michael_chmilar
Leaving Beijing
I am travelling from Beijing to Shanghai, tonight, on a sleeper train. I have been in Beijing for four nights, and almost five days. I've been very busy seeing the sights, so I haven't posted for a few days.
I find that if I spend a lot of time uploading photos, I don't manage to write very much, so I will concentrate on writing, for this post.
Beijing is a modern city. It is not too different from cities in other countries, especially if you go to the "luxury" shopping areas. I also see many other foreigners here. I expect that Shanghai will be similar.
Day One:
Arrive in Beijing at 6:45am. It is very cold and windy. I take a bus from the train station to Leo Hostel, and check in.
Because of the China-Africa Summit, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are closed. It is also really, really cold, so I have little motivation to go sightseeing. I go shopping, instead.
In the evening, I go to see the Acrobat Show. Some of the acts are quite amazing.
Day Two:
I spend a chilly day touring the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, some of the most significant building in the Forbidden City are under restoration for the 2008 Olympics, and are enclosed in scaffolding.
The Forbidden City is mostly a collection of similar-looking buildings. In its current form, many of the buildings house historical objects, like a museum. There are also some small gardens. I thought actual living quarters of the emperors, empresses, and concubines were more interesting than the more "official" buildings. Even with the "sameness", I still spend most of the day touring around.
In the evening, I go to see the Kung-Fu Show. I didn't really know what to expect when I booked it: will it be a bunch of guys breaking bricks, or performing staged fights?
The Kung-Fu show is reminiscent of the type of show that Cirque du Soleil performs. It has beautiful stage and lighting design. The music is modern. The show has a theme and storyline, which follows a young monk from his initiation into the Shaolin Temple until he reaches enlightenment and becomes a "warrior monk". It is really more like a dance show, which highlights the "forms" that make up Kung-Fu.
There is no fighting in the Kung-Fu show, but the performers do break some metal bars on their heads! There are also some impressive acrobatics.
Overall, the Kung-Fu Show was the most entertaining of the three evening performances I have seen.
Day Three:
Tour to "The Secret Great Wall". This is an "exclusive" to Leo Hostel. Eleven of us go to a section of the Great Wall which is unrestored and undeveloped for tourists. One member of party says that Leo grew up in the village that we hike from.
The weather is better. Not so windy. I had talked to some people who had gone the day before, and they were miserable.
A van drives us out to village, which takes about 2.5 hours. On the way, we pass Badaling, which is the closest and most touristy Great Wall location. It has a cable car.
A local person, who speaks no English, guides us along a trail. We can see the wall, high above us. We have to climb about 550m to our final destination, which is a guard tower. In 45 minutes we reach a section of the wall, and it takes another 45 to reach the guard tower.
Along the way, I ask the guide if he does this climb every day ("Ni zoutian, jingtian, mingtian, houtian" (You yesterday, today, tomorrow, next day) and gesture walking up and down. He nods, "Yes."
When we return to the village, ten different dishes of local food are awaiting us for a delicious lunch. We see no other tourists around the area. I juggle apples for the children.
In the evening, I go to the Beijing Opera. Two different stories are presented. Each is done in a very traditional style: the stage is lit evenly with white light, and there are no props except for what is absolutely necessary.
The first story involves mistaken identity, and is mostly a fight between two characters in a completely dark room. The actors have to pretend that they cannot see each other. The fight is played up for its comedy.
The second story is about a water nymph who marries a human, and then has to go to war with the gods, who disapprove. This involves some very interesting stage fighting and acrobatics. The stage fighting is completely stylized (ie. no real "contact fighting"). At one point, the actress playing the water nymph is surrounded by actors who toss spears at her, and she kicks them back with amazing accuracy and dexterity.
Chinese opera is very symbolic. The costumes have meaning, as do the face painting, movements, gestures, etc. It is difficult to fully understand what is happening without knowing all of the symbolic background. However, it was still very enjoyable. The first story had no "shrill" singing - the actors sang in their natural voices -, and the second had only a small amount of shrill singing.
Day Four:
I visit the Summer Palace, which involves a one hour trip on a city bus. The Summer Palace was the summer residence of the Emperor and his retinue. It is very large, and has a lake and many park-like areas. I thought it was more interesting and scenic than the Forbidden City.
In the evening, I go to a restaurant for Beijing Duck. The restaurant is considered to be one of the best, and the food is very good. It is also the most expensive meal I have eaten in China. A half-duck, plate of asparagus and mushrooms, and beer cost Y161 (about $20).
To eat Beijing Duck, you make a duck burrito! The duck breast is carved at your table. You are supplied with some small "tortillas", some "brown sauce" (like the brown sauce at most Thai restaurants), and onion shoots. You dip the duck pieces in the sauce, put them and some onion on the tortilla, and fold it into a small burrito to eat it.
Day Five:
The Temple of Heaven is a nice half-day visit. It is also in a park-like setting. In the morning, there are many people out exercising in various ways.
For the afternoon, I went shopping for 2008 Olympic stuff (t-shirts, pins), and a few other trinkets, including the "must have" Chairman Mao wristwatch, in which he is waving his hand. I bargained down to Y40 from Y180 (because I talked to other people who had bought the same watch for Y35-Y40). I don't expect it to work for very long. It is very, very cheap.
A little internet time to write this post, and then I have to lug my pack to the train station. It is two stops away on the subway.
Leaving Beijing
I am travelling from Beijing to Shanghai, tonight, on a sleeper train. I have been in Beijing for four nights, and almost five days. I've been very busy seeing the sights, so I haven't posted for a few days.
I find that if I spend a lot of time uploading photos, I don't manage to write very much, so I will concentrate on writing, for this post.
Beijing is a modern city. It is not too different from cities in other countries, especially if you go to the "luxury" shopping areas. I also see many other foreigners here. I expect that Shanghai will be similar.
Day One:
Arrive in Beijing at 6:45am. It is very cold and windy. I take a bus from the train station to Leo Hostel, and check in.
Because of the China-Africa Summit, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are closed. It is also really, really cold, so I have little motivation to go sightseeing. I go shopping, instead.
In the evening, I go to see the Acrobat Show. Some of the acts are quite amazing.
Day Two:
I spend a chilly day touring the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, some of the most significant building in the Forbidden City are under restoration for the 2008 Olympics, and are enclosed in scaffolding.
The Forbidden City is mostly a collection of similar-looking buildings. In its current form, many of the buildings house historical objects, like a museum. There are also some small gardens. I thought actual living quarters of the emperors, empresses, and concubines were more interesting than the more "official" buildings. Even with the "sameness", I still spend most of the day touring around.
In the evening, I go to see the Kung-Fu Show. I didn't really know what to expect when I booked it: will it be a bunch of guys breaking bricks, or performing staged fights?
The Kung-Fu show is reminiscent of the type of show that Cirque du Soleil performs. It has beautiful stage and lighting design. The music is modern. The show has a theme and storyline, which follows a young monk from his initiation into the Shaolin Temple until he reaches enlightenment and becomes a "warrior monk". It is really more like a dance show, which highlights the "forms" that make up Kung-Fu.
There is no fighting in the Kung-Fu show, but the performers do break some metal bars on their heads! There are also some impressive acrobatics.
Overall, the Kung-Fu Show was the most entertaining of the three evening performances I have seen.
Day Three:
Tour to "The Secret Great Wall". This is an "exclusive" to Leo Hostel. Eleven of us go to a section of the Great Wall which is unrestored and undeveloped for tourists. One member of party says that Leo grew up in the village that we hike from.
The weather is better. Not so windy. I had talked to some people who had gone the day before, and they were miserable.
A van drives us out to village, which takes about 2.5 hours. On the way, we pass Badaling, which is the closest and most touristy Great Wall location. It has a cable car.
A local person, who speaks no English, guides us along a trail. We can see the wall, high above us. We have to climb about 550m to our final destination, which is a guard tower. In 45 minutes we reach a section of the wall, and it takes another 45 to reach the guard tower.
Along the way, I ask the guide if he does this climb every day ("Ni zoutian, jingtian, mingtian, houtian" (You yesterday, today, tomorrow, next day) and gesture walking up and down. He nods, "Yes."
When we return to the village, ten different dishes of local food are awaiting us for a delicious lunch. We see no other tourists around the area. I juggle apples for the children.
In the evening, I go to the Beijing Opera. Two different stories are presented. Each is done in a very traditional style: the stage is lit evenly with white light, and there are no props except for what is absolutely necessary.
The first story involves mistaken identity, and is mostly a fight between two characters in a completely dark room. The actors have to pretend that they cannot see each other. The fight is played up for its comedy.
The second story is about a water nymph who marries a human, and then has to go to war with the gods, who disapprove. This involves some very interesting stage fighting and acrobatics. The stage fighting is completely stylized (ie. no real "contact fighting"). At one point, the actress playing the water nymph is surrounded by actors who toss spears at her, and she kicks them back with amazing accuracy and dexterity.
Chinese opera is very symbolic. The costumes have meaning, as do the face painting, movements, gestures, etc. It is difficult to fully understand what is happening without knowing all of the symbolic background. However, it was still very enjoyable. The first story had no "shrill" singing - the actors sang in their natural voices -, and the second had only a small amount of shrill singing.
Day Four:
I visit the Summer Palace, which involves a one hour trip on a city bus. The Summer Palace was the summer residence of the Emperor and his retinue. It is very large, and has a lake and many park-like areas. I thought it was more interesting and scenic than the Forbidden City.
In the evening, I go to a restaurant for Beijing Duck. The restaurant is considered to be one of the best, and the food is very good. It is also the most expensive meal I have eaten in China. A half-duck, plate of asparagus and mushrooms, and beer cost Y161 (about $20).
To eat Beijing Duck, you make a duck burrito! The duck breast is carved at your table. You are supplied with some small "tortillas", some "brown sauce" (like the brown sauce at most Thai restaurants), and onion shoots. You dip the duck pieces in the sauce, put them and some onion on the tortilla, and fold it into a small burrito to eat it.
Day Five:
The Temple of Heaven is a nice half-day visit. It is also in a park-like setting. In the morning, there are many people out exercising in various ways.
For the afternoon, I went shopping for 2008 Olympic stuff (t-shirts, pins), and a few other trinkets, including the "must have" Chairman Mao wristwatch, in which he is waving his hand. I bargained down to Y40 from Y180 (because I talked to other people who had bought the same watch for Y35-Y40). I don't expect it to work for very long. It is very, very cheap.
A little internet time to write this post, and then I have to lug my pack to the train station. It is two stops away on the subway.