 |
|
We
had arrived in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon after 24-hours traveling
and, understandably, were beat from jet lag, but we didn't let that
even slow us down. Thursday we visited Tiananmen Square, the Imperial
Palace and a local market. Friday it was the Summer Palace, the
hutong and the terrible Chinese opera. Saturday we were off to the
Cloisonné factory, the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall. As
you can see from the schedule there wasn't a lot of free time to
just sit around and do nothing. But, that's a good thing. However,
we had a commitment for Beijing and it was beginning to look as
though we weren't going to be able to do it.
Our
neighbor is a Beijinger whose family is still there and she gave
us their name, address and telephone number. She even called to
tell them to expect us. We arrived back from the Great Wall tired
and exhausted, but we decided to call and make arrangements to meet
with her family. I'm happy that we could do it as we had a very
pleasant evening with her sister and niece at a tea house the family
owns in Beijing.
For
us westerners who've never experienced the rituals of a tea ceremony
I would highly recommend that you do so whenever the opportunity
arises. We'd enjoyed tea ceremonies on previous trips to Japan and
this one was even better. Our neighbor's family treated us wonderfully
to the point where we could eat and drink no more. Even though we
were tired from our day's outing this was one of the highlights
of the trip for Anne and I.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Returning
from visiting with our new friends in Beijing we immediately wanted
to collapse into bed, but this was our last night in Beijing and
we had to prepare to leave early the next morning for our last tour
in Beijing and then our flight to Shanghai. We managed to get everything
back into the suitcases and were finally falling into bed and off
to some much needed sleep. When we awoke the next morning we were
in for a somewhat pleasant and unexpected surprise.
Believe
it or not, on this our last day in Beijing we were greeted with
some beautiful sunshine and a deep blue sky. Our schedule called
for a morning visit to the Temple of Heaven followed by lunch and
then onto the airport for our flight to Shanghai. Seeing the sunshine
we immediately began debating whether or not to skip the Temple
of Heaven and return to the Great Wall. We almost decided to do
it, but we worried that we'd miss our flight to Shanghai so we elected
to stay with the tour. While I wish we could have gone back to the
Great Wall I'm happy that we didn't miss the Temple of Heaven as
it was beautiful. Maybe it was just the glorious sunshine that made
it so beautiful to all of us.
|
Anne
and Tom
waiting to board
the tour bus
in front of the hotel
and bathing in
our first day
of sunshine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Qinian
Dian
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest |
|
The
grounds were impeccably manicured and planted with
exotic trees and shrubs |
|
Tiantan,
or the Temple of Heaven, was the site where the emperor, twice each
year, would visit to thank the Gods for a good harvest and pray for
the new harvest. The emperor in procession from the Imperial Palace
along with 1,000 eunuchs, courtiers and ministers would travel to
Tiantan and spend the night fasting and in celibacy in Zhai Gong,
the Palace of Abstinence, prior to sacrificial rites the next morning.
At the winter solstice he thanked the Gods for a good harvest, and
on the 15th of the first month of the new lunar year he begged the
Gods of the Sun, Moon, clouds, rain, thunder and lightning to bless
the coming harvest. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To
gain entrance to Tiantan it was necessary to walk down a long corridor
to the entrance gate.
This being a Sunday morning meant that the area was crowded with
local Chinese enjoying a day
off from work. Along the walkway there were Chinese musicians playing
and groups of Chinese playing
cards and other board games. It seems that Tiantan was a favored
spot for the locals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Green
enamel glazed
roof tiles |
The
dome of Qinian
Dian framed by a tree |
Qinian
Dian |
Qinian
Dian
backlit by the Sun |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anne
standing on the
3-tiered marble stairway
to the top of Qinian Dian |
Qinian
Dian, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, is a large wooden building
constructed without a single nail. It stands 130 feet high and is
surrounded by a three-tier white marble terrace. While the site dates
to ancient times it was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, the
last being in 1890. It has been opened to the public since 1949. The
park is square and the temple round which symbolizes that the emperor
had to leave the Earth (represented by the square) for Heaven (represented
by the round-roofed building). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inside
Qinian Dian
Photo by John |
|
Chinese
lanterns were at the base
of the 3-tiered marble stairway |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A
side building at Tiantan |
|
Marble
walk |
|
Inside
the side building |
|
Qinian
Dian |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chinese
having a picture
taken in ancient costume |
|
|
Qinian
Dian in the background showing
the long corridor as we left |
|
On
the way out I shot this
at one of the vendor booths.
It's one of my favorite shots
from the whole trip. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Before
we knew it our allotted time at the Temple of Heaven was up and we
were on our way to a local hotel for lunch and then to the airport
for our flight to Shanghai. Join us on the next page in Shanghai ... |
|
|
|
|
|
