The Great Wall

The last week of May I finally made it to the Great Wall! I've tried to get there all year, but any chance I had to travel, I traveled in other cities around China rather than visiting sites near my home. We had a culture week at the university and took the students on a field trip to climb the wall. Although it was only May, we've had summer weather for quite some time now. The day of our visit was nearly 100 degrees. It was really hot, especially climbing all of those steps, but worth it!

There are many sections of the Great Wall around northern China that are restored for tourists. We visited the Mutianyu section. It is a little further away from Beijing, so it doesn't get as much traffic as the Badaling gate. Without a crowd of tourists, this section was more enjoyable to walk. Once I got away from the main entry points to the wall, I had a lot of it to myself. 

There are two entry points to the wall. One of them is by cable car (highly recommended) or you can climb the 1,000+ steps to the top. I walked up the stairs and it was really hot considering the temperature that day. Next time I visit this section I'll definitely pay extra for the sky lift.  

The wall was built over the mountains so it isn't flat. It curves up and down across the landscape and can be quite a workout to cross. I was so excited to finally experience it that I practically ran from one end to the other.

After crossing the wall, I didn't feel like walking all the way back down again. There are two other options to get down, the sky-lift and the toboggan run. I elected the toboggan. It took less than 5 minutes to make it down to the bottom and was a lot more fun than climbing down 1,000+ steps!

Have you visited the Great Wall? Which section did you see?

Photo Friday: Great Wall

The Great Wall, Mutianyu

Beijing, China

May 26, 2015

Photo Friday: Cow Street Mosque

Cow Street Mosque

Beijing, China

April 25, 2015

National Museum of China

Living in China for a year gives me a chance to explore the history of a culture that I know little about.  I've studied various types of histories throughout my years of education and travel though I never had the opportunity until now to study China. I love reading about history and visiting local museums and there are a lot of museums in China. One of the best is the National Museum of China in Beijing located just east of Tian'an Men Square. There is a variety of items on display ranging from art, sculpture, pottery and bronze work.   

Song Dynasty Stone Carvings

During the recent APEC meetings in Beijing, the National Museum of China opened a new exhibit on the Silk Road in China. I honestly get so excited to see pieces that people created and used in their daily lives over a thousand years ago. In all of my years of visiting historic sites and museums, I don't think I've ever viewed anything in person that was dated b.c. However there are a few pieces in this collection that are. Here are a few of my favorite treasures from the Silk Road exhibit:

Bronze Vessel (beginning of 3rd century - 221 B.C.)

Brocade Pillow, Han Dynasty (25-220 A.D.)

Brocade Armlet, Han-Jin Dynasty (202 B.C.- 420 A.D.)

 

Lacquer Sewing Box, Qing Dynasty

This museum has a lot of great items and I can't wait to explore more of the collections on display. Best of all, the museum is free to visit.

Do you have a favorite museum? What did you enjoy seeing lately?

Lama Temple, Beijing

The very first place I visited in Beijing was the Lama Temple. I had never even heard of it, but I was traveling with the two foreign English teachers that I work with and it was on the top of one of their lists. Since everything was new to me at that point, I thought, why not? I'm so glad I went along. I was pretty impressed with the size of the temple. The complex is huge and I learned a little bit about Chinese culture and architecture while I was there. 

We arrived in Beijing around noon, too early to check into our hotel for the evening, so we brought our overnight bags with us. After we bought our tickets we entered the bag check lane which had two security guards with their batons checking everyone's bag as you enter the complex. I was the first of the three of us to enter so I step up and open my bag to check. Much to my surprise, both security guards stepped back from the table and turned their heads in the other direction as if they didn't even see me. My colleague said, "Tracy, just go through". I had never experienced that before and was shocked. As soon as the three of us passed, the guards resumed checking the bags of the Chinese tourists behind us. 

Since that time, I've experienced similar situations. As a foreigner there have been more times when I am waved through. However at the metro station I'm always expected to place my bag through the scanners just like everyone else.

The rest of my visit was uneventful. I leisurely walked through the enormous complex, snapping hundreds of photos trying to capture as many details as possible. I believe this is one of the largest temples in Beijing and I'm so happy to experience it on such a beautiful summer day.       

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Prayer Wheel

Burning Incense

 Where would you visit first in Beijing?