Alice and Randy's Adventure in China: Beijing

We arrived in Beijing in late afternoon on Thursday from Xi’an. A thrilling sight was the great wall from the air before we landed. My former visiting scholar, an associate professor of computer science at Beijing University of Telecommunications and Posts, Xing Zuo, picked us up from the airport. His small Honda Civic struggled to accommodate all of us and the luggage but it just fit. He is not used to driving much and fumbled a bit getting us out of the airport but we found the Airport Expressway and headed in the evening rush hour traffic to central Beijing where our hotel lay.

The Great Wall may not be able to be seen from space but you can certainly see it from the air above the Beijing area

After about an hour we arrived at the Marriott Imperial City Executive Apartments which is within a long walk to the Forbidden City. We had a spacious and comfortable two bedroom, two and a half bathroom apartment with living room, kitchen and, most important, clothes washer/drier. This amazing machine both washes and dries clothes and though it has small capacity was quite efficient. We made good use of it during our five night stay.

The exterior of our home in Beijing. I did not get inside photos but the apartment was spacious and comfortable and we faced the interior courtyard which lacked views but made it very private and quiet.

After settling in, Xing took us to a mall where we met his wife and daughter (10 years old) for a dinner of traditional Peking duck and other goodies. The food was very good and the duck was served sliced nicely and easy to eat.

Xing with his lovely wife and cute daughter

Preparing the famous Peking (or Beijing) duck

Xing shows us how to assemble the duck. A very thin pancake is laden with sliced duck meat, a few matchstick vegetables and some Hoisin sauce.

Xing's adorable daughter Shirley wears her Auburn tiger hair ribbon

The next morning, I was to give my talk at the IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence located some 30 minutes away north. Xing was nearly an hour late picking me up because of traffic and then his GPS overheated and did not work. So, we took a taxi from the hotel to the conference site instead. I made it in time to give my talk and schmooze briefly. We taxi’ed back to the Marriott and retrieved Randy, Nick and Tianqi. We walked to a nearby Beijing noodle restaurant located on a “hutong”. A hutong is a narrow, traditional street lined with low rise buildings, some residential and some commercial. Some of them admit cars and some do not. They were found frequently in the part of Beijing we were staying in. The lunch was pretty delicious.

Walking through the Beijing sun on the way to lunch at a hutong

Tianqi and Nick are happy to be in the capital city

A typical hutong

The hutong where our restaurant is located

The restaurant was a bit hidden away but delivered on the food

Tianqi and Alice wait with anticipation for the Beijing noodles

The food was quite a feast and different from the southern Chinese food we had at Nanjing

This fried bread with sauce was a delicious if guilty pleasure

Fortified, we walked to the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square (they face each other). Unfortunately, due to earlier terrorist attacks to reach either of these you need to go through a security check. There was a long wait (about 30 minutes or so) in a crowded line to get through this. Needless to say, it was hot. However, we were very lucky with the weather as during our entire stay, Beijing’s infamous air pollution was not present and had blue and clear skies. Once in, we took some photos and entered the Forbidden City.

Yes, we happened upon a very rare week of clear skies in Beijing

The silly and chaotic line to get into the central square area. Cars can go freely but people cannot. How is this security?

The austerity of Tienanmen Square

In front of the square

Another shot - we did not walk around the square as it was not appealing

Those are some big sunglasses

Tienanmen Square cannot compete with the Forbidden City in terms of beauty, artistry and enduring value

The site of Mao's mausoleum

In front of the iconic picture of Mao himself

This is the shot you have to get in Beijing

This is gate to the entrance to the Forbidden City

This complex is very large and it was very crowded during our visit (maybe it is always crowded). Nevertheless, we admired the impressive imperial buildings, walked through some small garden with venerable trees, and looked at some artifacts of jewels, jade, brass, etc. housed inside.

Inside the city are more gates

The size of the place was beyond our expectations

One of the guardian lions

One of the splendid buildings. Most were closed to entry but there were a few we could either view in or actually go in.

It was crowded that day but the place is so vast only a few areas were uncomfortably crowded

A panoramic of the central area

A selfie

Some of the guardian creatures on the roof corners. These are common on Chinese buildings.

Tianqi and Nick in front a decorated building

A metal crane statue

A wonderful guardian turtle/dragon

One of the thrones (there are many apparently)

The very long carved dragon artwork that is a single piece of stone

The garden was a little bizarre as its main decoration is these huge river rocks

Nick and Tianqi at a venerable tree where she had a photo during her only previous visit about 10 years ago

The unusual and magnificent kneeling elephants (this is one of a pair)

This was one of my favorite sights in the Forbidden City

Dragon carved detail of the elephant's blanket

This guardian is pretty scary

The famous nine dragons wall

This artwork is ceramic

The detailing is impressive and energetic

Xing and Randy take a short rest. The visit was exhausting due to the sun and heat and crowds.

Enjoying the Forbidden City - Nick had especially wanted to see the nine dragons wall - mission accomplished!

Another fierce guardian

His back is also fierce

Another throne

A ceramic elephant near this throne

Even the ceiling is amazingly decorated

A longer view shot of this wildly impressive throne room

Another guardian holding what looks like a lion cub down

With a guardian friend

After a few hours we exited at the north (you enter at the south) and embarked on the long walk back to the hotel. We got a little lost but found the Marriott and rested and showered. Xing booked tickets (at my request) at a traditional Beijing Opera that evening. We took taxis to the place (after snacks and beers at the hotel lounge) and got there just after it began. This turned out to be a 2 ½ hour performance with no intermission. It was very strange for us but also mesmerizing. There was a small live orchestra with the traditional instruments and the performers were excellent. Anyway, we got into it and all enjoyed it very much. Xing was less enthusiastic (it was his first time at such an opera). The audience were nearly all Chinese and many were senior citizens with a keen appreciation of the various hand movements, foot movements and vocals. Excitement ensued as Nick, Tianqi and I could not find a taxi and had to resort to going to a local hotel and begging a driver who had just dropped off to take us. Randy and Xing had been more lucky in snagging a taxi from the theater. Taxis are problematic in Beijing – they are cheap but hard to come by during some times of the day or night and in some places.

From the exit, a pagoda in the Forbidden City can be seen (we did not see this structure close up)

A moat surrounds the Forbidden City

On the walk back to the hotel we walked by Saint Joseph's Church, the most prominent historic Christian church in Beijing, erected by the French in 1905

We refortified with snacks and beer at the hotel lounge before the opera

Taking a taxi to the opera - Nick and Tianqi with one of their perpetual card games

The theater was in this large office building

Evening sky beauty over Beijing

The nasty mother-in-law of the story in the center (played by a man) with her daughter (at left) and son (at right)

The son laments

The wife of the son - the central figure of the opera and a well known opera star - is mistreated by her mother-in-law

The wife's family consists of her mother (center) and her comic relief brother (on right)

The couple end up having to divorce because of the mother-in-law and both commit suicide together by jumping in a river at the opera's finale

On Saturday, we planned to visit the Lama Temple and then the Summer Palace. The Lama Temple is the largest and most well-known Tibetan monastery outside of Tibet. It was founded in the Xxx’s because the Emperor wanted his son to be more calm and asked him to study the Tibetan ways. It is an active temple site and many people were lighting incense and praying. It was well worth seeing and quite peaceful in the middle of Beijing, a city of nearly 20 million people. Xing made a short drive to a nearby street where we ate a Chinese Muslim restaurant. While not quite as good as the one we ate at in Xi’an, we had tasty roast lamb, vegetables, and a variety of dumplings including a biscuit type thing stuffed with lamb that was very good if very heavy.

The entrance to the Lama Temple

A guardian lion

The tree lined park was a delight in the middle of Beijing

At the inner entrance gate to this Tibetan monastery

Another grouping

Another set of guardians

A laden altar - note the Tibetan style decorations (gold towers) on either side

A cool religious artifact outside

The colorful prayer things inside the main building

Another altar

Very colorful ceiling with dragons and other motifs

These gods are in a threesome to provide assistance to yourself (1), your ancestors (2) and your progeny (3)

A tapestry worked in silk many centuries ago is still vibrant

A goddess

Tibetan art similar to the well known sand art

A very tall (about three stories) god

Face detail - it was very hard to get a decent picture of this god as the space is vertical but very small in floor area

This building housed an altar with the seven levels of Buddhism

Xing and Tianqi try out a prayer wheel

A very cool Tibetan monk enjoys the weather in the monastery

Entrance to our yummy lunch place nearby - a Muslim restaurant

By the way, these Muslim restaurants always serve beer (and probably other alcohol). In fact, alcohol is found pretty much everywhere including convenience stores. Tianqi and Xing pick our lunch menu.

Lamb and eggplant were different than those we ate in Xi'an but almost as delicious

These biscuit type things were stuffed with minced lamb and onion - extremely delicious but very heavy - who knows how many calories?

We decided we did not have time to go to the Summer Palace which was probably an hour away so we chose the Temple of Heaven instead. This is located in a large, green park south of the Forbidden City. It is the place where the emperors prayed especially for good harvests. There is a complex of several large buildings including the wonderful round tower that is the centerpiece. It was not too crowded by Chinese standards and we enjoyed the walk through the green park to observe some other small sights and see the locals singing and dancing in the park on this Saturday afternoon.

Locals play Chinese chess in the park of the Temple of Heaven

The main temple

This temple was for sacrifices and prayers to ensure good harvests

Another lengthy dragon carving similar to those in the Forbidden City (this complex dates from about the same time)

The building was beautifully colored

Gold dragon detail

One of the gates to the main temple area

Blue tile roof detail

A good vantage

A panoramic of the main temple grounds

A beautiful column inside the main temple

The domed ceiling inside

A final shot of the wonderful decor - colorful but elegant

The topknot of the building - don't know what the Chinese characters say

A final look at this really wonderful structure

Walking to the next area

This was a smaller structure - maybe a tomb

Taking a brief break in the shade of a garden area

Nick and Tianqi at the whispering wall. This curved wall around the tomb (above) supposedly lets those on the other side of the wall hear even your whispers. We did not test this hypothesis. Below is the next area, that of the main sacrificial altar.

Entrance to the sacrificial altar area as seen from the altar

Nick on the altar. Animal sacrifices were made to help guarantee a bountiful harvest.

Tianqi and Nick on the lucky central stone of the altar crow their delight

While Randy and Xing discuss the city and its historic landmarks such as this one

In the leafy park area a group of senior citizens was singing (quite nicely) traditional Communist songs from their youth

The so called seven meteors in the park is really and disappointingly a collection of carved river rocks (but they are quite old, having been created and installed at the order of one of the emperors)

That evening, the four of us (less Xing) took a taxi to the Bai Jia Da Yuan restaurant, a complex of small, traditional buildings set among extensive and beautiful gardens. This was the site of the IEEE Administrative Committee (AD COM) dinner. The rest of the group came by bus from their hotel and we arrived prior to them. We searched for the right room for a while before bumping into the group. The dinner was nicely served (using the common revolving center to share dishes) and included Chinese wine which was drinkable. A small show of traditional performance similar to what we saw in Chengdu but not as good was also part of the evening. We ate and drank and then met our taxi which Tianqi ordered to return to the Marriott.

The entrance to Bai Jia Da Yuan restaurant in Beijing

Some of the hostess and waitstaff were dressed in traditional costume

Some of the pretty garden area of this huge restaurant complex

A pretty good red wine (for a Chinese effort)

A salad which includes flower petals

The infamous Beijing smog was not evident during our stay and we were even able to enjoy a super moon sighting from the taxi on the way back to the hotel from the restaurant

Sunday, I spent the entire day at my AD COM meeting at the conference hotel north of the city center. I managed to take a taxi there and back by myself without too much trouble. During my absence, the rest ate at the Beijing noodle restaurant that we ate lunch at two days prior. Randy lounged in the hotel room while Nick and Tianqi took a taxi to the Summer Palace. There, they had a fine time taking a paddle boat around the lake and narrowly escaping a rain storm while they were boating.

We reunioned at the hotel room around 6:30 PM and took a taxi to a hutong where a highly rated Italian restaurant that Nick found on the internet was. We walked through this crowded and evidently popular hutong and finally found the place, the Mercante. It was a small place but run by Italians and the food was very good and the Italian wine a nice change. We enjoyed our evening there immensely. We managed to find a taxi on the main street who took us back to the hotel for a 20 yuan surcharge (about six yuan equal one dollar). It was a very successful evening. We saw many international (non-Chinese) people out and about on this Sunday evening at the hutong and the restaurant. As the capital and a major city, there is a sizable set of ex pats living in Beijing and, of course, many visitors from abroad.