We came to Changchun for one reason only: to see the palace of Puyi, the famous "Last Emperor" of China who's life has been the feature of several books and an academy-award winning movie. I read the book on which the movie is based shortly before we left on the trip, which I highly recommend. Puyi became the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty in 1908, before he had even reached his 3rd birthday. It was at this time that he was taken from his family and brought to the Forbidden City to begin his training as a member of the royal family. Though only a small child Puyi was treated like a god: he was carried everywhere rather than allowed to walk and was constantly attended by a troupe of eunuchs, who were his servants. ... read more

We arrived in Beijing on an icy cold night to find the international airport essentially deserted. Our trip had gotten off to a rocky start. I will spare you all the details, but it involved a flight cancellation and a frustrated hour on the phone with Air Canada. The day was eventually saved by a kindly airline representative (and a little white lie about making it to Beijing in time for a wedding) which enabled us to depart only a few hours later than oringinally intended. We spent the night in a hotel near the airport and by the next day were at the train station, facing the crush of New Year's Eve travelers in the world's most populous nation. We battled valiantly through the throng of people with a fair amount of pushing and shoving ... read more