Beijing, China

[ckii96]

Forbidden? Not so Forbidden!

I arrived Beijing at around 2:45 pm on 7/12/2006 and waited for immigration clearance for an hour before I finally got hold of my check-in luggage. Luckily it was low season for sight-seeing travelers in winter. If not, I could have been stranded for even longer at the Beijing Capital International Airport.

Due to a long day of catching planes cum transiting, there was no time to see any interesting place, so I decided to start my sight-seeing activities the next day.

Early in the morning, I took the subway train from my friend's apartment to the Tiananmen Square (天安门广场). After I had alighted from the train, this subway attendant performed his duty of getting clearance for the train to leave the station. I even witnessed how these attendants pushed the passengers into the train car during peak hours! :)

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After getting out of the subway station, I saw another major means of transport in Beijing.

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Since Tiananmen (天安门) is on the other side of the street, I had to get across the 10-motorway lane Chang An Jie/Street (长安街), but using the underpass, of course! The guard at Tiananmen beared the same expression as Chairman Mao.

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This side door of Tiananmen must have been passed through by numerous top decision makers shaping China today!

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As I walked further north, the Forbidden City (Gu Gong) was in sight.

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Many of the ministers and eunuchs must have passed through these arches in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Today, they remain as passageways to enter the exhibition chambers on the western perimeter.

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For those who don't understand Mandarin, it can be misread as the description of the relic condition, haha! :D

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And I wonder, what's inside?

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Before I knew it, I was already at the most northern part of the Forbidden City, the Imperial Garden (Yi Hua Yuan), where the Emperors and concubines played.

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I had to turn south-bound to go out of the City and the sun was already low.

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And the sun is setting.

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When I reached the exit, it was already dark.

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Happy viewing and shooting! :)

[ckii96]

The Quest to be a Macho Man

As one of the Chinese old sayings says: "You are not a macho man unless you have been to the Great Wall," so I embarked on this quest when I had the chance in Beijing. The journey started off from my friend's apartment where we were chauffered by a rented car to the region called Mutianyu (慕田峪), 79 km northeast of Beijing.

We arrived at Mutianyu after a one hour and 45 minutes ride. We quickly grabbed the entrance and cable car tickets so that we can be macho sooner. However, the market at the foot of the mountain ridges bearing the Great Wall is equally interesting, so we walked to the cable car station slowly passing by stalls selling all kinds of food stuff and souvenirs.

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When we finally arrived at the cable car station, we were told that our tickets aren't for the cable cars, but for the cable way similar to the ski cable. My friend was so worried about riding on the open space cable way but I enjoyed the view with no barrier very much!

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Arriving at the top cable way station offered the first view of a macho man. I wonder whether someone a thousand years ago had seen the same view.

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And it is still a long way for the quest.

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The macho man has almost reached one of the many forts on the Great Wall.

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There are so many more steps to climb, even more so, on inclined steps!

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_018.jpg

And the quest is never ending. It ain't easy to be a macho man!

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A diversion from the original quest...

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Even a dog wanna be macho!

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The macho man is yet to reach another fort.

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And the macho man has to return to the starting point of the quest to get home...

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waving goodbye to the trees and I'm going home...

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:D

[ckii96]

Food, Modern Art and Old Hutong

Having been foot-massaged after the macho man quest to the Great Wall, I was completely refreshed for another eventful day. Before breakfast, we grabbed these pancakes as our snacks.

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Eventually, we were having our 'proper' breakfast at another food outlet with deep-fried Chinese crullers,

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and glutinous rice rolls to go with the soya bean milk.

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After filling our stomachs with all these goodies, we went to a Sunday Service before heading to 798, yes, 798, that's right. Though it sounds like 'going to the pub' in Mandarin. There are many art galleries like this in this area which was once an industrial estate.

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Inside one of the galleries housed the paintings of an artist which resemble the school of modern arts in China.

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All these art pieces are displayed in cozy places like this.

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And there are bookstores dedicated to published materials about arts here as well.

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Even the washroom is elaborately decorated with street arts.

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[ckii96]

And there was a sculpture exhibition going on by an artist called Luo Xu.

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After appreciating the proper arts, some lighter artifacts are for grab as souvenirs on a pedestrian overpass.

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And there are even more 'arts' to be collected.

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When the day was coming to an end, it's time to look for the prominent Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant. It must be here somewhere in these old Hutong's.

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Is it this one? No!

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Yeah! Found it!

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This is how they roast the ducks until they have the fragrance from the fire wood.

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And the duck is finally served on the dining table. I'm tucking in!

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Wait till I'm done with the duck. Ciao! :P

[qqmeng]

thanks for bringing me to beijing :D

[AhMah]

Nice story-telling captions that went well with equally nice pictures!

[ckii96]

thanks for bringing me to beijing :D

Nice story-telling captions that went well with equally nice pictures!

Thanks qqmeng and AhMah. :) I'm glad both of you like my postings of Beijing. I'm putting up some more today.

[ckii96]

Summer in Winter

This was the day I visited the Summer Palace (颐和园) which is located northwest of Beijing. It was built by Emperor Qian Long (乾隆) in 1750 in conjunction with his mother’s birthday. I started off with the hill-hiking along the Wan Shou Shan (万寿山) and saw this painting-decorated ceiling of one of the buildings along the hill path.

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At one of the summits sits the Lama temple where the Emperors prayed. The roofs of the temples are deliberately decorated with carvings of the mythological beings.

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This temple is decorated with many statues of Buddha around the perimeter walls.

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Coming down from the hill area and walking towards the lake area reveals some painted glass windows, offering spectacular views of a painting within a painting.

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One needs to pass though a few of corridors like this to get to the scenic area of the lake.

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The first glance at the lake offered this view of a pavilion and trees on an island.

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Circling around the island revealed a different scene with the frozen lake.

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And the 17-opening Bridge is already in sight.

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Crossing the 17-opening Bridge brought me to the island with a man-made garden.

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And I could see the Bridge from a different angle with the pavilion on the mainland.

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[ckii96]

The painted ceiling of the pavilion reminded me of patterns and symmetry.

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The sun is getting lower by the minutes and I had to turn back to see some other things.

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But before that, I would love to indulge myself in the silhouette of a tree,

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and also the pavilion and some trees on the island.

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On the other side of the lake lies the Long Gallery (长廊) made up by a series of corridors.

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This is one typical ceiling of a pavilion along the Long Gallery with abundant paintings.

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Walking passed the Long Gallery marked the end of my tour of this awesome park where the emperors and concubines played. On the way back to Beijing led me passing by the best university in China, the Peking University (北京大学), and this is the west gate of the University.

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After a long day, I couldn’t leave without food! It’s time to have some summer feeling in my stomach at a Sichuan restaurant called Yu Xiang Ren Jia (渝乡人家). The first dish I was offered is this spicy chicken cubes with peanuts (宮保鶏丁).

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Another dish to warm my stomach is this north Sichuan glass noodles (川北凉粉), which was cooked with chilies, Sichuan peppers and gingers.

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And last but not least, the water-boiled fish fillets (水煮魚), which literally means half-water-half-oil-boiled fish fillets, in lots of dried chilies!

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I hope you have enjoyed another day of my traveling experience. Happy viewing and shooting. :)

[andretong]

incredible.
Always enjoy looking at your pics even though some i have seen before.
So, what is your next travel location? Can't wait to see it.

[ckii96]

Thanks andretong. :) I'm glad you appreciate what I've posted. I'm putting up some more of Beijing, though you may have seen them in other forums. :) My next destinations will be Istanbul-Athens-Mykonos-Santorini-Patras that'll be in June/July.

[ShaolinTiger]

Awesome travel photography, must visit there one day!

[ckii96]

Awesome travel photography, must visit there one day!

Thanks very much ST. :) Beijing is an awesome city full of historical relics and culture. You must experience it yourself.

[ckii96]

The Road to Heaven

When I woke up one morning in Beijing, my roommate (or living-room mate to be exact) was already awake and enjoying his quiet moment comfortably on the couch.

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After getting refreshed from a hot shower and my stomach filled with a nutritious breakfast, I set on my journey to ‘Heaven’ at one degree below zero.

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While I was waiting for a train transit in the subway, the painted tile walls attracted my attention and I took out my camera to shoot.

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Half way to ‘Heaven,’ I’m really fascinated by the strength and determination of this man.

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When I finally passed through the gate of ‘Heaven’ and entered the garden, the Temple of Heaven (天坛) were already filled with many ‘Heaven’ goers indulging themselves in all kinds of leisure activities.

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It was a very hazy day and I couldn’t get very good shots of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (祈年殿).

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Further south to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is the Echo Wall (回音壁) where the Hall of Prayer for the Heavenly King (皇穹宇) is located.

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Inside the Hall is this massive wooden structure with interlocking mechanism to hold up the roof. Not a single nail is used in this structure.

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After a long day in ‘Heaven,’ I was about to leave this heavenly place with a heavy heart.

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But I decided to return to where I entered ‘Heaven’ with this route taken by the Sons of Heaven (the Emperors).

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On my way out of ‘Heaven,’ there was another ‘Heaven’ patron who entertained me with the traditional music.

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That ends another day of my Beijing trip. Happy viewing and shooting. :D

[qqmeng]

nice shots ... nice watch too!!!!! nice watch ..nah thts understatement .... awesome watch!! how much u piad for tht watch? :rolleyes:

[ckii96]

nice shots ... nice watch too!!!!! nice watch ..nah thts understatement .... awesome watch!! how much u piad for tht watch? :rolleyes:

Thanks qqmeng. :) As for the price of the watch, err... I can only reveal that it costs me the price of a D200 plus a 18-200mm VR when they first came out. :D

[ckii96]

Tomb Raider versus the Macho Man

This is one fine day in Beijing that the weather is clear. I had to wake up at 5 a.m. in the morning as the pick up for the day tour was very early. However, the tour didn’t start until 7 a.m. when we were all transferred to a bigger tour bus. It took us more than one hour to arrive at our first destination, the Ming Tombs (明十三陵). We visited one of the only two tombs that are open to visitors. It’s called Chang Ling (长陵), which is the Tomb of the Ming Emperor Zhu Di (朱棣).

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Before I left, I took one last glance at the tomb through the arch where the burial ceremony procession passed through.

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Then the tour took us to the second and last destination of this one-day tour where I was about to be macho for the second time! That’s the Great Wall at Ba Da Ling (八达岭). There were more steps for me to climb!

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When I glanced back to where I started for my second macho man quest, I saw this spectacular view of the Great Wall and the mountain ranges.

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I can’t imagine how the construction materials were brought through these tough terrains to build the Great Wall!

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There were not many tourists during this low season, so I could have a large part of the Great Wall to myself.

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However, I could still occasionally spot some gals on their quest to be macho ladies.

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There are yet more steps and forts to be visited on my second quest.

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[ckii96]

Wow! I’m almost there to the second highest point on this route.

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Overseeing the highest fort from the second highest, I was envying those people who could proceed, whereas I had to make a U-turn due to time constraint.

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However, I was rewarded with this nice view when I made the turn back. Well, sometimes the best things in live are behind us, but we need to make the turn to discover them.

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This couple were indulging themselves in the same view as mine.

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After the tomb raiding and the second macho-man quest, I was back to modern civilisation.

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There are more buildings like this in downtown Beijing, but they are all dwarfed by the significance of the Great Wall.

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After a long day, it’s time to look for food again. These red lanterns suggest that there are steaming hot-pot foods inside!

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I couldn’t wait any longer to dig into this plate of sotong balls. So I put down my camera and the rest of the food is for you to imagine.

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[ckii96]

To Play or to Pray? That is the Question!

On my second last day in Beijing, I visited the Pang Jia Yuan Antique Market (潘家园旧货市场). It is filled with all sorts of merchandise that you can or cannot think of. When I was about to enter the market, I came across this lovely trishaw that must be recorded into my memory card.

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The first things I saw in the market are these remarkable necklaces that a woman can’t resist and a man can’t have any excuse but to buy for her.

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If you are looking for a lamp for your home décor, this is a good item to have.

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Putting this smiling face on your office desk can help you to distress from your bosses’ grumpy faces.

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A mahjong game after work isn’t too bad an activity to distress as well.

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Or maybe a Chinese chess game can help your mind to unwind after a hard day’s work.

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If you know how to play Chinese checker game, it is one kind of an interesting game.

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This abacus will come in handy when you need to count your winning or losses in a game.

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Of the two facial expressions, which one is most likely the portrayal of your mood today? I hope it is the smiley face for you everyday. :)

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If you have shopped more than what your suitcases can accommodate, it is not too late to grab a few more suitcases.

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I wish I could bring this home, but I don’t think I’ll play my precious records on this machine!

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I don’t have talent for this, so please wait till somebody who has the talent to pick it up.

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[ckii96]

The keyboard hasn’t evolved too much since the mechanical typewriter days.

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But cameras have evolved abruptly since digital images were invented.

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I ain’t need any thumb ring, but they form lovely patterns for a shot.

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I ain’t need this silver ware too, but it is surely a masterpiece of handicrafts.

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Some of these may make good souvenirs, pick one colour for each friend and you won’t miss anyone.

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Getting a pair of kissing sheep as souvenir for a loving couple is not a bad idea at all!

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After seeing enough of the stuff at the antique market, it was already in the late afternoon, so I immediately made my way to the Lama Temple (擁和宮). This Temple was built by one of the Emperors in the Qing Dynasty. There are many pavilions like this inside the compound for the prayers and tourists to rest.

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And one can pray at one of the many prayer halls here.

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Young or old Lama getting in and out of a prayer hall is a common scene, but hard to capture on camera.

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There are magnificent prayer halls one after another.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_110.jpg

After seeing much of the buildings at large, I started to admire the details on this wooden column.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_111.jpg

Before I left, I managed to see one Lama doing his studies in one of the prayer halls.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_112.jpg

Thanks for viewing. :)

[koochey.koo]

This is beautiful.
You captured Beijing's beauty and culture in your photos.
It makes me want to go there myself. :)

[ckii96]

This is beautiful.
You captured Beijing's beauty and culture in your photos.
It makes me want to go there myself. :)

Thanks koochey.koo. :) You'll not regret spending your money and time in Beijing. It's a place full of relics and culture.

[ckii96]

Day and Night at the Hutong

Most of the lower income group people are still staying in the old streets created since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. These well laid-out streets are called Hutong (胡同) in Mandarin. There is a Hutong area just right across the street of the Lama Temple (擁和宮) where the highest educational institution Guo Zi Jian (国子监) used to be.

Most of the people living in the Hutong rely on the tricycles as their main form of transportation. This one looks like a tenant is moving away from this house with his belongings being loaded on a tricycle-truck.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_113.jpg

The living condition for a family in the Hutong is just so fundamental for a big city life.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_114.jpg

But the people here are so contented with what they have.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_115.jpg

There are a few families living behind this closed door.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_116.jpg

And there are more families behind this door.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_117.jpg

The corridor leading to the inner courtyard is mostly used as a garage.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_118.jpg

Somewhere along the way browsing through the intertwined Hutong, the paperboy left his bicycle outside a house which used to be a house of a high ranking government officer in the Qing Dynasty.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_119.jpg

You may ask how I know that it was the house of a high ranking government officer in the Qing Dynasty. It is quite easy to tell, just look at the stone carvings laid out at the sides of the main door. The drum carvings can only be used by the high ranking government officer.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_120.jpg

This picture shows the very basic living condition in the Hutong.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_121.jpg

This house belonged to someone with certain social status. You may wonder again how to tell. Well, the answer lies in the emblems just above the door leaves. The more emblems installed, the higher the social status of the owner.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_122.jpg

After visiting the Hutong, I took the subway back to the Beijing Station to have dinner.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_123.jpg

When I have already filled my stomach, I had the energy again to explore another part of the Hutong at night, the Hou Hai (後海) area. The old buildings here have been turned into a posh dining and clubbing destination.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_124.jpg

All the buildings were restored and renovated into fancy restaurants and pubs with attractive lightings.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_125.jpg

And one of the iconic buildings is this Chinese-style Starbucks.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_126.jpg

That ends another day in Beijing of my recent trip. Thanks for viewing and happy shooting. :)

[ckii96]

Nuts about Nuts

Before I took the Malaysia Airlines flight no. MH0379 back to Kuala Lumpur for a transit to Kuching, I still had the time in the morning to do last-minute shopping at the Dong Jiao Wholesale Market (东交批发市场). All kinds of goods, from food to construction materials can be found here at wholesale price. I found the nut stalls very interesting; because this was the first time I saw different kinds of nuts in their nutshells.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_127.jpg

These are pecan nuts in the shape of a rugby ball which are sweet and crunchy.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_128.jpg

These pecan nuts are rounder in shape but equally delicious too.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_129.jpg

There are not only two kinds of pecan nuts on sale; this third type has nutshells with rough surface.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_130.jpg

These hazelnuts taste delicious even without the chocolate coating.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_131.jpg

And there are hazelnuts with lighter colour nutshells.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_132.jpg

These are almond nuts.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_133.jpg

And more variety of the almond nut family.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_134.jpg

Do you know what nuts are these? They are macadamia nuts!

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_135.jpg

Last but not least, I present to you the chestnuts.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/ckii96/Travel/China Beijing/China_Beijing_136.jpg

After seeing all these nuts, I had to pack up and leave Beijing for Malaysia. My luggage was definitely filled with some of these nuts!

That ends all parts of my travelogue in Beijing. Till I’m on my next trip, ciao! :D

[Gojira]

I nearly went a bit nutty myself going through your photos...excellent travelogue!

Looking forward to your next series.

[qqmeng]

ckii ... i think i am nut after seeing your nuts about nuts, but i am sure you re a fan of nut but u r not nut. :drunk: :drunk:

[stockie]

I think I'm a fan of your street shots! :cool:

[ckii96]

I nearly went a bit nutty myself going through your photos...excellent travelogue!

Looking forward to your next series.
Haha... :D Thanks. I haven't got enough of Beijing after 9 days. Wanna join me for another trip there? :P

ckii ... i think i am nut after seeing your nuts about nuts, but i am sure you re a fan of nut but u r not nut. :drunk: :drunk:
Errr... I really have a soft spot for nuts, both visually and for the mouth. :D

I think I'm a fan of your street shots! :cool:
Thanks stockie. :) I'm not worthy to be idollic. :redface: