Beijing, the capital city is a true reflection of this huge country. Its longest avenue (Eternal Peace) is 40 km long; on the Tian-an-Men square, 500'000 people can assemble; inside the Parliament building sit 2987 members.
Behind the huge Tian-an-Men square, which can only be entered into after a security check, lies the Forbidden city. For this, best to watch again the movie "the last Emperor". It is obviously full of beautiful palaces - Palace of Supreme Harmony, Palace of Perfect Harmony, Palace of the Preservation of Harmony, Palace of Celeste Purity, Palace of the Union, Palace of the Terrestrial Tranquility. There are also superb statues, such as this turtle/dragon. It was built in the 15th century.
In ancient China (or feudal China, like our guide used to say), the Emperor was considered as the son of Heaven. The architecture at the Temple of Heaven is then a very delicate balance between square walls with green tiles symbolising the earth and round buildings with blue tiles symbolising the sky. In the middle of one square, the acoustic is so good that whispers can be heard clearly. The Emperor would make use of this, when he would consult with his "father" about the upcoming harvest and transmit the message to his people. Unfortunetely, there were too many tourists to check if the echo was indeed working. This temple was last renovated just before the Olympic games.
The last chinese Emperor also decided they should escape the Beijing heat (I would not have - but then I am not royal material...). Around a lake, there are a variety of palaces, gardens, statues, bridges and even a marble boat! Very enjoyable excursion, except that at least a million other Chinese tourists had the same idea, so it was crowded.
Beijing is definitely modernising very quickly and one of its most famous landmark is the "Bird's Nest", the Olympic stadium. The structure is quite admirable, obviously since it was designed by Swiss architects! It is also the world largest steel structure. Unfortunately, since the Olympics, the stadium is barely used. When we were there, the "super cup" of Italy (between the Serie A winner and the Cup winner) was played. But it seems that it is mostly the daily 20000 chinese visitors that keep the stadium alive. Almost as impressive as the stadium, was the one of 7 ring roads leading to it. Hard to believe that less than 20 years ago, there were only bikes around. Indeed, there are now more bikes in my capital as in the Chinese one. Which way is development going?
We also went to the Great Wall and needed a telecabine to lift us on top of this impressive construction, the only one said to be visible from the Moon. Although our Chinese guides doubt this American declaration.
It started to be built 600 BC to protect Beijing from the Mongols. The first Emperor of China (the one with the terra-cotta army) did link and fortify the various pieces of the Wall to make it 5000 km long. Various emperors worked on it as well, so that it reached 6350 km. It looks like a giant snake running along the slopes. Fantastic achievement. Apparently it was also very efficient, since it was broken only once...
Back in the valley, we walked along the "Way of the Spirits" with statues of eminent personalities and animals. I had to take a picture next to the "Deserving Civil Servant"! Hope his wisdom will infuse in me.
Beijing, the capital city is a true reflection of this huge country. Its longest avenue (Eternal Peace) is 40 km long; on the Tian-an-Men square, 500'000 people can assemble; inside the Parliament building sit 2987 members.
Behind the huge Tian-an-Men square, which can only be entered into after a security check, lies the Forbidden city. For this, best to watch again the movie "the last Emperor". It is obviously full of beautiful palaces - Palace of Supreme Harmony, Palace of Perfect Harmony, Palace of the Preservation of Harmony, Palace of Celeste Purity, Palace of the Union, Palace of the Terrestrial Tranquility. There are also superb statues, such as this turtle/dragon. It was built in the 15th century. 
In ancient China (or feudal China, like our guide used to say), the Emperor was considered as the son of Heaven. The architecture at the Temple of Heaven is then a very delicate balance between square walls with green tiles symbolising the earth and round buildings with blue tiles symbolising the sky. In the middle of one square, the acoustic is so good that whispers can be heard clearly. The Emperor would make use of this, when he would consult with his "father" about the upcoming harvest and transmit the message to his people. Unfortunetely, there were too many tourists to check if the echo was indeed working. This temple was last renovated just before the Olympic games.
It started to be built 600 BC to protect Beijing from the Mongols. The first Emperor of China (the one with the terra-cotta army) did link and fortify the various pieces of the Wall to make it 5000 km long. Various emperors worked on it as well, so that it reached 6350 km. It looks like a giant snake running along the slopes. Fantastic achievement. Apparently it was also very efficient, since it was broken only once...
Back in the valley, we walked along the "Way of the Spirits" with statues of eminent personalities and animals. I had to take a picture next to the "Deserving Civil Servant"! Hope his wisdom will infuse in me.
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