Beijing, formerly known as Peking, is the capital city of China. It is the world's most populous capital city located in Northern China. My journey begins on Friday, 26 May through to Wednesday, 31 May 2017.
We had planned for this trip a year before and it was a much anticipated trip as it was on my bucket list and my mum's to visit two of the world's most renown UNESCO World Heritage sites - The Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City (My mum is a huge fan of 'The Last Emperor' and has been repeatedly watching the movie in anticipation of the trip).
We got our itinerary from our agent before the trip and were definitely looking forward to visit the listed sites!
Even the hotel looked impressive!
In most of my travels, you'll find that I like to travel in groups of over 10 people. It's actually a cost efficient way of comfort travelling, where cost of transportation is split, we get to spend the night in 3-5 star hotels and we get special group rates from the tour agency. I personally prefer this to budget backpacking, where the experience was pretty uncomfortable sleeping on hard mattresses on bunk beds and transportation involved taking public transport.
Day 1 - Friday, 26 May 2017
Upon arrival to the airport in the A.M., our guide led our group to our private tour bus and we headed for our hotel to unpack and freshen up. We chose to stay at a hotel that is slightly out of the city where journey to the sights would take a bit longer but price was less expensive compared to what we would get staying within the city. It was a good deal as we got to stay at the 5-Star Pullman :) And it was one of the most comfortable hotels I've had the pleasure of staying at in all my travels. Day 2 - Saturday, 27 May 2017
After a short sleep, we started our day with breakfast in the hotel the hopped into the bus and headed to our first destination - The Summer Palace. One of the many World Heritage sites in China, the palace was originally called 'Qingyi Garden'. In 1886, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit after it was destroyed by fire during rampage of the Anglo-French allied force. She changed its name to 'Summer Palace' (Yiheyuan).
Front entrance of the East Palace Gate of the Summer Palace.
Entering the East Palace Gate, it led us to the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshoudian) which is the administrative area of the Emperors. It was built in 1750, burned down in 1860 by the Anglo-French allied forces, and was reconstructed in 1888.
The Bronze Beast in front of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.
In the courtyard there is an exquisitely sculpted bronze beast called a Kylin, with a dragon head, lion tail, deer horn, and cattle hoof. According to a legend, the Kylin guards against destruction by fire. Because the Empress Dowager Cixi, rather than the Emperor, managed the affairs of the state, phoenix statues, which represent the queen, lie in the middle of the courtyard. The dragon statues, representing the Emperor, lie to the side, contrary to tradition.
Stork sculpture at the Hall of Joyful Longevity.
Boats by the lake, inside the Summer Palace.
At the lake in the Summer Palace.
View of the pagoda beyond the lake.
Walkway, next to the Long Corridor at the Summer Palace.
The Long Corridor. Check out the architecture!
This 728-metre-long walkway was built in 1750 by the Qianlong Emperor to allow his resident mother to take sheltered strolls whatever the weather, and is adorned with over 14,000 intricate paintings, which depict famous Chinese legends, historical battles, landscapes and wildlife. After lots of photo-taking, we hopped back into the bus and headed for our next destination.
Now while travelling to visit these historical sites, I often like to sit within the first two rows of the bus, just so I can have a chat with the tour guide, hear lots of stories and ask lots of questions (Hey, if you've travelled that far, why not learn something new?)
I found this trip really educational as I would often get confused on 'this' dynasty and 'that' dynasty and all the stories we would watch on TV. Why were the hairstyles different during the different dynasties? Why did some emperors wear a semi-bald hairdo with a ponytail and some just had hair tied up in a bun? How did one emperor house so many concubines and children?
Coincidentally, my mum and I have been following a series on TV called 'The Empress of China', starring China's sweetheart, Fan Bing Bing. It was set in the Tang Dynasty, it tells the story of how a wise concubine, Wu Mei Niang (also known as Wu Xe Tian), rose to become one of the greatest Emperors in China. And according to Wikipedia, she was the only female Emperor in Chinese history (meaning she ruled in place of man).
I had a lot of my questions answered as our guide brought out charts and maps, explaining the order of the dynasties.
So if you can see from the chart below, the Qin Dynasty reigned from 221 BC - 206 BC. This was one of the crucial dynasties in Chinese history. During the reign of Shi Huang Ti, he had commissioned for the Great Wall to be built to protect the country against foreign invasion. The Emperor also feared death and often wondered what the next life would bring. Hence why the Terracotta Warriors was built - an army to accompany the Emperor in the afterlife. Whilst the Great Wall can be viewed in Beijing and many parts of China as it spreads across the country; the Terracotta Warriors can only be seen at Xian which is definitely on my list of places-to-go. Under the leadership of Kublai Khan, Mongolia conquered and ruled under a new dynasty called Yuan. This was then followed by the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty was the last imperial dynasty ruled by the ethnic Han Chinese (ethnically, 95% of Chinese in China are Hans). It was known by scholars as "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history". This was followed by the Qing Dynasty which was ruled by Manchurians. Now remember my question about the semi-bald, ponytail hairdo, especially seen in popular Kungfu movies such as 'Wong Fei Hong' and 'Fong Sai Yuk'? That actually tells you which dynasty the movie was set. The semi-bald, ponytail hairdo is a Manchurian hairdo which was implemented during the Qing Dynasty. So all men were required to looked that way. The Qing Dynasty was also the last imperial dynasty in China before Communism under Mao Zedong took over.
Dynasty Chronology Chart from our guide.
Map of China
Map of Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty
Our next stop? Qianmen Street shopping!
This shopping street features both international brand names and local stores all within traditional-Chinese-architecture rows of shop lots. Not to mention eye-amusing desserts.
Fruit-infused Popsicles
We then headed towards the Hutong area where we first paid a visit to the Prince Gong museum.
Group photo while catching a quick rest in the Prince Gong Museum.
Dogs playing by the streets of Hutong.
At the bridge in Hutong area.
Peking duck for dinner.
Day 3 - Sunday, 28 May 2017
After a better night's rest with sufficient sleep and a hearty international buffet breakfast in Pullman Hotel, we were off to our first destination for the day -The Great Wall!
Now I initially thought that there would only be one entrance/ticketing booth to enter the Great Wall but as explained by our guide, Angela, because the Great Wall stretches all across the nation of China, there are multiple entry points to various sections of the Great Wall.
Most famous Great Wall sections are located in its suburban areas, including the well-preserved Badaling and Mutianyu, the renovated Juyonguan, Jinshanling and Simatai, and wild Jiankou and Gubeikou. About a 1-2 hours’ drive away from downtown Beijing.
In Chinese history, Beijing was not only one of the ancient capitals, but also one of the most strategic cities in the north. To defend their territory, many rulers have actively ordered to build Great Wall here.
The Great Wall in Beijing totals 573 kilometers (356 miles).
As one or two other sections were crowded, our guide took us to the Juyongguan section which was good because it was clean with a few people around.
Juyongguan Great Wall entrance.
So from the main entrance, I had the option of walking left to Fortress No.14 or to the right, to fortress No.1 and No.2 etc.
I decided to begin my journey by taking the steeper stairway on the left to Fortress No. 14.
See the stairs behind us? Yes I climbed that up to Fortress No.14.
That's Fortress No. 14 up over there!
The flight of stairs up to Fortress No.14.
Lots of steps and this is just one of many more.
I reached Fortress No.14!
Coming down from Fortress No.14 with jelly-like legs.
View from Fortress No.14
See how steep the stairs are... I had to hold on to the side as I took each step down.
View of where all the tour buses are parked from Fortress No.14.
View of the rest of the Great Wall from Fortress No. 14.
Coming down from Fortress No.14 with jelly-like legs.
I then walked back to where the main entrance is and took a right turn, heading to Fortress No. 1 and No. 2.
Fortress No.1
Fortress No.2
Heading back from Fortress No. 1 and No. 2.
Closer shot. You can see Fortress No. 14 at the top of the hill.
Donors and Corporate Sponsors who contributed to the rebuilding and maintenance of the Great Wall.
After a long walk, which resulted in wobbly knees, we headed to our next destination - the Beijing Olympic Stadium.
The 2008 Olympic Stadium known as the Bird's Nest.
Panoramic Map of the Beijing Olympic Park.
As we stood to have a look at the Panoramic Map of the Beijing Olympic Park, the guide advised that it will take a 40 minute walk to the Bird's Nest and its surrounding area. And so we opted to pay for an electric car ride instead of the 40-minute walk in the scorching sun.
Electric car ride around the Olympic park.
At the National Stadium grounds.
Olympic Torch monument.
Close up of the Bird's Nest.
The Water Cube where aquatic sports were held.
We continued our evening with a Chinese theatre performance called the 'Golden Mask Dynasty' show.
Casts of the Golden Mask Dynasty Performance
Excerpt from Trip Advisor - About Golden Mask Dynasty Show:
Set in the Golden Mask Dynasty, a legendary age in China, the story tells how a queen, who wears a golden mask, creates a splendid dynasty. The play has eight chapters and included more than 200 actors from China and abroad. Produced by Chinese playwrights, directors and designers, the play features Chinese dances, acrobatics, costumes, and lighting and acoustics.
Day 4 - Monday, 29 May 2017 This is the day we've been waiting for... The day we visit the cultural highlight of China - Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace).
Mao Zedong's Mausoleum.
Surrounding area of Tiananmen Square.
Monuments which used to be ancient doorways.
Map of Surrounding area.
Qianmen which faces the Mao Zedong Mausoleum.
Qianmen is the colloquial name for Zhengyangmen, a gate in Beijing's historic city wall. The gate is situated to the south of Tiananmen Square and once guarded the southern entry into the Inner City.
Great Hall of the People - Massive home to the National People's Congress built in 1959, with public tours when not in session.
'Monument to the Peoples' Heroes' in front of the 'Chinese National Museum'.
View of Tiananmen Gate, the entrance to the Forbidden City.
Flag pole at Tiananmen Square where the change of guards happen every hour.
Tiananmen Gate with Mao Zedong's photo on it.
Large crowds meandering through the South entrance.
To enter the Forbidden City, visitors must enter from its south entrance (Meridian Gate – Wumen) and out from its northern gate (Gate of Divine – Shenwu Men).
The large doors entering the Forbidden City. The knobs signify position/rank. The more knobs in the row, the higher the authority.
Large crowds of people entering through the gate.
Inside the Forbidden City.
See below (Puyi was the last emperor of China).
Telephone against the wall.
Alleyways which leads to the harem.
Gate of Supreme Harmony which is guarded by Chinese stone lions.
Hall of Preserving Harmony under preservation.
Large entrance arches which separates each courtyard.
Ticketing gate in the Forbidden City.
Alleys between living quarters.
The living quarters of the Qing Emperor's favourite concubine.
She was ethnically Han Chinese whilst the Qing Emperor was Manchurian so despite being his favourite, he could not make her his queen. However, the living quarters was located close to his chambers.
