The day started at Tiananmen Square. Security is very tight getting in. All bags must be X-rayed. The Square is considered the largest square in the world – holding over 1 million people – Chinese people as Sam our guide said. It really is quite a sight. The square is surrounded by Mao’s mausoleum, the Parliament building, the national museum, and the famous gate with Mao’s picture. In the center is a monument to all the people who died during the revolutions prior to communism.
After the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the Hall of Middle Harmony. This is where the Emperor would practice the ceremonies. Then the Hall of Preserving Harmony where official banquets and final interviews for high ranking officials would take place. Then we passed through the Heavenly Purity Gate to the inner court and the Palace of Heavenly Purity – where the Emperor slept. Actually, the Emperor slept in a different room each night for security reasons and with 9,999 rooms – that could keep him busy for 27 years. During the Ming dynasty, the Emperor would have up to 3,000 concubines. The selection process to be a concubine was even more rigorous than America’s Next Top Model. 5,000 pretty girls from all the country would be narrowed down to 50 based on their looks, height, size of hands and toes, speaking voice, manners, personal inspection by the Old Maid, and then a one month personality try-out. The Empress was chosen by the Emperor’s mother and other high-ranking officials. The Empress had a dedicated Hall of Union for the celebration of her birthday. Her wedding ceremony and wedding bed were held in the Earthly Tranquility Palace. It is still preserved and looks amazing! Behind the inner court is the Imperial Garden and an amazing wall built of rocks. The rocks are held together by lime, water and sticky rice.
After the Forbidden City, we headed to lunch at a nearby Chinese place for lunch. Then to the Pearl Exhibition Hall. A lovely lady showed up how freshwater pearls are harvested. Pink and purple pearls are only available in China. They are very smart at the Center because they have a bar in the front so I shopped and Glenn tasted some Chinese brew. After the tour, we headed back to the hotel. Then off on another adventure…
We went looking for a bar we seen featured in a magazine article. The concierge had to track down the address, but he wrote it for us and off we went. It didn’t seem too far on the map. (Famous last words). We headed that way and encountered every scam China has to offer: the art student trying to get to go to the Art Gallery for a high pressure bait-and-switch art sale, the “English” student who wants to practice English at a high priced café, the motorbike driver who followed and harassed us for half a mile and then almost ran over Glenn to give us a “free” ride. We were quickly losing our patience, but found a nice shop owner who told us it was 500 more meters so we headed out. We actually found it – the Emperor Hotel, but the rooftop bar we were seeking was closed for another party.
Discouraged, we set out in search for a metro station to try to find a different restaurant we had read about. This search took us about a mile and a half, but we found it and headed out. We got out of the metro station and I was very cold and very tired so we tried to grab a cab at a nearby hotel. After waiting several minutes with no taxi in sight, my impatience won out over my cold, tired feet and we set out. Again, it didn’t look too far on the map. We walked for about a mile, and realized we had another mile to go. I lost it. All the taxis driving by were full so I decided a beer was just what the doctor ordered. We headed to the closest bar –Den Den Bar and Restaurant and walked into a little piece of Australia. Everyone in the bar was Australian! They were playing live Australian cricket and tennis. It was pretty funny. We rested there for 2 beers and then I was ready to hit the road again. About a mile later, we found it – Beijing Da Dong Roasted Duck Restaurant. We were SO excited. We went inside and got our number. They offered free tea, soda and wine to those waiting so we filled up our glasses and waited.
A nice young lady struck up conversation while we were waiting. Mina was from Hong Kong and in town with her boss, Gabriel. They sell insurance for yachts, barges, big boats. We chatted while we waited. In Chinese, they announced the restaurant had a private room for four available. She went to check it out, checked with her boss and invited us to eat with them. We said absolutely as we had been having a great conversation. We didn’t get that room, but about 20 minutes later another one became available and we grabbed. They lead us up to this lovely private room with a round table.
Mena took charge of ordering. The food was amazing!!! We got a delicious beef stir fry dish. We ordered a very expensive clam – Welk clam I think they call it. In fact, they had to come and show Gabriel the clam because it was twice as big as the menu said so it would be twice as much (about US$120). The clam was amazing. It was delicately cut and melted in your mouth. Blindly tasting, you would have thought it was noodles. We got had braised sea cucumber that was just incredible. Sea Cucumber is very gelatinous as it is made mostly of collagen. They harvested, soak it, and then braise it slowly for three days. It melted in your mouth. They brought out the barbeque eel and it was just gorgeous. It had a crispy skin, delicate fresh taste and followed the theme of melting in your mouth. I wish I had photos to share, but it would have been very awkward to pull out the camera during dinner. When they bring out the duck, they bring it out whole and the chef carves it very carefully right there. The crispy skin and the delicate breast meat are put onto pancakes, dipped in hoisin sauce, and then you have little trays of radishes, cucumbers, onion to add to the pancake. They also have you dip the piece in sugar to bring out the natural flavors. It was delicious. To end the meal, they bring out a lovely fruit plate. It was such an amazing dining experience. The check arrived and we reached for our wallets, but Gabriel said dinner was on him. He hadn’t expensed anything all week and it was just a nice change to have a dinner not about work. We were floored. What an amazing gift. We left the restaurant a little dazed, found a taxi, explained to the taxi where our hotel was, and off we went. Still can’t believe it happened!!
We went looking for a bar we seen featured in a magazine article. The concierge had to track down the address, but he wrote it for us and off we went. It didn’t seem too far on the map. (Famous last words). We headed that way and encountered every scam China has to offer: the art student trying to get to go to the Art Gallery for a high pressure bait-and-switch art sale, the “English” student who wants to practice English at a high priced café, the motorbike driver who followed and harassed us for half a mile and then almost ran over Glenn to give us a “free” ride. We were quickly losing our patience, but found a nice shop owner who told us it was 500 more meters so we headed out. We actually found it – the Emperor Hotel, but the rooftop bar we were seeking was closed for another party.
Discouraged, we set out in search for a metro station to try to find a different restaurant we had read about. This search took us about a mile and a half, but we found it and headed out. We got out of the metro station and I was very cold and very tired so we tried to grab a cab at a nearby hotel. After waiting several minutes with no taxi in sight, my impatience won out over my cold, tired feet and we set out. Again, it didn’t look too far on the map. We walked for about a mile, and realized we had another mile to go. I lost it. All the taxis driving by were full so I decided a beer was just what the doctor ordered. We headed to the closest bar –Den Den Bar and Restaurant and walked into a little piece of Australia. Everyone in the bar was Australian! They were playing live Australian cricket and tennis. It was pretty funny. We rested there for 2 beers and then I was ready to hit the road again. About a mile later, we found it – Beijing Da Dong Roasted Duck Restaurant. We were SO excited. We went inside and got our number. They offered free tea, soda and wine to those waiting so we filled up our glasses and waited.
A nice young lady struck up conversation while we were waiting. Mina was from Hong Kong and in town with her boss, Gabriel. They sell insurance for yachts, barges, big boats. We chatted while we waited. In Chinese, they announced the restaurant had a private room for four available. She went to check it out, checked with her boss and invited us to eat with them. We said absolutely as we had been having a great conversation. We didn’t get that room, but about 20 minutes later another one became available and we grabbed. They lead us up to this lovely private room with a round table.
Mena took charge of ordering. The food was amazing!!! We got a delicious beef stir fry dish. We ordered a very expensive clam – Welk clam I think they call it. In fact, they had to come and show Gabriel the clam because it was twice as big as the menu said so it would be twice as much (about US$120). The clam was amazing. It was delicately cut and melted in your mouth. Blindly tasting, you would have thought it was noodles. We got had braised sea cucumber that was just incredible. Sea Cucumber is very gelatinous as it is made mostly of collagen. They harvested, soak it, and then braise it slowly for three days. It melted in your mouth. They brought out the barbeque eel and it was just gorgeous. It had a crispy skin, delicate fresh taste and followed the theme of melting in your mouth. I wish I had photos to share, but it would have been very awkward to pull out the camera during dinner. When they bring out the duck, they bring it out whole and the chef carves it very carefully right there. The crispy skin and the delicate breast meat are put onto pancakes, dipped in hoisin sauce, and then you have little trays of radishes, cucumbers, onion to add to the pancake. They also have you dip the piece in sugar to bring out the natural flavors. It was delicious. To end the meal, they bring out a lovely fruit plate. It was such an amazing dining experience. The check arrived and we reached for our wallets, but Gabriel said dinner was on him. He hadn’t expensed anything all week and it was just a nice change to have a dinner not about work. We were floored. What an amazing gift. We left the restaurant a little dazed, found a taxi, explained to the taxi where our hotel was, and off we went. Still can’t believe it happened!!
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