My farewell post - Good-bye Beijing

Well wouldn't you know it...I woke up the next morning and there was a healthy wind blowing but absolutely no rain!

On one hand it's still disappointing that it was pouring rain yesterday for my visit to the Great Wall but then again, as I said, the photos may be lousy but the memories are still great.  And one big advantage to going in terrible weather is that hardly anyone else was there, whereas in good weather it can sometimes be shoulder to shoulder crowded.

So finally, on my last morning in Beijing, with a good wind blowing, I could actually see what the view out my hotel window was!  It didn't last for long, by about 10:30am or so the smog had settled in again, but this was a bit of a treat to wake up to.

And now folks, as the title of this post suggests, it is not only 'farewell to Beijing' but also 'farewell to this blog' as I am now safely ensconced back home in Toronto.  A lovely, nearly 14 hour long, direct, flight brought me home.

I would like to take this opportunity to say "thank you" to everyone who has been reading my blog throughout these months and "thank you" also for the lovely comments I got along the way.  As many of you know, this whole blogging experience was new to me and it wasn't without its frustrations (at times), given my lack of technological knowledge.  That being said though, the blog quickly became important to me: it is my own personal travel diary as much as it was an excellent way for me to let friends and family know where I was and what I was doing throughout these past months.  And knowing that others were enjoying what I was doing made my blogging experience all that much more worthwhile.  So "THANK YOU" again everyone.

I started this blog in August 2012 with a photo of me with a brand new haircut (pretty much a # 4), ready to set out on my big adventure.

taken in August 2012

I've had an absolutely fabulous time and thought I might end the blog in the same way I started it --- with a photo of me, but as you can see, now I'm desperately in need of a haircut!

end of June 2013

P.S.  I am going to keep the blog active on blogspot for awhile still.  As I said, it is also a travel diary for me, and the photos I've shared on the blog are only a very small portion of all the ones I've taken.  So as I make my way through my 12,000 photos or so (yes you did read that number correctly), I will be using my blog as a reference point.  So if you'd like to share the blog with anyone else please feel free - it will be around for a while longer yet.

Part 2 - "A 2nd day in Beijing: The Summer Palace and Amazing Acrobats"

The Summer Palace is a former imperial palace and now a park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Summer Palace is dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake.  It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres, three quarters of which is water.  The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometres was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill.  Longevity Hill is about 60 metres high and has many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich with splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty.

In 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List.  It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value."

The Summer Palace started out life as the 'Garden of Clear Ripples', in 1750, during the reign of Qianlong Emperor.  It was intended as a luxurious royal garden for royal families to rest and entertain.  It later became the main residence of royal family members at the end of the Qing Dynasty.  It served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi and it was also recorded that the Empress embezzled over 30 million taels of silver, said to be originally designated for the Chinese navy, into the reconstruction and enlargement of the Summer Palace so that she could spend the rest of her life there.   (This diversion of funds away from military sources came just six years before the first First Sino-Japanese War (1894/95) in which China lost.)

Yunhui Yuyu Archway is the main entranceway to Longevity Hill.  This type of structure is called a paifang, or a pailou, which is a traditional Chinese architectural gating style as an arch.

Behind the Yunhui Yuyu Archway is the Gate of Dispelling Clouds, 

and then further up Longevity Hill is the Tower of Buddhist Incense, designed as the symbolic structure in the Summer Palace.   It is a Buddhist tower for worshipping Buddha.  On the first day and fifteenth day of each lunar month, the Empress Dowager Cixi would go there to pray and burn joss sticks.  With a cost of 780,000 taels of silver, the Tower of Buddhist Incense was the biggest construction project of its time.  The three-level tower is octagonal with four layers of eaves.  It is 41metres high, built on a 21 metre-high stone foundation.

The Court Area was the main area where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu met officials and conducted state affairs.  With the same pattern as the Forbidden City - 'Palace in front and garden behind', the Court Area consists of sections for both court affairs and living.  The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity served as the office of the Emperor.

The Qilin (also spelled Kylin) is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures.  It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body.  It is sometimes called the "Chinese unicorn".  There are variations in the appearance of the Qilin, even in historical China, owing to cultural differences between dynasties and regions.   During the Jin Dynasty, the Qilin is depicted as wreathed in flame and smoke, with a dragon-like head, scales, and the body of a powerful hooved beast such as a horse.  In the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the Qilin is represented as an oxen-hoofed animal with a dragon-like head surmounted by a pair of horns and flame-like head ornaments.   The Qilin of China's subsequent Manchu Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) is a fanciful animal.  Depictions of the Qilin show a creature with the head of a dragon, the antlers of a deer, the skin and scales of a fish, the hooves of an ox and tail of a lion.

This Qilin stands in front of The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.  It has a dragon head, lion tail, deer horn, and cattle hoof.

This is known as the "Unlucky Stone" and it is located in the courtyard in front of The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.

The Hall of Joyful Longevity, was the major building in the living area for royalty.  It was built in 1887 as the residence for Empress Dowager Cixi.  The bronze deer, bronze crane and bronze vase placed in front of the main hall symbolize peace.

The Long Gallery (or Long Corridor) is a perfectly designed structure which is regarded as the most classic feature on the grounds of the Summer Palace.  This 728-metre-long corridor is also the longest corridor in any Chinese classic garden.

The Long Gallery was first built in 1750 when the emperor built the gallery for his mother so she could walk out doors regardless of the weather and view the garden in rain or snow.  The Empress Dowager Cixi also liked to walk here after breakfast every day.

Another highlight of the Long Gallery is the 14,000 Su style coloured paintings on every beam and cross-member.  The Long Gallery enjoys the title of ‘the coloured paintings museum', and because of its length and abundance of coloured paintings, the Long Gallery was included in the Guinness Book of Records in the early 1900s.

There are hundreds of painted stories inside the Long Gallery, and the themes taken from historical figures, landscapes, flowers and birds can be seen as a miniature representation of the breadth of Chinese art. 

Kunming Lake is an attractive water feature a short distance from downtown Beijing, covering three quarters of the total area of the Summer Palace grounds.  

The Seventeen-Arch Bridge was also built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong.   There are approximately thirty bridges in the Summer Palace and this is the largest one, with a length of 150 metres and a width of 8 metres.  With the biggest arch in the midst of the bridge flanked by sixteen others, you can count nine arches in different sizes from the middle to each end of the bridge.  Number nine was believed to be the biggest yang (anode) number, an auspicious number favoured by the emperors.

The Summer Palace radiates fully the natural beauty and the grandeur of royal gardens.   It occupies an area of 300.59 hectares and there are over 3,000 man-made ancient structures including pavilions, towers, bridges, corridors, etc..  Despite the soggy and smoggy conditions today it was lovely spending time wandering around the Summer Palace complex.

And now I was off to yet another performance, but this one a bit different from the previous cultural-dance type shows that I've been to... this one was to see a troupe of Chinese Acrobats perform.  And perform they did!!

Acrobatics is considered to be a pearl in the treasure house of the traditional Chinese performing arts and Chinese acrobatics has a long and rich heritage.  The acrobatic art has been existent in China for more than two thousand years - as early as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), the rudiments of acrobatics existed.  By the time of the Han Dynasty (221 BC-220 AD), the acrobatic art or "Hundred Plays" further developed both in content and variety and during the Tang Dynasty, the number of acrobats greatly increased and their performing skills improved a great deal.

In the long course of development, the Chinese acrobatic art has formed its own style.  The ancient acrobatics stemmed from the peoples lives and had a close link with their life and productive labour. Instruments of their work, like tridents, wicker rings, tables, chairs, jars, plates, and bowls were used in their performances.  During the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), the performing arts became popular in the Emperor’s court and soon spread to the gentry.  Due to its new status, and raise in income, the acts became more refined.  Eventually though, the performing arts lost favour in the Imperial Court; they moved back to the common people and most performers performed in the street.  Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the performers came off the street and started performing on stage.  During the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it regained popularity with the Imperial Court and has remained a popular art form to this day.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 great efforts to foster and develop national arts and acrobatics have gained a new life.  All provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions have set up their own acrobatic troupes.  In the past forty years many Chinese acrobatic troupes have toured more than one hundred countries and regions of the world and promoted friendship and cultural exchanges.  It wasn't until the 1990s, however, that the art form was packaged as a complete theme show.  The 1994 show Golden Wind of the Southwest led the way in successfully re-promoting the art as a whole.

And now I've finally reached the end of yet another wonderful day in Beijing.

Part 1 - "A 2nd Day in Beijing: The Great Wall, Jade and Olympic Park"

I'd love to say today dawned bright and clear for my visit to the Great Wall but in fact it was the exact opposite.  Not only did we have the usual smog (which reduces visibility) to contend with, but it was also pouring rain!!  😕 So although my photos are neither numerous nor particularly clear, the memories in my brain are wonderful!  And although I didn't buy one, I could now proudly wear a t-shirt exclaiming: "I Climbed the Great Wall of China".

The section of the Great Wall that I climbed is located about 65 kms north of Beijing - so as always, a few photos as we were driving along:

The New China Central Television ( CCTV ) Tower - headquarters for all the cctv in Beijing

The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.  Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching for approximately 8,900 kilometres from east to west of China.  If you include all the sections of the wall, including everywhere where it loops etc., the entire length of the Great Wall is reported to be approximately 22,000 kms.

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China, primarily to protect the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces.  Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC; these, later joined together and made bigger, stronger, and unified are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall.  Especially famous is the section of wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, although little of that wall remains today.  Since then, the Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; with the majority of the existing wall constructed during the Ming Dynasty.

Qin Shi Huang conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty.  Intending to impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, he ordered the destruction of any previous walls that had been built and now divided his empire.  To protect the empire against intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall to connect the remaining fortifications along the empire's new northern frontier.  Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources.  Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains.  There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin Dynasty walls.  Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain today.  The human cost of the construction is unknown, but it has been estimated that hundreds of thousands, if not up to a million, workers died building the Qin wall.  Later, the Han, Sui and Northern dynasties all repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall, at great cost, to defend themselves against northern invaders.  The Tang and Song Dynasties did not build any walls in the region.  Similarly, the Liao, Jin and Yuan dynasties, who ruled throughout most of the 10-13th centuries, carried out limited repairs of the Great Wall, in a few areas, but didn't add to the wall with any new building.

The building of the Great Wall was revived again during the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century - The Ming had failed to gain a clear upper hand over the Manchurian and Mongolian tribes after successive battles, and the long-drawn conflict was taking a toll on the empire.  The Ming adopted a new strategy to keep the nomadic tribes out by constructing walls along the northern border of China.   Unlike the earlier Qin fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth.  Up to 25,000 watchtowers are estimated to have been constructed on the wall.  As Mongol raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls.  Sections near the Ming capital of Beijing were especially strong.

Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions that began around 1600.  The Manchus were finally able to cross the Great Wall in 1644, and they quickly seized Beijing, establishing the Qing Dynasty rule over all of China.  Under Qing rule, China's borders extended beyond the walls and Mongolia was annexed into the empire, so construction and repairs on the Great Wall were discontinued.

The section of the Great Wall that I went to today is known as Juyongguan Pass.  Situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, Juyongguan Pass has long been a military stronghold.  As early as the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC) and Warring States Period (476 - 221 BC), the Yan State built fortifications here.  Immediately after the founding of his reign (which began in 1368), Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ordered the pass to be rebuilt to protect the borders from intrusions of the Mongolian tribe.  Many fierce battles were fought here.  

As I said, weather-wise it was miserable today so I don't have very many photos, but climbing the Great Wall was still a wonderful experience. (And hopefully if I ever have the chance to go back, it will be sunny for my next visit.)

"You are not a man until you have climbed the Great Wall" was uttered by Mao during one of his visits to the Wall, and that is what is inscribed on this tablet.

After leaving the Great Wall we went to a jade factory to learn all about this ornamental stone.

The history of jade is as long as the Chinese civilization and archaeologists have found jade objects from the early Neolithic period (about 5000 BC).   Jade was made into sacrificial vessels, tools, ornaments, utensils and many other items.  There were ancient music instruments made out of jade, such as jade flute, yuxiao (a vertical jade flute) and jade chime.  Jade was also mysterious to the Chinese in ancient times so jade wares were popular as sacrificial vessels and were often buried with the dead.

The Chinese metaphorically equated jade with human virtues because of its hardness, durability, and (moral) beauty.  Jade was prized by the Chinese for its durability, its musical qualities, its subtle, translucent colours, and its alleged protective powers - it was thought to prevent fatigue and delay the decomposition of the body.

For all of you geologists reading this, the term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals; nephrite and jadeite. Jadeite has about the same hardness as quartz, while nephrite is somewhat softer.  It was not until the 19th century that a French mineralogist determined that "jade" was in fact two different minerals.
Nephrite can be found in a creamy white form (known in China as "mutton fat" jade) as well as in a variety of green colours, whereas jadeite shows more colour variations, including blue, lavender-mauve, pink, and emerald-green colours.  Of the two, jadeite is rarer, documented in fewer than 12 places worldwide. Translucent emerald-green jadeite is the most prized variety, both historically and today.

There is a Chinese saying: "Gold has a value; jade is invaluable."  Thankfully jade wasn't totally invaluable because I did have to do a bit of shopping!

After leaving the jade factory we stopped for a quick visit at The Olympic Green, the site constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics which were held in Beijing.

The Beijing National Stadium or "Bird's Nest" was the centrepiece of these Olympics.  It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics and football (soccer) finals of the Games.  The stadium has room for 91,000 spectators, but the capacity was reduced to 80,000 after the Olympics.

The Beijing National Aquatics Centre or "Water Cube" hosted the swimming, diving and synchronized swimming events. It has a capacity of 17,000 (reduced to 6,000 after the Olympics) and is located next to the National Stadium.

The Ling Long Pagoda or Linglong Tower housed the international media.  "Ling Long" means delicate, and the building is referred to as the Delicate Tower in Chinese.  The permanent structure is a three-sided tower.  The tower contains 6 occupiable pods with open space in between.  One of the pods displays the Olympic rings.  It is 128m tall, with 7 occupiable floors, each an equilateral triangle.  The floors are each subdivided into two levels and the glass-walled pods are held up by three supporting ribs at the three corners.

Next I was on my way to another amazing historical landmark in Beijing ... stay tuned for Part 2 of my second day here in Beijing.