BEIJING - NOVEMBER, 2012 [PART THREE]

On my third day in Beijing I went to the Olympic Park to view the stadium (Bird's Nest) and swim facility (Water Cube) where the 2008 Summer Olympic Games were held. Because it was raining and cold that day, there were few people at the different sites, so I pretty much had the run of the venues to myself. The following day I went to the Forbidden City. It was really fun there because there were a lot fewer people there than when Michael and I were there in 2008, and because I was not on a tour I could sightsee at my own pace.

The Olympic Stadium (Bird's Nest) was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, and the track and field events in the 2008 Olympic Games. It is a beautiful stadium, but is apparently rarely used now except for the occasional sporting event or musical concert.

The swim stadium (Water Cube) was the site for the swimming and water polo competitions. The exterior walls are made from a plastic material that lets the inside light shine through. The stadium is still used for swimming competitions and public swimming. My friend Vivian Zhang is a member of the swim club there, and she loaned me her ID card so that I could get inside the stadium and take some pictures.

Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world. Usually the square is packed with tourists and families, but when I was there the Chinese Communist Party was holding their 10 year convention electing a new leader of the Communist Party to lead China, so the square was closed and heavy security was in place. At the north end of the square is the Gate of Heavenly Peace (with Mao's picture). Going through this gate you enter into a long promenade that leads to the Meridian Gate, the entrance to the Forbidden City. The previous Friday night my friend, Vivian Zhang, drove me around Beijing, and she knew of a way to get into the closed area outside the Meridian Gate which is beautifully lighted at night.

The Forbidden City was once the home to a long line of emperors. The site is made up of 800 buildings, and more than 8,000 rooms, and is the world's largest palace complex. It took 200,000 workers 14 years to build, and was completed in 1420. You may recognize these buildings from the movie, "The Last Emperor". The entire Forbidden City is surrounded by a large moat.

North of the Forbidden City lies Jingshan Park. This park was built around a small peak formed from earth excavated for the Forbidden City's moats. You climb a winding stone staircase past peach and apple trees to the  Wanchun Pavillion, the peak's highest point, which affords panoramic views of Beijing, and overlooks the Forbidden City.

BEIJING - NOVEMBER, 2012 [PART TWO]

On my second day in Beijing I travelled to the Summer Palace which is about 7 1/2 miles north of central Beijing. This large garden and lake complex dates back eight centuries when it was built as an imperial retreat from the summer heat of Beijing. It was ransacked by British and French soldiers in 1860, and burned by Western soldiers in 1900 seeking revenge for the Boxer Rebellion. It is a huge park with pagodas, palaces, lakes, and forests. Most of the 700 acre park is taken up by Kunming Lake, which is largely man made. The dirt from the excavation of the lake was used to build Longevity Hill, upon which the main Summer Palace buildings are built.

As you enter the palace grounds on the north side, through the entry gate, you climb up the north side of Longevity Hill which contains the main buildings of the Summer Palace complex. As you reach the top of the hill you look out over Kunming Lake, and then walk down to the lakeshore.

When you reach the lakeshore you exit through the south gate of the temple complex. There are walkways, bridges, canals, and dikes to walk along with a view of the lake and of the temple complex on Longevity Hill. There are boats that you can take to ride about the lake, and out to South Island in the lake. There are also places to eat along the lake. It must be very beautiful in the summer when the weather is warm (but the crowds are large.)

I took a boat ride out to South Island which is connected to the shoreline by a causeway, then walked back to the main palace complex before leaving the park to return to Beijing. I have also included a professional photo which gives a clearer view of the complex on Longevity Hill. My day at the Summer Palace was long and strenuous, but filled with many memories.

BEIJING - NOVEMBER, 2012 [PART ONE]

This was my second trip to Beijing, China. I spent several days in Beijing in 2008 when I traveled throughout China for several weeks with Michael. We saw most of the important tourist sights in Beijing, but I always wanted to return to see the spots that we missed, and to revisit some of the places we saw, and spend more time there. Because this was the off-season, the sights were less crowded, and because I was on my own, and not part of a tour group, I could spend as much time at each location as I wanted.

On my first day I visited the Lama Temple (Yonghegong), which means the "Palace of Peace and Harmony." The Lama Temple is Beijing's most visited religious site, and one of the most important functioning Buddhist temples in Beijing. The temple was actually a number of buildings with courtyards, each containing Buddhist relics, art, and figures. There were few people there the morning that I went, so walking throughout the grounds was very peaceful.

From the Lama Temple I walked a short distance through one of the local hutongs to the Confucious Temple (Kong Miao), which is China's second largest Confucious temple. Although there were few people there the morning that I went, the temple is the busiest before national university entrance examinations, when students and parents descend in droves to seek out the Great Sage's assistance.

Next I traveled to the Temple of Heaven Park (Tiantan Gongyuan) which is a large park south of the Forbidden City. This was the site where emperors once performed important rites. The most prominent building is the Temple of Heaven, which is round on top (representing heaven) and square on the bottom (representing the earth). Each year the emperor would come to this temple to offer sacrifices, meant to please the gods so that they would provide generous harvests. Now, early in the morning you find parkgoers performing tai chi, kung fu, group dancing, or playing games and cards. I also saw several new brides and grooms getting their wedding photos taken.