Friday - Last Day In Beijing

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I awoke early without a wake up call being arranged. We were out late last night with dinner and then a social event that lasted until very late. We returned to the hotel around 3:00 in the morning. There is no sleeping in today and it is not because some of us are leaving for Hong Kong later in the evening. The reason for the early rise is because we have been invited to the Imperial Palace to see some galleries that are open to the academic public by appointment or invitation, but not open to the general public. This came as a surprise last night during dinner when our friend a curator of the Palace Museum asked if we might be interested. I know the galleries quite well but DP and WM have not been there before. The other day, Tuesday was a trip to see a sealed temple within the compound. It is a very good opportunity to see Imperial Palace paintings, Tibetan and Chinese, along with a nice display of sculpture.

Time is short now and I have to run and get some breakfast.

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