aussie Wendy said:


> Ooh that's my perfect trip too. I'll come --mmm how many weeks do we have?





shushh said:


> Take me! Take me! I can speak Mandarin...sort of...




So.....when do we want to go?????


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## Aussie Wendy

*Jingshang Park*

Immediately opposite the “back door” of the Forbidden Palace is Jingshang Park. This hill was created from the earth dug to form the moat and canals and was also part of good Feng Shui -  a mountain behind the palace and water in front. (It also happened to help block the dust laden winds from the north). It was the Imperial garden for the Forbidden City until it opened to the public in 1928. Quite impressive to think it was all built by hand.





Climbing up the stairs that lead to the top pavilion – good practice for the Great Wall but this is only 46m high!





The Wanchun Pavilion on the apex of the hill





Views over the Forbidden City which is at the centre of Beijing on a direct north-south axis to align with the polar star, thought to be the heart of the Universe and good Feng Shui. Later theories believe that the other axis is aligned to the country's secondary capital at the time, Xanadu.





Panorama view showing the moat





Looking north





Close up of the moat and corner guard towers. Plans to view these at sunset one day never eventuated. You can see the Wangfujing clock tower in the middle background.





Looking south east over Nanhai Lake





Looking west over Beihai Lake and its white Dagoba, built in honour of the Dalai Lama in 1651. Also on a hill created from earth dug to form the lake.





Close up of the Dagoba. Near its base is the Round City where Kublai Khan (founder of the Yuan Dynasty in 1271) lived while he ruled. Another place to visit next time!


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## Aussie Wendy

*Exiting the park and Dongcheng*

Details of the painted roof beams in the Wanchun Pavilion









One of the smaller pavilions here





Walking out we passed tablets commemorating something. Nearby was where the last Ming Emperor ChongZeng hung himself from a tree after the city fell to rebels.





More delightful curly branched trees





A male lion with his paw on an embroidered ball representing supremacy over the world





We headed out of the park by the east gate. This is nowhere near a metro so we decided to walk back to the hotel (Google tells me it was 2.7 km). We walked through some more local streets and hutongs and along some busy thoroughfares. 





Local produce for sale





We came across flower boxes like these everywhere with plastic flowers but also flower boxes with new bulbs just about to shoot and trimmed plants in them ready for spring so wonder if the plastic flowers are for colour during winter. This bike has one of the colourful “hand and leg protectors”.





A wall commemorating the May Fourth movement – an anti-imperialist, cultural and political movement led by students in Beijing on 4 May 1919 protesting against the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles that gave territories to Japan (after China had entered the War on the side of the Allies on the condition that all German spheres of influence including these territories would be returned to China). They sparked national protests and marked the upsurge of Chinese nationalism.





After a pit stop at our hotel and half an hours interneting, we headed back out as we had to collect our train tix for Friday from a railway station (any one). If it hadn’t been for this we would have exited from the west gate of Jingshan Park and wended our way through Beihai Park up to Houhai lakes.

As it was we caught the metro a few stops to Beijing central railway station. The travel group had sent us copious instructions which made it very easy, especially having viewed their videos. I apologise as I should have thought to take pics for the enlightenment of others. I knew the ticket offices were far to the right of the main train station so we headed that way and I easily recognised the building from the pics.

This is a pic of the main building (you keep heading to the right for the ticket offices).





We just joined the shortest queue not needing to look for one that spoke English and handed over our Chinese slip of paper and our passports. Five minutes later she handed them back with our tickets. All sorted! The hardest bit was the fact there were no automatic machines in the subway here. We had seen a big sign saying “tickets” in a separate building adjacent to the subway entrance but had ignored it. So back we went and that was the hardest as the seller didn’t understand our pronunciation. I pulled out my map which had Chinese as well on it and pointed to the station we wanted and hoped she gave us the right tickets!


----------



## Aussie Wendy

shushh said:


> Always happy to share!
> My aunt lived in Shanghai and she was with us most of the time. We visited Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai as well visiting my father's village in Xiamen in the Fujian province. We may have to more places but I can't remember. I do remember people looking/staring at us which can be uncomfortable at times. Things that were awful were:
> 1) the toilets. It was one long drain with partitions and no doors. I saw poop floating down...and all the toilets stank.
> 2) The food was also not crash hot. I remember being oily and tasteless.
> 3) The hotel we were at in Beijing was musty. My experience was coloured by me being very unwell with a high fever in Beijing.
> 4) We caught a train (I don't remember where we caught it from and where we went...) and it was one of the worst experiences ever. It was hot and dirty. The air coming in was sooty and at the end of the train ride, I remember rubbing sweat off my face and neck and seeing black grime coming off. We had to put our suitcases under the seat and I'm not sure I every wanted to touch those suitcases again but I remember my parents saying that we had no choice.
> 5) The spitting. It was everywhere and I could hear someone bringing up phlegm nearly every few seconds and just wanted to gag.
> 
> The good things!
> 1) My father's family home was still there and his remaining family were SO happy to see us. They gave us gifts and the home made food was so much better.
> 2) Seeing my aunt! She clearly loved spending time with us. I remember her very fondly.



Well no wonder you were scarred - at ten and coming from a much more western life. I am sure in some rural villages things are still like that and I bet the long distance slow trains aren't much better either. Luckily we can now visit in more of a "bubble"! I think decent sewerage is a major thing! Becoming ill would not have helped at all. We caught the Indian Pacific from WA back to SA and my DD was quite sick (giardia we discovered after we got home) and she remembers it as a train trip from hell. We only have marginally better memories I am sure coloured by our concern at her illness! I am glad you took away some positive memories of your 10 yo visit and your recent visit helped rub out some of the worst!


----------



## Aussie Wendy

shushh said:


> The more I see of your hotel, the more I like it!
> And what an amazingly clear blue sky you had! Incredible photos of the Forbidden city! All those details were lost on me when I was 10...
> I might have missed this but how cold was it on the day? Was it significantly colder in Beijing compared to Shanghai?



We were so lucky with the weather in Beijing. It was cold that day - I think around 5-6C until mid afternoon (which is cold for Queenslanders!) Not too bad in the sun but in the shade or when the wind blew - brrr. You can tell as we were wearing a thermal, polar fleece jacket, coat, scarves and beanies. Yes we found Beijing colder though the rain probably lifted the temps in Shanghai. Mind you we also froze in the wet and cold in Shanghai too especially waiting to watch the castle and fireworks after dark. We did notice how the temp dropped significantly several degrees as soon as the sun went down. I will post soon a piccy of DD by Houhai Lakes zipped up like an eskimo after her nose went totally numb. I shouldn't say as she is still waiting to get the official paperwork through and sign the contract but all being well she is off to Sweden for her first job (2 year postdoc) - so she needs to get used to that level of cold! (She loves the cold much more than the heat though and was hoping for a job somewhere cold in Europe!)


----------



## zanzibar138

Aussie Wendy said:


> I shouldn't say as she is still waiting to get the official paperwork through and sign the contract but all being well she is off to Sweden for her first job (2 year postdoc) - so she needs to get used to that level of cold! (She loves the cold much more than the heat though and was hoping for a job somewhere cold in Europe!)



OMG how exciting for J! Hope it all goes through smoothly for her.


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## PrincessInOz

Aussie Wendy said:


> I shouldn't say as she is still waiting to get the official paperwork through and sign the contract but all being well she is off to Sweden for her first job (2 year postdoc) - so she needs to get used to that level of cold! (She loves the cold much more than the heat though and was hoping for a job somewhere cold in Europe!)



Awesome news!  Hope the official paperwork comes through soon.


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## Fairy Floss

PrincessInOz said:


> So.....when do we want to go?????


Don't forget me.....


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## Aussie Wendy

zanzibar138 said:


> OMG how exciting for J! Hope it all goes through smoothly for her.



Thanks Zanzibar138. She is very excited but has heaps to do first like finish her last paper from her PhD and finish off some volunteer work for another research lab here (gaining some more experience in some techniques she'll need). Accommodation looks like being the hardest thing to secure over there and prices on lots of things are much higher than here.


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## shushh

It is impressive that the moats and lakes were big enough to create such a massive "hill"! Looking back at the Forbidden City from afar certainly gave a much better idea of scale!

Funny you mention that the temp dropped significantly after the sun set. We noticed that too in Shanghai even when the temps were much warmer. As soon as the sun was gone, it got very very cold very quickly.

Congratulations to your DD! What an amazing opportunity. I'm sure it will be an incredible experience! It is the kind of thing that I wished I did when I was younger. Hopefully everything will become properly official soon! When does she go?


----------



## Aussie Wendy

shushh said:


> It is impressive that the moats and lakes were big enough to create such a massive "hill"! Looking back at the Forbidden City from afar certainly gave a much better idea of scale!
> 
> Funny you mention that the temp dropped significantly after the sun set. We noticed that too in Shanghai even when the temps were much warmer. As soon as the sun was gone, it got very very cold very quickly.
> 
> Congratulations to your DD! What an amazing opportunity. I'm sure it will be an incredible experience! It is the kind of thing that I wished I did when I was younger. Hopefully everything will become properly official soon! When does she go?



On  behalf of DD thank Shushh. She needs to be there by 31 July but can't leave more than a week earlier as she wants to go to her graduation ceremony which is late July. Seeing how well established Jingshang park was (of course since its been there since 1600's) made me think how hard it is to tell what is man-made and what is nature when you look at eg UK and Europe and their "mounds".


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## WanderlustNZ

Just catching up and loving it.  Your hotel looks lovely and has so much more character than some of the big Western style hotels.  

Remind me, what camera are you using?  Your pics are lovely and clear.


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## OrangeBirdGirl

Love all your posts!  Makes me get even more excited.


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## Aussie Wendy

WanderlustNZ said:


> Just catching up and loving it.  Your hotel looks lovely and has so much more character than some of the big Western style hotels.
> 
> Remind me, what camera are you using?  Your pics are lovely and clear.



Pics are a combo taken from mine and DD's cameras - both compact automatic Sony's. DDs is similar to Zanzibar138's only an older version I think (my older one). Mine is the same but a later version PIO tells me. Mine is a DSC-HX90V and was a Xmas pressie. DH got it for me as it has a pop out view finder with my dodgy eyes so I don't have to use the back screen if I don't want to. I find it was great in dazzling light or dim light to see what I was taking but when I zoom the zoom is so good I take a while to find what I am looking for with the view finder - lol! It also has "Optical steady shot" necessary given my habit of shaking the camera a lot when I click these days. It has several presets so you can alter aperture and shutter speeds if you want and has a panorama setting and of course movies but also a manual override so you can get a little creative if you wish. Has a 30x optical zoom and it says up to 60x Clear Image Zoom (have no idea what that means). Good all rounder if you want a compact to fit in your pocket and not carry a dSLR body or similar and multiple lens. It probably has a lot of other features I haven't played with yet!


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## Aussie Wendy

*Houhai Lakes for sunset*

Houhai Lakes area is actually three lakes with Houhai being the largest together with Qianhai and Xihai. Part of the shore around Houhai is lined with restaurants and bars and is a popular nightlife area. It was the terminal point of the Great Canal during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) when it was a busy prosperous area.





The canal itself is the longest canal in the world running from Hangzhou to Beijing linking the Yellow River and the Yangtze. The oldest parts of the canal date back to the C5th BC but it only became one canal in the Sui Dynasty in 581-618 AD. Historically it went through periods of desolation and disuse with areas silting up or destroyed by flooding. It was renovated in almost its entirety under the Ming Dynasty in the early 1400’s. While its southern parts are still heavily used, today the Beijing end is currently not navigable.

It was a lovely quiet place in the late afternoon for a stroll.

Beside Qianhai Lake looking towards the Silver Ingot Bridge





Qianhai Lake





Famous roast meat eatery Kaorouji





Close up of the bridge





Me with some of the eateries on the opposite side. In summer all the cafes have their roof terraces open which would be nice.





This sign was one of several that amused us





Although it was only around 5pm many places had live performers – some of them were very good. They had windows opening to the street to draw people in.





This boy was very good.





We were in the neighbourhood of the Drum and Bell Towers but didn’t explore as intended coming back – well that didn’t happen! This is a view of the Bell Tower in the background.





Looking down Houhai Lake which is where the Grand Canal must head out of of (or did once)
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/g...100 the Bell Tower DSC07220 683x1024.jpg.html


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## Aussie Wendy

*Sunset*

Sunset approaches





A crazy swimmer in Qianhai Lake (not just the cold but who knows what is in the lake!)




[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/103%20DSC02468%201024x768.jpg.html']








With sunset it got VERY cold. We walked back to the Houhai Lake side hoping for some sunset colour over the distant mountains but it didn't eventuate
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/105 DSC07226 1024x683.jpg.html




DD complained her nose had gone numb so we took some drastic warming action





Night lights




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## Aussie Wendy

*Being adventurous*

We didn’t eat here as I was on the hunt for a place recommended in LP and TA down a nearby hutong. Of course we got lost – I expect we walked down the totally wrong street but this place was busy with locals and we were frozen so in we went.





There was no English menu only all in Chinese and no picture menus. Thinking it would all be too hard wee turned to leave but they came rushing over and showed us to a table and pointed at other tables then fetched their son who spoke a little English. He said “hotpot” pointing to others. We said yes and with much difficulty ordered some beef and some vegetables. He wanted us to order more vegetables like mushrooms (and we should have done this for variety) and noodles but we really weren’t very hungry and it was very hard barely understanding what the choices were.

He lit a burner in the centre of the table and gave us some chopsticks then in came an ancient little old man carrying a steaming, heavy pot and brazier in one. He was very funny making a big show of what muscles he had. Out came a tray of green leafy veggies and wafer thin slices of beef. Seeing others we guessed what we were meant to do.





(I just realised there are pictures of a sort on the wall here!)





Not being as dexterous as DD with chopsticks of course I totally failed not to drop every other piece of food into the pot and then had to try and fish it out with chopsticks.

Stuffing my face. It was really good. The meat tender and tasty and the dipping sauce delicious.





While some more various vegetables if we had managed it would have been nice we were full regardless by the time we had finished. The owners were sitting at a table across from us and kept laughing with us as I struggled along. The old man who was introduced as “uncle” wanted us to share a beer with him  - at least that might have been what he was miming. We said no as then we’d need to pee – and where????

We had a fun convo as we left, mostly by mime as they were laughing at all our layers of clothing (it was toasty and warm inside) – we got across we were from Australia so found Beijing very cold. In retrospect we should have got a photo with “uncle” – he would have loved to have one with us I am sure.

Anyway it was an unexpected fun way to end the day.

On the subway home there were lots of these humourous posters following a theme. I don’t understand them but I liked them.





We got out at Dongsi station to save changing lines again. It was a bit further to walk down Dongsi Sth St from here than to walk up it from Denshikou subway station. There was a Wumart supermarket here and we had discovered earlier that day an upmarket and very expensive but delicious looking cake and bread shop. I didn’t take any pics as I would have liked as we didn’t want to spend the money paying 5x the price of something compared to other little bakeries. As always there were a group of women practicing Tai Chi here every evening. (Very bad picture)





Heading home down the hutong


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## PrincessInOz

WOW!  What a great outing.  I can see why you headed in that direction.  I would have loved to have explored that area.

And how funny that you found the Grand Canal!  That's just so coincidental.  I wonder if the bit of water you saw flowed down to Suzhou by the time I got there?  (And yes, I do know that they aren't really connected now....but it's fun musing about it).
Even if you didn't get sunset colour, that's a nice golden glow you've got in your pics.

Lucky you....getting pictures on the wall of what was on offer at the Hot Pot restaurant.


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## darrenf67

Great spot! We were there early in the morning so there were very few people.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Day 3 To the Wall*

*Sights en route*

We were up at 7 this morning for another delic breakfast then off in our private car to Mutianyu. We paid more for hiring through the hotel but it made so easy to just book it with reception and as we walked up a little before our agreed time of 8am he was waiting.

It took about 1hr 45 to reach Mutianyu given Beijing morning traffic though it felt that surprisingly quickly we were out of the city and surrounded by fields.

I tried snapping a few shots out of the car window. We passed an area of interesting city architecture but I wasn’t quick enough to get pictures of some of the more interesting buildings.





This bridge looked cool.





We did notice how easy it was to see all the birds’ nests in the trees when they are bare unlike in Australia when you never notice them.

The mountains we are heading towards





This is an interesting entrance to a town





In the rural areas horse and carts share the road





These little cars were everywhere in Beijing too





Pseudo Greek entrance to a property – why not?





And a grand statue at another




[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/5.%20DSC02617%20800x584.jpg.html']
We passed the Green Emperor Picking Garden where you could pick your own berries in season. Then we saw this – it took us a few minutes to realise yes it was a frozen waterfall we were looking at.

[URL=http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/7.%20Frozen%20waterfall%20and%20lake%20DSC02500%20800x567.jpg.html]
	


As we passed closer we could see the lake at the bottom was frozen and people were gathering to skate on it I presume. This pic from the internet taken a couple of weeks earlier gives a better idea as from the car we struggled to photograph it but was what it looked like as we passed it on the way home




[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/5.%20DSC02617%20800x584.jpg.html']
We passed under this bridge that looked like an aquaduct as where it met the cliff there was no sign of any obvious opening so I am presuming pipes went through.




[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/5.%20DSC02617%20800x584.jpg.html']
And then we were there in the big undercover parking station by the Visitors Centre. It was very quiet still. You can just see the wall on the far right behind the ‘Laker’s’ sign.



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## Aussie Wendy

*We will get there eventually*

Our driver without asking procured us tix but he got us return on the cable car – I was only going to go one way on the cable car. A different company runs a chairlift up and chairlift or flume ride down and I was going to come back on the flume but it was too hard to organise after the fact – I figured we could wear the difference if we decided to go down the flume and buy up top. The chairlift goes to Tower 6 whereas the cable car goes to Tower 14 which I knew I wanted to start from.

We used the bathrooms and found a mix of squat and western toilets (as we had everywhere so far) with soap and water but no toilet paper – we were prepared with tissues, and they were very clean, then we walked up through the tourist “village” (very reminiscent of the Big Buddha area in Lantau in Hong Kong). Though we were rugged up well it was actually really warm – we figured the sellers of panda beanies were not going to sell many today. The shops were only just opening up so we weren’t hassled as we walked past.









At the “top” of the village there is a shuttle bus to take you up the hill to the departure point for the chairlift and cable car. You can walk but it is about 3km from the Visitors Centre.





This map near the cable car and chairlift shows you the area.





All about this part of the Great Wall





The cable car was steep and fast – good fun. This shows how rugged up we were. We had feared we would experience the cold biting wind of the previous day and being higher in the mountains thought it could be colder than in Beijing.





A view of Mutianyu below.





Our first glimpse of the wall





Emperor Qin Shi Huang (or Zheng) unified China in the 3rd Century BC and transformed the defences of the northern frontier into the ‘Wall of Ten Thousand Miles’ as a means of preventing incursions from the ‘barbarian’ nomads into the Chinese Empire. He became the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Later the Han, Sui and northern dynasties repaired, rebuilt or expanded sections. But other dynasties let it fall into disrepair. The concept was revived under the Ming Dynasty in the C14th mostly against the Mongolian tribes. They built the wall using bricks and stone so construction was stronger and more elaborate than some of the earlier versions. Up to 25,000 watchtowers were constructed and as there were constant Mongol raids, the Ming devoted a lot of resources to repair and reinforce the walls. The Wall helped defend the Empire against the Manchu invasion around 1600 although they eventually succeeded. One source says that though it never really prevented invaders from entering China, it came to function as a psychological barrier between Chinese civilisation and the world.

Another view. You can see the towers along the distant ridgeline as well.





On the arrival terrace





Walking up the short distance





We’re up and it’s so quiet!


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## WanderlustNZ

I'm so impressed by how quiet the wall is.  That last pic is awesome.  

Also, great sunset pics.


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## PrincessInOz

Oh Wow!  That car ride was so worth it!
And how awesome to see this part of the wall with hardly anyone there.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Walking the wall*

The ramparts of the wall were widened during the C16th to allow for up to 5 horses to walk abreast. The wall extends approx. 8852 km from the Yellow Sea near the North Korean border to Jiayugua in the far west. The watch towers were close enough to allow an early warning system of torches and smoke signals.

From reaching the wall near the cable car we chose to turn left towards Tower 23. We've made it to the Great Wall of China - yaay!









Views to the south west





Our first watchtower, Tower 14, is unusual in its shape.





Inside they have installed graffiti boards to encourage people not to deface the wall





So we added our names with my trusty biro





Next to some other Aussie’s and Hogwarts!





Views through the window





The wall climbs up and over the ridges. Note a little snow still in the protected NE lee of the wall.
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/g...27 Adding our names DSC07277 800x533.jpg.html





 Because it is just after the snow has melted it is brown and drab. Pics in summer show this a swathe of greenery – have I mentioned how empty it was this morning!
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/Mutianyu/29 DSC07287 533x800.jpg.html




DD in the north arched gate (built in 1404) that now allows wheelchair access to a small section of the wall.
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/Mutianyu/29 DSC07287 533x800.jpg.html





 An arrow opening


----------



## Aussie Wendy

*Exploring the watchtowers*

We could see Beijing to the far south on the horizon but it was too hazy and a little smoggy for the camera lens (but Brissie gets a lot worse haze than we have experienced here so far).

[URL=http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/37B%20%20Our%20eyes%20could%20see%20Beijing%20to%20sth%20in%20distance%20but%20with%20some%20smog%20haze%20the%20camera%20cant%20DSC07293%20800x533.jpg.html]
	


 This close up shows the way the wall and towers hug the precipitous slopes.




[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/37B%20%20Our%20eyes%20could%20see%20Beijing%20to%20sth%20in%20distance%20but%20with%20some%20smog%20haze%20the%20camera%20cant%20DSC07293%20800x533.jpg.html']
Panorama





No-one about





On watchtower 15





Looking back






Looking forward





Tower number 16 or 17





View inside





Explanation of the boundary tablet (following)










The way we are going



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## Aussie Wendy

*A steep climb*

We just saw all the steps we had ahead of us. First we had to repel any invaders




Approaching the steep flight of steps to what’s left of Tower 20





Views looking back





Toiling steadily upwards-the half walls were great for having a rest on





Showing the steepness





Still going





 Almost on top of the world – and emphasising the steepness in case you hadn’t realised





The last almost vertical stretch required hands and knees both up and down





This shows the path crazy people can take form the village rather than via the cable car or chairlift
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/Mutianyu/58 DSC07325 800x533.jpg.html





 Proof we made it this far








And a view I love




http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/Mutianyu/65 DSC02557 800x600.jpg.html


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## PrincessInOz

OMG!  I so Dis-hate you right now.  Look at those AWESOME pictures of you on that EMPTY wall.
That's just sooooo great, Wendy.

Glad you and DD got all the way to the top.  That looks like a lot of walking and climbing and crawling on all 4's.  Well done, you!


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## PrincessInOz

So.....when are we going back????????


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## Aussie Wendy

WanderlustNZ said:


> I'm so impressed by how quiet the wall is.  That last pic is awesome.
> 
> Also, great sunset pics.



Thanks Wanderlust. We were lucky how quiet it was though now I'd like to see it surrounded by greenery in summer.


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## Aussie Wendy

PrincessInOz said:


> OMG!  I so Dis-hate you right now.  Look at those AWESOME pictures of you on that EMPTY wall.
> That's just sooooo great, Wendy.
> 
> Glad you and DD got all the way to the top.  That looks like a lot of walking and climbing and crawling on all 4's.  Well done, you!



But you got to see Suzhou....happy to come back with you!! I would have liked to have got to Tower 23 but I was a tad slower than DD on the steps so we might not have made it all the way up there and back our first time round what with all the stopping and photo taking and I probably would have slipped going over the wall and twisted my ankle or something else awkward since I am not as young as I think I am!!.


----------



## PrincessInOz

Aussie Wendy said:


> But you got to see Suzhou....happy to come back with you!! I would have liked to have got to Tower 23 but I was a tad slower than DD on the steps so we might not have made it all the way up there and back our first time round what with all the stopping and photo taking and I probably would have slipped going over the wall and twisted my ankle or something else awkward since I am not as young as I think I am!!.



I think I might need to get to Tokyo first.


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## Twilight Sparkle

I am going to be so sad when this trip report is over.  This is my most favorite thread ever!


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## zanzibar138

I totally agree with PIO - absolutely green with envy over your deserted Great Wall pics!


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## Flossbolna

I saw that you had started your trip report, but never got around to read more than the beginning. I am finally caught up and now I am planning my trip to China... I am looking forward to Shanghai Disneyland, but I always said that China was not high on my list of countries to visit, now I am thinking that I need to change my opinion. I love your pictures from Beijing as well. Especially that adventurous hot pot meal sounds just fabulous! Looking forward to reading more about your trip!

Oh - and I loved it that you are using the word biro! I grew up learning British English in school and that was one of the first words we learned. I feel like no one I know is ever using that word!! I guess the Americans all call it a pen.


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## Aussie Wendy

Twilight Sparkle said:


> I am going to be so sad when this trip report is over.  This is my most favorite thread ever!



AAh - you warm the cockles of my heart (another Briticism for you-see below). Thanks. I love reading trip reports so like to give back. I am no good at being funny when I write though - most of the time it is not really me though I love reading other's who are much cleverer than I in that department...and you always get a potted history lesson but you can skip the 'boring bits' if not interested!! (so different to old fashioned slide nights where you had to wait for the person (a dad, an uncle, to move on!) 



Flossbolna said:


> I saw that you had started your trip report, but never got around to read more than the beginning. I am finally caught up and now I am planning my trip to China... I am looking forward to Shanghai Disneyland, but I always said that China was not high on my list of countries to visit, now I am thinking that I need to change my opinion. I love your pictures from Beijing as well. Especially that adventurous hot pot meal sounds just fabulous! Looking forward to reading more about your trip!
> 
> Oh - and I loved it that you are using the word biro! I grew up learning British English in school and that was one of the first words we learned. I feel like no one I know is ever using that word!! I guess the Americans all call it a pen.



Yes I am English! Primary schooling in London, high schooling in country Aus - best of both worlds! We enjoyed parts of Shanghai but Beijing was definitely our more favourite city (apart from SDL of course!) It broke several of my preconceptions and I am looking forward to exploring more of the country one day.


----------



## Aussie Wendy

*DD goes over the wall*

DD and a vendor selling chocolates and medals and water. Imagine carrying it all up there every day. This also shows the wall that blocks off access theoretically to Towers 21-23 where the restoration ends.





I decided climbing over the wall and more steps wasn’t for me today so I waited with all the gear for my intrepid DD to go on – though I rather regretted it later. It doesn’t look it here but it actually drops off steeply and is full of broken bricks and scree so you have to climb over very carefully and that top layer of bricks are also about to fall off. Many (mostly younger) people did climb over.

On the other side of the wall – the message is clear lol! All DD’s pics from here on




[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/66%20Towers%2021%20to%2023%20are%20now%20closed%20off.%20over%20the%20wall%20she%20goes%20DSC02558%20800x600.jpg.html']
The ”back” side showing some unrestored steps. The wall was only begun to be restored when it was placed under Government protection in 1984 and selected sections, like Mutianyu were restored, many like here cooperatively with external funding.




[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/66%20Towers%2021%20to%2023%20are%20now%20closed%20off.%20over%20the%20wall%20she%20goes%20DSC02558%20800x600.jpg.html']
View through a gateway





And through a different gate





The wide view





Tower 21 in some disrepair





The flat stretch between towers 21 and 22 but plenty more steps ahead





A bit of a close up – DD said there always seemed to be more steps stretching ahead upwards





Tower 22





Views looking back across the ridge





DD was tempted to keep going up to Tower 23 but time was ticking on so she didn’t




[URL=http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/Mutianyu/87%20DSC07377%20800x533.jpg.html]
	
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## Aussie Wendy

*The explorer returned*

Mum pleased to see a safe return. Most of us were the bagmen waiting with belongings for members of our parties to return.





Another view of the wall to be negotiated.





Having renegotiated the steps with noodly legs (always harder going down than up) a view on our return





Tower 14 again





On the balcony near the cable car. By now we had decided we were too tired to navigate our way up and down the wiggly wall to Tower 6 and the flume.





Memorial stone marking the German contributors to the restoration (I love the sentiment that is expressed)
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/Mutianyu/100 DSC02586 581x800.jpg.html




Eating our picnic lunch we brought with us (easy to carry bread and banana and chocolate)





Looking down the wall towards Tower 6 with the cable car and flume. It may be because it was lunch time but this part of the wall seemed busier.





At the end of this run at Tower 1 the wall divides into two with unrestored arms stretching north and south.  If you look closely you can see towers on the ridge lines.





From here we caught the cable car back down – our last glimpse of the wall





We used the facilities near the shuttle bus stop (very clean and combo of western and squat again), noticed there was a Subway here if you were hungry, and caught a shuttle bus with a group of school children back to the village proper. There are several places to eat here but apologies I neglected to take any pics of the outlets as we headed straight to our rendezvous with our driver as it was close to 2pm, our agreed meeting time.

Back past the ice, looking incongruous when everything else around it has no snow.





Accounting for heavier traffic once we reached Beijing, we got back around 4pm so a 2 hour trip, and enjoyed some downtime with the internet before our dinner reservations at the hotel restaurant.


----------



## Flossbolna

Oh! I was surprised to see the logo of a well known German company on that stone! And I agree with you about the sentiment expressed there. Considering that we Germans have some very unpleasant recent history with walls, it is nice to see one that now has a positive image. And it is really an amazing structure! Even the not restored parts look still pretty impressive.


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## PrincessInOz

Oh wow!  Now I'm even more sorry that I didn't head to Beijing with you.

That walk on the wall is amazing.  So glad that we got to share it with your and your DD vicariously.  Thanks for sharing.


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## zanzibar138

Wonderful to tag along virtually on your trip to the Great Wall  You got some really lovely photos


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## Aussie Wendy

*Dinner in*

Dinner tonight was at the hotel restaurant who hold a ‘cultural’ night several times a week. In summer there is a casual courtyard bar and eatery too but in winter the Courtyard Bistro is situated inside where breakfast is served.

The courtyard at night





Our complimentary pork buns went well with our chosen local Chinese Rose wine









They offered a taster menu of 4 items on the menu we were keen on but then discovered all 4 dishes contained chilli which we can’t eat so DD settled on lamb chops in a red wine sauce and I had pork ribs basted in an orange sauce with rice to share. It was very nice. The pork fell off the ribs.
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/Mutianyu/112 DSC07402 800x533.jpg.html








Our cultural entertainment, a girl playing a zither or Guzheng. Cultural differences - people at the table shown (that was empty when DD took this pic earlier) clapped softly and we had felt that it seemed rude we were not applauding but no-one was and our table was a long way to the right – well the management came over and told them not to!





I liked these pics on the wall of the restaurant’s foyer





After dinner we went for a stroll around the hutongs and Chaoyangmen Nanxiaojie, an area popular with locals and with lots of little almost hole-in-the wall eateries that were busy.





Walking home via some different hutongs.


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## PrincessInOz

No clapping?  WOW!  I don't think I could have helped myself at all with live performers.  I always clap.

Dinner looks delish.  Did the restaurant fill up after a while?


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## AdamEfimoff

@Aussie Wendy  Oh I live in Brisbane too.  I hated Cathay Premium too cramped


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## OrangeBirdGirl

Thanks for getting the wall pics up, it looked so uncrowded.  I glad we decided to head to that part instead of Badaling.  Even though we are going on a Saturday in later May I'm hopeful less crowded then Badaling.

When DD went over the wall to the unrestored section the sign said "travel ban".  Are you not supposed to go over it?  Last thing we want is to be arrested in a country where we don't speak their language.

Edited to add: showed DH your TR tonight he is excited too.  In re-reading looks like lots crossed past Tower 20 as you mention waiting with people.  DH said either we wait for someone else to cross wall first or if no one around then we just go.


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## Aussie Wendy

OrangeBirdGirl said:


> Thanks for getting the wall pics up, it looked so uncrowded.  I glad we decided to head to that part instead of Badaling.  Even though we are going on a Saturday in later May I'm hopeful less crowded then Badaling.
> 
> When DD went over the wall to the unrestored section the sign said "travel ban".  Are you not supposed to go over it?  Last thing we want is to be arrested in a country where we don't speak their language.
> 
> Edited to add: showed DH your TR tonight he is excited too.  In re-reading looks like lots crossed past Tower 20 as you mention waiting with people.  DH said either we wait for someone else to cross wall first or if no one around then we just go.



Lots of people climbed over. I think it is just that some parts are starting to crumble a bit and its not being as well maintained they put the closure up. I am sure people all over the place walk on unrestored parts of the wall. There was no indication of a fine or anything other warning of consequences if found doing so, so I suspect it's just for your own safety and covers the Chinese Gov't if some-one hurt themselves they can say well the sign warns them not to access this part of the wall. I was amused the travel ban sign was on the reverse side of the wall! I am sure plenty of people will be climbing over with you, just do take care as you do so as the top layer of bricks are getting very wobbly. I imagine anytime it will be quieter than Badaling especially if,like Disney, you get there by e.g. 9am or 9.30 before the big tour buses arrive which will be more like 11 after they spend all am circling hotels picking up people. Enjoy!! Wish I was going back!


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## Aussie Wendy

AdamEfimoff said:


> @Aussie Wendy  Oh I live in Brisbane too.  I hated Cathay Premium too cramped



We found the plane more roomier than our last Air New Zealand flight to US (Houston) and our last Virgin flight to US. In fact it felt a bit roomier than Singapore but we were on one of Cathay's newest planes. We have only ever travelled Economy so if you got used to eg Premium Economy or higher it would probably feel cramped. We were disappointed that Air NZ who used to be so comfy have changed seating, lightened I suspect for the long haul to Houston, and seats were much less padded in Economy. Goal is to try and budget to go up a level whenever we can in the future for the 10 hour+ flights but for around 8 hours it doesn't bother me.


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## Aussie Wendy

PrincessInOz said:


> No clapping?  WOW!  I don't think I could have helped myself at all with live performers.  I always clap.
> 
> Dinner looks delish.  Did the restaurant fill up after a while?



Yes it did. We dined early as we knew we'd be hungry after all day walking and climbing. DD took that pic while it was quiet when we walked in. It was probably about half full when we were eating so for mid week in an "off" season not too bad for them I guess.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Day 4 Thursday*

*The Temple of Heaven*

Today was a day that didn’t go quite to plan – you get them! The result of my trying to cram too much in with the result that I probably achieved less than if I hadn’t tried to be so silly.

After another delicious breaky we headed out into yet another clear, blue sky day. It was even a bit warmer so we were able to leave our big jackets behind. First destination was the Temple of Heaven. This is set in a big park that was full of locals practicing Tai Chi and other martial arts, cracking whips, flying kites, walking dogs and along one long corridor groups playing cards, dominoes and mahjong and gossiping. They were set up for the day even with a cloth tied around the rail to hold the pieces.









[URL='http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China%202017/4%20Walkways%20lined%20with%20card%20and%20domino%20players%20%20DSC07417%20800x533.jpg.html']The park covers 273 ha and is larger than the Forbidden City – as the ‘Sons of Heaven’ Chinese emperors were precluded from building a dwelling for themselves that was greater than the earthly residence dedicated to Heaven hence the difference in size. The temple is enclosed by a long wall. The northern part within the wall is semicircular symbolising the heavens and the southern part is square symbolising the earth. The northern part is higher than the southern part showing that heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of 'the heaven is round and the earth is square'.

Tai Chi





And something involving poles





Kite flying





Some history for you. The Temple of Heaven was first constructed in 1420 under the Ming Emperor Yongle and like so many places we saw here, was extended and renovated later by the Ming Emperor Jiajing and Qing Emperor Qianlong after it was damaged by lightening. The current structures date from 16th century. Starting from Emperor Yongle, every year the Emperor would come to the Temple of Heaven to hold ceremonies to worship the Heaven. In order to safeguard the "divine right of emperor" and show the divine authority, the ancient worshipping ceremony was highly emphasised with extremely strict precepts and a great deal of preparation work.

Any error would be severely punished. All the roads and buildings in the Temple of Heaven had to be renewed on a large scale. Five days before the ceremony, all the livestock to be sacrificed during the ceremony had be carefully checked; three days before the ceremony, the emperor began to fast; two days before, prayer words should be written; on the last day, livestock should be slaughtered; sacrifices should be made and the ceremonial articles should be established. On the last day, the emperor must read the prayer, give a ritual at the Imperial Vault of Heaven, watch the divine tablets at the Circular Mound Alter, check the ceremonial articles in the Divine Storeroom, see the sacrifices at the Divine Kitchen, and then go back to the Palace of Abstinence for fasting; on the eve officers must straighten out the tablets, the ceremonial articles as well as the sacrifices. Besides all this, the music should be ready. Lastly, the officials of Ritual Department would perform an overall check. Whew!

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest should look familiar to Disboarders as it is replicated in EPCOT.  Here the Emperor gave thanks at the summer and winter solstices.





Closer view of the outside





View of the lovely bluey purple roof tiles. In the ancient times, people saw the sky was round and the temple construction mimicked “heaven”, thus they have round roofs. In the same way, as the sky is blue, the roofs of the buildings are also painted blue.





View inside. The wooden pillars support the ceiling with no nails or cement. Each element  is symbolic eg the four central pillars represent the seasons, the outer pillars the months of the year and the 12 watches of the day.





The Emperor did make a sacrifice so is that the reason for the cows?





Close up of the detail including the carving and painting on the rafters and beams.




[/URL]


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## Aussie Wendy

*On to the Imperial Vault of the Heavens*

Carved water spouts drain the upper terraces





One of the side areas





We walked the wrong direction as you should start in the south and walk north to follow the Emperor; we did the opposite as the subway and gate was closest to the north. Thus we walk through the gate leading to the Hall of Prayer.





And follow the Red Stairway Bridge that leads to the Imperial Vault of the Heavens. This is raised 4m above the ground. There are three hierarchical paths here – the central stone road in this photo is the Sacred Road for God. The east brick one (so right in pic) was the Imperial Road for the Emperors and the western brick one was the Noble Road for the Imperial chancellors and attendants. The north end is higher than the south, supposedly to make one feel like stepping into a celestial palace as you walk up. The Emperor was carried in a sedan chair made of jade accompanied by his retinue but no member of the public were allowed to watch the procession of the Imperial entourage during the ritual.





A picture of the Nine Dragon Juniper, over 500 years old. So called as the trunk is covered in spiral grooves which twist up as if nine coiling dragons were wreathing up into the sky.





The gate to the Imperial Vault of Heavens where the Emperor consulted the tablet of his ancestors before climbing the steps of Circular Mound Altar to offer a sacrifice.





View of the Imperial Vault of Heavens surrounded by an echo wall. The wall is flat and smooth, which allows sound waves to theoretically pass smoothly.





More Imperial dragon ramps.





The decorative interior





And the dragon in the apex


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## Aussie Wendy

*The Circular Mound Altar and Pearl Market*

On the Circular Mound Altar, the most sacred part of the complex. This is a three tiered marble terrace representing man, earth and Heaven. The Emperor sacrificed and prayed before consulting Heaven how best to conduct his affairs of state. The altar is designed on the number 9 which is heavenly and closest to perfection so marble slabs on the terrace are in 9 concentric circles each comprising 9 stones.





DD on the central Heaven Heart stone which radiates sounds so that during the ceremonies Heaven would hear the oration.





Details on the surrounding terrace
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/gecko290/media/China 2017/27 Round Altar DSC02679 600x800.jpg.html




Walking back through the park was very peaceful. This shows part of the wall that surrounds it.





The Seven meteorites (not really). 



During the Ming Emperor Jiajing’s reign, seven gigantic 'pacifying' stones were placed to the southeast of the Hall of Prayer. These are stones with motifs of mountains engraved on them symbolizing the seven peaks of the Mountain Tai.





Not far from the eastern gate to the park is the Hongqiao (Pearl) market.





Each floor specialised in an item like scarves and bags on the lower floors. On the upper floors are the pearl traders (and the toilets including a western version labelled disabled but given all the cleaning supplies were in there not actually practical for the disabled). Scarves are a “daily necessity” you can see, therefore I purchased one.





Sellers were reasonably harassing but not too bad on the lower floors and left you alone the higher floor you went up. I have read that this is a good place to buy pearls provided you know your pearls as the quality does vary between stalls.


----------



## PrincessInOz

That's a great shopping market!

Love the Epcot knock-off pics.  Stunning against the blue, blue sky!


----------



## WanderlustNZ

More great updates that are bringing back more great memories


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## Aussie Wendy

*Getting confused*

We had spent a lot longer in the Temple of Heaven and its huge park as well as just walking back to the east gate than I had planned plus wandering around the market. The sensible thing to do now was to have got lunch and head over to the Summer Palace. I had a yen to see the Lama Temple though so we caught the subway there. Firstly we walked the wrong way when getting out of the subway station. After going around in circles for a bit we finally found it. When I saw how big the complex was I realised that if we did this there would be no summer palace and we had seen similar in Japan several years earlier so I aborted plans. The entrance for anyone wondering.





I had read of a couple of eateries down nearby Guozijian St but they were nowhere to be found. The entrance to Guozijian St.





So we kept walking, past the Confucius Temple





Out onto Andingmen Inner St. Here we found a life-saver as we were seriously empty by now – Xian Lao Man, infamous for their dumplings. We got ourselves in a muddle with the ordering though. You were given a sheet of all the types of dumplings and other dishes and a pencil to tick what you wanted and what quantities of each you wanted and it said minimum order of each type 100 gms. Neither DD or I are very good at estimation – how much was 100 gms? We wanted a variety to try as they all sounded so good. FINALLY a waitress came and collected our order after we had kept waving it in the air for ages feeling ignored while they took everyone else's. We had ordered 2 of several types. Well you can guess – a serve of “1” consisted of about 5 dumplings so we had double everything. We also managed to mis-order and got the fried version not steamed.

So they started bringing out basket after basket after basket of dumplings – OMG!! I was worried as to what it might cost. Did I have enough yen on me? Tables nearby were getting ridiculous amounts of food delivered for just 4 people so our huge order probably didn’t seem out of place (the waste was incredible). So we ate til we burst then we saw they had take away containers. We stuffed 3 full as we couldn’t bear the waste. Luckily the bill was only about 100Y (or Aus$20). Yes, they tasted amazingly good by the way and I can highly recommend them.

After having eaten a lot already we bundled most of these up.
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/g...s Temple we skipped DSC02690 800x592.jpg.html




But now we couldn’t go straight to the Summer Palace or drop by the Drum Tower first as I had hoped but had to find the subway and go all the way back to the hotel to put our dumplings in the fridge.

Much, much, much later than planned we were back on the subway for the hour long subway trip to the Summer Palace. I knew the buildings would be closed by the time we got there but hoped we could access the park and lake for a look-see which was said to be open til 5pm.

We got there around 3.30pm and lots of other people were still arriving so that didn’t seem to be an issue.

The origins of the Palace date back to the Jin dynasty in 1153 with the first lake created during the Yuan Dynasty in the late 1200’s. Around 1749 Emperor Qianlong built a palace near the lake to celebrate the 60th birthday of his mother the Empress Dowager Chongqing. Kunming Lake was expanded and the earth that was excavated was used to enlarge the small hill which was renamed Longevity Hill. Construction was completed in 1764.The design is based on a legend about three divine mountains in the East Sea with three islands constructed in the lake to represent the three mountains while the lake was based on West Lake in Hangzhou.

In 1860 at the end of the 2nd Opium war the Palace was damaged by the French and British and the British burnt down the nearby Old Summer Palace (built in 1800’s as the main residence for the Qianlong Emperor and his successors as he kept the Forbidden City just for affairs of state). In the 1880’s Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the Palace rebuilt to celebrate her 60th birthday using money designated for upgrading the navy. Due to limited funds construction centred on the buildings in front of the Hill and around the Lake. In 1900 near the end of the Boxer Rebellion, the Eight-Nation Alliance again damaged the palace destroying gardens and seizing artifacts. The Palace was turned in a public park after the last Emperor Puyi was expelled. During the communist era many of Mao Zedong’s friends lived there. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1998.

Near the entrance is Suzhou Market St, a replica built for the Emperor and his concubines in 1762 so they could go shopping and feel like they were in a real street in Suzhou. It was destroyed in 1860 and restored in 1988.





Looking the other way. This area was just closing.





The terrace in front of the north gate with the 'Four Great Regions' building complex, modelled on the Samye Monastery in Tibet. It spreads up the hill, known as "Back Hill' (as opposed to Front Hill facing the lake).





Views from the top of Back Hill









More guardians





A remaining sutra pillar left from the once large temple complex that was here


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## Aussie Wendy

*Heading round to the lake*

Hall of the Sea of Wisdom with 1008 Buddha's decorating its external walls





Detail of the Buddha’s decorating the walls. The heads were cut off the lower ones during the attack by the Anglo French forces in 1860 but have been restored.





Views over Kunming Lake towards Beijing





The marble boat, restored by Dowger Empress Cixi using money intended to build real boats for the Chinese navy. Much of it is wood painted to resemble marble.





In summer these boats cruise the lake linking the eastern and western shores





One of several gates





The Hall of Listening Orioles like most of the palace, initially built by Emperor Qianlong for his mother to watch operas (2 storey stage behind). Like most of the palace it was burnt in 1860 and rebuilt during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908). The Empress Dowager Cixi often watched operas and held banquets here. Now, the hall serves as a restaurant specialising in imperial court cuisine.





The Long Corridor, at 728m the longest of its type in the world, runs along the foot of Longevity Hill by the shores of the lake. Every frame, cross beam and ceiling panel is painted. The artwork was restored in 2004.





Some samples of the paintings. It was built originally by Emp. Qianlang so his mother could walk outdoors and view the garden regardless of the weather. It was rebuilt in 1886 after its destruction in 1860 and Dowager Empress Cixi also often walked here.









View of the lake from the Long Corridor




One of 4 pavilions along the length each symbolising a season


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## Aussie Wendy

*By the lakeshore*

By the water’s edge





Looking across to the Seventeen Arch Bridge which leads to Dragon King Temple. We would have liked to have had the time (and energy) to walk down and across this as it has unique features - next time!





Yunhui Yuyu archway on the lakeshore in front of the main palace buildings, Here we ran into the start of a mass of tour groups. Seems late afternoon even though everywhere is shut, is the time the tour groups descend.





The entrance to the palace complex ranging up Front Hill and now closed for the day, including Cloud Dispelling Hall and the Tower of Buddhist Incense, just seen peaking above here.





Bronze lions protect the gate





The Tower of Buddhist Incense glimpsed through the trees. Next visit will definitely arrive early enough to go in here.





Meanwhile back in the Long Corridor we had to stop walking down it as the tour groups coming in the opposite direction got too heavy.





Views of the Imperial Court buildings in front of the East Gate (and official front entrance of the Palace) and restored by Cixi. (She had Emp. Guangxu who advocated reforms imprisoned in one of these halls while his associates were beheaded.) It was impossible to walk around here due to the press of tour groups-made us appreciate how quiet we have had our sightseeing.





The story behind the next picture of the stone because I am too lazy to type it all out!





The Blue Iris or Stone of the Wastral





A rather large bonsai being protected as well.





Looking back for a proper view of the Cloud Dispelling Hall and Tower of Buddhist Incense and Sea of Wisdom Hall at the top that we saw from the other side.





Late afternoon views include the distant Jade Peak Pagoda on Jade Spring Hill under the sun




The Hall of Joyful Longevity, built by Qianlong for his mum's 60th birthday and later his home after he abdicated, as well as rebuilt by Cixi as her residence for a time. This is one of several buildings you can pay to enter.




The crane and deer outside symbolise peace.




In one of the narrow corridors among the palace complex before we managed to escape the crowds - here a view of the lake through a painted window.


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## Aussie Wendy

*Sitting on an island watching all the crowds go by*

The bridge leading to the Heralding Spring Pavilion





The view looking back the way we had come





A view of the Pavilion Heralding Spring





Cherry blossoms on the island also heralding spring and just not yet open





Several sunset pictures. While it was now after 5pm no-one came along to move us on and we were sitting with a group of photographers. For that matter the tour group's voices in the distance resounded for long after 5 so I presume once you are in you can stay for some time til they close the gates.





Jade Peak Pagoda on Jade Spring Hill









Views of distant mountains





When the sun went down it got very cold and we noticed tiny bitey things attacking us.


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## Aussie Wendy

*We close the park*

An almost full moon over the pavilion





This next pic made me think of PIO!













Full moon through the trees





The Tower of Literary Prosperity





It was getting very dark now and as the last photographer was departing, we thought we should too or get locked in!

But we did quickly stop here. The Hall of Benevolence & Longevity was originally the Emperor's administration hall. Dowager Empress Cixi dealt with affairs of state and gave audiences to foreign diplomats here. It is guarded by a Qinlin, (or Kylin), a creature who appeared on earth mostly at times of harmony and also guards against fire (failed here!)





There were also dragons. These and some odd looking birds were used as incense burners to perfume the air during formal occasions.





PIO would be proud of us as we “closed” the park!





Heading to the nearest subway to this, the East Gate (subway called Xiyuan), we found a new development called Starry Street with interesting statues and lots of westernised eateries. But we could not linger – we had a mountain of dumplings with our name on them…









Next stop Shanghai


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## cschaaf

Aussie Wendy said:


> *We close the park*



Thank you for the Summer Palace write up. Beautiful pictures!

Out last day in China is in Beijing and we fly out at 4:30PM. We're thinking about diong either the Summer Palace or going to the Wall section at Mutianyu.

Mutianyu is further away, so we'd be a bit pressed for time, but it also looks like you could spend hours at the Summer Palace.


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## PrincessInOz

Aussie Wendy said:


> I had read of a couple of eateries down nearby Guozijian St but they were nowhere to be found. The entrance to Guozijian St.



Seems to be a trend with the Chinese government.





Aussie Wendy said:


> order of each type 100 gms. Neither DD or I are very good at estimation – how much was 100 gms?



Is this grams?  









Aussie Wendy said:


> ridiculous amounts of food delivered for just 4 people so our huge order probably didn’t seem out of place (the waste was incredible). So we ate til we burst then we saw they had take away containers.



WOW!  No wonder you were full the next day.






Aussie Wendy said:


> By the water’s edge



Great picture of you.






Aussie Wendy said:


> Next visit will definitely arrive early enough to go in here.



Next visit???  When are we going?
I think I'd really like to see Disneyland during Christmas time again.  But Japan takes priority.






Aussie Wendy said:


> Several sunset pictures. While it was now after 5pm no-one came along to move us on and we were sitting with a group of photographers. For that matter the tour group's voices in the distance resounded for long after 5 so I presume once you are in you can stay for some time til they close the gates.



I'm so there!  That's a great view for sunset.









Aussie Wendy said:


> This next pic made me think of PIO!



Awww.  







Aussie Wendy said:


> PIO would be proud of us as we “closed” the park!





Totally awesome to close out the park!


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## Aussie Wendy

cschaaf said:


> Thank you for the Summer Palace write up. Beautiful pictures!
> 
> Out last day in China is in Beijing and we fly out at 4:30PM. We're thinking about diong either the Summer Palace or going to the Wall section at Mutianyu.
> 
> Mutianyu is further away, so we'd be a bit pressed for time, but it also looks like you could spend hours at the Summer Palace.



Thanks for the compliment. Do you have to be at the airport by 4.30 or flight leaves then as if the latter, needing to arrive 1.5 - 2.5 hrs approx prior (depending on if international flight or just to Hong Kong) gives you just the am for sightseeing. You need to leave 2 hrs each way for the trip from Beijing out to Mutinayu but you could get away just after 6 am to be there by 8 am (I think it is) opening. You could have 3 hours-ish n the wall and be back to the airport by 1 pm ish with an hour wriggle room. Less rush if you have to be at the airport later. Summer Palace says the garden opens at 7 am and the "scenic spots" so that would be the buildings at 9 am. It is around an hour by subway (and prob similar given traffic) by subway from central Beijing. You need probably 2 hours to walk around most of the "peak" spots plus extra if you go inside halls. We arrived at 3.30 and were sitting resting waiting for sunset away from the crowds by a bit after 5.30 so took 2 hours and of course buildings were closed. So the Summer Palace is probably more realistic as you could get there by 8.30, have a pleasant morning exploring and lots of time to get to the airport but if you aren't seeing the Great Wall elsewhere on your trip then I understand the attraction. I would be concerned with the distance getting to and from Mutianyu in case there was some major drama (road closed due to accident?) if I had an international flight to catch later that day. You could also throw Badaling which is closer into the mix.


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## cschaaf

Aussie Wendy said:


> Thanks for the compliment. Do you have to be at the airport by 4.30 or flight leaves then as if the latter, needing to arrive 1.5 - 2.5 hrs approx prior (depending on if international flight or just to Hong Kong) gives you just the am for sightseeing. You need to leave 2 hrs each way for the trip from Beijing out to Mutinayu but you could get away just after 6 am to be there by 8 am (I think it is) opening. You could have 3 hours-ish n the wall and be back to the airport by 1 pm ish with an hour wriggle room. Less rush if you have to be at the airport later. Summer Palace says the garden opens at 7 am and the "scenic spots" so that would be the buildings at 9 am. It is around an hour by subway (and prob similar given traffic) by subway from central Beijing. You need probably 2 hours to walk around most of the "peak" spots plus extra if you go inside halls. We arrived at 3.30 and were sitting resting waiting for sunset away from the crowds by a bit after 5.30 so took 2 hours and of course buildings were closed. So the Summer Palace is probably more realistic as you could get there by 8.30, have a pleasant morning exploring and lots of time to get to the airport but if you aren't seeing the Great Wall elsewhere on your trip then I understand the attraction. I would be concerned with the distance getting to and from Mutianyu in case there was some major drama (road closed due to accident?) if I had an international flight to catch later that day. You could also throw Badaling which is closer into the mix.



Out flight LEAVES at 4:30 and is an international flight.

For Mutianyu, that was my thinking - getting a private driver and leaving the hotel around 6am to 'rope drop' The Wall  We might be a bit rushed, but it seems like we could get a tour in, but there is a lot of risk.

We're already doing the Badaling section a few days earlier (on a Viking trip) so we don't feel we 'have to' see Mutianyu, we just thought it might be fun to see another section.

I think I'd be okay with the level of risk, but it might drive my wife crazy and limit her enjoyment of the site.

I'll check out the idea of taking the subway to the Summer Palace. 

Thanks!


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## darrenf67

Great report - loving the photos!


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## shushh

Sorry for being AWOL for a while...but I'm back and wow! Those blue blue skies!!! And the wall! Just amazing. Some great shots there with the scenic background through gates/doorways of the wall.


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## Aussie Wendy

I will get back to this soon...life getting in the way for a while!


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