The Great Wall

Friday, the 28th November
We left in the morning forBadaling to climb the Great Wall. It was such a thrill to stand up on the wall and look off at all the mountain scenery. I never ever dreamed I would be there. The wall was all uphill or downhill - no level places. The wall is 4000 miles long. Our guide told us not to get lost. If we weren't back on time they would pick us up in 27 years at the other end of the wall.

One of the teachers here in Nanjing is a marathon runner. He has entered a 5 kilometer race on the wall and will have 4800 steps to navigate during the race. Not for me.

Luckily we came in the off season when there weren't many people!

See, I really was there!
(and I didn't buy any of the mittens and scarves they were peddling up on the wall)

Bob made it up on the wall as well.
(Actually he went hiking for a while. I was content just to be up there.)

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There are many places other than Badaling where you can get up on the wall. This is another place. Here the wall becomes a bridge over the highway.

Peking Duck

Not being a duck fan I intended to skip supper. However, we didn`t go back to the hotel before supper. Luckily there was lots of food other than Peking Duck, although the Peking Duck looked good. (Click on the picture to enlarge it and get a good view of the duck.)

Olympic Plaza

It was late afternoon when we visited the Olympic Plaza. We saw the Bird's Nest and were able to go into the (H₂O)3 (Water Cube ). Interestingly enough the parking lot where our bus parked was disintegrating and there were sink holes under some of the pavement.

The Bird`s Nest and the Water Cube

Olympic Flame Building (I don`t know what it is really called.)

Anne and Bob with Gerald Litchfield`s sister

Inside the Water Cube

The Summer Palace

After we visited the Forbidden City and had lunch we went to the Summer Palace.

Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment. Originally called 'Qingyi Garden' (Garden of Clear Ripples), it was know as one of the famous 'three hills and five gardens' (Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain, and Fragrant Hill; Garden of Clear Ripples, Garden of Everlasting Spring, Garden of Perfection and Brightness, Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Like most of the gardens of Beijing, it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French allied force and was destroyed by fire. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit, changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there, dealing with state affairs and entertaining.

There is a huge kitchen and the meals they served had many courses. It took the kitchen staff nine days to prepare for a banquet.

The lake is man-made.

Marble Boat

Marble Boat is also called Han Chuan (Land Boat), or Bu Ji Zhou (Unmoored Boat), because it is not navigable. In ancient China, people often built it as a part of the decorations in classical gardens. It is a boat-shaped architecture built in the middle of water or port near the bank.

Tian An Men Square & the Forbidden City

Bob's comments: "We left Thursday evening after classes, packing and something to eat. We left our apartment shortly after 7 pm and walked to the south gate--there was a taxi unloading and we hopped in for the airport. The driver should have taken out extended warranty on the horn as he was on it all the time. We got the the airport in good time and checked in. The flight departed right on time at 10:20 pm and arrived at Beijing right on time at midnight. Our one suit case was on the carousel just as we arrived to pick it up. We had a little trouble finding the taxi stand but soon saw a sign that said taxis. We got a cab and went straight to our hotel. No problems with check in and at 1 am we were just going to bed. The hotel was the nicest one that we've stayed in since we've been here. It had good western food for breakfast--bacon, eggs cooked to order and a good selection of food. At 8:30 we left for Tian An Men square and the Forbidden Palace."

Tian An Men means "Gate of Heavenly Peace."

The bottom of the monument in the middle of the square
with carvings of the struggle for the People's Republic

Main Entrance to the Imperial City

The forbidden city was about 100 times bigger than I expected. It really is a city. We went through gate after gate and past building after building. We spent only two and one half hours there and just had time to walk from one end to the other.

I think this is the Hall of Supreme Harmony


Is this the Hall of Central Harmony or the Palace of Heavenly Purity?

This is the largest stone carving in the palace and weighs more than 200 tons. It has interlocking lotus patterns all around, curling waves at the bottom and nine dragons in the clouds in the middle. It was quarried from the western suburbs of Beijing and transported to the Forbidden City in winter when water was sprinkled along the route to make an ice road to drag it along.

We didn't get to see Mao. I assume we just didn't have enough time. There was a long lineup to get into his tomb. When I mentioned it to the guide he told me I didn't like Mao and Mao probably wouldn't like me so it was better that we didn't meet.

This was all the traditional building we saw in Beijing. Everything else has been torn down and replaced with sky scrapers.

Prices in China

The price of the suit was about $140. CDN. The fabric is very nice - a wool and silk blend. It would have been cheaper if we had gone to the wholesale warehouse and purchased the fabric ourselves and taken it to the tailor. At present we don't know where the warehouse is. One of the other teachers is supposed to take Bob and show him. We just looked at swatches at the tailor's shop and the tailor purchased from the warehouse and doubled the price of the fabric.

A good bargainer might get a better deal. I hate bargaining.

The price of clothing in the stores varies greatly. There are big stores with exclusive designer brands that are very expensive - maybe even more expensive than at home.

There are small shops that are less expensive. Then there are the open markets. We purchased North Face jackets for about $40 CDN at one of the markets. A friend purchased a North Face at a shop here in Nanjing for about $50 CDN but the jacket wasn't as nice as the ones we bought.

We're Thinking of You

This reminds me of last winter. Do you remember Jean, Donna and Len?