Advertisement
My trip to Beijing for May holiday was fantastic. I was there from April 24th until May 3rd. I saw the beautiful parks, partied the nights away, and took in the tourist sights with the thousands of others who visited too. It was like Disneyland crowds (but without the lines) everywhere I went. On May 1st, the start of the national holiday, the sites were especially packed with people.
I have to start with the parks. Beijing has many many parks. It was so wonderful to be in such colorful green space. Flowers in bloom, green trees, hills with stairs to climb up, lakes with boats floating by, blue sky above, and fresh air. The sound of birds and smell of spring blossoms surrounding me was so nice. The parks reminded me of Arnold Arboretum in Boston or the Rose Garden by Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. The peonies reminded me of my childhood, Mom used to grow peonies in the back yard.
My first day I went to Tian'anmen Square at dusk, just to walk around and see what I could see before it was too dark out. The second day, April 25th, I got up and walked through Tian'men by daylight - bright sunshine I might add! I walked through the square and on through the southern gate and then turned along the road and made my way to Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) Park. On the last stretch of my walk, I was approached by a pedi-cab driver (bike in the front, carriage in the back for passengers). These guys are all over Beijing, peddling their services (no pun intended). I talked him down to 10 kuai from 50 kuai, as I knew he wasn't going to have to go too far to get to the park. He was persistent, so I bargained. Hooray, I know the numbers in Chinese! So I got there in style - tourist-style - and paid my fee.
Temple of Heaven Park has several buildings to see, temples where they used to make sacrifices to the gods. The most famous is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. Beijing is amazing in that much of the city is laid out on a grid, with buildings and parks lined up on north-south or east-west axes. Tiantan's main buildings are laid out on a north-south axis, with other building scattered around the main axis. I saw those historic sites, of course. When I got to the southern end of the park, I turned and wandered through the southwestern and western parts of the park. Wow! Hardly anyone was around, just a few elderly Chinese along the paths. The trees were lush, the blossoms were full - yellow and pink, I don't know what kind of trees they were - and there was an area with pine trees where the ground cover was maybe lavendar or some other pale purple blossom that smelled mmmmm fresh and clean. Then I turned the corner and there were lilacs! Inhaling the blossoms, I sat down on a nearby bench and had my picnic lunch and took in the scenery. I wandered a little over to the eastern side of the park before making my way out at the north gate. What a great day! Between Tian'anmen and Tiantan I got a little sunburned that day. The next day I was sure to buy some sunscreen, as I had left my supply in Jinan.
On April 26th I went to the Summer Palace, the home away from home for the Emperors and Empresses of the last few dynasties. Wow again! A spacious lake (Kunming Hu), walkways on the eastern and northern sides of the lake, the 17-Arch Bridge, Longevity Hill, and the Tower of Buddhist Incense that you can see from everywhere. More green space! I walked - strolled you might say - to the bridge and the little island across the bridge. I walked up Longevity Hill and then down to the Long Corridor on the north side of the lake. The breeze was coming off the lake and it reminded me of our Minnesota lakes. Nothing like the breeze off the lake to cool you down on a hot summer day. It was refreshing! No matter the time or generation, everyone wants to have a nice vacation spot on the lake, eh?
On April 27th, I walked around the Houhei District, near the Drum and Bell Towers and saw some of the old hutongs (alleyways, the former streets of the city). I was walking towards home and decided to enter Jingshan Park. This park is on the northern edge of the Forbidden City, outside the northern gate. What a sight! I entered the east side of Jingshan to be greeted by a sea of peonies in bloom! Pink and yellow and red and burgundy and white and mmmmm they smelled fantastic! I walked around the flowers and joined the Chinese in taking pictures and wandering around the park. There were a few people that were putting pen or paint to paper to capture the flowers instead of cameras. The artists I saw were very good at their craft. I stuck with my camera to capture the moment. In the middle of the park is a large hill, at the top of which is a large pagoda/pavillion. Needless to say, I climbed the stairs to the top. What a view! I was above the Forbidden City, above the city of Beijing, and had a panoramic view of it all. To the south - the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square. To the west, Beihei Park and its White Dagoba (I think it's a Tibetan-style Pagoda). To the north, the Drum and Bell Towers in the distance along the north-south axis. And to the east - somewhere in the distance is the Worker's Stadium and the Sanlitun District (more on that later). Tall buildings further out in all directions, as the city grew outward and the modern buildings came to be built. And in the temple at the top, a large Buddha statue and incense burning. Jingshan Park is one of my favorites, a great memory from my trip to Beijing.
One one of my last days in Beijing, I went to the Silk Market, a place that is a tourist trap of a marketplace, right near the main train station. Stall after stall of people peddling their wares and yelling "Lady Lady look here!" I wasn't really in the mood to be shopping and not ready for the onslaught of people yelling at me, but I figured I needed to go there and check out this famous place where you can really bargain if you like that kind of thing. I walked around the different floors and then went out the back of the marketplace. I walked up the street to Ritan Park, another park I wanted to check out. Ritan Park is in the Embassy District, not far from the U.S. Embassy. It was free, which I was happy about, and it was a nice green space. Once upon a time, it was used for prayer and sacrifices, and there are still buildings and a large open stone platform left from those times. Nowadays it is occupied by families and diplomats wanting a respite from the hustle and bustle of the busy city. There was a kiddie park area, an exercise area, an area with peonies blooming, an area with a pond and a small hill for climbing nearby, and a calm, pleasant air throughout the park. I wandered around and rested on a bench now and then. I exited the park and headed west, back towards the hostel. I walked down a street where the signs were in Chinese and Russian, a little Moscow-town in the middle of Beijing. How cool! I tried to read the Cyrillic letters as I kept walking down the street. I wish I remembered more of my Russian! I walked home, it took a while but it was easy to navigate - it was a straight shot walking west to get back to the Forbidden City and the hostel.
Nearly every day I was in Beijing, I bought a bottle of tea along the way, in the parks or outside the parks. It's some kind of green tea which comes in bottles much like a bottle of water or soda. But it's green tea with a bit of jasmine, or maybe it's jasmine tea. I don't know, but it tastes like drinking flowers to me. It's a wonderful flavor, I really enjoy drinking it. Every time I drink it, it tastes like freshness. One night with dinner, I ordered chrysanthemum tea, and I looked in the teapot and there were the mums floating in the water. How about that! I took in the flowers in Bejing with all my senses: I enjoyed their beautiful colors with my eyes; I smelled the wonderful scents of roses, peonies, lilacs, and more; I touched the soft petals; I heard the breeze dance through them; I tasted the blossoms in my tea. Now I know what it's like to drink flowers.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.103s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 8; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0728s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Jodie
non-member comment
Beijing sounds incredible!
Elizabeth - I so appreciate your detailed travelogues. Sounds like you are having amazing, rich experiences - keep soaking it all in!