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Getting ready for China

April 25, 2012 by

Although I am currently getting ready for China, I am having the experience I always do when I am getting ready for any of the tours I guide- whether to China, to Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand, or to Ecuador/Galapagos/Peru. There are about a million pieces of data: information, equipment, communication with providers of services, scheduling, purchasing, packing, communicating with the travelers- that swirling around in my head simultaneously. At this point in the preparations, I am unable to think a full thought or make a complete sentence because there is a conference going on in my brain at which the pros and cons of all sorts of things are being discussed: what sights should we add? what food should be bring along? what written materials shall we distribute? how do we get people to meet at the initial gathering of the group as they arrive on 7 different flights on two different days? In discussing these things with my husband, I find myself starting in the middle of a thought and am sometimes so wrapped up in what I am thinking that a solution he offers, no matter how logical and obvious it should have been to me, is something I hadn’t even thought of. Sometimes I wonder why I do this.

Then I remember: I love traveling. I long to see China again. And mostly, I love seeing my travelers being amazed, sometimes astounded, by the sights I show them. For two weeks, my husband and I work harder than one can imagine, day and night, but for two weeks, we are able to provide one incredible experience after another for our people- the sights, the entertainment, the experience of being with a group of people who are there to see and to enjoy something totally new.

So as I prepare, I also remind myself that in under two weeks, a wonderful adventure begins!

Two of our travelers enjoying the Great Wall of China

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What you might not know about China

July 27, 2009 by

1. Most people think that because China is a populous country wherever you go there are hundreds of people. In fact, the streets of China are no more crowded than the streets of Jerusalem or Washington or London. In addition, the Chinese people love gardens and so there are vast gardens in the center of cities throughout China including Beijing and Shanghai. They are enjoyed by local residents as well as visitors and always feature a pond or larger body of water.

2. Many people think of China as a harsh place. In fact, the Chinese are friendly, welcoming people. They love visitors from overseas and they enjoy using whatever English they have to make conversation. They are warm and kind people.

3. People worry about anti-Semitism when they travel. They won’t find it in China. Chinese people think of Jews as the other great ancient civilization and they admire Jewish scholarship, ingenuity, and ambition. In fact, Chinese parents are very much like Jewish parents in that they value their children and they value educating their children and will sacrifice everything to give their children an excellent education.

4. People think of Chinese music as discordant. It is not so. Chinese music is many different things. It is Beijing Opera, but it is also the haunting flute melodies that one sometimes hears when walking through gardens. There is no place in my memory that rivals the gentle flute music in the Good Luck Garden in Hangzhou. Walking there was a truly spiritual experience.

The Good Luck Garden

The Good Luck Garden

Also, there are wonderful innovative Chinese artists like this one.

In short, China is better than you can imagine. It is the perfect place to travel. Come along with me!

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The Temple of Heaven, Beijing

July 17, 2009 by

The Emperor of China was thought to be the son of Heaven. He derived his authority not just by succeeding the Emperor before him from his dynasty, but from his performance as one who could care for his people. Primarily, the Emperor was responsible for feeding the people. A good year with good harvests and plentiful food would be an affirmation of the Emperor’s power. If there were bad years and people starved, the Emperor was seen as not deserving of the blessings of Heaven and his authority was in question. For that reason, the Emperors were highly motivated to pray for rains and good harvests.

Twice a year, from the Forbidden City, the center of Beijing, the crossroads of the world– after all, China calls itself The Middle Kingdom– the Emperor would make his way south with a large entourage of officials in ceremonial dress in a procession that would take three days (although in fact, it was only a couple of miles). During the time the procession was passing, people were to stay inside so as not to see the procession. Those who were by chance outside, had to fall to the ground and lie there with their faces down until the procession passed.

After a southward walk, the procession would turn east and then north again to enter the Temple complex. Once in the compound of the Temple of Heaven, the Emperor would make his way north and would spend three days fasting and praying before putting on special ceremonial garments and praying in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Here are some pictures of the complex:

The Imperial Vault of Heaven

The Imperial Vault of Heaven

Gate between Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and Imperial Vault of Heaven

The Gate

The Gate

Our group August 2007 in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

Our group August 2007 in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

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The Temple of Heaven, Beijing

July 3, 2009 by

The Temple of Heaven is not only a magnificent series of structures, but it is an amazing place to visit because at its heart is the heart of the Chinese people. In this place you can see and meet people and begin to understand what China is really about. These people are warm, friendly, and full of grace.

The environs of the Temple of Heaven contain areas where people meet on a daily basis and engage in exercise and games of all sorts. Of course, most of the people who meet and play in this open-air community center are older folks who are no longer working. They pay a minimal yearly fee and then have use of the park every day. Here are some of the sights:

Women exercising

Women exercising

Notice the “play equipment” is adult sized.

Women walking on pebbles

Women walking on pebbles

When we visit China, we make sure to take everyone for a foot massage. These women get their own massage as they walk in their light-soled shoes on pebbles cemented into the ground and protruding exactly enough to provide a therapeutic massage!

Ouch!

Ouch!

This woman made all of us think “ouch!”

Ribbon exercises

Ribbon exercises

This was a particularly lovely sight. Many of the women get their exercise by waving ribbons in beautiful intricate patterns.

Fan dancing in the park

Fan dancing in the park

In addition to Tai Chi, there is fan dancing, sword dancing and lots of other group activities. Western style social dancing is also done with old American tunes being played on large amplifiers. Some people also come here to play cards, chess, and mahjong. Some of the women bring craft projects such as crocheting and knitting. Sometimes they sell their items to tourists.

Of course all should be done accompanied by music!

Musician in the park

Musician in the park


Next time we’ll see some of the buildings in this large complex called “The Temple of Heaven.”

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The Summer Palace, Beijing

June 17, 2009 by

OK, friends, time to get your suntan lotion, hats, and water bottles. Today we will visit the Summer Palace.

At the Summer Palace

At the Summer Palace

The history of the Summer Palace dates back some 800 years when the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty, Wan Yanliang, moved his capital to the vicinity of Beijing and built his “God Mountain Palace” at the present site of Longevity Hill. From then on, in accordance with Feng Shui, the area was developed by subsequent emperors with the basic elements of the hill and water. Over the years, the structures changed and the names of the hill and the body of water shifted.

By the time of the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), there was already an official Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing, and the Summer Palace became the place where the emperor and empress and their entourage would come for relaxation, particularly during the hot days of the summer. There was a lake and trees and as time went on more and more buildings.

Over the years, the Summer Palace has been destroyed twice. The first time, in 1860, Anglo-French forces invaded Beijing and ravaged two of the loveliest areas in the complex, Yuanmingyuan Garden and the Park of Pure Ripples. Because they most of the buildings were made of wood, nearly every building in the park was destroyed by fire. Only the few nonflammable structures such as bronze pavilions and stone pagodas were spared.

In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi who had a reputation for enjoying luxury, diverted 30 million taels of silver that had been designated for the Chinese navy into reconstructing and enlarging the Summer Palace. She had the southern side of Longevity Hill laid out in imitation of West Lake in Hangzhou and the northern side built in the architectural style of Suzhou, one of the more beautiful cities in China, sometimes termed “Venice of the East.” Cixi gave the park its present name: Yiheyuan (Garden of Good Health and Harmony), known in English as the Summer Palace.

In 1900 when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, the great temples rebuilt in the 1880s were completely demolished and almost every valuable object in sight stolen by the invading troops. In 1902, when Empress Dowager Cixi returned to Beijing from Xi’ an, she ordered the reconstruction of the park. According to historical records, she “rebuilt the Summer Palace with unbounded extravagance and opulence, spending some 40,000 taels of silver per day. Singing and dancing went on without end.”

After the revolution of 1911 when the emperor was overthrown, the Summer Palace became the private property of the young deposed Emperor Puyi.

Today the Summer Palace is a delight for the senses. Even on the hottest summer days, the breeze from Kunming Lake cools visitors. The willow trees and the parasols carried by visitors give it a look of Oriental elegance. Paddle boats for visitors, both domestic and foreign, make a visit there a pleasant outing. Visitors can imagine the elaborate meals served here, the receptions and the Western musical entertainment that served to amuse both the imperial family and their guests.

Here is Kunming Lake

Kunming Lake, the Summer Palace

Kunming Lake, the Summer Palace

There are a number of noteworthy sights at the Summer Palace. One is the Long Corridor, an outdoor covered corridor that extends 720 meters in length and contains over 8000 hand painted pictures of flowers, birds, and landscapes.

The Long Corridor

The Long Corridor

Another is the Marble Boat, a structure built by Cixi to symbolize the stability of the dynasty. Of course, not long after, the dynasty was ousted.

The Marble Boat

The Marble Boat

And last, for now, here is a picture of an indoor corridor. Notice that there are no two windows that have the same shape. On each of the windows, there is a picture painted and none of the pictures are the same either. The Chinese love variety.

Corridor behind lotus plants

Corridor behind lotus plants

Take it from me, the Summer Palace is captivating and one trip is not nearly enough.

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The Private Area of the Forbidden City

May 22, 2009 by

The area behind the ceremonial part of the Forbidden City is where the emperor and his family and concubines and the eunuchs and servants lived. Unlike the official area where guests were greeted, ceremonies performed, examinations given, laws pronounced– where the terrain consisted of building after building with no greenery, the family area had greenery and at the very back, a lovely garden.

After passing the giant stone carving, to the north- in the direction we have been walking, there is a plaza and the entrance to the private area.

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This is simply a wall we walk by, but it stands out against all of the other walls we have seen in the Forbidden City which are “purple.” Now what the Chinese call purple, we might term terracotta, but the Chinese name for the Forbidden City is actually “the purple Forbidden City.”

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Even walking through the private area, it feels different– smaller in scale, quieter, calmer. It’s easy to understand why the emperor would want such a division between the official area and the private area.

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This is one of the bedchambers. It was probably used by one of the concubines. The emperor and the empress had their own buildings where they lived and the concubines lived in the equivalent of elegant dorms.

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This is the bridal chamber, the place where the emperor and empress would spend their first night together. Traditional Chinese beds are like elaborate boxes that have one side cut out. They have walls on three sides and a ceiling. It is possible to see it in both pictures above. In the bridal chamber, the bed is just to the left of the red column.

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Even in the picture, you can feel the release of tension as you see the softness of the flowers and trees in the imperial garden . The garden has a path running through it that is a kilometer long and it is made of mosaics that contain 720 pictures and patterns. Among the pictures are historical stories, people, and animals. The garden dates from 1417.

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This garden, like other formal Chinese gardens, contains the four essential garden elements: Buildings, water, greenery, and stones. Chinese people have always loved stones. They think of a garden as representing the world and the stones are the mountains. They also like to choose stones that have shapes reminiscent of animals. In this garden, they have taken stones from other places in China and piled them one on top of the other to form “the Hill of Accumulated Elegance.”

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A beautiful and fascinating place to visit– and I only have scratched the surface.

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Into the Forbidden City, Beijing, China

May 11, 2009 by

Finally we approach the entrance to the Forbidden City with its picture of Chairman Mao. Every time I have been there, crowds of people are entering. Most of the tourism in China is Chinese. When you think about it, it makes sense. It is a country of about 1.3 billion people. If only 1% of them travel, that’s 13 million people! And with the Forbidden City being the heart of China, it is understandable that it would always have a large number of visitors. Thankfully, the area it occupies is very large. It is about 750 meters (820 yards) across and about a kilometer (1093.6 yards) long. We have entered at the south end through the Tiananmen Gate.

Once inside, we are in a public area of the Forbidden City. In this area there are shops and souvenir stands and until recently, there was even a Starbucks. It offended the sensibilities of some of the Chinese and it eventually closed. Somehow, I agree with them. The beauty of the Forbidden City and other Chinese sites is their uniqueness and their strong ties to Chinese culture and history. In this area there are trees and plants. There are no trees and plants in the official area of the Forbidden City.

Behind us, Tiananmen Gate; ahead of us, Meridian Gate

Behind us, Tiananmen Gate; ahead of us, Meridian Gate


This area has almost a fair-like quality. People walk slowly, sit on benches, and children play. Once we pass through Meridian Gate, everything changes. That is the entrance to the official part of the Forbidden City- a place where one only could enter with an invitation. Those with requests of the emperor often waited from four or five o’clock in the morning with a letter of reference, many of them only to be turned away hours later. It was there the condemned criminals’ sentences were announced and there the results of the examinations for mandarin service were reported.

Looking up at Meridian Gate

Looking up at Meridian Gate

Back of Meridian Gate

Back of Meridian Gate

Inside we find the Hall of Supreme Harmony which was where the emperor used to greet dignitaries.
The emperor had many many concubines and a staff of hundreds of eunuchs. In fact, they were the only men aside from the emperor who were permitted to remain in the Forbidden City overnight.

The number 9 is very important in Chinese folklore. It is considered the luckiest number and is the Imperial number. The Forbidden City is rumored to have 999 buildings. Some say it has 999 rooms. I never counted, but there are an enormous number of buildings, all of them impressive. Here’s just one view of an area that was recently restored.

Inside the Forbidden City

Inside the Forbidden City

And here we are walking through another gate to yet another area. The enormity of this complex, built between 1406 to 1420 is breathtaking!

A gate in the Forbidden City

A gate in the Forbidden City

One of the more amazing things in the Forbidden City is this piece of carved stone. It is over 16 meters long and 3 meters wide and 1.7 meters thick. It weighs more than 200 tons! The stone dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was quarried in the western suburbs of Beijing. It was brought to the Forbidden City by sprinkling water on the way in order to make and iced road and pulled along the iced road. It was re-carved in 1761.

Large stone carving

Large stone carving

We have been walking through the official area of the Forbidden City- the place where the emperor carried out his official duties. There are, in this area, several museums including a museum of clocks. The Chinese imperial family loved western culture. Among their treasures are clocks made in Germany and France.

Below is the entrance to the private area where the emperor, the empress, the emperor’s concubines, his children, and the eunuchs lived.

Entrance to private family area of Forbidden City

Entrance to private family area of Forbidden City

Next time I will show you some of the private area of the Forbidden City, but, of course, to really experience it, you must visit it in person.

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The Forbidden City- Beijing, China

May 4, 2009 by

Before we actually enter the Forbidden City, it’s important to know that this is not the first Forbidden City in China. It is one of many that existed over the years in places like Xian (where the first Emperor lived), Kaifeng, and Nanjing. In fact, the name Beijing means “northern capital” – just as Nanjing means “southern capital.” Even in Beijing, this is not the first Forbidden City. The Yuan Dynasty which ruled from 1271 or 1279 (depending on which source you trust) to 1368 which preceded the Ming Dynasty had built their own Forbidden City within the city of Beijing. When the Ming Dynasty came into power, they very much wanted to negate the former dynasty in large part because they were not of Chinese origin, but Mongol. The Emperor and others in the Ming Dynasty not only decided to build their own Forbidden City, but they arranged to eclipse the former Forbidden City by constructing a hill in front of it, destroying its Feng Shui and forever remaining ascendant. The name of this hill and the park now surrounding it is Jing Shan and the view from there, looking north, of the former Yuan Forbidden City is most fascinating.

Looking toward the Yuan Dynasty Forbidden City

Looking toward the Yuan Dynasty Forbidden City

However, it is also possible, from this hill, to view the Ming Dynasty-built Forbidden City. This is the one that served as home to 24 Emperors, fourteen of the Ming Dynasty and ten of the Qing Dynasty.

Looking south over the Forbidden City

Looking south over the Forbidden City

This picture, taken in August of 2007 captures the scaffolding around parts of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City has been undergoing renovations for many years and each year it is more beautiful. Word has it that the reconstruction may take as long or longer than the original construction that took from 1406 to 1420. The silver dome-like object in the upper right is the brand new Beijing opera house.

After the Qing Dynasty was overthrown in 1911 and the young Emperor, PuYi was forced to abdicate in 1912, the Forbidden City became known as “The Palace Museum” and it houses many of the treasures of the Chinese people.

And now, let’s visit the Forbidden City.

We are lucky. The reason the Forbidden City has its name is that quite simply, if you weren’t invited, you didn’t enter it. Fortunately for us, there are no more Emperors to keep us out and we can enjoy strolling through this awe-inspiring structure.

The Forbidden City is in the center of Beijing which is, according to the Chinese, the center of the world. Hence, China is termed “The Middle Kingdom.” It lies at the crossroads of east/west, north/south. South of the Forbidden City is Tiananmen Square, a huge open plaza, the largest of its kind in the world. It was in front of the square, at Tiananmen Gate on October 1, 1949 that Mao ZeDong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China. His picture still appears on the outside wall of the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Gate

Tiananmen Gate

As with other Chinese structures, the Forbidden City is entered from the south and one proceeds northward through successive gates. Here is another picture of the entrance to the Forbidden City.

Entrance to the Forbidden City

Entrance to the Forbidden City

OK, we’re at the threshhold, but you must have patience. Next time, we enter the Forbidden City!

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The Great Wall of China

April 28, 2009 by

The Great Wall of China began as a series of fortifications to ward off invaders from the north. The first parts of the wall date back to the 7th century before the Common Era. These walls, built by a number of small kingdoms, were finally joined by China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi whose Qin Dynasty dates from 221 BCE. Qin unified China and instituted standards for road width, for currency, and for language, uniting the disparate kingdoms.

Over the centuries, portions of these walls have fallen into disrepair and much of the wall that remains was constructed during the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Recent investigation has shown that the wall is actually 1,586 miles longer than previously thought. It is 8,850km (5,500 miles) long.

A visit to the Great Wall, of course, only provides the experience of a small part of it. One of the sections that is visited by tourists is just outside of Beijing.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China

Even when first viewed, it is an amazing structure. It became all the more amazing as we came to know it at closer range. The section of the wall that we arrived at was even with the parking lot. However, to the second tower, there were approximately 1200 steps. Even for those who are fit, the combination of the heat in the summer and the very steep uneven steps presents a challenge for someone who wants to climb to the top tower.

Look at these steps!

The height of one step

The height of one step

My husband has one foot on one step and the other on the next one! At this section of the wall, one is literally crawling up the steps! This section is across a bridge from where most of the tourists walk. Aside from the problem with the height of the steps, they are not uniform in height, so if you aren’t careful, it’s easy to fall. Just look at the view downward on the tourist area of this section.

View looking down the steps!

View looking down the steps!

But look at the view one gets when climbing!

View from the Great Wall

View from the Great Wall

In the summer of 2007, I was lucky enough to be able to take my granddaughter, Hadas, to Beijing with me. One of the more memorable days was the day we went to the Great Wall.

Hadas at the Great Wall

Hadas at the Great Wall

Hadas made it to the top of the 1200 steps. You can see her peeking out from the roof.

Hadas at the top!

Hadas at the top!

She did a lot better than I did! On that trip, for some reason, I was huffing and puffing my way up the steps, but felt fine coming down– until I heard someone ask me “Do you know what your name is?” I didn’t get why someone was asking me this, but only later realized I had probably hyperventilated and was actually starting to pass out! In a couple of minutes I was fine, but I am certain that Hadas remembers the day with just a little bit of fear mixed in.

Recommendation: Don’t rush up the Great Wall. It’s been there for thousands of years. It will still be there ten minutes later.

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