2014 China Trip
John's lifelong dream was to stand on the Great Wall and our first view of the wall was amazing. It follows the curve of the mountains, up along the ridges and down into the valleys. We were surprised at how friendly the Chinese people are. They all wanted to either take our picture or pose with us for pictures. It was a very special time.
We visited Tiananmen Square and saw the spot where the student stood in front of the government tank. Our guide told us the government said there had been 300 people killed in the protests, but the locals say it was more likely 600 people. The square holds one million people. We saw hundreds of people waiting in line to go into Mao's tomb. From the square we went through a tunnel into the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City was the Imperial Palace during the Ming & Qing (Ching) dynasties. Outside visitors were forbidden for five centuries.
There are many sections which make up the Forbidden City. John enjoyed "high fiving" with the school kids who were touring there. They loved saying hello to us. One boy even shared his candy with us! Delightful!
We saw the throne room and other buildings painted in the imperial colors of red and yellow. The garden was beautiful with very old cypress trees.
We stayed at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Beijing. The executive chef, Nathan Brown, and his staff served up delicious Chinese cuisine.
Another highlight of our stay in Beijing was a rickshaw ride through the hutongs. The hutongs are a collection of homes with narrow alleys. The people have lived here for generations...handing down the homes from family to family. Our rickshaw driver made the trip fun and then we went into a home to learn more about their life there. The homes are situated in a square. One home for the grandparents, one for the oldest son, one for the communal living area and one for the kitchen. In China people own homes, but not the land.
We also visited the Ming Tombs but the actual tombs are at the foot of a mountain that we could not visit. There is a long walkway and gigantic sculptures in the area we visited
Beijing