The Forbidden City is across from the square with five entrances, three of them with arched marble bridges. The center entrance is the sacred way for the Emperor to enter and his family may enter through the entrance to the left and his wife to the right. From gate to gate, traveling in one direction only, the city extends over 8 kilometers. Over 50,000 people visit the Forbidden City during this time of year, while almost two times that number travel to the "heart" of Beijing in July and August. We definitely felt the awesomeness of the number of travelers we encountered as we walked the over 8 kilometers through gate after gate after gate. Gate of Heavenly Purity Palace of Heavenly Purity Inner court with three inner palaces Palace of Earthly Tranquility Palace of Eternal Harmony Palace of Peaceful Longevity Hall of Mental Cultivation Dragon Lady courtyard and quarters Imperial Garden – three elements stone, water and plant? Gate of Devine Prowess Moat Onto the Gardens and Courtyard where size really does matter as a measure of wealth and power.
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BEIJING. March 29 Tian’an Men Guangchang – The square of the Gate of Heavenly Peace represents the heart of Beijing - Mao’s Mausoleum is prominent and flanked by revolutionary statues. Even though the students didn't believe me - Mao's embalmed body resides in a crystal casket raised from a refrigerated chamber for viewing– surrounded by ancient gates without the walls gone long ago. According to Kelly, our guide, Tiananmen Square is the largest public gathering place in the world. Taking group pictures almost always provided an opportunity for another tourist to join us. It was not unusual to have more than one camera pointing at us as we posed and posed again. Entrance to the Forbidden CityTo my great chagrin, hours and hours of my posts did not save! Luckily as I suffer from jet lag - or whatever this upside down feeling is - I am at it early this morning! Here is the shortcut version -
Updates include - we are here, we are happy, and we are healthy! Okay, that may be a bit too brief. We enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Beijing, and we were thrilled to arrive at the Tian Tan Hotel with wifi! March 30, 2017 Xi'an A long first day with many greetings from students passing by our classroom. We enjoyed a cultural lesson about the Chinese Opera. Our Chinese art teacher, Zai Jian, gave a lecture about the most popular facial makeup. Each color denotes a personality trait of the character of the opera. For example, red face shows bravery, black face shows honesty, yellow and white face shows treachery, blue and green shows fearlessness, and purple shows wisdom. Itinerary change for the day so we can fit in as much as possible. After an amazing breakfast buffet, we load into the van with our charming driver, Mr. Meng, and head to the outskirts of the city to the Jade Factory.
Leaving the Jade factory mostly in one piece, we head to the Great Wall. While the day is sunny, it is a bit cool - perfect conditions for our hike. The Great Wall was a project to link the existing wall in order to unify China and protect territories during the warring times beginning in 221BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China. At one time the wall stretch over 10,000 kilometers. Today, through a timely preservation process, the Great Wall stretches from Yalu River in the east to Jiayuguan over 6000 kilometers! This portion is referred to at the Ming Wall in Badaling and includes the gateway to Beijing with many fortresses and beacon towers. According to Xi Jingping, climbing the Great Wall is to "realize the Chinese dream of a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". Mao Zedong proclaimed the climb as a challenge; "one who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero". Many Chinese hike to the highest point of the Ming Wall to prove their bravery. Our students were no exception!
Wednesday, March 29. The last events of our first full day in China - a visit to the Cloisonné factory, a lesson about types of tea, a short and worthwhile visit to the pearl store, a delicious dinner of roasted duck, and a live show with authentic Kung Fu artists.
The Cloisonne is the French enamel ware which originated in Beijing during the Yuan dynasty and continued to regal the emperors of the Ming dynasty. This intricate and exquisite work was the symbol of authority and status and only used by the royal families. However, today this craft is preserved as a valued art form for all to enjoy. Our tea lesson convinced us to drink more tea and educated all of us about the benefits of drinking tea. A short stop at a famous pearl store, visited by American celebrities and wives of heads of state. Words cannot capture the deliciousness of Roasted Duck prepared especially for you, carved at your table, and served with paper thin pancakes, creamed soy sauce paste, julienne cucumbers and sweet green onion. YUM, YUM, YUM!!! BEIJING 2017 We were greeted at the airport by our tour guide, Kelly, who was efficient and effervescent - even though she greeted up in a NYC hat. While she tried to explain that it was just a hat and she liked the color, Mrs. Belcher gave her a short and passionate explanation about how Boston and New York sports team rival each other - especially the Yankees. Mrs. Belcher went on to explain how the best team in the entire world is the New England Patriots, Champions of the world. We were surprised she didn't mention the GOAT! Dana, Sam, Lili, and Keegan holding Greg's t-shirt - All smiles as they pose for Mrs. B - so excited!
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AuthorFortunate veteran teacher in Sharon, Massachusetts, who is traveling with the Chinese Exchange students from Sharon High to Xi'an, China. Archives
May 2017
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