We just got back from Beijing, by overnight train. What a wonderful adventure we had there! The train was fun, and the food was delicious! We did so much in Beijing, that I had no time to update my blog! So here is what you missed!
First Day: Temple of Heaven (there is videos too!) Hot Pot lunch and The Forbiden City (view here)
The Temple of Heaven complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations..." as the "symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries. The Temple of Heaven underwent a 47 million yuan (5.9 million USD) restoration in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Summer .
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.
The Summer Palace was a summer home for the Emperor of China. It Includes a man made lake which covers 3/4s of 2.9 square kilometers of land. It includes many temples (which Judy and the rest got lost in). Even a boat made out of pure marble built for the Empress.
The Olympic bird's nest is where the race track and the being of the 2008 olympic games. The building is so interestingly shaped. It cost about $423 million stadium it is the world's largest steel structure
Third Day: Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Ming Wax Museum, Ming Tombs, Jade Factory and China's Flag Raising
We took a tour to all these places for about 100 yuan ($15 US Dollars) at our first stop, the flag raising took place in front of the forbidden city in 7:30 A.M. It was amazing! After we headed off to the great wall were we played in the snow, and climbed up the wall. The Ming tomb museum gave us so much information.
1 comment:
Hi Natalie,
Have missed reading your blog. I guess you have been busy and 12 hours on the train is a long time.
Nothing came through on your blog today except "Ninth Day Tuesday" maybe it will still come through. Tomorrow we are going to Oxnard and will stay with friends through the New Year. It's nice, about a half block from the beach. There will be 6 couples. All have condos up there. Will be home Friday or Sat. I think I will be able to use a computer there so I can still read your blogs. I'm so glad you are all having such a good time.
Love, Grandma and Grandpa
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