China Travelogue #1
Impressions of Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing we were treated to a welcome dinner of Peking Duck at Yuquan Road Restaurant. This famous restaurant has hosted many government leaders. This was a favorite stop for Henry Kissinger during his early visits to China in the 1970's. In fact, Kissinger and Chou en Lai met and ate there several times. After a 14-hour flight, this was a great way to start our china adventure.
During our first full day in Beijing, we went to the Temple of Heaven. This was built in the 14th century and was a special place of prayer for Chinese emperors to use and pray for a good harvest. Today it is largest park in Beijing. Each morning thousands of residents gather for exercise like Tai Chi or Yoga.
There are 22 million people living in Beijing. This ancient city has seen phenomenal growth in the last ten years. The 2008 Olympics caused a lot of new construction and redevelopment. Much of the redevelopment has followed a series of concentric circles or ring roads. So far most of the city's road network seems to be designed from US standards. The roads are very crowded as the city has 4 million registered vehicles. To control traffic, the city restricts daily driving by only
allowing vehicles with license plates ending in odd or even day's drive on certain days. Not sure how that will go over in DE and let's not give DelDot any ideas!
Unique and modern architecture is everywhere. There is also a great deal of old and modern landscaping throughout the city. The huge volume of vehicles and a significant number of manufacturing plants around the city have caused a serious daily smog problem. But over all many parts of the city are very clean with government workers picking up litter and completing landscaping work.
Our first day included stops at the Jade Museum, Ming Tombs and Great wall. Jade is an important part of Chinese culture and economy. At the Jade Museum the Chamber China Crew had a chance to purchase jade jewelry and hand crafted sculptures. The Ming Dynasty consisted of 16 emperors of whom 13 are buried in a vast and elaborate series of tombs. The Ming Tombs tell a detailed story of Chinese life in the 12th and 13th centuries. It was interesting
to see how the tombs were built right into the mountain side and were surrounded by thousands of acres of fruit trees (many peaches) and man made reservoirs.
The Great Wall. What else can you say except WOW!! From an engineering and military stand point it is truly one of the great wonders of the world. The Chamber China Crew was up for a climbing challenge and hiked several sections and took some amazing pictures. The steps on the wall are very uneven and made for some rough going, but provided a great visual reward and sense of history. The wall is 4200 miles long and was built between 200BC and
76 BC. It was primarily built as a defense mechanism between nine different provinces.
As we recovered from the Great Wall, there was a quick stop at the Olympic village and the Birds Nest. Then off to dinner and meetings with several local business owners
Links:
Read China Travelogue 2
Beijing: Up Close & Personal
Read China Travelogue 3
Shanghai: World Expo
Read China Travelogue 4
Szohou: Venice of the Orient