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Day five - Saturday 12 May - Up early at 0530
- View out window shows moon is visible in its last quarter so sky is clearer
than on previous mornings. Unfortunately it appears that the power transformer
brought for the 220 volt current has wrecked the small battery charger. We
organize our gear and write post cards before breakfast at 0600-0700, another
huge buffet with lots of orange juice, eggs, pancakes, rolls, bacon. We make
some sandwiches to take on tour. The bus departs for the Summer Palace with a stop first at the
Beijing Bang Fu Chun Fresh Water Pearl
Store at 50 Kunming Hu Road, very near the palace. After a 45 minute
illustrated lecture on how pearls grow complete with the opening of live clam
shells from a tank and a demonstration of how pearls are formed, the group
guesses the number that would be found. Every one enjoys the talk. The store is
very large and full of display cases and many clerks. It seems most of the
items are quite expensive, but then who knows how much they would cost in the
United States. But some necklaces and bracelets are as low priced as $30.00.
There are ear rings, broaches, rings, necklaces, and more. Interesting are
large world globes made of mother of pearl. Evidently the prices are not
exorbitant as many of the group load up with many purchases. As we wait outside
for the big buyers, some sales girls come out to practice their English with
us.
The bus takes us the few blocks to the Summer palace, where we arrive about 11
AM. Again, there is a huge crowd (orderly) of Chinese wanting to spend their
Saturday in the palace grounds (with its lovely lake and extensive gardens).
The palace contains many buildings, only a very few of which we visit. We walk
around one side of the lake via a lengthy covered corridor. Unfortunately we
don't climb up the hill to see the main temple pagoda. I had purchased a palace
map (and nearly frozen Coke) so was well prepared for the excursion. We depart
about 1300 for the drive back to the downtown area. Again, we pass many very
impressive modern high-rise buildings as we motor along the super-highways. We
stop in south central Beijing at one of the remaining "hutong" areas
- Xuan wu - narrow, winding streets and one
or two story private homes behind windowless walls. So many of these areas have
been destroyed in the process of highway and high-rise construction, that this
is one kept in part as a tourist attraction. On the inside the homes are very
well kept, many around a courtyard.
Here Vantage has hired a fleet of three wheeled bicycle rickshaws that carry two passengers
each. The drivers are eagerly waiting our appearance, ready to take us to the
pre-arranged private homes for lunch. The convoy wends its way through the maze
- luckily they will bring us back out as well. Along the way we pass several
streets of highly decorated traditional architecture shops that obviously cater
to tourists, the windows are full of antiques and souvenirs, but we cannot
stop. We have 8 persons assigned to each family for the lunch. The hosts are
extremely friendly and eager to serve traditional lunch family style. Well it
is an 8 course lunch, so I am not so sure it is the common fare of typical
Chinese. It includes 3 different meat courses, of course tea and sodas, rice,
vegetables, water melon, and peanuts. After bidding the hostesses thanks, we
bicycle back to another private home in which the whole tour group is seated
for a discussion by the elderly couple as they serve tea. They are proud to
answer many questions about life in China. Evidently they are under contract
with Vantage to do this frequently. The home has 8 small rooms around a
courtyard with an outer gate and heavy
door. The rooms are well decorated and kept. Kelly interprets the discussion.
The gentleman notes that his pension was adequate for some years but now is
suffering from inflation. Back outside after this pleasant and informative
interlude we find the rickshaws waiting to get us back to the main street and
our bus.
At that point I am ready to strike out during 'free time' but Kelly indicates
there will be no taxis at that location. So we go back to the hotel. It is now
1500. Kelly writes full directions for a taxi driver, and I have a city map to
show. We go to the Temple of Heaven,
which remarkably is not on the standard tour itinerary. It is a fast taxi ride.
Again there is a crowd of Chinese tourists (or perhaps worshipers). This famous
landmark should be on every tourists agenda. Entrance is 35Y. I buy a large map
and guide of the temple grounds. It is a huge area with many buildings enclosed
in a wall set in a larger park. Inside the main temples form a series along a
typical Chinese north-south axis. The main buildings date from the 1400's but
have seen many repairs. Each year the Emperor comes here to pray for
agricultural harvest success in ceremonies replete with elaborate protocol and
rituals. One special door into the enclosure was created for a 70-year-old
emperor, after which he decreed that only successors who also over 70-years
could use it. There were no successor emperors who qualified. By now I am
getting quite tired and am finding walking to be difficult in the heat and
smog. We manage to finish this exploration by 1700 and walk through the
adjacent park where there are many musicians, each singly or in small groups,
with small crowds listening. Apparently this area is a favorite place for
Chinese musicians to play for themselves out of doors, but they don't mind
attracting a crowd. Among the instruments we see are accordions, Chinese
violins, and more. In this park there is a long pavilion that was used during
imperial times as the kitchens to prepare the ritual foods and sacrifice gifts
for the emperor's ceremonies. The kitchens were complete with store houses and
slaughter houses. We now have only 2 hours before curtain time at the opera, so
decide to rest a bit and then proceed directly there, as there is no time to
get back to the hotel. The taxi to the opera takes only 10 minutes, so we have
time again to sit and rest before the tour group arrives. The theater hall has
a stage and several hundred seats in rows but with some at tables. We watch as
clever fellows pour tea with great ceremony from long-spouted kettles. (See
photos of waiters practicing this at
Hangzhou.) The performance is a Chinese
play plus acrobats. The costumes are elaborate. Of course I do not know
what was going on, but the Chinese audience clearly enjoys the performance.
Apparently it is a Taoist priest story. We return to the hotel at 2100 and have
time to walk again to the local store to buy Coke and ice cream. We pack our
bags for the next day departure and are asleep at 2300. We decide that there
won't be enough time on Sunday morning to get to a church and back before the
group departs for Xi'an.
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