China, Beijing -- October 8 & 9, 2013

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October 8th

We arrived in Beijing yesterday, and have to say that the airport is beyond any other airport we have been in. Upon arrival you take a train to another terminal to collect your luggage, the crowing into the train was such that it would have been impossible to fall since we packed so securely.

Today we took a cab to the Temple of Heaven, which is a combination of a large park with several temples in it, the Echo Wall, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, a large elevated circular structure that contains the Heavenly Centre Stone, the Long Corridor upon which the Emperor and nobles walked to worship. When I thought of China in the past I gave little thought to religion, so it was interesting to learn a bit about it.

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Photos

Temple of Heaven
Morning Dancing -- In the early morning in many Chinese parks you will see people getting excerise via dancing.

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One of the structures within the Temple of Heaven had a series of circles around a center stone

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Mare standing on the center stone

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Echo Wall -- This compound is surrounded by a circular wall that bounces back a yell.