Bumbling Through Beijing

Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

While we had heard stories of pickpocketing and crime, the best way to get around is definitely public transport - so don't be afraid of it!

it's very cheap and we didn't experience any problems.

And the 'thrill' of being packed into a bus along with half the city's population is certianly one that shouldn't be missed...

This hotel was chosen by the conference organizers. Apart from the name, the address, and a vague idea of where it was, we knew absolutely nothing about it before we got there. It was not listed in any of the tourist brochures I got in Australia, nor was there anything about it on the Net. We had booked two superior rooms between the four of us through the conference, paying US$90 for each room (approx Y790). While the rooms were well set out and spacious with a separate sitting room area, they were pretty old and run down - particularly the bathroom. They were definitely not worth US$90. The room did have a fridge and television and radio (although these only had chinese stations) and one definite plus was the new air conditioning unit that had been installed in the sitting room. On the negative side, its installation had left a large hole in the wall. The carpets were also covered with cigarette burns and other marks.

Each floor had a large cleaning staff and, although we didn't understand each other particularly well, ours were very helpful. This was just as good as our key (one of those credit card jobs) rarely worked and at one stage the whole handle/lock mechanism from our door was completely replaced! Very few of the staff spoke English even those at reception. During the first few days we also got several strange calls where the caller either immediately hung up or asked if we wanted a 'massage' (first we thought they were saying message) but this was more amusing than annoying.

Ahhh... Luxury.

Huge beds, fluffy white robes, cable television (in English!) and lovely peace and quiet - a rare commodity in China. While far from the most affordable place to stay in Beijing, it is nice to wallow in luxury every now and then.

The Crowne Plaza is situated on Wangfujing Dajie, an excellent location. We could walk almost everywhere and we did! Also included in the price of our room was the hotel's buffet breakfast. By this time we had been in China for over three weeks and it was our first taste of 'Western' foods like toast and cereal since we had arrived. And, while we had really enjoyed breakfasting on fabulous dumplings and other savories every morning, a good cup of coffee and toast with jam was a welcome change.

Firstly, let me just say that I rarely (if ever!!) visit McDonald's in my home country. There are far more interesting places to eat. However, for some bizarre reason it's become a tradition that, when I am traveling, I eat my last meal there. Well, I've done it twice - once in Stockholm and once in Beijing. And while the Swedish McDonald's was pretty much like any other McDonald's I ever been in, visiting a Chinese McDonald's was a whole adventure in itself.

Let me set the scene. I had been Beijing for the 50th Anniversary of National Day, when the city centre became host to a huge military parade and celebration. Public transport ground to a halt and only those with a special invitation could get anywhere near Tiananmen Square. The day after National Day was a different matter entirely. Everybody (everybody!!) came out to see what they had missed. The parade was being broadcast on TV round the clock. I spent the day happily wandering around Tiananmen Square, looking at the ridiculous floats from the parade, and shopping south of the city centre. It was getting late when I got back to near my hotel (on Wangfujing Dajie) and I thought a quick, easy meal in McDonald's was the best idea for dinner. However, I wasn't the only one. McDonald's was packed overflowing with hopeful customers.

McDonald's employees were positioned just inside the doors, taking orders and writing them down on special order sheets. Everyone was vying for their attention and - for once - I was thankful for my long, blond hair. I'm sure that was the reason I got noticed and served so quickly. Armed with my order sheet, I headed towards the counter. Not that you could actually see the counter. The pack in front was three or four people thick. So - like everyone else - I huddled in and began to push my way to the front. (I think my experience in concert moshpits was a definite advantage here - and for a change I was as tall as almost everyone else!)

Once I reached the counter, my order was quickly filled and paid for and I withdrew triumphant. The price was pretty much the same as in Australia, which was relatively expensive for China. The food? It was McDonald's - it tasted exactly the same as always.

But seriously, sometimes it can be comforting to go somewhere familiar when you're in a foreign place and the tiny differences - like the slightly different menu and the cheesy Chinese McDonald's adverts - were as much of a culture shock as some of the other things I experienced. But, most importantly, the toilets are great!!

Qianmen Quanjude Roast Duck is the a famous Peking Duck Restaurant near the Qianmen subway station with which we were now quite familiar. We were planning to visit the restaurant with a group of fellow conference goers. However, there was one small sticking point. While we were quite happy to take the subway, the others wanted to take a taxi there. We couldn't quite work out why, although one of them did say that you could catch the subway anywhere so there was no novelty in it. Well, actually, there isn't one in Perth (our hometown) and, besides, had they never caught a cab before? In the end we split up - Clare, Carolyn, Aidong and I all caught the subway and the rest (about 8-10 people) went in taxis.

We arrived at the restaurant about 15-20 minutes later; there was no sign of the others. Aidong was thrown into somewhat of a panic because the restaurant would stop serving at 8pm - in about 20 minutes time (in Beijing everything closes really early...). We were hastily seated at a table for 4 and set about ordering. The menu was more expensive than what we had so far spent on dinner and prices were similar to those in a moderately expensive restaurant in Australia. There was a lot of 'weird stuff' on the menu like eel, turtle and other exotic fish. Perhaps it was here that the western tourist came to get their culinary thrills - there were quite a lot of them there too. We ordered the obligatory duck, choosing the (cheaper) regular duck rather than extra-crispy-just-out-of-the-oven one. We reasoned that, as we were not yet duck connoisseurs, we would not notice the difference. We also chose a few other dishes including an exotic sounding white fungus with mushrooms (this was a bit of a let down being rather bland and tasteless). Tea was really expensive and definitely of the gourmet variety so we 'settled' for beer instead and our choice was rewarded when we were served a huge tankard each.

The others finally arrived about 10-15 minutes after us and were seated at a big round table halfway across the room. I guess there wouldn't be much networking between the two groups after all. However we were quite happy to make our own fun and had a lively conversation touching on, among other things, haggis and Robert Burns. Although serving finished at 8 pm, we stayed in the restaurant until about 10:30 pm or so and were one of the last tables to leave. Enjoying the quiet, we walked up through Tiananmen Square to Chang'an Jie to catch a bus back to the hotel. We were a bit unsure whether the buses were still running at this time of night. Fortunately, we made it there in time to catch the final bus on that route for the day.

Along Qianmen Xi Dajie, past the three level Kentucky Fried Chicken, lies the Lao She Tea House, a traditional style tea house with nightly entertainment including Peking Opera, Acrobatics and Music. Basically it's a kind of variety show. The price of entry depends on how close to the front you sit. We were at a table about halfway to the back of the room, which cost us Y60 each. We could see everything perfectly well.

We were served tea and a range of small delicacies including pastries (prepared according ancient recipes from the imperial kitchen), dried mango and dried watermelon seeds. I tried eating one of the seeds whole. Then Aidong showed us the correct way of eating them. You used your teeth (or any other means available to you) to break the shell and then ate the kernel inside only. Oh well. Being novices, we didn't do this particularly efficiently and more often than not, at least part of the kernel remained in the discarded shell.

The show went for about two hours. Probably of most interest to us were the amazing acrobatic acts. In each one a girl came out and balanced glasses, parasols, fans or even spinning carpets (!!) on various parts of their body. The Peking Opera and music were less accessible to us non- Chinese speakers (except when one guy started to do his spinning jump kicks!) but Aidong managed to translate the gist of each song - after reading the text that was projected on the wall to one side of the stage. It is difficult to understand what someone is singing even for native speakers as the melody overrides the tones that actually distinguish each word. The evening ended with a comedy act with two, apparently, quite famous comedians. Aidong translated a bit for us however I must admit that I thought their jokes were a bit daggy.

The Yonghe Lamasery is the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple in Beijing, and the most renowned in China (outside Tibet itself). Built in 1694, it originally served as residence for Count Yin Zhen. In 1723, he was promoted to Emperor, changed his name to Yong Zhen, and went to live in the Forbidden City. His former residence became known as the Yonghe Palace and was converted to a lamasery in 1744.

The complex has been protected as a major historical relic since 1949, a fact which may have helped it’s survival during the cultural revolution. The Temple was reopened to the public in 1981 and is home monks and novices from around the country. Photos are allowed in the complex, but not in the buildings themselves and the sections where the monks actually live are not open to the public.

The Temple is set out is very similar to the Forbidden City – the main buildings align along a central axis, with side buildings flanking them. There are also several exhibition rooms, displaying numerous cultural relics, as well as the portraits and history of many of the Dalai Lama. Fortunately many of the exhibits are labeled in English as well as Chinese. The Temple houses a number of famous Buddha statues, including the ‘Big Buddha’ – 18 metres high and carved out of a single piece of white sandalwood. Yes, it is in the Guinness Book of Records!

I visited the lamasery on National Day October 1, 1999. While much of the city ground to a halt, the Temple was still bustling with visitors offering up prayers and incense. Depsite the bustle, the Temple offered a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Wandering amongst the fabulously painted halls and serene gardens was a lovely way to spend the morning.

Built in 1530, Ditan Park is smaller version of Tiantan Park in the south and, in past times, sacrifices were made here to the Earth gods. However, this time I wasn’t here to see temples and altars. I had come in search of the Beijing Wax Museum - Beijing’s answer to Madame Tussaud’s. Because of time constraints, I wasn’t going to be able to see the real Mao, so I thought I’d make do with the wax one instead. However, while the park was open and quite busy, the Wax Museum was closed. I visited during its advertised opening hours (9 - 4 pm, Saturday - Wednesday) and so I can only assume that the closure was due the National Day public holiday.

Still, the shady trees and benches made it a nice place to eat lunch and walking through the park was very pleasant. I avoided the halls and temples, and instead watched the activity around me. In one pagoda, a group played and sang a traditional (and very shrill!) Chinese Opera. There were families everywhere and, while there was modern children’s playground, most of the kids were more interested in fishing for goldfish in one of the ponds!

Wangfujing (Well for the Princes' Mansions) is THE shopping street for tourists and locals alike and lies along the eastern side of the Forbidden City. It is named after a well that was dug in the area during the Ming dynasty. Not surprisingly, it supplied water to a number of princes' mansions!

We visited Wangfujing a number of times during our stay in Beijing. On one occasion we visited a teashop where we were served Oolong tea (green tea from Oolong) and tea candies. We bought boxes of teabags in preparation for our various train journeys (we were also hoarding the ones that were left in our hotel room each day!). Another time we stopped at the Arts and Crafts Store (293 Wangfujing Dajie), which has a huge selection of jade and other precious stones. We all bought (not-so-precious) stones that were carved into different shapes or animals and threaded onto red cord to wear as a necklace. I bought a jade goldfish. Yuan told me that in China the fish represents prosperity and abundance. The store also had a good selection of vases, other trinkets, and fabulous furniture carved out of gnarled wood and lacquered a deep shiny red. However, most of the items in the store were too expensive for us - we spent most of our money in the markets where you can bargain.

Other times we wandered through the posh boutiques and department stores, although clothing sizes looked pretty small and I never bothered trying anything on. There are several teahouses where you could go to refresh yourself (and a Dunkin Donuts, if that's more to your liking) and lots of places to eat. One night we ate dinner in a canteen in one of the department stores. Another time we tried the Dong'anmen night market, where push carts were set up with all sorts of exotic snacks. It was open every night from about 6 pm at the northern end of Wangfujing near the Bank of China.

The Hongqiao Antique Market was the best market I went to in Beijing. Located at the north eastern end of Tiantan Park, the market is out of the way of most tourist traffic. However, this was probably a plus - the atmosphere was calm and peaceful and the stall holders were certainly less aggressive than at the Xiushui Silk Market. The Hongqiao Market was also larger than the Xiushui Silk Market and concentrated more on antiques and traditional Chinese souvenirs, rather than clothing.

Like all other markets, bargaining is a must! Despite the fact that nobody spoke English, I managed to negotiate by using hand signals and patience. In fact, half the fun of bargaining is trying to do it without speaking a common language!

I bought some of my favorite things at this market – strings of freshwater pearls (for less than US$4), a finely embroidered silk tapestry, a jade dragon, and some tiny turtles carved from stone. The turtles were less than 10 cents each. When I got home I made them into a bracelet using some copper wire. It’s now one of my favorite pieces of jewelry and, at less than a dollar, it's certainly one of the cheapest!

The markets also had sections selling flowers, and a range of fabulous birds, fish, and lizards. These creatures were far more exotic than I’ve seen in my local pet store, but secretly I was a little glad that none of them would fit in my luggage.

Apparently now there is now also a department store across the road that also sells more antiques, electronic equipment, clothing and cultural revolution kitsch. If I was to go back, I would definitely get myself a copy of Mao’s little red book.

Jingshan (Prospect Hill) Park is located directly north of the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace). The hill was formed using earth excavated from the Palace moat and was originally built because the principles of fengshui had indicated that the Palace required a hill directly to the north. Jingshan was also known as Coal Hill because emergency stores of coal were hidden in the mound. There are 3 lookouts on the hill, each one a little higher than the previous one. Each lookout had a pagoda built on it - the first round, the second octagon, and the third square. Jingshan Park is also home to the locust tree from which the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, is said to have hung himself (after first slaying his family). He had preferred to commit suicide than live to see the Manchus (of the coming Qing dynasty) take over the Palace.

We walked through the well-manicured gardens, until we reached the site of Chongzhen's death. After taking the obligatory photo there (albeit of a substitute locust tree - the original died many years ago!), we then ascended the hill itself. We spent a bit of time at the second pagoda, where the views into the Forbidden City were excellent. We also amused ourselves by investigating the myriad of souvenirs available from stalls set up around the pagoda. I made my first souvenir purchase here - a set of 4 ‘inner painted’ glass bottles. I bargained a little uncertainly, but managed to get them for 60 yuen instead of 100 yuen.

Yuan, our Chinese friend, assured us that the views from the 3rd and highest pagoda would be the best. Alas when we reached it, it appeared to be out of bounds as was surrounded by corrugated iron and was obviously being restored. But Yuan had promised us views and that is what we would get! She slipped in between a crack in the corrugated iron fence and we dutifully followed her inside (as did a number of other tourists!) The workmen weren't exactly pleased to see us, but a few words from Yuan soon quieted them down. We made the most of this unexpected opportunity as she had been right - the views from the highest pagoda were the best after all!

Tiananmen Square is considered the political and cultural centre of China. It is the largest square in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records). It originally served as a gathering place and the location of government offices in Imperial days. In 1949 Mao proclaimed the People's Republic from Tiananmen, directly north of the square. He also quadrupled the square's original size, enabling up to one million people to congregate there at once. Since then it has been the site of many significant historical events, including major rallies and parades during the Cultural Revolution. Mass gatherings also occured in 1976, when the 'Tiananmen Incident' saw crowds gathering in the square to protest after the death of Zhou Enlai. Another million jammed in to pay their last respects to Mao after his death later that year. Finally, the Tiananmen Massacre occured here in 1989 (the only one I can actually remember) when, after weeks of protest, army tanks and soldiers cut down pro-democracy demonstrators.

The square is surrounded by significant buildings and monuments. To the south is Qianmen, the South Gate of the original city wall built during the reign of Yong Le. He also built the first Imperial Palace on the site of what is now known as the Forbidden City. To the west lies the Great Hall of the People, home of the National People's Congress. In the east are the Chinese History Museum and the Museum of Revolution. During my visit a digital clock outside the museums counted down to the hand over of Macau to China. This clock was originally used for the countdown to Hong Kong. I don’t know what they'll use it for next.

In the centre of the Square is the Monument to the Peoples Heroes. Built in 1958, it is dedicated to those who 'sacrificed their lives in the struggle for national independence and liberation'. Also situated on the square is the Chairmen Mao Memorial Hall, which houses the body of the late leader (it is also known as the Maosoleum…). Unlike most of attractions in Beijing, Mausoleum entry is free!

Tiananmen Square was not quite what I expected, although I can't really describe what I did think it would look like. It's 'just' a flat expanse of paving, but like everything in Beijing, its scale is overwhelming. Even so, I had trouble associating what I saw with the history I knew because it looked so normal.

While we were in Beijing there was a constant activity of construction for National Day. Various poles and strange plywood structures were built and these later featured prominently in the parade! (well I recognised them on the TV coverage)

At night the beautiful old-fashioned street lamps were turned on and the square looked much prettier. The lamps looked a little less beautiful after we noticed that some had security cameras on them.

Also known as the 10,000 Li Wall, the Great Wall of China stretches from Shanhaiguan Pass in the East to Jiayuguan Pass in the West. In between it passes through five different provinces and two autonomous regions. Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall is NOT visible from space - it may be long but it is still very thin (relatively speaking).

Like most tourists, we saw the Wall at the Badaling site, 70 km north of Beijing and at an elevation of 1000 m. This section was first restored in 1957 with the addition of guard rails (which did come in useful at times). Also present to enhance your 'Great Wall Experience' was the Great Wall Circle Vision Theatre (which we didn't see) and a cable car to help you to get over the trickier bits. The cable car wasn't running when we went, presumably because of the weather (it was raining). I had hoped that we would be visiting one of the less 'touristy' sections of the wall, such as those at Mutianyu, Simitai and Jingshanling Pass. However, it was still an amazing experience.

After entering at the entrance turnstile, we walked up some steps to get onto the wall itself. A sign cautioned us that to graffiti the Great wall was not a good idea. I guess 'Kathryn woz ere 9T9' was out of the question then... There was still a LOT of graffiti around, however. Chinese graffiti is kind of bizarre - because it is all in characters it still looks very elegant (even if it really does say 'Cheryl and Dazza were ere '89').

The steps brought us to the middle of the restored section and we then had to decide whether to climb to the left or the right. We had been told that the left hand side was harder so, being foolhardy and young, we went that way. I think we made the right choice. While the path was quite difficult (i.e. steep) in a few places there were certainly less people on this side. Besides, the steepest sections of the path did have steps (some of which were up to half a meter high!) and the ground wasn’t slippery, despite the rain.

In the wet weather two hours was just enough time to see around without beginning to feel too uncomfortable. But, had it been fine, I would have liked to spend a bit more time at the Wall - perhaps to scale the right hand side as well or to browse through the impressive selection of 'I Climbed the Great Wall' t-shirts and other memorabilia. (Although I don't think I could - or should - have taken any more photos!) Ultimately, I am kind of glad it rained. The fog gave the whole place a great atmosphere (although the resulting 'atmospheric' pictures are all a little grey…) and I'm sure there were fewer people there because of it.

Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park was built between 1406 and 1420 and was used by the Emperor to communicate directly with Heaven. The emperor would come to pray for good harvests, enough rain, etc several times a year. The temple consists of four major parts - the Round Altar, Echo Wall, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The buildings all run along the north/south axis of the park and are joined by a 30 metre wide, 4 meter above ground promenade (Bridge of Vermilion Stairway). The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was built between 1406-1420 but the other structures were added later in about 1530.

Entry to the park itself was Y4 and we entered at the West Heavenly Gate. We then walked up to the main (tourist) attraction, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests via a fantastic tree lined avenue. Admission to The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest was a further Y10, but this also included entry to the Round Alter and the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The Hall was spectacular and well worth seeing. It is one of the only examples of Ming architecture left in Beijing (although it was 'faithfully reconstructed' after burning down in 1889). Most other Ming buildings, including the Forbidden City were destroyed when the Qing Dynasty came to power. The building itself is 38 m high yet it doesn't have a single nail in it! It stands on a three tiered marble terrace that was very similar in design to those we had seen in the Forbidden City and Beihai Park. Behind the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was the Hall of August Heaven. This was filled with a display of different relics. A couple of the other buildings on each side of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests had also been turned into museums and we spent a bit of time looking at the things in them.

From there we went to the Round Altar, where the emperor talked directly to god as the 'collective voice of the whole nation'. It has been constructed in such a way that your voice is amplified to become 'sonorous and resonant'. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me. We had to bypass the Imperial Vault of Heaven and Echo Wall because we ran out of time. I would have liked to visit Echo Wall because, apparently, if you whisper along the inner wall, it can be heard round the other side. However the number of people around meant that it probably wouldn't have worked anyway.

The Forbidden City was home to 24 different emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). The original palace was built in the 15th century, but it has been rebuilt many times. The buildings that remain today were mainly built in the 18th century.

The city is symmetrical about its north/south axis and is separated into the outer and inner courts. Emperors held ceremonial audiences in the outer court, consisting of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Medium Harmony and the Hall of Protective Harmony. The inner court, where the empress and concubines lived, is towards the back and includes the Palace of Heavenly Purity and Palace of Earthly Tranquillity. The Palace is said to have 9999 and 1/2 rooms, half a room less than the Imperial Palace in Heaven. In reality, the Palace 'only' has about 9000.

After entering Tiananmen, we arrived at Wumen (Meridian Gate). This is where one purchases entry tickets. We decided to get the 'through' pass (Y50), which included entry to all the attractions inside. We were also offered a headphone tour in which 'Roger Moore's voice will guide you through each of the main halls and attractions'. But we declined. It was just too spooky.

Once inside, we walked over the Golden Water Stream towards the vast Gate of Supreme Harmony. Huge bronze lions guarded the Gate on each side; inside lay the huge courtyard that contained the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Complete Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. We spent a bit of time looking at all three halls before moving on.

We took a right just before the Gate of Heavenly Purity and found ourselves in the Hall of Watches and Clocks. The clocks displayed were of both European and Chinese origin. Amongst them was an authentic Chinese water clock, as well as a number of mechanical clocks. Some were demonstrated while we were there. We continued east until we reached the Nine Dragon Screen. There are many Nine Dragon Screens in China but this was the first we had seen and, by all accounts, quite an important one. We were duly impressed.

We headed north into the eastern part of the Inner Court. Before long, we had to purchase a pair of 'overshoes' (Y2). These one-size-fits-all 'contraptions' were worn over your existing footwear and, presumably, protected the (mainly stone) floors from wear. In the overshoes we saw several palaces and halls including the Hall of Cultivation of Character, which houses a jewellery exhibition, the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, which houses a collection of paintings, and the Qianlong Garden. We ended up in the Imperial Garden, which still kept an aura of peace and tranquillity despite the hordes of lunchtime visitors.

We exited at the Gate of Divine Military Genius. We only spent about 4 hours in the Palace, but you could easily spend the whole day there - there was quite a bit that we didn’t see.

The Silk Market runs along Xiushui Jie, a long narrow street that ends near the US Embassy. The name is somewhat of a misnomer, as I didn't actually see any silk there (although several guidebooks assure me there is!). I did see lots of name-brand clothes (Reebok, Adidas, Timberland etc), jewellery, pearls, watches, and the ornaments and trinkets that we were beginning to see for sale everywhere. It is, apparently, one of the few places where Westerners can get clothes in larger sizes, particularly shoes. I visited with a Chinese friend who proved her worth, sometimes translating for us, at other times acting as a stooge to find out what the 'Chinese' price for something was (lower than the 'Western' price!) With bargaining I bought most things at between 50-60% of the original asking price.

Bargaining can be quite a cutthroat business. It is certainly not something to be entered into half heartedly. You must at least appear confident, be certain of what you want and you should NEVER name a price if you're not serious about buying an item. It is easy to get 'bullied' into buying something you don't really want and I always wondered afterwards if I could have got a price lower if I had just held out a little bit longer. On the other hand, if you are in the mood it can be a great deal of fun and, even if you don't get it at the absolute best price, at least you are getting it cheaper!

The Silk Market caters for a lot of tourists and so the sellers here were probably at their most predatory and devious. In one instance, I bargained the price of a teapot down from Y150 to Y75 and paid the guy with a Y100 note. He wrapped up the teapot, gave to me, thanked me and then stood there smiling. I then asked him for my change and wondered how many people didn't!

Beihai Park is predominantly lake, with two thirds of its 68 ha area covered by open water. The lake was artificially created when the garden was built for imperial use some 800 years ago. The excavated dirt from the lake was used to form the island (Jade Flowery Islet) which sits in the southeast corner.

Beihai Park was originally a playground for emperors from the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. However now anybody can dine like an Emperor at the luxurious Fangshan Resetaurant. Situated near the boat dock, it serves up imperial recipes favoured by the Empress Cixi.

Fangshan Restaurant was a little pricey for us, but we enjoyed an afternoon touring the grounds. We started our tour at the Eastern Gate. Entry was Y10, which included admission to the White Dagoba on Jade Islet. We then crossed a bridge onto Jade Islet and climbed a set of well worn steps to the top, stopping on the way to admire the view north near the Painted Walkway. At the top stood the White Dagoba. This Tibetan style monument dates from 1651 (but was rebuilt in 1741) and commemorates a visit by the Dalai Lama. It is said that the landmark contains Lamaist Scriptures, robes and other sacred objects. I was impressed by the intricate stone carvings in the walls and balustrades - we were to see identical features at several other Qing monuments including the Forbidden City. Just in front of the Dagoba stood the Yong'an Temple of Lamaism Shanyin Hall, covered with hundreds glazed tiles depicting Buddhist statues. You could climb up to the Hall but it cost extra so we contented ourselves with the view from the ground.

We descended the hill down a steep set of steps on the south side. Our path took us through a series of buildings and court yard, one of which was The Temple of Eternal Peace (although I'm not sure which one...) The buildings housed many Buddhist religious figures. In one of the courtyards was a 'wishing pot' filled with Chinese coins. I threw an Australian 10 cent piece in, although I can't now remember what I wished for.

We exited the Islet by Yong'an Bridge and passed the Round City on our way out the South Gate. We had missed out on several other park attractions including the Nine Dragon Wall in the north of the park (another one!) and the imperial gardens of Emperor Qianlong in the east. But perhaps most disappointing was having to forgo a trip in one of the many bizarre watercraft floating on the lake - particularly the duck shaped paddle boats!

The Summer Palace is a large park north of the centre of Beijing. The site has long been a Royal Garden and underwent major development by Emperor Qianlong in the 18th Century when, with the help of about 100,000 labourers, he deepened and expanded Kunming Lake (today about 75% of the park's area).

Anglo-French Allied forces burnt the Park down in 1860 and it fell into ruins until the Empress Dowager Cixi (Tchusi) began rebuilding in 1888. Cixi was a bit of a 'character'. She started royal life as a concubine of the third rank but ended up ruling China for about 50 years. She controlled the country by manipulating the actions of, first, her own child and, then, another child emperor. She rebuilt the Summer Palace using money that had been reserved for construction of a modern navy. While she did restore one boat, it was carved out of marble and didn't exactly float. Cixi often dined on the boat and it still sits at the edge of Kunming Lake today. The palace was restored (again) in 1903, after it was attacked (again) by foreign troops 'unsettled' by the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.

I saw the Summer Palace as part of an organised tour that also visited the Great Wall at Badaling. We started our tour at the impressive East Gate. Our first stop was the imperial living quarters; in particular, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. The living quarters were built near the East Gate to make it difficult for strangers to see into the grounds. Inside the courtyard were numerous bronze animals including the dragon and phoenix, representing the emperor and empress respectively. We continued west along the shore of the lake, passing by Longevity Hill, which was built using the dirt from the expansion of Kunming Lake. There are a number of temples on the hill including the Tower of the Incense of Buddha but we did not visit them. Apparently they cost extra.

We then came upon the Long Corridor, which runs parallel to the northern shore and joins all the separate buildings together (useful when it's raining). Another Guinness record, it is the longest (728m) painted corridor in the world! The Long Corridor is decorated with over 14000 scenes from both mythical and traditional tales. Although it was fairly long odds, I was hoping to see a scene from the famous Chinese tale 'Journey to the West' - and I actually did! (I think... ;-)

The Long Corridor ended near Cixi's boat (as well as a couple of snack stalls and souvenir shops). We then took a ride across the lake on a dragon boat. This comprised of a long, flat boat that had a dragon's head and tail - quite a novelty! The boat dropped us off near the Seventeen Arch bridge and the Bronze Ox. Unfortunately that was the end of our tour of the Summer Palace and we were led out at a nearby gate.

Away from the huge and overwhelming main streets of Beijing lies the narrow hutongs, or alleyways, where the population has traditionally lived. While many of them are now being demolished to make way for high rise apartment blocks, there are still pockets where you can walk, bike, and soak up the atmosphere.

We wandered through hutongs on our way between Jingshan Park and Beihai Park. Stalls lined the road. At one, which was little more than a freezer placed by the side of the road, we bought icecream blocks. They were mung bean, pale green with a grainy texture and a pleasant not-too-sweet taste. We stopped for lunch at a small family run restaurant, ordering boiled dumplings, or jiaozi (jowser). They were a bargain at Y3 for 100g and quite similar to Italian ravioli or tortellini. We each chose a different filling - pork and egg, pork and spring onion, bean and fruit. They were served all jumbled together in two bowls. We ate them using chopsticks and spoons and doused them liberally with rice vinegar. After lunch Yuan bought us all peaches from another stall. These were quite different to the peaches I was used to (and much nicer!). They were firm and crisp, not too sweet and not so sticky. We ate them as we walked up to the entrance of Beihai Park.

Another time, I wandered through hutongs near the Shisha lakes, just north of Beihai Park. I had come to the area in the hope of visiting Prince Gong’s Palace, residence of the last Qing emperor’s father, and Song Qingling’s (the wife of Sun Yatsen) Residence, but both were closed due to National Day. Instead, I walked around the lake and made my way slowly south towards the city centre through the alleyways. I saw men fishing in the canals and the lake itself. Almost every house had a Chinese flag outside to show their patriotism. As I got closer to the city centre, I began to see more and more people slowly making their way north. I guessed that many of them had been involved in the National Day Parade. There were lots of busses lined up near Beihai Park (presumably for those participants who lived in the outer regions of Beijing) and many of the children I saw were dressed in all manner of costume or uniform.