June 7-10, 2010 ---- Nathan and I planned to go to Beijing when Nathan found out that he got some funds from his school to study Chinese in Taiwan for almost a year. We originally thought about going like backpackers and exploring the city by ourselves because we both can speak Mandarin Chinese just enough to get around. Later when we invited Nathan's parents to visit us in Taiwan and we could possibly go to China together, a more luxury plan of travel was scheduled through AAA Exclusive Vacations.
AAA Travel has many tour itineraries, and the package we chose is for a small group called The Splendor of China provided by General Tour. This package included all 4-5 star hotels and accommodations, most meals, guide tours, and all transportation in 4 big cities---Beijing, Xi' an, Shanghai, and Suzhou---for 10 days. The package cost over $2,000, and it didn't include airfare. Nathan and I couldn't afford this kind of trip, so Nathan's parent generously paid everything for us, and we could have our first family trip outside of the US.
Nathan and I had to get a visa, but there wasn't any Chinese embassy in Taiwan, so we sent our passports to my sister in Thailand to handle that issue for us. The single-entry visa cost $130 for an American and only $30 for a Thai person. It was pretty easy to get the visa because we didn't have to be there in person.
Day 1
Nathan and I flew out of Taipei, Taiwan by Air China, and we got to Beijing in late afternoon. The tour guide picked us up at the airport and took us to Shangri-La Traders Hotel. It was a nice hotel in the middle of Beijing, and there were an ice-skating arena and a shopping mall right behind the hotel.
Because Nathan's parents and brother hadn't arrived yet, Nathan and I just went to explore the city by ourselves. The subway was right next to our hotel, and it didn't seem very complicated to buy a ticket or ride on the train. I asked two Chinese girls about the most popular place that we could have dinner and shop, and they pointed to us on the subway map where to get off, and we just followed their suggestion.
I don't remember the name of the shopping plaza we went, but it was clearly a place for tourists. There were a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants. Nathan and I went to one local Chinese restaurant and ordered some steamed dumplings and a few side dishes, and they were super delicious! However, the food in China wasn't that cheap if you compare it with Thailand.
After dinner we just wandered around and found a food fair not too far from the shopping plaza. There was a ton of food being sold there. They even sold BBQ snakes, scorpions, starfish, and many other weird things.
Later we took the subway to the Tiananmen Square. The tour would take us here the next day, but we were just wondering how easy it was to get around Beijing on our own, and it was super easy!
Day 2
Temple of Heaven
On our second day in Beijing, the tour guide took us to Temple of Heaven where a lot of the city residents come for morning exercise ---Tai-Chi. The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifice to the heaven. It is a huge place, and we spent the entire morning there.
At lunch, the tour guide took us to a traditional Chinese restaurant located in a beautiful, peaceful park that I don't remember the name of. The food was great, and the restaurant had a nice decoration of old Chinese dresses and furniture.
Tiananmen Square
Nathan and I were here by ourselves the night before, but Tiananmen Square during the day looked really huge. The surrounding areas were full of governments building, and it reminded me of Washington DC. The Tiananmen Tower was build in the 1417 during the Ming Dynasty to declare an important ceremony. In the past no one was allowed to pass the tower. It's also the front gate to the Forbidden City.
Forbidden City
Forbidden City or Gu Gong in Chinese is located right behind the Tiananmen Tower. It was the imperial palace for about 5 centuries during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. No one was allowed to enter without the permission of the emperor. Our tour guide said that the palace's ground was all covered with stones so that nobody could dig underground to get into the palace.
It took 14 years to build this palace before they moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing. They had to use a lot of labors and materials outside of the city, and the only way to transport huge, heavy stones was by pulling them on ice during the winter.
We spent the entire afternoon in the Forbidden City and then went back for dinner at the hotel.
Day 3
Hutong
We started our morning at Hutong, one of the city's ancient districts. The way the tour presented the area was very cool. We all got to ride on rickshaws that took us around the neighborhood. We also got about 10 Yuan and went in the local market to buy something we would like to give to the family we were going to visit, and they would cook us lunch. Nathan and I got some fruits for them.
The family we visited was very nice. Their house was small but cozy. They cooked a very nice meal for us that we had never seen in any Chinese restaurants. They also showed the arts they made for living. It was like painting from inside of the small bottle. You have to be really talented to do that! We tried to put the tiny paint brush in the bottle and draw something, but we all failed.....
We bought their painted bottles as souvenirs for family and friends and thanked them for the lunch. This was the most memorable experience we had in Beijing.
Later we went up in one of the ancient-looking buildings that I don't remember the name of. At the top was a set of drums, and at a certain time there would be someone who came to play the drums. The view from the top was awesome. We could see many of Beijing's old residential neighborhoods from there. Too bad many were destroyed in order to build new, sky-high apartments or condos.
Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is my favorite palace in China. It's located to the northwest of Beijing. It was built in 1750 for the royal families to relax and be entertained outside of Beijing. I like the natural beauty surrounding the palace. We also climbed all the way up to the Tower of Buddhist Incense and enjoyed the view of the entire palace from there. Later we took a dragon boat crossing Kunming Lake to Nanhu Island. This palace is really a must-see!
Olympic Stadiums (2008)
Originally our schedule for the Olympic Stadiums was on the next day, but we had a lot of time left before dinner and we wanted to be able to spend more time at the Great Wall the next day, so our tour guide decided to take us to the "bird's nest" stadium early.
The stadium was big and very impressive. I am not sure if they use it for any activity other than tourism there. The construction of the stadium started in 2003, and it cost a total of $US 33 million.
Hepingmen Quan Jade Restaurant
Our dinner was very special because we went to the historic Hepingmen Quan Jade Restaurant where Mao and Nixon had Peking Duck. I would say that the food overall was excellent, but I felt like the Peking duck I had in China Town in Washington DC was better. I might have had a weird tongue that day....
Day 4
The Great Wall
Finally the day I had been waiting for all my life came. We were going to the Great Wall!!! Anyone who goes to China wants to see the Great Wall. It's one of the world's wonders even though the idea behind the construction sounds a little like nonsense....
The Great Wall was built from over 2,000 years ago till the Ming Dynasty. It stretches about 5,500 miles from east to west. Our tour guide took us to the Jiayuguan Pass. It's one of the least-visited parts of the Great Wall, yet very impressive. This part of the Great Wall was constructed during the Ming Dynasty in 1372.
We all climbed up to the very high point of the Wall. Nathan's dad was the only one who didn't climb with us. It was an amazing experience, and I was glad to be there.
Factories and Shows
On the way to the Great Wall, we stopped at a cloisonne factory, but everything was too expensive to buy. On the way back from the Great Wall, we also stopped at a jade factory. It was very interesting to see how they carve jades. Nathan and I got a set of jade balls. It's a symbol of everlasting love. There are three separate balls of jade carved within themselves so that each one is separate and independent from the others.
We had to have dinner on our own that day, and we were tired, so we just went to the Subway located right at the mall behind the hotel.
After dinner we decided to buy tickets to an acrobatic show. It was a nice show. That night we just enjoyed our last night in Beijing because we were leaving for Xi' an early in the morning....
