Beijing - July 15-18
Visited Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace. (Starbucks is located in the Forbidden City!) The walls of the city were taken down during the 10 year Cultural Revolution (1966 - 76), a time when the positions of the upper class (education, artists, doctors etc.) were reversed with the lower classes (farmers). The educated class was sent out to the fields to work and the children of farmers were given an opportunity to attend university. After the end of the Cultural Revolution (Mao's death), the children of the 'elite' class were allowed to attend university when they were in their late 20's. This period is seen by the locals as a catastrophic decade as the skills of many professionals were lost as well as many Chinese heritage sites were damaged.
The Summer Palace is north of Beijing, which became the capital of China after moving from Xian. The picture is of a stone boat that was created for the Empress Dowager (commonly known as the Dragon Lady) and floats in the man-made lake. Instead of putting money into a real navy, the Empress spent money on this boat that was to symbolize China's power. With no navy, China fell to Japan and the Quing Dynasty was the last. (see the movie "The Last Emperor")
g kids riding on the front or back of parents. Bikes, while locked, are not locked to railings etc. Bikes are not as fancy as North American brands. It is a wonder that there are not more accidents as vehicles rule the road. Lots of honking in the big cities.
Rickshaw ride through a hutong, which literally translates to 'alley'. This is a compound of buildings with many families and businesses. Some homes in the hutong are generational but many were created after the 'revolution' in 1949, when many rich families were forced out of their courtyard-styled homes. These homes with their many rooms were transformed into single family units, shared by poorer families. We visited an artist and his wife who make a living selling his art and holding lunches for tourist groups. His home in the hutong is generational but recently the government put 2 other families to live with him. He has sold spare rooms throughout the years.
Visited Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace. (Starbucks is located in the Forbidden City!) The walls of the city were taken down during the 10 year Cultural Revolution (1966 - 76), a time when the positions of the upper class (education, artists, doctors etc.) were reversed with the lower classes (farmers). The educated class was sent out to the fields to work and the children of farmers were given an opportunity to attend university. After the end of the Cultural Revolution (Mao's death), the children of the 'elite' class were allowed to attend university when they were in their late 20's. This period is seen by the locals as a catastrophic decade as the skills of many professionals were lost as well as many Chinese heritage sites were damaged.
The Summer Palace is north of Beijing, which became the capital of China after moving from Xian. The picture is of a stone boat that was created for the Empress Dowager (commonly known as the Dragon Lady) and floats in the man-made lake. Instead of putting money into a real navy, the Empress spent money on this boat that was to symbolize China's power. With no navy, China fell to Japan and the Quing Dynasty was the last. (see the movie "The Last Emperor")
g kids riding on the front or back of parents. Bikes, while locked, are not locked to railings etc. Bikes are not as fancy as North American brands. It is a wonder that there are not more accidents as vehicles rule the road. Lots of honking in the big cities.
Rickshaw ride through a hutong, which literally translates to 'alley'. This is a compound of buildings with many families and businesses. Some homes in the hutong are generational but many were created after the 'revolution' in 1949, when many rich families were forced out of their courtyard-styled homes. These homes with their many rooms were transformed into single family units, shared by poorer families. We visited an artist and his wife who make a living selling his art and holding lunches for tourist groups. His home in the hutong is generational but recently the government put 2 other families to live with him. He has sold spare rooms throughout the years.
posted by Courtney Chan at 1:31 PM
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