Day One – Beijing – Temple of Heaven, Temple of Earth and an early night

Today we landed in Beijing at 5:40 am. The weather was overcast (due to smog) and the temperature was a manageable 28 degrees. We cleared immigration, got our bags and headed to meet our guide. Our group is 28 folks. It’s a good mix of older couples (60+) and younger couples. We got on the bus and headed to the hotel – Beijing International Hotel. Luckily, our rooms were ready so we were able to check in, have breakfast, shower and rest. The room and hotel are very nice. Day 1 was a free day so we got our game plan together and headed out to find the Temple of Heaven. After failing to find the metro station, we jumped into a cab. The cab driver didn’t speak English, but our hotel concierge had given us a map with both the Chinese characters and the English names of places, so we could just point. We learned the hard way that the cab drivers like to give tourists the “scenic” route as the fare is based on mileage. There is not one thing we can do about it because they don’t speak English and we don’t speak Chinese. The cab driver dropped us off at a hospital near the Temple of Heaven. I guess I pointed to the wrong dot. We headed through a local neighborhood and found the Temple. For US$28 – we gained entrance and each got an English audio-guide to the Park.

The Temple of Heaven literally means Altar of Heaven and this is where the Son of Heaven prayed for good harvests and sought divine intervention. Practically this means that people don’t pray here so no incense. It was originally constructed in the 1500s, destroyed and then rebuilt in the 1700s. The property covers 267 hectares and is used as a park. We came across lots of people practicing dance routines, tai chi, or just enjoying a brisk walk around the property. We saw the Bureau of Divine Music – where performers learned and practiced ceremonies and the huge Fasting Palace where the Emperor would conduct the ceremonial fasts. It is the most secure building in Beijing with a moat and several inner walls. Then it was over to the Circular Mound Altar. The three gates into the Circular Mound Altar are three different sizes. The largest size is reserved for the Gods. This round altar is three levels high with the stone of heaven in the middle of the third level. Each level is based on the number 9. Prime numbers are considered sacred and 9 is the largest odd number. So each level is 9 rows with 9 pillars.

After passing through the Circular Mound Altar, we went to the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

This vault holds the tablets from the ancestors of 8 dynasties. Wrapped around the Vault is the Echo Wall. You can whisper on one side and hear it on the other. I also stood at the third stone from the front of the Vault, clapped, and heard three echoes.

After the vault, we passed over a bridge to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It is an amazing wooden structure that was built in 1420 without any nails. The beams are all interlocked for support. The colors and structure is just amazing. After the Hall of Prayer, we headed for the East Gate. To get there, we walked down the Long Corridor. This corridor was used to move ceremonial animals to the Divine Kitchen for ceremony preparation. Since the animals could get dusty or dirty, the Corridor is covered. Today, the corridor is an amazing collection of singers, dancers, and people playing a version of hacky sack. They come with their own karaoke machines and perform “Peking Opera”. They are not asking for money, just performing. The sides of the Corridor are also lined with people playing cards. It was really neat.

After the Temple of Heaven, we headed down to the Metro. The subway is incredibly easy to use – thanks in part to preparations for the 2008 Olympics. All the signs have the English translations, the overhead announcements are in English and there is a map that lights up so you can easily tell the current stop. Coming out of the subway, we got a little turned around and ended up at the Temple of Earth. Turns out it looks a lot like the Temple of Heaven. We headed back south to the Dongcheng neighborhood and found a local restaurant. We ordered smoked meat plate, dumplings, and hot plum drink. All were very good, but the dumplings were exceptional! I think we’ll be eating a lot of dumplings. After lunch, we headed off to explore the neighborhood. It’s well-known area because the Chinese government preserved the hutong- historic winding alleyways - that lead to homes with courtyards in the front or other Temples and parks. Some of the historic city gates still remain. We were looking for a bar we had read about, but finding a particular address is incredibly difficult. A woman walking by heard me say “where are we?” and quickly asked “where are you trying to go?” and pointed us in the right direction. That was so nice! I was very tired so we hailed cab, took the scenic route and headed back to the hotel. The plan was for me to take an hour nap and then we would head out to find a Beijing Duck restaurant we had read about. Unfortunately, the nap lasted 4 hours. So we chalked the day up to jet lag and went to sleep. It’s now 4:30 am Beijing time and I am up ready to go! Today we head to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. We will definitely make it to the Duck restaurant.

Angie’s Reflections on Day one - I am really impressed with how clean the city is. I was very surprised by all the English in the subway and how easy it was to use. The city overall feels very gray. I am not sure if that is because of the pollution, the weather or the age of the city. I feel very confident moving around due the map we have, but I do get very nervous about things like jaywalking because I very afraid of Chinese jail. Overall, I am really excited and impressed with the trip so far and can’t wait until tomorrow.

Glenn’s reflections on day 1: Travelling around by cab, I was amazed by how many stores there are. In Florida, I am used to seeing a lot of store closings, but here there are so many stores of all types. A lot of small markets with various food snacks, a lot like what you would find in Oriental markets in US. Also clothing stores, electronics, etc. The subway was very easy to use and cheap (approximately .35 US). Now that we know where the major routes are, we’ll be using that during to venture around the city. Breakfast was included on Monday and it was not just American-style. While they did have the standard “staples” to please those needing American tastes, I really enjoyed the more local fare. Noodle bowls, dumplings and steamed buns – with all the accompaniments – including dried shrimp which is so tasty. They have a daily special of steamed buns also. Today was some kind of sweet lotus bean paste (I think) and another stuffed with spinach. Both were very good.