This was the fourth, and last UNESCO World Heritage site that we visited in Beijing.

Originally, this was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties held the Heaven Worship Ceremony. It is the largest and most representative existing masterpiece among China’s ancient sacrificial buildings. First built in 1420, during the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, Temple of Heaven was enlarged and rebuilt in 1545 from a square structure to the round one that exists today. It was used to pray for good harvests in early Spring. The hall is supported by four immense pillars representing the four seasons.

In 1988, it was opened to the public as a park. It’s layout and buildings give insight into the practices of the ancient Eastern civilization.

Our group of 10.

Today at the Temple of Heaven: There are over 60,000 varieties of tree which create a quiet environment and an ideal resort for the locals to do their morning exercise. Residents living nearby enjoy many activities here, such as running, cycling, singing, dancing, playing chess, flying kites, etc.

The construction of Summer Palace started in 1750 as a luxurious royal garden for royal families to rest and entertain. It later became the main residence of royal members, most notably Empress Dowager Cixi – also known as the “dragon queen” for the power she exerted.

She was selected as an imperial concubine, for her beauty in her adolescence, and gave birth to the only son of the Xianfeng Emperor. After the emperor’s death in 1861, the young boy became the emperor, and she became the Empress Dowager. Cixi ousted a group of regents appointed by the late emperor and assumed regency. Cixi then consolidated control over the dynasty when she installed her nephew as emperor following the death of her son at an early age; this being contrary to the traditional rules of succession of the Qing dynasty that had ruled China since 1644. Cixi rejected Western models of government and the reforms that the Emperor supported. She placed the Guangxu Emperor, who had tried to assassinate her, under virtual house arrest for his support of the radical reformers. The death of both Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor in 1908 left the court in the hands of Manchu conservatives, a child ( the last Emperor) on the throne, and a restless, rebellious public. Historians both in China and abroad have long portrayed her as a despot responsible for the fall of the Qing dynasty.

This is clearly a very popular spot for Chinese tourists and local residents. A 700 meter covered and decorated walkway runs alongside the lake .

The thirteen Ming tombs are situated at the foot of the Tianshou mountain in the Changing district of Beijing. The site was chosen according to the principles of Feng shui by emperor Yong Le, whom many consider the most important emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He selected his burial site in 1420, and created his own mausoleum after the construction of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) where he resided.

This is a cemetery complex for 13 emperors and covers an area of 80 sq.km. From Yong Le onwards 13emperors and their wives were buried here. The bronze statue of Yong Le is quite imposing and magnificent. The bottom photo is of some old, embroidered silk.

One of my lifelong dreams was met today!

The Wall, one of the greatest structures built by humans was built over two millennia, but the most extensive and best preserved sections were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Originally built as fortification against neighboring Chinese kingdoms, the “10,000 Li-long Wall” (translation of the wall’s name in Chinese), is 5,500 miles long.

We visited the Juyongguan section which slopes on both sides of the Juyongguan Pass. It is known as one of the eight famous scenic spots and it strategically located and difficult to access. We can attest to that!!! It was vertical!

It snowed the night before we arrived, and the temperatures hovered not much above freezing for our stay. However, it didn’t inhibit us intrepid travelers, we just layered the clothing and off we went!

Some images of modern Beijing, to include the birds nest and dragon building built for the 2012 Olympics.

In the past, men have retired at 55 and women at 50, and they get out in the parks to exercise, do Tai-chi, play games, and visit with one another.

This group of seniors was particularly energetic!

Beijing is the most populous capital city in the world, but it is very orderly, clean, and has lots of green space and trees. It is flat, and laid out on a grid system N-S and E-W (in accordance with Fung shut) with very wide avenues at the axis and wide streets elsewhere.

Spring blossoms around the city.

Leaving the main thoroughfares and entering the hutongs (older and more traditional neighborhoods) the streets become narrow and the houses smaller. However, they are still built in traditional Chinese style with the parents occupying the north section, and the other buildings surround a small courtyard. Bathrooms are communal, and this is the reason that many of the younger generation prefer to move to a high-rise in the suburbs.

We visited this lady’s home and were served jasmine tea while she told us about her life. The art of painting inside glass bottles and globes has been passed down from generations, and her niece is the latest to practice this art form.

The city’s history dates back three millennia, and Beijing has been the capital for the most of 800 years.

Love these framed in tuk-tuks!

The Forbidden City palace complex is in central Beijing, adjacent to Tiananmen Square. We first walked across the square seeing Mao’s mausoleum, the massive central government building, and the national museum – on three sides of the square, and then crossed the very recognizable wide boulevard, from the days of the student uprising, to enter the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City includes the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty – the years 1420 to 1912, and now houses the Palace Museum. The Forbidden City served as the home of emperors and their households to include a wife, 3,000 concubines, their many children, and up to 5,500 eunuchs as well as being the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.

The complex was constructed between 1406 and 1420, covers 180 acres, and has 9,99.5 rooms. It is beautifully restored and was named a UNESCO World heritage site in 1987.

This fabulous modern Chinese art museum is housed in the China pavilion built for the 2010 Expo. It is one of the largest art museums in Asia.

Some of the artwork that caught my eye…

We started at 10 a.m. at People’s Square metro where we, and about 30 others, met Kylie from Free Tour Shanghai to take a 4-hour and 8km walking tour of the city center. She took us one level down to show us how Shanghai looked in its hey days of 1930’s.

From there we walked to the center and governmental section of People’s Square to see City Hall, the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Grand Theatre – all built since the 1990’s on the former site of the British horse racing track.

The museum.

Onward to People’s Park which has only been open to the Chinese public since 1953. (This applies to all parks; before that they were only open to foreigners and Chinese dignitaries.

We went to a special corner of the park where on Saturdays, Sunday’s, and Holidays one will see several hundred people sitting beside an umbrella pinned with an announcement. These are parents or grand parents seeking a marriage partner for their child or grandchild. The announcement provides various details of the young person. This “marriage market”was started in 2004 by a woman with a 27-year old single daughter who was about to become a “spinster”! And the idea caught on -to the dismay of the younger generation who, at least, have the last say!

Negotiations???

A view of the former British Racetrack Club -currently a newly opened historical museum.

Until the 1980’s the ’30’s Park Hotel was the tallest building in Shanghai.

The typical housing for the Chinese during the time of the British and French was in block- sized buildings with a central courtyard and alley ways. Up to 1,000 people lived in one of these sections.

The Bund was also part of the British sector and was the business and banking street of Shanghai. To this day, banks fill the colonial buildings and a bull to match the Wall Street bull, and by the same sculptor, was ordered for the 2010 expo.