Touring Beijing

Today was an amazing day of touring! Pictured below are our CCAI Beijing representatives. They'd give you the shirt off their backs to help you. And they're full of knowledge about Chinese culture. I can't possibly tell you everything we learned, so here are a few highlights.

Helen and Christy our tour guides.

Our first stop was Tianamen Square, a very familiar stop in Beijing known for the uprising by students several years ago. It's the largest square of its kind, about 44 acres.

Tiananmen Square

The background for the picture above is the South entrance to the Imperial Palace. Hanging above the main entrance is a huge portrait of the beloved late Chairman Mao (rhymes with cow, not mayonnaise). The palace is also known as the Forbidden City because few people were ever permitted to cross the marble bridges an enter through its gates.

The Forbidden City (Imperial Palace)

There were far too many amazing structures to post, several hundred, with a grand total of 9,999 individual rooms. It was believed at the time of it's design and construction that the number '9' represented power, so the palace was designed to be the ultimate in power.

The Imperial Palace Garden

Our favorite part of this tour was the Imperial Palace Garden. The stone used in the garden was carved from the bottom of a huge lake in the south of China and hauled over a thousand miles. Talk about a landscaping bill!

Lunch at an authentic Chinese Restaurant

Helen wanted us to experience real China at an authentic, non-touristy restaurant. The food was very good, but not what you might expect at the local Chinese buffet. Don't ask me to identify the things we ate, but the table was beautiful.

Touring a Silk Factory

Silk is farmed in China from the silk worm cocoon. One cocoon makes several hundred meters of fine thread. When boiled, the cocoon is stretched over the above half loop and layered to make a thick mat. The ladies below are stretching the silk mats to make the batting for a quilt. This factory was the original factory for making silk comforters for the Emperors. FYI: Did you know that silk comforters are naturally hypo-allergenic because the fabric makes no dust and gives no home for mites to make a nest.

The word 'hutong' means water well. The Hutong districts of Beijing are the original streets and alleys that make up rural living. They were named for the water wells that serviced the homes built around them. Most people whether poor, rich, or anywhere in between once lived in these hutong villages. They were completely self-sustaining with markets and shops that met the needs of all those who lived there. We took a rickshaw ride (bicycle taxi cab) to an authentic Hutong home and was introduced to his way of life. This man's family has lived in this home since the 50's.

Hutong Tour on a Rickshaw

Hutong House

Have you ever heard of cricket fighting?

The next great sport to be introduced to the states. For centuries, Chinese men and boys have raised crickets and grasshoppers to be used in a form of gambling called cricket fights. Little homes are made of pottery with tiny water dishes and tools for caring for the creatures. They're often fed a very specific diet and trained to be aggressive. It's not usually a fight to the finish, but one such cricket netted a man a million dollars. Not bad for a bug with only a 90 day lifespan.

Chinese version of a 'buggy ride'

Peking Duck for supper

Most everyone has heard of Peking Duck. Peking is another name for Beijing. This elaborate carving table was wheeled into our room where we were served.

We'll be out touring again tomorrow. First stop is the jade market, which is on our way to the Great Wall. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive, but worth it. If you come all this way, you've just gotta see this amazing piece of history. Hopefully the forcasted rain will only be in the morning so visibility is good.