Beijing - Part One

Like any good capital, Beijing is full of sights. This is our third visit together. Our honeymoon in 1991 was our first time; the last visit 2004.

Some places we go every time like Tiananmen Square. Mostly we try to score new sights. For example, this time we'll visit some new museums, the 2008 Olympic Park, and the old Legation Quarter.

As in 2004 our hotel was in the historic hutongs (alleys) near the Drum Tower, about a kilometer north of the Forbidden City. Nearby are several of the Imperial Lakes where swimming and fishing are strictly prohibited. ;-) Seriously, fishing and swimming are prohibited but it looks like a few old-timers have an exemption.


Seems that every time we visit Beijing we climb the hill in JingShan Park and are disappointed by the hazy view. But not this time; the views were spectacular! Below, a view to the north where you can see the towers of the Olympic Park.


And the view south over the back of the Forbidden City.




And as a bonus the peony gardens at JingShang were in full bloom. The peony is the National Flower.




After admiring the peonies we walked back up the hill to watch the sun set over Bei Hai.




Back in the hutongs (alleys) we walked home on the trendy Nanluogu Alley.


A trip to the Poly Art Museum in the Chaoyang District was well worth the time as it has a small, well-signed, impressive collection of ancient Chinese treasures including these gongs.




Museums make me hungry. Lunch: noodles and noodles. ;-)



After lunch, still in Chaoyang, we checked out the very photogenic Galaxy SOHO building.




Then on to the 20th century architecture in the Old Legation Quarter just off Tiananmen Square but not on our radar before this trip.




The old Beijing Railway Station, now a museum, also just off Tiananmem.


To be continued.

Safely Home

We are safely back home in Raleigh after enjoying a week in California with Sun-Ling's family.  We still owe you about 4 more blog posts, so while you're waiting please enjoy this Mother's Day photo of Sun-Ling's family (taken by her brother Jim).

Hiking The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall is long, over 3000 miles long, so picking a place to visit was not exactly easy. We have a long list of criteria: does not have not too many visitors (probably not restored), good selection of accommodation, accessible by public transportation, has more than one day of hiking, not too dangerous or illegal. After much deliberation we decided on Gubeikou.

From Hefei, the fast train carried us 1000+ kms north to Beijing in less than 5 hours. Then we covered next 110km, two subway lines and two buses, in just under 4 hours to Gubeikou Village. It seemed every family in the village is running a guesthouse (hotel) or in the process of turning the family home into a guesthouse. We stayed for three nights and had two days of hiking from our front door. The weather didn't disappoint us either. Though it got pretty very windy each afternoon, the days were mostly clear ad the temps pleasant.

We came to Gubeikou not without expectation, albeit not particularly high, we left rather pleased.

The fast train from the bleak rainy weather of Hefei in the south to sunny skies in the north. Northerners grow wheat via irrigation from the Yellow River.


One of the new "fast train" stations we passed through on our way north.


After settling into the Ju De Guesthouse in Gubeikuo, we spotted our landlady and her mother grinding sorghum flour across the street.


The Tom Sawyer effect.


Ju De Zhan (Ju De Guesthouse).


Getting our first day of hiking going with a filing breakfast at our guesthouse.


View to the east.


Looking back west to Gubeikuo.


Every 300 meters or so there is a watchtower.




The Great Wall was built with local materials; local stone, and bricks made from local clay. Here, the glazed bricks have a yellow hue.


We saw very few people this day, except for a large group of tourists from the UK.




Looking east with the late afternoon sun shining on The Wall.


A tasty plate of chao bing (fried cut bread noodles) after a long day of hiking.


Another very filling breakfast to start day two's hike.


We run into the postman on his bike.


Goal for the day: the 4 watchtowers at the top of this peak.


Clear but windy today.


Looking east to the other side of the valley at the section of wall we hiked yesterday. Bonus: a train comes by.


The Wall gets steeper as we ascend.




A view straight down to the railway station and in the far left the small valley where we started the day from our guesthouse front door.


Nearing the top it's best not to look down. ;-)


Classic Great Wall view from the top.


Another train.


On the lower sections, the steps and towers are restored.




After another long day, John digs into a plate of tofu noodles and cucumber slices at a Muslim restaurant.


But it's not straight home after dinner; we climb above Gubeikuo Village to watch the sun set.

Hefei, my old stomping grounds

Hefei is the little known capital of Anhui Province where my parents were on the faculty of China Science and Technology University. Up until my sister, brother, and I started elementary school in Shanghai, we got shuttled backed and forth between Hefei and Shanghai. As a little kid, I intuited that Hefei was far inferior to Shanghai.

In the ensuing forty years I found little reason to return. Part of the impetus that prompted this visit was my only remaining great aunt had moved to Hefei a couple of years ago. Alas, I arrived to find that she died the day before. While I could not fault her for leaving this world after 94 years, nonetheless it was difficult for me to accept her departure.

The weather did not look on my visit favorably either as it rained over half of the time.

Upon this brief visit, I discovered:

1. I am older in age than ALL of the buildings on the university campus, nevertheless the campus looks shabby.
2. My old world was even smaller than I expected. I had known that going from our old apartment to my kindergarten seemed like miles must be greatly exaggerated. Now, reality shows it is more like steps.
3. The older part of the city is rundown and crowded, the new part pretentious and impractical.

Whew, am I glad to be out of there, then and now!

We took the high speed train from Hangzhou to Hefei.


And enjoyed some noodles and bing (bread) after settling in to our hotel.




I can't resist taking photos of "loaded" recycling carts.


Sun-Ling at the gates of her old kindergarten.


The old university "swimming pool".


The old university gate.


John making new friends on campus.


Making "hand-pulled" noodles.


And the finished product; our noodle soup.


This snack is kinda like a potato burrito. Have two and it's a meal. ;-)


Hefei had much more street food than Shanghai or Hangzhou. We picked up these steamed buns as a snack before visiting the Anhui Provincial Museum on a foggy then rainy day.




The museum, in the newer section of town to the south, was worth a visit. We especially liked the exhibit on prehistoric Anhui. Here's a shot of the lobby.


Some prehistoric pottery balls (bottom row).


After the museum we headed to the downtown pedestrian street and adjacent park but the rain soon drove us back to the hotel.