Beijing Hutong

Before our afternoon flight to Xi'an our driver dropped us off at the Drum and Bell Towers. These sit on the center axis of Beijing with the Forbidden City anchoring the South and now the Olympic Bird's Nest to the North. The bell tower marked time for Beijing people before the cultural revolution. Evidently the first item people bought after the revolution - with several month's salary - was a watch. The towers now serve as tourist sites with frequent ceremonial performances.

The government of China has designated a couple dozen Hutong communities as historic sites, though most have been torn down and replaced with modern buildings. The narrow alleyways are lined with primarily gray-walled windowless structures with periodic entryways that lead to family homes and complexes. Though some residents are enjoying economic prosperity, they have no access to sewage systems and must use common communal toilets that are owned and operated by the government. A monthly fee is charged for this convenience. The well off are able to upgrade their homes with solar showers, but no toilets.

After a rickshaw ride dodging bicycles, scooters, cars and pedestrians all jockeying for right of way we visited the home of Mrs. Wong which is right next door to a bed & breakfast - a new concept in this neighborhood.  Mrs. Wong's home is 200 years old and has accommodated five generations of relatives. The lovely center courtyard has a bedroom and living room in the North rooms and kitchen and dining room to the South. (Note Mrs. Wong's sinkless kitchen!)

I always feel like a voyeur on excursions like this and try to be discreet as I snap photos. Yet these images of daily life are some of my favorite. I hope you enjoy these glimpses of our rickshaw ride around a Beijing Hutong.

Postscript: Aboard our flight to Xi'an we were treated to views of the Great Wall and mountainous regions draped with farming steppes. Beautiful!

Great Wall of China

We are now authentic heroines. We have climbed the Great Wall! We travelled 1 1/2 hours to the Badaling Hills where the Great Wall is strung like Christmas lights throughout the steep mountain peaks and valleys and dotted with guard towers rather than twinkling lights. At the base of the Badaling entrance Iowa introduced us to our two ascent options as "hard and harder." We chose harder for the promise of lighter crowds. 45 minutes later we reached the highest tower in this section of the wall having climbed steep, uneven, ladder-like stairs and harder roller coaster grade ramp-like sections. The mountain views were striking in their elegant simplicity highlighted by the snaking barrier stretching to infinity.

Our cool-down for the afternoon included a one-mile stroll along The Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs. This sacred way is lined with bookended stone sculptures including warriors, elephants, camels, horses and additional essential elements worthy of the 13 great Ming emperors entombed in this area.

The day was topped-off with a Beijing (Peking) duck dinner followed by two short Beijing (Peking) Opera performances. It is considered one of China's precious treasures and was a treat to experience. Another highlight of the day was a jade carving factory. The jade that appealed to us were exquisitely carved museum-like pieces in the $20,000-plus category. The complexity and beauty of these belong on some seven-wonder list.

BEIJING Palaces

Our official tour started today and we are delighted with our tour guide Iowa (not his real name of course but his Chinese name sounds similar). He will travel with us all the way to Shanghai and thankfully he is warm and funny in a very sweet way. 

Iowa escorted us through Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and The Summer Palace with ease. Chairman Mao's presence is palpable in the square with his permanent portrait looking on from Tiananmen Gate and his even more permanent body on display in the crystal tomb. The patient crowds waiting daily to view the late Chairman in his preserved state hint at the massive population in China.

As the crowds inevitable drifted North to enter The Forbidden City I wondered what Chinese "commoners" feel as they step over these once forbidden thresholds. Do they view this fabled palace with reverent awe or do they wonder, as I did, how such opulent excess could be lavished upon one man (or Dragon Lady) while the majority subsisted on noodles or rice? 9,999 rooms -many filled with precious jades, tapestries and Chinese screen paintings - have remained virtually untouched and we commoners are now permitted to peer into unlit rooms to view a moment in history. It would take weeks to wander all the labyrinthian passages. To view the thrones in the Hall of Central Harmony and Hall of Supreme Harmony we employed the delicate art of pushing to obtain our views. It seems that is basically how it is done here. Other than at security checkpoints, the 80,000 visitors per day are not herded into tidy lines. Nor is every ledge and missing paving stone marked with yellow tape or handrail; and I'm finding this "here it is, have at it" approach surprisingly liberating and refreshing.

At The Summer Palace we boarded dragon boats destined for the base of the hills created by the dirt excavated from the manmade lake. With the beauty of the Western Mountains in the background I imagine the sublimity of having this as my private playground. I wonder if I, like the Dragon Lady, would be content sitting at the shore in my marble boat. Would I find the expanse of my private temples and pavilions, protected by walls snaking up the hills, to be a palace or a prison? Today, I am simply grateful for the opportunity to be here and to experience the majestic splendor.

BEIJING Temples

Blue skies and pleasant weather blessed Beijing today. And we were blessed with Temple visits North and South - Temple of Heaven (1420), Lama Temple (1744) and Confucius Temple (1302). I've never seen such exquisite or elaborate shrines as these. Temple of Heaven noted for its expansive grounds and beautiful park-like gardens; Lama for its golden-glittery buddhas (one standing upright and a Guinness record-holder); and Confucius for its library of original stone tablets. 

Rather than feeling contemplative after all the incense and Buddha worship, I am plum tuckered out from miles of walking. We continued the trend of meandering off course and creating an unexpected interlude. Our detour took us through winding Hutong lanes that surprisingly went from ladies selling vegetables out their front windows to shabby chic storefronts punctuated with American Cafes. We chose Vineyard Cafe, right across from the Confucius International Hostel. I have no idea how we got there and thankfully as we left our English speaking waitress put us back on course by pointing us in the direction of the Lama Temple.