1/30/2010-Beijing, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City

It was another sunny day in Beijing, with the temperature in the high 40’s. We met in the hotel lobby for departure for Tiananmen Square. We got off of the bus outside of the new Beijing Opera hall…a titanium clad egg-shaped structure floating in an oval shaped pool. We didn’t go inside, but walked around the southern side and headed toward Tiananmen Square. The square was filled with people and the line to enter Chairman Mao’s tomb was already very long. We walked and talked our way across the square toward the Forbidden City. Entering through the first gate, it seemed like we just kept going and going….layer after layer. The place was very impressive and it we imagined all that had happened there throughout the centuries. We really want to watch the Last Emperor sometime soon while the memories are still fresh in our minds.

From here we headed to a silk factory where we learned about the two types of silk pods- twin worms for making quilts and pillows and single worms for making silk fabric. We had yet another chance for shopping and we purchased two pillow covers for home and I bought a nice silk blazer. After the silk factory we headed for lunch and had a traditional Peking Duck lunch. It was very good and is considered to be the specialty of Beijing.

After lunch, we went to the Temple of Heaven. It was a very spiritual place set within a large park. It consisted of a large circular outdoor alter and several temples. As we exited, we walked through the park and there were large gatherings of people singing, dancing and playing cards and hacky sack. This was a very cool thing to see…real life in China.

We ended the day with some shopping in a traditional Chinese shopping mall. It’s nothing like in the USA. There are several booths with people selling their stuff. You walk by and they ask to you look and buy whatever it is they are trying to sell. Some grab your arm to take you to their stuff. Then you haggle with them for a price that works for both of you. Most of the group felt this was too much pressure. It was fun to see.