Beijing in a Day

After the flight debacle that caused us to get to China a day late, we weren't sure how much we would still be able to experience in Beijing. We are really only going to be in Beijing for one full day before we fly to Mr. Magnus's city, Nanchang, on Saturday. 

Well, we experienced an AMAZING day! We woke up and had an eclectic breakfast buffet at our hotel which blended Western style foods with traditional Chinese foods. No one was brave enough to try the "Century Egg" which is a dark blue and black egg that had been aged. Beyond that though, we sampled much of the local fare. This was our first breakfast to ever include calamari, noodles, and some mystery fruits that were amazing. At the restaurant, we sat in booth near a large picture window along Wangfujing street. That was our first glimpse of the attention we would get. No less than a dozen people stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and started smiling and waving to our girls. As I watched the people pass by our window who live a very different life, I realized how much more we are in common than different.  

After breakfast, our guide, Cindy, picked us up at the hotel and we headed toward the Great Wall. It was really our first real glimpse of Beijing because it was dark driving from the airport to the hotel the night before. It is truly a magnificent city. The sheer size is incredible. She told us that it is 300 miles east to west and 200 miles north to south. With that much space you would think that everyone would have plenty of space, but with 24 million residents (more than live in all of Canada), most people live in very small apartments. She explained to us that the city has six concentric circles that represent the distance from the city center. The closer you live to the middle the more expensive the living quarters.  

We pulled off the road and turned into this small alleyway guarded by stone dragons (not that odd here though, I saw a barber shop guarded by dragons earlier on the drive). We got out of the van and walked into this non-descript building to immediately be met by magnificence. It was a jade factory/market. We received a brief tour by a guide that showed how the jade is carved, ground, and polished. We were able to see through some large glass windows as these Master craftsman were diligently focusing on their tasks. The guide stated that this craft is passed down by generations only to family and is not taught in schools. He showed us some of the more iconic pieces and explained their symbolism and purpose. One that really caught our attention was the family ball. It is an artfully crafted sphere of multiple balls made from one piece of Jade rock that represents each generation of a family. The outside ball has the largest holes to be able to see the others deeper inside. The inner most ball represents the youngest generation. While you can reach inside and touch the inner most ball, it cannot be removed because it is protected by the outer (generations).  

Once the tour ended, we went into the showroom of items for sale. It was huge. Picture one room about half a football field in size with glass cases of jewelry and statues all made from jade. While the most common jade in the area is a light green, it is also found in other colors. We spent some time (and money!). Thereafter, we were on our way.

As we continued to drive, the breathtaking mountains in front of us grew. The air quality was actually very good Friday so we could see quite a long distance. We arrived at the Great Wall around 11. I am struggling to come up with the best adjective, but probably the most accurate would be UNBELIEVABLE. Cindy explained that the first part of the wall was constructed in 200 BC. The section we were looking at was constructed around 1300 so it is "new". Where we parked was a valley between two massive peaks. The wall went up both sides of the mountain. We were told we had two hours and to choose a path. The side to the right was "easier" and the left harder. We cocked our head back to look straight up at the steps on the"easy" path and said, "we will try that one first". 

As we exerted ourselves and climbed upward, the sheer size of the mountain and the effort it had to have taken to build such a structure took our breath away (pun intended). It took about 30 minutes of straight stairs to reach the first main structure. We were stopped a couple of times along the way though because people wanted to take pictures of Anya, Eliza, and Juliette. One larger multi-generation family that did not speak any English were trying to communicate something to us. Once I figured out that they wanted me to take a picture of their family with Dana and the girls, they were quite pleased. We smiled and "xie-xied"(thank you) each other and they continued down while we continued up. 

When we reached the pinnacle there was a structure with a red door. We went inside and found a small shop. I think I actually heard the angels sing when Dana glanced over and saw the Pepsi logo shimmering from inside the ice chest (Dana loves her Pepsi like I love my coffee). After some refreshments and buying a few small trinkets, we headed back out onto the wall. 

We were about to head down the way we came up, but we realized that there was another path. Because we still had an hour, we decided to go the new way. The new path was initially moving along the mountaintop. It led from structure to structure which used to be living/defense quarters for the Wall's guards. At the end, it turned into steps that went straight down. It took us almost as much time to go down as coming up because it was quite dangerous for the little ones. We made it safe and sound with nothing more than a little bit of wind burn and chapped lips as battle wounds. 

After the Great Wall, we asked the guide if we would still have time to see Tiannamen Square. She said we had time for a quick lunch and then 30 minutes at the square. We stopped for lunch at a very large structure which we found out was a restaurant/copper factory. We walked through the copper shop to the restaurant. The copper was almost as impressive as the jade. True works of art. We were escorted to our own private room with a large circular table. The table had a large spinning glass lazy susan in the middle. The waitresses immediately showed up with items to fill the table. They put rice, tea, soup, chicken, beef, vegetables, and oranges on the table. We were then able to take the items that we wanted from the table and "spin" it on to the next person (ingenenius!). The food was amazing. All the girls ate everything on their plates and then spun the wheel of deliciousness for more. 

Once we had our fill, we got back into the van to head into the city. Cindy suggested naps for the hour and thirty minute drive back. Somehow the girls went from giggling and teasing each other to a deep sleep in about 3 minutes. Dana "rested her eyes" for a few minutes as well. Once back in the main city Dana couldn't rest as we bobbed and weaved through seas of traffic and pedestrians. Our driver was able to negotiate and squeeze the van through spaces I probably wouldn't even try to squeeze a walk through. I think we covered all the five d's of dodgeball "dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge." (that is a movie reference for those that are questioning my ability to count). Dana even asked Cindy, "are there a lot of accidents here?".  She said they are actually quite uncommon. 

We arrived at Tiannamen Square about 3:30. It is truly a magnificent area. It is made up primarily of government buildings and museums similar to the national mall in Washington DC. We walked around the square and marveled at the structures. There were many soldiers and policemen keeping a watchful eye on the square. 

After the square we headed back to the hotel to meet Dana's dearest friend from childhood, Debbie, who now lives in Beijing. Debbie brought her beautiful little 2 year old daughter, Emma, with her. We walked to a local restaurant for some peking duck. It was AMAZING! They brought the duck out and carve it in front of us. Juliette was quite concerned. She asked "are those his eyes?" "is he going to be ok" (as the head was being chopped off) and "did him just die?".  Again the table was circular with the glass spinner in the middle. The waitresses brought plate after plate of delicicous food. They showed us multiple ways to best use the duck to make use of  the condiments and other food items. Everyone feasted. Eliza found great joy in making wraps for everyone. Debbie and Dana were able to catch up and spend time talking. Debbie treated us and we were most appreciative!

We walked back to the hotel and said our goodbyes (which in Chinese apparently is bye-bye...I can handle that one!).

It's 3 am right now and 4 of the 5 of us are awake. Yes, Juliette is the one sleeping...shocker! This morning we will pack up again and head to the airport to fly to Nanchang. The in-country flights have a 44lb maximum luggage check vs. the 50 for the flight over here. We knew this before coming and have our bags all with about .5 lbs of that limit. Hopefully the new souvenirs won't push us over the top! 

Nanchang and Magnus, here we come!

~Beijing'd Duff Family of Five