Our visit to the Forbidden City of Beijing

A panorama of the "Forbidden City" it was call that because it was closed to the out side world for 500 years.  It was the seat of the Ming and Qing Emperors and no one could enter or leave with out permission.  These days the Chinese call it Gu Gong, or former Imperial Palace.  There are over 800 buildings and 1,000 rooms.  Over the years it has been ransacked  by invaders and gutted by fire several times.  Most of the structures date from the 18th century on.  As you walk through the complex, the Palace buildings have been converted into Museums and Theatre, Pavilions for viewing Opera and buildings like that.  But you get the feeling for what it was like to live the imperial life, a highly ritualised existence of exquisite luxury.  The inner court once reserved for the emperor and his family and royal concubines and eunuchs.  It's elaborate halls are filled with symbols and beautiful art work in finest detail.



This is where we enter at the Shennwu Gate to the Imperial Palace area.   It was very impressive.




As we stepped through the door our guide Jessie was explaining the reason for the brass knobs on the doors and why we had to step over each door.   I wasn't paying to much attention what he was telling us, I was busy taking pictures of some of the details around the area.




Here we posed for a picture in front the entrance to one of the main buildings, Jessie was always there to take our picture together at important places.  It was a nice day only 82 degrees of dry heat.   We were standing in one area where it was quite crowded and I felt someone snuggle up to me and I looked over and this young Chinese girl was standing by me to have her boy friend take out pictures together.   I have more pictures of the Palace area, but this is all I can put on this blog, without it disappearing.



Visiting the Olympic Village Birds Nest Stadium.



The National Stadium "Bird's Nest" is constructed with a series of radiating steel structures going around the bowl shaped seating areas.  With scientific concision and unique design it is a steel construction with the largest span in the world.  With advanced equipment and humane in design ideas.  It also a special landmark of historical significance. 


A good picture of Derek & Rita in front of the Bird Nest Stadium.  We see some of the art around the Olympic Village, they take great in their art.   Some is very funny, we had to take pictures of it, especially the one above.




Some of the pictures John took with his camera.  See the kites flying above one of the street light.   I loved this one of the river running close to the Stadium.  Every thing was coordinated, even down to the lights on the lawns.




The Olympic Forest Park is located at the northern end of the axis which goes through the city from South to North.  As we proceeded to walk to the end this is what we saw in the city.  In the Northern park of Olympic Forest Park is going on the construction of the biggest urban park of Beijing which will prolong the urban axis, ending it with scenes of hills and water.



On to have an adventure in Beijing, China.

We got a wake up call at 5:30 this morning, we leave this morning at 7:30 for the airport for our flight to Beijing.  The plane leaves at 10 am.  Ann and her driver Jung were there early to pick us up.  So many cars on the roads to the freeway it was a little hairy.  The airport was built 20 years ago, between the city of Beijing and the airport we see alot of nice farms and rural towns.   Ann and Jung told us goodbye.  Ann had tears in her eyes and really seem sad to say goodbye.   Rita had Derek take our picture with her above.   We were about the first ones to get to gate 7, it was all nice and quiet until the Chinese came and it gets really noisily, most talking so loud on their cell phones, the louder they talk the more important they feel.  Our plane was delayed for half hour, than it stretched in to more than an hour.  It was a huge plane and after we got seated we sat there for another 45 minutes before they took off.  It was interesting though, as we took off the movie screen showed the take off, and the ground below what we would see if we were looking out the window of the plane.  We were served a really nice lunch, after all our waiting...   After getting our bags after landing, mine was showing it didn't get treated very well, being the first on, it was the last bags to come out of the plane.  At least all my little gifts were still there.  Our new Guide was a young man named "Jessie" a name he adopted because his Chinese name was to hard to pronounce.  His driver was named "George", they made quite a pair.  Jessie was really an enthusiastic young man.  Right away he told us that he was a Professor at the University and this was his summer job.  He reminded me of the nutty Professor that Jerry Lewis played in one of his movies.  We were to be met and taken to our hotel and the rest of the day be on our own, but Jessie, said our time was too short for all the things he wanted to have us see.  So after getting us booked into our hotel he took us to the "Olympic Village"  we saw some of as we went to our hotel.  We weren't to visit that until Monday.



Jessie and Derek getting us checked in at the hotel, next picture is what we see out the window of our room.  The Dragon out in front of the Hotel.  This is June 24 a Friday morning.




Above is the inside of the hotel, it was very nice.  Below are some pictures I took as we approached the Olympic Village.




John standing there waiting for us to catch up to him.  As you can see it's a very tourist place, it attracts lots of visitors.   The first area was the Water Cube Aquatic center. The National Swimming Center.  It is the first steel structured building with the "bubble theory" in the world.  It was during the 2008 Olympic Games swimming sportsmen created new records one after another, making it a "water magic cube" this glittering and translucent construction is of clever design, complicated structure, simple and clear of appearance and advanced science technology, has become a landmark of century long history of Olympic construction, as well as the world construction.   Then to the Bird Nest Stadium.  We got our picture taken by it and, took a lot pictures through there.



Visiting the Terra Cotta Warriors of the Emperor Qin Shihuagn era.

We are in the van with Ann off to finally visit the real place where the Terra Cotta Warriors and horses are.  It was sunny and hot, we drove out toward the mountains area where it was.  Ann got the tickets, and before going into the first pit she took us to a building with a movie in the round and it told of the first Qin Dynasty and the wars they had.  It ended up telling about the farmer who was diggning a series of wells on his farm and discoverd some pottery fragments and ancient bronze weapons.  No one had ever expected that this accidental discovery would turn over a most miraculoue history of civilization, and unfold a unique and majestic spectacle before the world.  After years of drilling, excavation and research, the site was proved to be one of the biggest burial pits of China's first Emperor-Qin Shi Huang.  By 1976, three such pits had been found, nearly 8,000 terracotta armored warriors and horses were found.  When we walked into where they were it was absolutely an amazing sight.  It was different than I had expected.  I have heard of them since they were discovered , so I have always wanted to see them.



The picture above is what they picture him to be,  Qin Dynasty ruler Q Shihuangdi represent the emperor's ability to control the resources of the newly unified China.  His attempt to recreat and maintain that empire in the after life.  The mountain you see is his Mausoleum comlex.  It is quite a place from picture I seen, but we didn't have time to go there.  The soldier are part of his tomb,  it was said that after the workers worked on them and buried them, he had them killed so no one would know where they were buried.  He was ruthless Empeor.




There was mountains to the south of us and there was crowds of people, the building you see are the three different pits that they were in.   Archeologist and repairer works on discovering and restoring , keeping busy mending broken figures.  All the soldiers haven't been uncovered yet.  Beside the soldiers, they have found chariots and horses, rare birds and animals and pottery, stone armor. sords and lots of unique treasures.




As you can see large building were built around and over them to protect them. Archacologist have to peel, take pictures, an record carefully each one.  Each one is unqunie, some were in splendid colors but moisture  soil erosion of over 2,000 years, colors can still be spotted sticking to some of them. The picture above are some of the warriors reclaimed.




They had a fellow that would take your picture in among them the real warriors for a price, it doesn't look like he is doing much business.  We had taken our own at the factory we visited earlier. They had these warriers on display they represented the different Officers.   I am standing behind one of them looking up at him, can you tell which one is me?




One of the General,  and a pit of broken warriers.  They will  put them back together in time..




While there we went to a restaurant to have lunch, and we watched these cook, stretching out dough and pounding it on the counter, and magicly it turned into noodles.   The other cook was shaving the dough into a soup, it was very interesting.




Rita and I went into the restroom afterwards and was washing our hands and here these Chinese girls were washing their lunch dishes in the sinks, it was weird, see me taking the picture.




After lunch we went to some of the other pits, and then went through the curio shop.  I ask one of the sale lady there after I had bought booket about the Warriors, if the farmer was still alive that had found the Warriors in his well digging.  She said "As matter of fact, he is right over there at the desk signing the books."   I looked at the line and decided I didn't want to try as we were on our way out.   So I took the picture of him up above.   He became wealthy, he is the one smoking the cigar.



Morning of June 23 on our way to see the Terra Cotta warriors, got way layed at a factory.

The top left picture is the city of Xian as we see it out our hotel window.  The bottom left is the round about and park.  The right picture here shows part of the ancient city wall.  When Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) captured Huizhou, a hermit named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should built high walls, store abundant food supplies and take time to be an Emperor, so that he could fortify the city and unify the other states.  After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed his advice and began to enlarge the wall built initially during the old Tang dynasty (618-907) creating the modern Xian City Wall.  It's the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.



I was a disappointed that we didn't get to go on top of the wall.  There was just not enough time.  The wall  stands 12- meters high.  And 12 to 14 meters across the top and 15-18 meters thick at the bottom.   I don't know how much a meter is, I should have looked it up on the Internet before I started.   But you can see it is pretty wide across, a car could drive along it.
This City Wall has corner towers, ramports, sentry towers, gate towers, battlements and number of city defensive fortification with very strong defense capability.  The inner city was once the living place of the King of Qin.  The whole city was under control by its advantage of high position as it was constructed on the high land in the northeaster area of the city.  After constant repair and protection, the Wall now offers a good combination of the city wall, city moats, forest belt and city ring routes.  All kinds of fun actives on time during holidays.  It could take you a good half day to walk around on top of it.  And now the new city is built around it.




Today was sunny and hot, so different from  from yesterday rain.  Ann and her driver took out of town towards the mountains.  But first they took us to this interesting place where they made the Terra Cotta Warriors of all sizes to sell.  Out front they had these Warriors with out head so we could stand behind them and get our picture taken.   Don't we look furious?




It was a huge place as you can see as we were walking in above. They had some school children visiting and they are letting them use the molds to make a warrior.  It looked like fun.  Then this young girl was telling Rita and I where they get their clay and how it was a special mixture and is put in molds and then fired in their big ovens.   They had workers all over working on not just warriors but many things.




We wandered on around the work shop and took pictures of each other and the warriors and other things they made there.  There was this one warrior was made out of Jade at the left up above.  Others we looked at were painted one like the ones found in the in the ground.  John looking at the dragons, I should have waited to buy one of them here.




They made beautiful inlaid porcelain table tops and beautiful vases.  Rita and Derek listen to the young girl telling the process and each step on how they do it.  You see John and I  among he Warriors




Here are pictures of the Kilns they fire the Warriors in and the coal to use as the fire to do it.  They must have another one for the huge warriors.  I finally found a  table with small 8 inch warrior and bought one, it cost me $8.  in American money.  It looked like this sale lady was asking Rita and Derek.  "Are you sure you don't want to take one of these home with you?"




There was a room clear full of rugs, and here this one young girl was in the process of weaving one  what a job.  Beautiful pictures and porcelain figures,  I loved these two little children statues.




They even had these beautiful kites in store on the way out.  Rita wanted to buy one so bad, but knew it wouldn't get home without braking.  So she brought this good luck necklace  from the box full right above.  They just had every thing there.



We Visit the Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian.

After visiting the museum Ann hurried us over to visit the 1,000 year old Wild goose Pagoda, it was still raining.  We got there just before it closed and Ann had to talk to argue with the ticket taker to let us go in because he was about to close.  So we didn't get to spend much time there.  But we had it all to our selves because of that.



The plaque up above tells you about the Pagoda, we walked up the steps a ways.  It would have been interesting to go into the room at the top, but we didn't have time.




There was a curio shop there, we peeked in, but didn't go in.  Here are some of the statures around the area.  The bulletin board was covered with heart notes.  Ann said they were written to the people of Japan after the big earthquake and Tsunami, their hearts were with them.




The Bell is pretty close to the Pagoda, the people referr to it as the "Magic Bell" read above about its history.  We wanted to hit it and hear its sound, but decided we had better not.  There was a huge park around us and if we would have had more time we would of walked around it.




After leaving the Pagoda Ann and the driver took us to another hotel for our evening meal, it was a nice place.  We see this little Buddha as we walked in.  The dinning room was very nice You can see Rita , Derek, John at the table.  More rice and some sweet soup.  I tried some of the tea they served, it tasted like hot water, not much flavor. Rita took my picture sampling the tea.  But I thought, it's not bad to have a warm drink to stimulate and prepare your digestive system for a meal, very healthy.




If you look closely you will see how they string their electricity wires, we had to laugh, because we heard that it was that way, but didn't believe it in China, more like in India.



Flew into Xian, China on Wednesday June 22, to visit its history.

This was Wednesday June 22.   Our guide Elaine was there at the hotel to pick us up promptly at 6:30 in the van with a new driver, we bid her good by, she posed with Rita and I before leaving.  We felt we were leaving a dear friend and gave her a hug, she seemed sad to see us go.  As we entered the above area to go to the waiting plane, there was this sign above the entrance "Refrain from taking digital pictures or flash, we couldn't figure out why.  After getting on the plane they announced a 45 min wait, so they immediately started serving us breakfast.  They ask if we wanted western or Chinese.  We had Western, it consisted of egg and cooked carrots and two little sausages patty's and a little dish of soy beans and some kind of pickled cabbage.   As we lifted off you can see the alot of farm land and small villages.



We landed in Xian two hours later, as the capital city of Shaanxi province, it holds a key position in the fertile plan between the highland plateau of the north and the Qinling Mountains to the south.  We were met by our new guide above named Ann, she has a daughter going to college and she misses her very much, as you know they can have only one child.  After gathering our luggage, she told us we had lunch coming to us, so she took us to dinning area there at the air port and it was kinda a buffet, we were already full from breakfast, so we didn't eat much.   She took us to the hotel to register us, it was a nice hotel.




The above picture is our view out our hotel window, the big round about below.  You couldn't believe how some cars in the middle of the roundabout would just turn right in front of other cars without signaling, but we never saw an accident.  Over to west of roundabout was an old city wall 13 ft across, it was part of the old city dynasties.  Our beds in the hotel looked nice and were comfortable.  When we got settled,  Ann took us to visit the Shaanixi History Museum.  We see some of the modern city on the way.




The Museum shows the birth place  of the ancient Chinese civilizations.  Here are some the artifacts in it.  It is also big on the Terra Cotta Warriors discovered in Xian by a farmer who was digging a well.  So you see alot of copies of  the warriors in the museum.




Above tells a little of the history of people and the area, I think it is readable.




Here is the Terra Cotta Warriors area, more about them later.  Rita with Ann.  She had a little problem with her English translation, she would squint up her face some times to get the words out.