MPress

Back to Beijing

China Tour March 2009

Spectacular China

We had the best time visiting some of China’s great attractions as well as some of Beijing’s local surroundings.

Some of the sights include the Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, The Temple of Heaven and some of the Beijing Olympics 2008 venues.

We were lucky with the weather and had sunny days during our stay, but boy, is that wind cold!

There is a little bit of a story around traditional Chinese food, but not all on the tour were brave enough for the adventure.

The Great Wall of China
All the pictures in books and on the Internet and stories on Discovery Channel cannot capture the overwhelming feeling you get when you see the Great Wall. One of the 7 Great Wonders of the World it stretches some 6400km along the north of China. Check the photos here.

The Forbidden City
This place is BIG - 720'000 square meters! There are 9999 rooms (depending on which resource you believe - I didn't count them). It was the home of the Chinese Emperor and his wives and concubines (plus a couple of thousand servants and guards). Check the photos here.

Temple of Heaven
Now this was not what I expected. There were people everywhere in the Temple gardens engaging in all sorts of exercise. Little groups performing Tai Chi, Yoga like stretching, traditional dancing and ballroom dancing - both Standard and Latin! Other groups play all sorts of games, ranging from a form of Happy Sack to board and card games. The place has a very happy feeling to it and everyone is invited to participate in the activities. Check the photos here.

Chris Gruber