Day 4

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We visited the top consulting firm in China today and got to ask questions about the Chinese consumer market. We were only there for half the day, so the remainder of the day was free. We ended up going to the Temple of Heaven, a complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heavenfor good harvest. (Wikipedia) It was built in the early 1400’s.



We also dressed up as emperors and princesses and took pictures. Afterwards, we went to the Pearl Market, which is a large indoor market with electronics, fake purses, clothes, arts and crafts, cultural items (chopsticks, tea sets, etc), pearls, and jewelry. You definitely have to haggle to get a fair price. After doing a little souvenir shopping, we were all hungry. A foreigner gave us a tip on a place to eat down the street, so we headed there. We ate at Xiabu Xiabu Hotpot – it’s a large pot of broth, and you order all the ingredients you want to put in your pot separately – meat, veggies, flavorings, etc. When they bring it to the table, you throw everything in and cook it. There is an electric burner on the table that they turn on to boil the broth with the ingredients. We ordered a large plate of mixed veggies, beef, prawns, and noodles. For 4 people and a round of beers, it was $5 a person, and there was food leftover. After a full belly, we rode the subway back, picked up a few beers at a convenience store, and hung out in the hotel lobby for a bit before heading to bed.

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