We got up early and were at breakfast by 8am. We had the "western" breakfast buffet while we listened to a pianist play what sounded like Chinese renditions of Christmas songs. We weren't sure, but it sounded nice. This was the first time during our trip to China that we saw such a large proportion of westerners (other than our group). The restaurant was almost entirely westerners, a mixture of Americans and Europeans. If it weren't for the waitresses you wouldn't know you had left the US. By now Emma had settled on hard-boiled eggs as her favorite breakfast food and they were available everyday. This along with a bowl of grits or oatmeal (of the instant variety brought by us from home) or a bowl of congee and an banana and she was all set.

We left at 9am and headed for our first look at Beijing. We were now used to the crazy traffic and crowded streets. There were more bicycles here than there were in Hong Kong, Nanchang or Guangzhou, but the people were just as inventive in their use of them. One woman, on her three-wheeled bicycle, was carrying a large metal drum with a fire blazing away inside of it - for what purpose, we didn't have a clue. We were sure it must have been something important! Through all the traffic, bicycles and pedestrians, we found our way to Tian'anmen Square (or Squire as Donna called it). This place was awesome! Donna told us that it was the largest square in the world and it looked like it. Yards and yards of concrete surrounded by powerful symbols of China's Communist government. We entered the square on the side of The Great Hall of the People. This is an impressive structure where the National People's Congress assembles for deliberations on state affairs. Built in 10 months in 1959 on the western side of the Tian'anmen Square, it has a total floor space of more than 171,800 square meters containing some 300 meeting halls, lounges and office rooms. One section has 30 halls, one for each province, autonomous region and city in China. The largest hall is the Great Hall with a seating capacity of 10,052. On the north side of the square is the Gate of Heavenly Peace which was completed in 1417. It is the entrance to the Imperial Palace and the Forbidden City. A portrait of Chairman Mao hangs over the portal with the slogan "Long live the unity of the people of the world." It was from this gate that Chairman Mao proclaimed the People's Republic on October 1st, 1949. On the east side of the square is a massive column embellished building containing two huge wings. The left wing is the Museum of Chinese History. It was built in 1959 and occupies an area of about 8000 square meters. Within it are 9000 exhibits that illustrate the Chinese Marxist historiography of the various stages of development of the Chinese culture. The right wing houses the Museum of Chinese Revolution. It is a two-story structure. Each floor covers about 4000 meters and contains exhibits that illustrate the most important stages of the Chinese revolution from 1919 through the development of the Communist Party in China. To the south is Chairman Mao's Mausoleum. It occupies an area of 20,000 square meters and is supported by 44 huge granite columns. In the entrance hall stands a statue of Chairman Mao. In the central hall lies the body of Mao in a crystal sarcophagus. On the back wall is the inscription that reads, "eternal praise be to chairman Mao, our great leader and master."

From Tian'anmen Square we headed for the Forbidden City. It is China's largest and most significant attraction. It's origins date back to the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Between 1406 and 1420, Emperor Yongle of the Ming dynasty had it enlarged to its present day size. The palace within the city was the residence of 24 Ming and Qing emperors. Ordinary mortals were forbidden to enter the palace. The remainder of the city is a maze of gates and buildings. We entered the city through Meridian Gate, also known as the Five-Phoenix-Gate. This is where each emperor would announce the New Year and from where he would decide the fate of prisoners brought to him by his army's generals. From there we walked through the Gate of Supreme Harmony. On each side are two huge bronze lions. A male to the right and a female to the left as you face the gate. Each are holding something down with their left paw. The male, a bronze ball, the female a small lion cub. This is the only thing that distinguishes the male lion from the female. Passing through it you enter an enormous inner courtyard where some 20,000 people would assemble for great ceremonies. The next three halls we passed through all stood on three-tiered marble terraces, each surrounded by a marble balustrade. Each entrance had a long, carved marble ramp that rose from the ground to the top of the third tier on which the emperor would be carried. The middle hall was reserved exclusively for the emperor and had the most elaborate ramp. It's a 250 ton, single slab of marble that was carved in place some 200 miles away. It was transported by digging 50 meter trenches, one a year, that would be flooded in the winter so the slab could be slid across the ice.

For much of the imperial period, the Inner Court of the palace was the home of over 6000 members of the royal household, around half of them, eunuchs. The castrated male was introduced into the imperial court as a means of ensuring the authenticity of the emperor's offspring and as a radical solution to the problem of nepotism. In daily contact with the royals, they often rose to considerable power, but this was bought at the expense of the dreadfully low standing outside the confines of the court. Confucianism held that disfiguration of the body impaired the soul, and eunuchs were buried apart from their ancestors in special graveyards outside the city. In hope that they would still be buried "whole", they kept and carried their testicles in bags hung around their belts. They were usually recruited from the poorest of families - attracted by the rare chance of amassing wealth other than by birth. Scarcely less numerous were the concubines, whose status varied from wives and consorts to basic whores. They would be delivered to the emperor's bedchamber, wrapped in yellow cloth with bound feet and carried by one of the eunuchs.

While in the Forbidden City Emma rode peacefully on Carolyn's back in her Hike-n-Roll taking in everything. There were plenty of places to shop for little souvenirs along the way and Donna was a wonderful guide, providing us with a wealth of information and history about the city. We encountered a number of school groups on field trips all with smiling, happy and colorfully dressed children who loved having their pictures taken. With all the visitors roaming about, it was hard to fathom all that had taken place in the city in the centuries before our visit. There was so much to see and so much to take in, that it seemed as if the city were speaking directly to us. From the vast, open courtyards to the unique architectural details to the intricately and richly decorated chambers - it was a place we will never forget! Hopefully, Emma, in some way, will remember her visit to this ancient place of Chinese history.

After exiting the Forbidden City, back through Meridian Gate, we headed for lunch. Donna took us to an incredible Chinese restaurant where we were treated to more great Chinese food! After lunch, we stopped off at a popular Beijing Art Museum. On display, and for sale, were a number of original art works by well-known Chinese artists, some dating back a few hundred years. We fell in love with the work of a few of the artists, and naturally they were the most expensive pieces. Carolyn's favorite was about $2000 US. Needless to say, we had to pass it, and the others up. They also had a huge display of "ink stones" and brushes, both used in Chinese Calligraphy. Some of the stones were size of large table-tops and weighed a few hundred pounds. There were some very large brushes to go along with them, some so large, I don't know how they could be used! When we were leaving the building, we were turned around near the front entrance and told we'd have to exit from the rear of the building. Donna, our guide, told us there must be a visiting dignitary. The usual practice, in such cases and for security purposes, is to clear the building so the dignitaries have the entire place to themselves. We exited from the rear and snaked our way back to the front of the building through some alley ways. When we got to the front of the building we saw several military vehicles and a number of soldiers, all standing at attention, holding up their automatic weapons, guarding the entrance. Even Donna was surprised! She felt the visitors must be real important to warrant such a display. I wanted to take a picture, but didn't want to attract any attention. Donna told me later, that it would have been quite all right to take photographs... Oh well!

Next, we headed for the Summer Palace. It was first named the Garden of Clear Ripples, which was burned down by the allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860. Reconstruction started 25 years later and was completed in 1895, and the name was changed to Yiheyuan (Garden of Good Health and Harmony.) The total area is 290 hectares. We entered through the East Gate, the main entrance to the Summer Palace. The opening through which we walked was for the exclusive use of the emperor and empress. The two side openings were for the princes and court officials. Eunuchs and soldiers used side gates to the south and north. The name plaque, Yiheyuan in front of the gate, was written by emperor Guang Xu. The single marble slab in front of the gate bears a carving in relief of two dragons playing with a pearl, a symbol of imperial authority. The most impressive building, I thought, was the Grand Opera Tower in the Dehe Garden. It is the largest of its kind in China today. It is 21 meters high and has three floors. An opening is in the ceiling of the first floor, in which a winch could lower performers and props down onto the first floor. Performers could appear on the three floors at the same time. Another incredible site was the Long Gallery, a 900-meter-long corridor which runs from a moon gate in the east to Shizhang Pavilion in the west. All of the 273 sections are decorated with more than 8,000 paintings of landscapes, flowers and human figures. It is the longest and most famous corridor in the world. It is said that no pair of lovers can walk through the corridor without emerging betrothed.

After leaving the Summer Palace, Donna asked is if we'd like to visit a real Chinese doctor. We jumped at the chance. We arrived at Beixin Qiao, Chinese Traditional Medicine Center. We were given a short tour and were presented with a brief history of the clinic. It dates back to the time of the last Emperor. The grandfather of the head physician was the last Emperor's personal doc. He is still alive - 104 years old! Both of us were examined by separate doctors. All they did was feel our pulse, look in our mouth and diagnose. I was told that I had poor circulation. This, the doctor told me, would cause degeneration of my joints and, in combination with stress, cause circulatory and cardiac problems, and... phlegm. He was right on with the joint problems. My back has been bothering me for some time now and I have seen several doctors about it - all telling me nothing short of surgery would correct what they felt the problem was - although, I have been seeing a chiropractor and have found it to be somewhat helpful. At any rate, he prescribed two Chinese herbal remedies, both seeds of some sort. One, fifteen seeds, twice a day and the other, 5 seeds, twice a day. We'll see... Carolyn's diagnosis was different, of course, but she came away with a Chinese remedy as well.

That evening we were treated to real "Peking Duck" for dinner. I can't recall the name of the restaurant, but it was very nice and the food was great. Emma liked the duck, and of course, her favorite "Chinese Vegetable". She was a hit with a Chinese couple sitting behind us and with a table of men from Malaysia adjacent to us -- they even asked us to pose for a picture. Following dinner we attended a Chinese acrobatic show in a small theater. The show starred several young performers, the most agile being a very young girl. Probable about 10 to 12 years old. It was amazing to see what she and the others could do with their bodies! It was like were at a live segment of "The Ed Sullivan Show", complete with twirling plates and unusual juggling acts! A recent quote from a Chinese newspaper describes it well;

Following the Ming Tombs we stopped off at a fresh water pearl factory and a huge "Friendship Shop". Inside the pearl factory we saw how fresh water pearls are grown and harvested and learned how to judge their quality and how to tell the difference between fresh water and salt water pearls. At the "Friendship Shop" we were treated to short tour of a "cloisinet" factory. Cloisinet is a process used to decorate copper or brass that involves almost microscopic shavings of either material applied directly to the surface of an object made of the same material. It is applied to create intricate designs that are filled with bright colors (a secret formula), applied in stages with kiln firings between each layer. Finally, each item is polished to a smooth satin or glossy finish. We walked through the factory, then to the show room where there was more cloisinet than you could imagine. We found some items for gifts then headed to the restaurant within the Friendship shop. Again, the food was wonderful and we ate more than we should have. Emma was happy to see, and eat her favorite "Chinese Vegetable".

After lunch we loaded back up and headed for the Great Wall of China. The drive there was very nice. We were now an hour or so away from the city. The air was clearer and we were heading into the mountains. I took pictures and video footage along the way but was too intrigued with the landscape to pay attention to what I was doing. Needless to say, most of the photos are blurred and the videos leave much to be desired. As we neared the Great Wall, we could begin to see parts of it snaking its way along the ridges of the passing mountains and hills. We expected this to be the highlight of our Beijing visit and we weren't disappointed.

When we arrived at the Great Wall the sun was trying to make itself more visible through the thick haze. There were more people there than I had expected. Somehow, I guess I thought we'd be making a lone journey along the wall but this looked more like Gatlinburg, Tennessee or Helen, Georgia. Donna escorted us through all the ticket counters and gates to the entrance of the wall and suggested which way we should go. She bet us that we couldn't make it to the third tower to our right. It didn't look so far away, but we soon found out distance wasn't an obstacle along the wall, the inclines were. In any case, it was a bet, and I was now going to go at least as far as the third tower.

As we began our walk up, and along the wall, the incline wasn't too bad. With each step along the worn slabs of granite that made up the walkway, the same walkway that ancient soldiers patrolled watching for approaching Mongols, it seemed as we were walking back into time. What it must have been like for the thousands, perhaps millions of laborers that worked their entire lives building the Wall! It's impossible to imagine. The most common fact told about the Great Wall is that it is the only man-made object visible from the moon. Construction began in the 5th century BC and continued until the sixteenth century. It stretches some 6000km across China. The sections that survived and are still standing, if placed end to end, would span from New York to Los Angeles - and if the bricks were used to build a new wall 15 feet high and 3 feet thick, it would encircle the globe!

The Chinese have walled their cities since the beginnings of known Chinese history. The Great Wall's origins lie in these fractured fortifications. In the third century BC, the emperor Qin Shi Huang joined and extended the sections to form one continuous defense against barbarians. Under subsequent dynasties, the Han, Wei, Qi and Sui, the Wall was maintained and, in response to shifting regional threats, grew and changed course. With the emergence of the Ming dynasty in the fourteenth century, the Wall's importance become a priority. Reconstruction and refortification began and continued for the next two hundred years. For much of its history, the Wall was hated. Qin Shi Huang's wall, particularly, was a symbol of brutal tyranny. It is said, that he wasted his country's wealth and worked thousands to death in building it. It is estimated that he mobilized over 1 million of his country's strongest to construct his Wall - many of which were criminals. In subsequent dynasties, however, even more workers were amassed. Beginning in the Sui dynasty, there weren't enough men left for the massive project so their widows were pressed into service. A well-known Song dynasty poem expresses the sentiments of the time:

We visited the Badaling section, the most well-know and most well preserved section. Restoration began in 1957 when it opened to tourists. This is one of the few sections that was never directly attacked, but was taken by sweeping around from side to side. Here the wall is 18 feet wide and supports regular watch towers along the way dating back to the Ming dynasty. The Great Wall, by far, was our most incredible visit. For both Carolyn and I, it stirred deep feelings and fascinations. With Emma riding snugly on her back, Carolyn and I made our way along the steep paths and up the almost vertical, uneven steps to the third watch tower. Once there we could see the Wall as it continued to wind its way to the horizon and beyond in both directions. We couldn't travel one more step as we were both exhausted! Now all we had to do, was make our descent back down to our starting point. This was a bit tricky as the hand-rails were about 18 inches off the ground! I walked ahead waiting periodically for Carolyn and Emma to catch up. Along the way I picked up a piece of the wall I found on the path. When viewed from one side, it's an almost perfect profile of a hippo, Carolyn's favorite animal. When we finally made it back to the beginning, we visited some of the many souvenir shops and looked for Donna. By late afternoon we were on our way back to Beijing and our last night in China.