Gallivanting Grandma

August 16, 2007

My colleagues and I flew from Beijing to Xi’an to visit the sights of the ancient capital. The air was thick with smog when we landed, and the road between the airport and the city was lined with heavy industrial factories. Visibility was poor everywhere; everything had a grayish tone.

Xi’an is one of the oldest capitals of ancient China and dates from the Qin Dynasty 9th century BC. The city was also the starting point of the “Silk Road” which was the early trading route across China to Europe.

Our hotel was in a large complex of offices, shopping center, and mall. Like Beijing, everything is on a very large scale. We had two full days ahead of us to explore the sights of the city.

This was the view from the window of my room at the hotel.

Our guide took us to Xianyang Museum which was an excellent introduction to the very long and complicated history of China. The building had been a Confucian temple originally built in the 1500s but completely renovated now.

The museum has a wonderful collection of ancient artifacts exhibited chronologically dating from about 221BC. We did not see all nine halls of the museum, but the relics we saw were amazing.

Photography was not allowed in the museum except at a giant exhibit of photographs of Terracotta Warriors.  It was interesting to see how different the faces actually are.

It was still early when we returned to the hotel, so we explored the shopping center:

Then we walked out to explore the narrow alleyways were local people lived, played, and shopped:

Early the next morning, a van took our small group out of the city to see the Terracotta Army at the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

The museum consists of three large pits and an exhibition hall of the Bronze Chariots.

One of the Bronze Chariots with terracotta horses:

Emperor Qin ordered the creation of the army in 246BC to serve him in his afterlife.  He wanted to have the same military power and imperial status after he died that he had during his lifetime.  The huge Pit#1 pictured below protects the army from the elements:

Pit #1 is the size of an airplane hangar and contains over 6,000 Terracotta figures of soldiers and horses. However, only 2,000 are on display and excavation work is ongoing. The clay figures were buried facing east in rows towards the ancient enemies of the Qin State.

Every figure differs in facial features and expression, clothing, hairstyle, and gestures.

After being buried for 2,000 years, the Terracotta Army was discovered in 1976 by local farmers who were digging a well. The find is considered to be one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang died in 210BC. while 720,000 builders worked for 40 years to complete the army of clay figures. Seeing it was incredible!!!

We returned to the hotel in heavy traffic:

The doorman in an ancient costume:

August 14, 2007

Flying kites is a popular pastime among adults and children in Tiananmen Square.

It’s an exhilarating experience to walk across the gigantic Tiananmen Square in central Beijing.  Constructed in 1958 and designed to hold a million people, it’s the world’s largest inner-city square. It was built to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Republic.

At one end of the square is the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the other end is the impressive Forbidden City. The National Museum of China and The Great Hall of the People are the large buildings along the sides of the square. In the middle of the square is the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.

After walking the length of the square, we entered The Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City is a palace complex constructed in 1420. It is the largest ancient palace in the world. It was the home of 24 emperors for 492 years – from 1420 to 1912. There are 980 buildings with over 8,700 rooms.

This year, many buildings were being renovated and refreshed in preparation for the Olympics next year. There were beautiful bright painted details on many exteriors.

The Forbidden City is considered a “masterpiece of Chinese architecture.” The name refers to the north star which, in traditional Chinese astrology, was the eternal home of the emperor. Gold roofs were reserved for the emperor and the “roof charms” represent the status of the imperial building.

There were many unusual things to see on the streets of Beijing:

I visited the Hutongs again with my colleagues. We had such fun riding on the pedicabs.

A local historian joined us on our tour of the traditional neighborhood. She said she learned English from watching American television.

We visited the Bell and Drum Towers which face each other across a courtyard. They were originally built in 1272 and first used as musical instruments. Later they were a means for telling time: “a morning bell and a dusk drum.”

The photo below is a view of the Drum Tower from the top of the Bell Tower. We climbed up long steep steps to reach the top. Telling time played an important role in helping people live and work regularly when there was no other means to keep track of time.

The ancient bell is 23 feet high, weighs 63 tons and is made of copper.

During the Han Dynasty, bell and drum towers were built in almost every city in China.

Inner courtyard building of a Hutong:

Our time in Beijing passed too quickly. It’s a fabulous city to visit: huge, large scale, many people, a lot to see and do. It takes a long time to get anywhere because of heavy traffic, but worth the ride! The photo below is the waiting room at the national airport. We were on our way to Xi’an.

August 12, 2007

Beijing is a wonderful and exciting city to visit. There are a lot of tourists and many important sights to visit. One afternoon, we drove out to see The Summer Palace, Yihe Yuan, dating to the 12th Century. It was designed to achieve harmony with nature and named “The Nourishing Peace Garden.”

The 700 acre grounds are picture-perfect and include the large man-made Kunming Lake and surrounding gardens. During the hot Beijing summers, the imperial family preferred the beautiful gardens, airy pavilions, and cooling lake of the Summer Palace to the Forbidden City.

The “Marble Ship” – Shifang – is a decorative building that looks like a real boat. It was originally built in 1755 and is the only Western-style structure in the park. The boat was restored by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1893.

The Seventeen-Arch Bridge was built in 1750. Over 500 stone lion statues were carve on the posts of the bridge’s railings.

Many local people asked us to take pictures with them and encouraged us to take photos of them.

There are several buildings to visit as well as long paths along the lake. I didn’t climb up Longevity Hill to see the Buddhist Temple which overlooks the entire park.

Below is a photo at night of the Monument to the People’s Heroes located in in the center of Tiananmen Square, in front of Mao Zedong’s Mausoleum. The 10-story obelisk was erected as “a monument to the martyrs of the revolutionary struggle during the 19th and 20th centuries.”

The highlight of any visit to China is seeing and climbing on The Great Wall. The huge fortification system of “walls” and towers were built along the northern border of historical China. The earliest parts date from the 7th century BC, however the first emperor of China, Qin She Huang, connected sections and expanded the Great Wall about 220BC.

The wall measures a total of 5,500 miles and several sections are open to tourists near Beijing. There were amazing views of the surrounding mountains.

What a thrill to be walking (actually climbing up many steep steps!) on the Great Wall of China!!  We were driven to the Badaling part of the wall which dates from the 16th century. This was the first section to open to Western tourists in 1950.

The Great Wall is the largest man-made construction in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

An enterprising craftsman carved stamps made out of stone at the entrance to The Wall.

Afterwards, we visited the Ming Tombs which is the place where 13 of the Ming Dynasty emperors were buried. Below is a picture of the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion at the beginning of the sacred walk leading to the tombs.

We also visited a workshop where the craftspeople were making Closeonee products for tourists. The ancient metalwork technique uses colorful glass enamels to create beautiful vases and other utensils.

Beijing was overflowing with construction projects for the 2008 Summer Olympics, next year. A huge number of apartment buildings and other large structures were being built as the Olympic Village. The building in the photo below is the “Bird’s Nest” stadium, officially known as the National Stadium.

I had a wonderful time in Beijing! It is an amazing city with many historic and modern sights to see and experience.

August 10, 2007

Today was the first day of meetings for the China – U.S. Educational Conference. My colleagues and I rallied and attended several seminars. We also saw performances given by local school children.

In the evening, we were taken to a performance of the Peking Opera. Before the performance starts, it is tradition to watch the performers apply their makeup.

The production is a visual treat of colorful costumes where performers sing, dance, and engage in physical combat on the stage.

I learned rather quickly to appreciate vast spaces to accommodate many people and the huge size of Beijing.  Traffic is very heavy and it takes a lot of time to get anywhere.

Add to the mix is construction! There are new huge modern buildings being built and construction is everywhere!

On a more personal scale are bicycles:

And people earning a living:

One afternoon, we visited a local school. Although it was summer and most of the children were away on vacation with their families, some children take summer-school classes to accelerate or catch up.

It was very exciting to see a real elementary school and have a peek into Chinese culture.

August 8, 2007

After a 12 hour flight from New York which crossed over the North Pole, I arrived in Beijing to begin a 17-day work/fun tour of China. I was there with six other teachers from my school to attend the China – U.S. International Conference on Education: Teacher Training and Professional Development. We stayed at the Friendship Hotel, located just outside the busy center of the capital city.

There were several days of scheduled meetings and seminars combined with visits to tourist sights in Beijing. After the conference ended, we planned to travel to Xi’an, Chengdu, and Lhasa Tibet. I had my first real Chinese dinner at a restaurant around the corner from the hotel. Later at night, I went to the “Night Market” in town and saw Tian’anmen Square at night.

It was very exciting to be in Beijing! The next day my colleagues and I went to The Temple of Heaven. This is a complex of exquisite buildings which date back to 1420 and is considered to be Beijing’s most sacred site.

The Heavenly Center Stone (Circular Mound Altar) is an elevated open area built on three levels of marble stones where Emperors prayed for favorable weather.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is a circular building built on a single level of marble. It is surrounded by The Echo Wall that transmits sound over large distances. The beautiful wooden building was constructed in 1530 during the Ming Dynasty.

The crowning glory of the complex is the magnificent Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Twice a year the emperor led a procession from the Forbidden City to the Temple of Heaven complex to pray for good harvests. The red and gold painted interior of the wooden building is magnificent.

Later in the day, we toured a silk factory where we saw how the fiber is extracted from the cocoon of an insect, unwound, and spun into thread. The Chinese were the first to weave silk thread into fabric about 5,000 years ago.

Beihai Park is one of the oldest surviving imperial gardens in Beijing. The public park was originally constructed in the 11th century and named for its northern location. The White Pagoda was placed on Jade Flower Island to honor the visit of the 5th Dalai Lama in 1651.

The wall and lions in the photo below were outside a restaurant where we had lunch:

On another day, one of my former students and his mother who were from China picked me up to tour the city. We drove to explore the Hutongs of Beijing. These are neighborhoods of old alleyways lined with traditional courtyard residences. Hutongs were first established in the 1300s and expanded through the centuries up to the 19th century.

The best way to see the Hutongs is on a pedicab. Negotiate the fee and what sights the driver will cover.

We stopped at a kite-maker’s workshop. He won prizes for his beautiful and sturdy kites.

Many Hutong neighborhoods were demolished during the last decades to make room for modern high-rises but now they are protected and have become fashionable places to live. We visited a residential house and spoke to the owners who rent out rooms to tourists.

We had a delicious dinner at Nan Men Restaurant for Mongolian Hot-Pot.