Journal and Photos by Dan Skinner, President of Texas Public Radio

March 4, 2008

Our band of Texas Public Radio travelers gathered at San Antonio Airport at 5:30 in the morning to prepare for the first of several flights that will ultimately land us in Beijing to begin our China adventure. This is the first of two trips to China that TPR arranged for our listeners through Collette Vacations. I have the privilege of accompanying this group to Beijing, while our Development Director, Laverne Pitts, will travel with the second group of travelers that will leave on March 11th.

Providing I have reliable access to the internet, my aim is to provide periodic updates, with pictures, of our travels. This is the first time I've traveled to China and like the others on the trip, I'm looking forward to the experience. Our itinerary includes visits to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Great Wall, The Peking Opera, The Beijing Zoo and more.

March 5, 2008

March 6, 2008

This morning we toured the Summer Palace, the largest and best preserved imperial garden in China. The history of the gardens spans over 850 years. The Summer Palace grounds cover nearly three square miles and includes more than 3,000 buildings, including temples, pavilions, halls and towers. Three quarters of the Summer Palace is open water which includes KunMing Lake.

The weather started out chilly but warmed up as the day progressed and turned out to be quite nice. Below are a just a few images from the massive Summer Palace. (You can click on the Summer Palace pictures below to see enlargements.)

	Portion of Decorative Gate leading into the 'Pavilion of Buddhist Fragrance'
Marble Stone Boat It doesn't float, but it was a unique place to have a royal party!	The 'Pavilion of Buddhist Fragrance' as seen from across KunMing Lake

After leaving the Summer Palace we went to the first of our government required trips to stores that feature Chinese products. Today we visited a Pearl Shop where we received a brief demonstration on how oysters produce pearls and how to tell real pearls from fake pearls. Following the demonstration we were given the opportunity to purchase pearls from the government operated gift shop. The advantage of buying from the government store is that the quality is guaranteed. With the street vendors there is the possibility that they could be fake. Tomorrow we'll visit a government run store that features silk and other fabric products. We had lunch in a building adjacent to the Pearl Store, along with two other Collette tour groups. In all there are three bus loads of Collette tours following the same itinerary as our TPR group.

Following lunch we went to the Beijing Zoo.The zoo was the first of its kind in China. The zoo features about 20,000 animals representing nearly 900 different species . The most popular, and the most famous are the Pandas, which was the focus of our visit. (More information about the zoo.)

The Entrance to the Panda Exhibit

One of the Famous Pandas

After the zoo visit we did a drive by of the Olympic Village. Much construction still remains to be completed before the Summer Olympic Games in August. Still it was fun to see some of the buildings that we will see during the coverage of the Summer Games. (You can click on the Olympic Site pictures to see enlargements.)

The "Bird's Nest" Olympic Stadium

The "Bubble" Aquatics Competition Building

Our day concluded with a Chinese dumpling dinner at back at the Loong Palace hotel with all three of the Collette groups. It was a full day and most of the group was happy to call it an early evening to rest up for tomorrow.

March 7, 2008

Today was another full day of sight seeing. Our day began with a visit to the Forbidden City, known locally as the Palace Museum. The Forbidden City was home to 24 Emperors over its 500 year history and contains 9,999 buildings and huge courtyards. The movie "The Last Emperor" was film here, but filming on location is no longer allowed.

Here are just a few glimpses from the Forbidden City. (Click pictures below to see enlargements)

	Our local guide "Patrick" tells us about the significance of this area of the Forbidden City
Tim Marwell and Kelly Farrel enjoying their tour of the Forbidden City	This recently restored paint is representative of the ornate decorations found on many structures in the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square is located adjacent to the Forbidden City. As we exited the gate of the Forbidden City, we entered Tiananmen Square. The gate we passed through, known as the Tiananmen Tower, features a huge portrait of Chairman Mao. Tiananmen square is also boarded by the Great Hall of the People, and Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. In the center of the square is the Monument to the People's Heroes.

Tiananmen Tower	Great Hall of the People
Mao Zedong Memorial Hall	Monument to the People's Heroes

Following our visit to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square we walked to a restaurant nearby the square for lunch. From there we rode the tour bus to the Beuing Yuanlong Silk Corporation where we were given a demonstration on silk making. This was another of the government required stops for groups visiting Beijing and, of course, afterwards we were required by the government to remain in the store for a certain amount of time so that everyone would have time to shop for silk bedding, clothing and art.

After a day filled with much walking, most of the group elected to go for an extend foot massage. The process took over an hour including soaking in hot water and a very thorough massage therapy. Our feet were much happier for the experience! From there it was back to the hotel for dinner and relaxation.

March 8, 2008

Today was a very busy day for the TPR Travelers. We started out the morning getting our cardiovascular exercise by paying a visit to the Great Wall of China. We each found our own personal limits and covered different distances as we climbed the very steep and uneven stairs that lead up the wall. The morning was overcast and the sky continued to be overcast through out the day. (Click on the images below to see enlargement.)

The Great Wall of China

Julia McGlone, Carol McGlone, Rose Mary Fry and Jennifer McGlone show their Support for Ohio State by forming the letters O-H-I-O at the Great Wall.

Our next stop was at the Cloisonne Factory, another one of our government required tour destinations. We were given a demonstration of how the cloisonne items are made which involves a process of crafting the metal, painting the designs, firing the object, and polishing. The results are beautiful. As with the other China product demonstrations, we were given time to browse the store for potential purchases. After shopping we had a group lunch upstairs in the same building. (Click on the images below to see enlargement.)

Following lunch we traveled to the Ming Tombs were the 13 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were buried. We walked along the Sacred Way, the ceremonial road that was used a funeral procession for the emperors. The Scared Way is lined with statues representing officials, animals and mythical creatures. (Click on images below to see enlargement.)

The Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs grounds is lined with Statuary

The Stele Pavilion of Divine Merits and Sacred Virtue of Changling is seen at the end of this section of the Sacred way.

After leaving the Ming Tombs Sacred Way, we traveled to the Long Di Superior Jade Gallery. We received a brief demonstration about how the artists create pieces in jade plus information about the various grades of jade and how to detect fakes. We, of course, were also given time to shop.

We had dinner at the Beijing Hepingmen Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant to experience their world famous Peking Duck. We ended the evening with a performance by the Peking Opera of "Eight Immortals Crossing Sea." The performance incorporated song, dance, martial arts and acrobatics. We sat at tables and enjoyed tea and snacks during the performance. To help us better understand the story, the dialog was displayed in English on electronic signs on either side of the stage. However, some of the plot was lost in translation. Still, it was a great end to a full day of experiencing the culture of China.

March 9, 2008

This morning some of the group chose to have the day to themselves for shopping, relaxing or sightseeing on their own. Others, including myself, signed up for an option morning tour of the BeiHei Imperial Garden and the Yonhegong Lama Temple. Dating back to 938 A.D., the BeiHei Imperial Garden is the oldest classical imperial garden in China. It also houses statues of Buddha and other items of religious significance. (Click on images below to see enlargement.)

BeiHei Imperial Garden	The White Pagoda
In this Bell Tower, for a donation of two yuan, visitors are allowed to ring the bell for good luck.	Freda Facey rings the bronze bell ( made in 1651), generating a deep, rich and long lasting tone.

The Yonhegong Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple was originally constructed in 1694 as the home of Prince Yong of the Qing Dynasty. It became a Lama Temple in 1744. Each of the halls contain Buddha statues and other representations of religious significance. The tallest hall was built around a 58 foot tall statue of Buddha that was carved out of a single piece of white sandal wood. (Photography is not allowed in the halls, so I have no photos to show of this monumental work.) The air in and surrounding the temple grounds is filled with the aroma of incense offered up in religious observance by the faithful. As I type these notes, late in the evening, the fragrance of incense still lingers in my clothing. (Click on images below to see enlargement.)

Main Gate to Yonhegong Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple
Buddhists burning Incense at Yonhegong Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple	The faithful carry out their religious observances amidst the crush of tourists and show great patience.

After these tours, we had the option to go back to the hotel or to venture out on our own to do some shopping in the markets. To help us reach or destinations, one of our Chinese guides flagged down a cab and told the driver, in Chinese, where to take us. Since the taxi drivers don't speak English, the guide also provided us with written directions so that we could show them to a cab driver to get to our next destination. I joined several of the TPR travelers to explore the Cotton Market, a very large five story building filled with many vendors offering an amazing variety of products. The vendors expect everyone to bargain for the price and one can easily walk away with 50% savings, or if you are a more persistent perhaps as much as 75% of from the vendors first asking price.

Following our shopping adventure, we used the directions written down by our Chinese Guide, and were able to take a taxi to the theatre and meet up with the rest of the travelers for an evening performance by Chinese Acrobats. The show was amazing, filled with colorful costumes, evocative music and stunning feats of acrobatics. It was a wonderful way to end another memorable day in Beijing.

March 10, 2008

This morning we left the hotel at 6 a.m. to go to the airport and catch a flight to Xian to see the Terra-Cotta Warriors. The Warriors were discovered by local farmers in 1974, 2,200 years after they were created as part of the Mausoleum for Emperor QuinShihuang. The area is still under excavation and new discoveries continue to be made. It is estimated that a total of 6,000 pottery warriors and horses will be unearthed from just one of the three working sites at the museum. In the gift shop, after seeing the terra-cotta statues, several of us purchased souvenir exhibit books and had the privilege of having it autographed by one of the farmers who made the discovery back in 1974. Now that is a very special memento! We got back to the hotel after 9 in the evening. It has been a long day, but it has been worth the effort to see what is now known as the "8th Wonder of the World." (Click on images below to see enlargement.)

	Dan Skinner at Excavation Pit #1

March 11, 2008

This morning we visited the "Temple of Heaven" grounds. The temple was constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty. This is a gathering place for retired people and others who come together to socialize, exercise, dance, perform music and play games. The people enjoy the opportunity to interact with tourists and invite people to join them in their activities.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest	People gather at the long hallway to sing, play music and/or play card and board games

Our next stop was at the Beijing Beigongfang Silk Carpet Factory. We received a demonstration of the carpet making and learned about the different levels of quality. The carpets are hand made and the finer quality carpets can take up to 18 months for one craftsperson to create. The factory also featured silk embroidery pictures that were amazing. Some of the detail was so fine that at first glance you might think you were looking at a photograph instead of a composition made of silk threads. Some of the very high quality pieces of art take over a year to embroider. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed so you'll have to go to China to see for yourself. :)

Our next experience was another highlight of the trip. We were taken by rickshaw through the narrow twisting streets of a Hutong neighborhood where we met a local resident and were treated to a lunch in her home. Our interpreter helped us talk with our host so that we could learn more about life in the Hutong. There used to be 7,000 Hutong neighborhoods in Beijing until the Cultural Revolution during which many of the one story traditional homes, sometimes 200-300 years old, were destroyed to make way for more modern multistory apartments or high rise office buildings. The government has now realized that the Hutongs are an important part of the cultural history of Beijing and is now preserving the nearly 2,000 remaining Hutong neighborhoods. Most of the remaining homes have now been updated with electricity, running water, air conditioning, Internet, etc. Those buildings that are too far gone to save are being replaced with new homes built in the traditional style. Getting to see a Hutong home and visit with our host was a special experience. As small thank you gift for the host, I presented her with two Texas Public Radio T-shirts.

Parker Wilson and Shelly Faris Prepare for rickshaw ride through Hutong	In transit via rickshaw through the Hutong... Street Vendors rode along side the rickshaws to sell merchandise while in motion.
Our interpreter "Vic" tells us about the history of Hutongs in Beijing	Our Hutong lunch host demonstrates how to make steamed dumplings. (This photo by John Facey. Thanks, John!)

Before leaving the Hutong we visited an ancient bell tower that was built during the Ming Dynasty. The Bell Tower, along with a nearby Drum Tower was used to indicate the hours of the day. Weighing in at 63 tons, the bell is referred to as the king of ancient bells. We climbed the steep staircase to see the bell and the view from the balcony. Afterwards, we descended the stairs and entered a tea shop at the base of the tower where we learned about the Chinese Tea Ceremony and the proper way to hold the tea cup.

This ancient bell tower was constructed during the Ming Dynasty	We had to climb very steep stairs in the tower to reach the bell.
This is the "King of Ancient Bells." The red striker is used to ring the bell.	In a Tea Shop located in the base of the Bell Tower we learned about the Chinese Tea Ceremony

We ended the evening with a "farewell" dinner at the hotel during which we received our copies of the group picture taken at the Great Wall. Tomorrow we begin the journey home. It's been a fast paced and enlightening trip during which we've sampled the rich culture and 5,000 year history of China. We've also seen how the past and future co-exist in today's rapidly changing Beijing.

It has been a wonderful trip, but I'm ready to come back home to San Antonio. Thanks to all of the Texas Public Radio travelers for sharing this adventure! Thanks also, to you for reading this journal and sharing in the spirit of our trip to Beijing.

More information about future trips being offered by Texas Public Radio, please visit our travel page.