If you attend the Beijing Opera, you’ll be given an opportunity (prior to the opening act) to leave your table or seat in the audience and stand at the edge of the stage.  There, you’ll get an inside look at how a character in the opera applies his make-up and, with the aid of a dresser, layers on the lavishly embellished clothing worn during the performance.  It’s a rare glimpse of how the inside preparations become an extension of the signature pomp and pageantry of the world-famous Beijing Opera.

With great care, the performer applies the intricate make-up for his character.

A dresser ties on the undergarments.

Next come the ornate outer garments.

The waistline piece adds the finishing touch.

And the fully dressed performer stands ready for a night at the opera.

For more entries in the Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside, click here.

People from all over the world visit the Great Wall of China.

It’s probably on the bucket list of everyone who has ever dreamed of visiting China.  After all, it’s listed in the World Cultural Heritage Directory by UNESCO and named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.  So, of course,  the Great Wall was on our bucket list, too.  We wanted to see it, climb it, photograph it, and experience “The Wall” just like everyone else.

The tour guide on our Viking River Cruise didn’t even need to build it up for our travel group as we rode the bus to our destination. Excitement mounted on its own as we caught glimpses of towers and portions of the wall on our one-hour drive out of Beijing to Badaling, one of the restored — and most visited — sections of the Great Wall.  But he did give us some background along the way.

The Great Wall stretches approximately 5500 miles and almost six meters (20 feet) wide to accommodate five horses galloping abreast.  Originally built to withstand attacks from Mongolian marauders, the Great Wall consists of snaking walkways made of layers of rammed earth, stone, and brick interrupted by strategically placed watchtowers.  The actual building of the wall spanned nearly 2,000 years from the Warring States Period (476 BC – 221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644).

Since Badaling is known as the most visited section, we knew there would be others stepping, hiking, sweating, and arduously pushing onward right alongside of us.

Most groups gathered in the plaza area surrounded by stalls and shops to take a group photo before the climb. We did, too.  And then we were off.

A tour group pauses before hiking The Great Wall for a picture to capture the moment.

My personal goal was to make it to the third watchtower in our allotted time so as to have the best shot possible of the area around me.  And I did.  (No small task, I might add, considering the 95+ degree weather,  steep steps, and undulating pathways.)

I made it! Look to your right — third tower at the top!

The Chinese have made this section at Badaling a bit more tourist-friendly with the addition of hand rails and mounted lights that (I suppose but can’t confirm) make the wall even more outstanding at twilight.

Steep stairs are made easier to negotiate with the addition of hand rails and, when needed, mounted lights on the sides of the wall.

Bert and I climbed, paused to catch our breath, took pictures, and watched the people who came in droves.  Some as families. Some as couples or singles.  And several even wanted to have their picture taken with us!!

The watchtowers provided much-needed shade to those of us unaccustomed to this activity in the full afternoon sun, so it was with much relief that we stood (cramped, but who cared?) for a few minutes before carefully climbing another few steps only to pause again. (“Pace yourself,” we kept saying!)

With breathtaking views of the countryside, we marveled at the expanse of the wall as well as the construction — brick by brick, piece by piece with an estimated toll of possibly a million who lost their lives during the construction.  It’s the enormity of this project and the link to the past that lures us all to see the Great Wall.  And for some of the people (according to our guide), a climb up the wall is akin to a religious pilgrimage of sorts.  I believe that — based on the smiles and the pointing and the hallelujahs heard and seen!

So, what’s so great about the Great Wall?  As astronaut Neil Armstrong remarked, the Great Wall is one of the few construction projects you can see from space — a testament to its size, unique purpose, and the people who gave their all to build, defend, and restore it.  It’s great all right.  And we hope you get to experience it, too.

If you’ve been to the Great Wall, post your impressions in the comments below.  We’d love to hear from you!

And if you want to see the people we saw, come back for our next post:  What’s so great about the Great Wall (Part II)?  Thanks for reading!

The people of The Wall were perhaps the second best part of the trip!

Click here to see more posts on China or go to the tab labeled China at the top of this page.

For more information:

Viking River Cruise: Imperial Jewels of China: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/china-yangtze-beijing-shanghai-2013/itinerary.aspx

“Great Wall of China” by TravelChinaGuide:  http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/

A welcome respite from the afternoon sun and long walks through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City awaited us on our first full day in Beijing.  We were headed to the Summer Palace, a peaceful, expansive park complete with lakes, bridges, temples, walkways, and artwork. On the bus, our guide asked us if we would like to walk the Long Corridor, a walkway defined by hand-decorated beams and over 14,000 scenic paintings over the length of about two miles.  We hesitated, waiting to see if we were the only ones who might prefer a boat ride to a walk and found that we weren’t alone: no one chose the stroll!

So, when we arrived at the Summer Palace, we were greeted by a welcome sight:  a dragon boat to float us slowly across the placid Kumming Lake while we sat back and admired the idyllic scene of Qing Dynasty buildings and the people of China enjoying their summertime leisure activities.

Originally designed as a summer retreat from the confines of the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace was transformed between 1736 to 1795 to its current layout.  However, it was the Empress Dowager Cixi who had the complex rebuilt after the destruction by French and English troops in 1860 and then again in 1902 after the Boxer Rebellion exacted even more damage.

Pictured below, Longevity Hill with its octagonal, four-eaved Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha dominates the landscape with accompanying religious buildings, gardens, and shops. The Long Corridor stretches along the shore beneath.

A view of Longevity Hill from the dragon boat

We strolled the grounds, purchased some items in a tucked-away antique shop, and watched as people enjoyed the breezes from the arched bridges and gathering areas.

One of the beautifully painted arched bridges at the Summer Palace

A painting of the Marble Boat, also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease, covers the structure currently undergoing renovation.  One of the extravagances of the Empress Dowager Cixi who used funds originally intended to improve the navy to build it, the boat was never meant to serve as a boat at all.  The Marble Boat, made of wood painted to look like marble, may be representative of an idea proposed by Wei Zeng: “the waters that float the boat can also swallow it” meaning that the people who support the emperor can also overturn him.  As a symbol of stability, the Marble Boat stands firm at the Summer Palace.

While undergoing renovation, this painting of the Marble Boat covers the actual structure.

Not all visitors were roaming the grounds or riding nonchalantly in the colorful dragon boats.  Some were using the quiet time under the trees for other activities.  We were amused with this family checking emails, playing with apps, and using technology —  just as we do in America!

Just one of many family activities at the Summer Palace!

The Summer Palace covers 716 acres, but even the small portion we saw — Kumming Lake and Suzhou Street — were well worth the visit.  No wonder it’s a star destination for locals and visitors alike.

If you want to learn more about our travels in China on a Viking River Cruise from Beijing to Shanghai, go to the top of this page and click on China in the green bar.  We hope you enjoy seeing this beautiful land through our eyes.

For more information:

Beijing & Shanghai (2011). Eyewitness Travel. New York: DK Publishing

“Marble Boat.” Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Boat

Viking River Cruise: Imperial Jewels of China: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/china-yangtze-beijing-shanghai-2013/itinerary.aspx

.

But not all hat guys, you understand, are thrilled to be in pictures.

The guy below, however, was.  He could be on late-night TV —  animated hijinks, inside/outside hat routine, connections with the crowd.

Five ways, he yelled. Watch this.  Five ways!  (In English, too!)

First, with this ordinary hat shape — good enough to keep the sun at bay.

Then with one quick flip . . .

. . . a whole new version! Tower look maybe?

We clapped and hollered and shouted, Again!

He smiled.  And fidgeted. And then one more!

One dollah, one dollah.  Hat.  Five ways.  One dollah! Five ways!

(He was faster at flip-changing his hat than I was snapping pictures!)

Now, who do you think would ever buy one of these crazy hats?

Well, all I can verify is they don’t travel so well in a packed suitcase! (Who cares? Well worth one dollah!)

To read more of our encounters in China, go to the top of this page and click China in the green bar! Thanks for reading!

But several people looked as if they just might be the Last Emperor who lived at the Forbidden City — complete with silken garments, rounded hats, and finery in brilliant colors. That’s when I spotted this father/son duo smiling as many of us tourists lined up to snap pictures of them.

Still, I didn’t know what was happening until I peered into a little alcove in one of the smaller halls.  A young girl was selecting a complete outfit so she could pose for pictures.  It reminded me of another establishment in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee (near where we live): in our part of the world, tourists dress as people from the Old West — saloon girls, barkeeps, gamblers, and the like — so they can take a tintype photo home with them.

Behind this beautifully attired girl are outfits from which tourists can choose and a screen above with superimposed pictures!

And so it was in China.  People dressed up and posed for pictures.  But this was different. I looked up at the screen only to realize that the photos of dressed-up tourists were superimposed atop the iconic buildings of the Forbidden City!  And the tourists were flying!  Yes, they were!

It was fun for all.  We were watching flying videos and taking pictures of the dressed-up people on the ground.  They were smiling back at us! And collectively we were all looking up at the screens and pointing even though we had no idea what anyone was saying!

I guess the people of China are a lot like us Americans– a good time in different clothing is a good time no matter where you live!

Wanna fly over the Forbidden City?  Just head to the back of the Outer Court, force yourself to don some heavy garb, and smile! Forbidden City Flying Tours will do the rest! Would you like to see one of the videos?   Click here!

To read our other posts on this Viking River Cruise: Imperial Jewels of China, just go to the top of this page and click China. You’ll see what’s been added so far.

For more information: 

Viking River Cruises: Imperial Jewels of China: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/china-yangtze-beijing-shanghai-2013/itinerary.aspx

According to what we’ve learned from our guide, from searching Wikipedia, and from studying a couple of other resources prior to our trip, construction of the Forbidden City began in 1406 and lasted 14 years, requiring more than a million workers. Whole logs found in the jungles of southwestern China and marble from quarries near Beijing were used in the building of this site, known best perhaps as the home of Puyi, a two-year-old boy named emperor in 1908.  During part of his reign, Puyi had several wives and concubines who lived in the last of the buildings we toured. Puyi left the Forbidden City after the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949 when he was imprisoned as a war criminal and wrote his memoirs.  He is still known throughout the world as The Last Emperor of China.

Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is a huge rectangle containing 980 surviving buildings and (some say) 9,999 rooms.  (That number is cited primarily because the number 9 figures so prominently in the belief that odd numbers represent yang, one of the key Chinese design factors known as yin and yang.) Our guide told us that if you let a baby sleep each night of his life in a different room of the Forbidden City, he or she would be 27 years old upon the last night in the last room!  (Oh, what you learn on tours!!!)

We think the number nine is tied to good luck, but we’re not sure.  Even so, odd numbers, especially 9, are evident throughout; for example, there are 81 (9 times 9) brass studs on some of the doors, and the main halls of the Outer and Inner courts are arranged in groups of three.

The buildings we saw reminded us of the graceful designs found in the Lama Temple. (Click here for that post.) Since yellow is the color of emperors, almost all roofs bear these golden-colored glazed tiles with sloping ridges.

At the corner of each roof is a line of statuettes, beginning with a man riding a phoenix and ending with an imperial dragon. These groupings contain an uneven number of mythical creatures — ranging from 3 to 9 — but we read that the Hall of Supreme Harmony has 10, the only building in China permitted to do so.

Here’s a close-up of one of the dragons from the Forbidden City.

We noted again the royal blues and reds that we saw at the Lama Temple as well as the gold embellishments, and the attention to detail and remarkable craftsmanship.

Detail under the roofline on one of the buildings in the Forbidden City

Detail of a dragon inset

In the picture below, this central ramp is the Marble Carriageway reserved for the emperor’s entryway into the building. We were not allowed (understandably so!) to climb onto this carriageway to get a close picture, but we’ve read that there are scenes of dragons chasing pearls among clouds. Whatever is pictured here is beautiful even from a distance!

Bert wanted to examine the architecture more closely, so when we were dismissed from the group and allowed to explore on our own, he went down into the courtyard to get a better look. We didn’t know the extent of the area of the Forbidden City, so we were surprised to learn that the length of the rectangle on which is is positioned measures 3,153 feet from north to south.  We definitely underestimated the size of the complex, thinking that there was only one main hall and a few smaller outbuildings.  Not so.  The entire Outer Court was expansive, taking several hours to explore.

A moat carries water from west to east with five major marble bridges crossing it.  This picture was taken behind one of the buildings where the graceful curves and picturesque landscaping (and lack of people!) caught our attention.

Stately Chinese lions guard the entrances of the halls. (Look in the lower right hand corner of this picture to see an incense burner.)

We were allowed to take pictures from the entryways, but not actually go in to any of the buildings.  This shot (taken with Bert’s iPhone held over the heads of many tourists) shows the interior of the one of the buildings in which the emperor actually lived. (Nice digs, right?)

As always, we were amazed by the huge crowds — from tour groups to individual families — traveling to Beijing to see this national treasure.

In 1987, the Forbidden City was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and, according to China Tourist Maps website, it’s one of the most attractive five palaces in the world with the others being Versailles (France), Buckingham Palace (London), the White House (Washington, D.C.) and the Kremlin (Russia).

Although our guide kept telling us that we had good weather with clear visibility due to a front that had moved in, we were still suffering in the 90+ temperatures, grateful that we had carried a bottle of water with us for the afternoon.  Others took measures into their own hands in their own ways!

Near the end of the journey, I saw this little boy appropriately dressed in what looked to be an outfit worthy of a child emperor . . . like Puyi.  I came to find out that he and his dad had rented the costumes for a photo adventure! You’ll have to check back since I have more pictures of them to share in the next post: Flying over the Forbidden City! 

The experience of seeing both Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in one day was both exhilarating and exhausting, but worth the effort.  Again, our thanks to Jack Xiong, our guide, for sharing his passion for the architectural and cultural treasures of Beijing.

If you’ve missed any of our posts on China, go to the bar at the top of the page and click China for links to the other posts. Feel free to leave us a comment below.  And, as always, thanks for reading!  

For more information:

Viking River Cruises: Imperial Jewels of China: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/china-yangtze-beijing-shanghai-2013/itinerary.aspx

“Forbidden City.” Wikipedia.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City

Although we had arrived in Beijing one day prior to the first itinerary day of our Viking River Cruise and had a leisurely day exploring the Beijing Zoo and Lama Temple, our first “real” day found us literally running to catch up as we braved the 95-degree heat, unrelenting sun, and the enormity of Tiananmen Square.

Our Viking guide, Jack Xiong, met us at the Westin Beijing Financial Street, and, after brief introductions, told us about “his” city where his wife (a police officer), his son, and he have made their home.  His ease of presentation and interest in history turned us into devoted followers immediately.

We already knew something about Tiananmen Square.  After all, we had lived through the student protests of 1989 and watched in horror as those events came to a bloody end. And we wanted to see the site of all that.  But what we weren’t prepared for was the vastness of the square, the stately symmetry of the buildings, and the many thousands of visitors.

Named after Tiananmen Gate that separates the square from the Forbidden City, the present-day Tiananmen Square fulfills the vision of Mao Zedong to build the largest city square in the world.  Today, the square spans 109 acres and can accommodate more than 500,000 people.  But even though we had read this information, it was hard for us to imagine what it would look like in “real life.”  We soon found out.

Massive buildings greeted us — from this Monument to the People’s Heroes (left) to the China National Museum which houses collections from the former Museum of the Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History.

The Great Hall of the People, noted for its stateliness, clean lines, and signature red emblem, is the site of National People’s Congress meetings.

From this Ming dynasty gate (pictured below), Chairman Mao (whose portrait is displayed prominently on the front) founded the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.

Our guide pointed out Mao’s Mausoleum (pictured below) where Chairman Mao’s casket is on view mornings and afternoons.  As you can see, throngs of people formed long lines even in the hot noonday sun to pay tribute or just say they’d been there.

As always, my attention turns to the people who fascinate me wherever I travel.  (We were warned not to take pictures of the police, so you won’t see any of those stoic guardians of the square here.)  I took pictures of Chinese tourists like these folks posing for a group photo . . .

and another group following a flag-wielding leader — just as we did with Jack!

Families, too, wanted to be in pictures with historical monuments and national buildings of Tiananmen featured prominently in the background. This family is centered right in front of Chairman Mao’s huge portrait.

One of the surprises of the tour — and not mentioned in any of the guide books we had brought with us — was the incredibly enormous video screens near the China National Museum.  Ever-changing scenes of China appear on the screens like this one of colorful rock formations . . .

and another one of the interior of a building in China.

Beautifully manicured grounds with unusual shrubbery line the square on all sides.  (Workers must be involved in upkeep around the clock, judging from size of the gardens!)

As we were about to leave Tiananmen to tour the Forbidden City, we spied another sight familiar in the U. S., at least in our big cities — a food truck with customers ready to purchase anything cold to drink! (I almost left our group to line up!)

As you can see, it was people, people, and more people in Tiananmen Square.  Our guide said that on any given day, there could be as many as 30,000 to 100,000 visitors. In fact, he told us, Tiananmen Square is more to some people than just a site to see — it’s almost a pilgrimage for the many who live in China and are now traveling for the first time since the economy has improved. Well, it was on our bucket list, too!

If you want to follow our journey from Beijing to Shanghai, just go to the page at the top marked China.  The links to other posts are there.  Thanks for traveling with us!

For more information:

Viking River Cruises — Imperial Jewels of China: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/china-yangtze-beijing-shanghai-2013/itinerary.aspx

Recommended reading:

Eyewitness Travel (2011). Beijing and Shanghai. New York: DK Publishing. http://www.dk.com

These little stalls offered paper flowers, books, and long sticks bundled in beautiful paper. We later learned these were called joss sticks, a sort of incense-burning candle/stick combination so important to the worshipers who journey here from all over the world. But we still had no idea how they would be used until we got inside the Lama Temple.

We entered the grounds of the Lama Temple after buying our tickets.  This magnificently decorated portal (paifang) welcomed us to what some of our tour guides have said is the world’s largest and perhaps most renown Tibetan monastery in the world.

Originally built in the late 17th century to house the court’s eunuchs, it became the residence of Prince Yong who, in 1722, was named Emperor Yongzheng. When he ascended the throne, the palace became a home for Tibetan lamas. Monks still live within the monastery, guarding the treasures and directing the worship activities.

A quiet walkway led us to the five expansive halls filled with statues, murals, ornamentation, and many Buddhas.

Silence was all around — in the buildings and the courtyards where the fires were lit for worship.  People held the joss sticks in the fire, and then moved to the kneeling benches. Holding the sticks in front of their bodies, they closed their eyes, prayed, and then bowed three times before placing the burning sticks into the fire. We, too, stood still — silent and observant at the sight. It was hard to believe we were in a city of millions.

We looked up and around, taking in the buildings as well as the people visiting.  Blues blended with reds, and golden Sanskrit writing on the beams intrigued us, even though we had no idea what the words said or meant.

As a comment on the architecture, one of our guide books (Intercontinental’s Best of China) noted that many influences were involved: Han, Tibetan, Mongolian.

For the most part, roofs were the golden color of emperors and almost every corner was adorned with odd numbers of mythical creatures lined up parade-like to form an outward marching procession.  At the head of each glazed ceramic line-up, a man rides a phoenix to lead a variety of animals (nine at most) with a large, rather daunting, imperial dragon at the end.

The last building (and well worth the long walk to get there), the Pavilion of 10,000 Blessings, was the most notable of all, for it held a towering statue of Buddha standing 59 feet tall, carved from a single piece of white Tibetan sandalwood.  It really was magnificent.

(Since photography wasn’t allowed inside the buildings, we’re sharing the Guinness proof, just for the record!)

But one of our favorite shots may be even more telling.  It’s this one juxtaposing the newness of the glass and steel buildings so prevalent in crowded Beijing with the elegant lines of this traditional, well-preserved place of holiness.  The old in the midst of the new.

As we walked out, we noted the coins left in honor of the monks . . .

and one of the ornate creatures of this mysterious Far East culture.

We were thrilled to have been there to see the Lama Temple in Beijing!

For more information:

This blog is one in a series about a Viking River Cruise from Beijing to Shanghai.  To access the first post, It’s Panda-monium at the Beijing Zoo, click here. 

Viking River Cruises: Imperial Jewels of China: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/china-yangtze-beijing-shanghai-2013/itinerary.aspx

Wikipedia article on Yonghe Temple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lama_Temple

Lonely Planet review of Lama Temple: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/beijing/sights/buddhist-temple/lama-temple

Recommended reading:

Law, Eugene (n.d.). Intercontinental’s best of China. China Intercontinental Press.