Return Trip - Day 6: Jingshan Park

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Had a relatively relaxing day with only a few activities. Went to see Jingshan Park this morning. This park dates to the Liao and Jin Dynasties, almost a thousand years ago.It sits on around 60 acres of land, mainly consisting of a 150 ft high artificial hill that was built during the Ming Dynasty, entirely from the soil excavated in forming the moats around the Imperial Palace. The hill has five individual peaks, each with an elaborate pavilion on top. There are great views of the Imperial Village from the pavilions. At the base of the hill is the "Guilty Tree" where the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, committed suicide by hanging himself 1644, after the Imperial City was overthrown by a peasant revolution. After a short hike, we had another great lunch at a local restaurant and then boarded a "bullet train" to Xian. The train travels at 300 km/hr (186 mph), although you barely feel like you are moving. We covered the ~1000 miles in just short of 6 hours. Along the way we passed a remarkable amount of construction. Cities seem to arise out of the middle of the farmlands and high rise building extend for miles on end. We must have passed at least 1000 high rises that were in various stages of construction. In addition, there were many that appeared abandoned and others that appeared completed, but empty. Looks like the construction may be outpacing the demand. Off to the Terracotta Warriors in the morning and then to catch a plane for the next leg of the journey.

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Photos

At a pavillion in Jingshan Park

A view of the Imperial City from Jingshan Park

A Pavillion at Jingshan Park

Tiled Ceiling