After returning, we explored the city of Chengde and the famous surrounding temples for the next couple of days. Learned to do the Chinese yo-yo (and the one-sided yoyo). Also watched an American Idol type of event at the city square, which was pretty funny and interesting. Also, ate at a famous dumpling restaurant, where the former Emperor used to frequent. Also, ended up doing the usual of shopping, going to the arcade...there sure are lots of knock-offs in China...for 150 Yuan, you can purchase a pair of Nike Air shoes that look like the real thing, except they use "highly advanced mimicing technologies" (quote the shopkeeper). One of my granduncles ended up writing calligraphy for me to bring home as well, which I thought was pretty cool.
Tomorrow, I'll be leaving from Beijing airport at around noon-ish. Hopefully when I land in San Francisco I can get some wifi :).
Until then!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Chengde Excusions: Journey to Inner Mongolia
In our first full day at Chengde, we woke up early to visit the Emperor's Summer Palace. The Palace is actually quite huge, as there's also a huge park, a large lake, and a mountain range. There are about 44 "scenic areas," and we visited quite a few of them. In the park area, there are over 1000 deer that live on the premises. They aren't afraid of humans and will actually nod their head in thanks if you feed them food. After walking along the surroundings for a bit, we ended up renting a small motorboat to tour the lake. Afterwards, we headed to a tour agency to book our trip to Inner Mongolia (which is part of China!) and went back for dinner.
The following day, we woke up early to catch our tour bus. After a three hour bus ride, we finally arrived at our destination: the Emperor's Hunting Grounds of Inner Mongolia. Our destination was literally in the middle of nowhere, since we were about 1000m above sea level and there was only one nearby village. We ended up staying at a lodging area that had Mongolian Huts and small "cabins" to sleep in. We deposited our luggage into the cabins (boy were they cold, I ended up wearing pants and a sweatshirt!). Afterwards, we went rafting for about an hour or so before setting off again.
Next, we set out to our first real destination: the grassy plains of Inner Mongolia. The view there is spectacular. You can just look out into the horizon and see an abundance of green, as well as a feeling of "relaxation." We then visited the large horse stables nearby (didn't go on since we didn't have enough time). We ended up taking a "goat cart" to a different part of the grassy plains to take pictures. Afterwards, I went ATVing for a bit (extremely fun!), and took so pictures of the surroundings. Next, I went to the archery range and shot until my fingers were numb since we had to wait for the others to return haha. Our final destination for the day was a Mongolian monument, where people came to pray. We participated in the ritual, which involved walking clockwise around the monument three times, and then throwing a rock to the top of the five-layered altar. (You're allowed to ask for anything you want, but it has to be constrained to within the coming year.) After, we returned to our lodging area for a quick dinner at their restaurant, before heading straight to bed (it got really cold...since there was a lot of wind too).
The next day, we woke up early for a simple breakfast (man tou, hardboiled egg, and congee soup). Afterwards, we headed to a scenic lake and spent an hour or so there visiting the sights and taking pictures. Next, we visited a famous tower, composed of nine separate floors. Adjacent to it, was an old monastery that the former Emperor visited whenever he came to the hunting grounds. Apparently, the tower has been renovated, since there's an elevator that goes through each floor. At the top of the tower (the tallest place in the entire region), you can see way off into the distance in all directions. To the north, you can see the border with Mongolia and the former battle sites between the Mongolian and the Chinese. This last spot marked the end of our journeys, since we began the long bus ride home shortly after.
The following day, we woke up early to catch our tour bus. After a three hour bus ride, we finally arrived at our destination: the Emperor's Hunting Grounds of Inner Mongolia. Our destination was literally in the middle of nowhere, since we were about 1000m above sea level and there was only one nearby village. We ended up staying at a lodging area that had Mongolian Huts and small "cabins" to sleep in. We deposited our luggage into the cabins (boy were they cold, I ended up wearing pants and a sweatshirt!). Afterwards, we went rafting for about an hour or so before setting off again.
Next, we set out to our first real destination: the grassy plains of Inner Mongolia. The view there is spectacular. You can just look out into the horizon and see an abundance of green, as well as a feeling of "relaxation." We then visited the large horse stables nearby (didn't go on since we didn't have enough time). We ended up taking a "goat cart" to a different part of the grassy plains to take pictures. Afterwards, I went ATVing for a bit (extremely fun!), and took so pictures of the surroundings. Next, I went to the archery range and shot until my fingers were numb since we had to wait for the others to return haha. Our final destination for the day was a Mongolian monument, where people came to pray. We participated in the ritual, which involved walking clockwise around the monument three times, and then throwing a rock to the top of the five-layered altar. (You're allowed to ask for anything you want, but it has to be constrained to within the coming year.) After, we returned to our lodging area for a quick dinner at their restaurant, before heading straight to bed (it got really cold...since there was a lot of wind too).
The next day, we woke up early for a simple breakfast (man tou, hardboiled egg, and congee soup). Afterwards, we headed to a scenic lake and spent an hour or so there visiting the sights and taking pictures. Next, we visited a famous tower, composed of nine separate floors. Adjacent to it, was an old monastery that the former Emperor visited whenever he came to the hunting grounds. Apparently, the tower has been renovated, since there's an elevator that goes through each floor. At the top of the tower (the tallest place in the entire region), you can see way off into the distance in all directions. To the north, you can see the border with Mongolia and the former battle sites between the Mongolian and the Chinese. This last spot marked the end of our journeys, since we began the long bus ride home shortly after.
A Day in Beijing
We ended up taking another night train to Beijing, so we woke to the passing city streets and bustling people of Beijing. While we slowly pulled into the station, we saw not only the urban portion of Beijing, but also the less developed rural sections. After we departed from the station, we ended up meeting with a couple of my dad's old friends and went to eat world famous Beijing fried duck for lunch (its really good!). Later in the afternoon, my uncle from Chengde arrived to pick us up.
On our way to Chengde, we stopped at a portion of the Great Wall of China. In total, we ended up climbing along it for a couple of hours...the sights up there are quite breathtaking...though the stairs are extremely steep. Afterwards, we continued on our journey to Chengde. When we arrived at our destination in the evening, we ended up meeting extended family members before eating a good home cooked meal.
On our way to Chengde, we stopped at a portion of the Great Wall of China. In total, we ended up climbing along it for a couple of hours...the sights up there are quite breathtaking...though the stairs are extremely steep. Afterwards, we continued on our journey to Chengde. When we arrived at our destination in the evening, we ended up meeting extended family members before eating a good home cooked meal.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Zhengzhou Part 2 : Cultural Fiesta
The following afternoon, my aunts and cousins left, so I spent most of the day relaxing and catching up on some work. Not much happened, except for the fact that I looked after/ played with my other cousin's daughter for a while. She's only two years old, but she's quite the character since she recently learned to speak. At first, she was really shy, but by the end of the day, she ended up sharing some of her snacks with me and calling me "uncle." For dinner, we headed out to the famous Nightmarket of Kaifeng, where vendors sold many delicacies. I saw the usual: bbqed beef, bbqed lamb, but also the exotic: fried bugs, fried tentacles, etc... I ended up going for a more "normal" dinner, and ended up eating bbqed lamb, bbqed beef, shao bing (kinda like fried pita bread), sweet congee soup, and other amazing food.
Routine for the next several days was the same: staying at home for part of the day, then going out later on.
The first day I went out with my cousin, and we ended up watching the new Transformers movie, the original English version :). I thought the plot and action were pretty good, though it was definitely rushed at parts. I've got high expectations for the next one though! Next, we headed to the arcade again. This time, I ended up playing Tekken and did quite well (I picked Lei Wulong for those of you who are curious). After I placed my one token in, this guy came over and we started fighting each other. I won the first battle (which are a best out of three) easily, as he barely landed any hits. Since he lost, he put in another token and we fought again. This time, he picked Devil Jin and kept using a cheap move that was hard to block. I lost the first battle, but ended up winning the second one. In the third and final battle, my character was brought down to near death (any one hit would've KO-ed him), while my opponent had over half his health left. Somehow, I managed to use a large succession of combos and was able to take him out :). Since he left, I ended up playing the computer and won three series of battles, before I ended up losing. (All this was on one token ^^, Note: I also managed to hit the jackpot in this wheel of fortune-esque game that dispenses tickets) Afterwards, we went out to eat some sushi at this restaurant near the mall. I ended up eating 10+ kinds of sushi, as well as a bowl of seafood ramen. The sushi was pretty good and not too expensive, after converting back to US currency haha.
The next day, I ended up going out shopping and bought lots of various goods, including shirts, ties, etc. For dinner, we went to an amazing Korean BBQ restaurant. The place had optional tradition seating, where you were required to take off your shoes, and also, all the waiteres/ waitresses wore traditional clothing. We ended up getting two plates of pork, one plate of fish, one plate of lamb, one plate of beef, one plate of potatoes/ sweet potatoes, and some vegetables. I really enjoyed personally cooking the meat, as well as the custom sesame sauce they provided.
After a couple of days, we went to one of the largest amusement parks in Zhengzhou (I don't think it was that big, as there were only 14 rides total?- it had a tourist rating of AAAA, whereas the max is AAAAA). The rides at the park were fairly repetitive, as the majority of them involving spinning in a circle, or flipping upside down. I seriously doubted the safety of the rides, as the cushions were rock hard...think binders being hit on your upper torso/ head as you are being flipped upside down and turned in circles. Afterwards, we headed to an Italian restaurant, which was actually full of "outsiders," mostly Indians?. For dinner, we ended up getting a sausage and green pepper pizza, chicken and egg soup (that's not Italian.. haha), pasta and...beef?, as well as a Hawaiian pizza (which was made of pineapple...and shrimp?) The pizza wasn't too bad, as the cheese was quite authentic, though there was hardly any tomato sauce. Everything tasted pretty good, though the shrimp was quite unexpected...they didn't really have much taste either.
Near the end of our trip, we decided to spend a day at a health spa, which was part of a four-star hotel. Basically, you could stay for 24 hours (with three meals included) for only 100ish Yuan (16ish dollars?). The spa facilities were amazing as there were so many different aspects. The shower room was quite extravagant too, as there were massage style showers and other aspects. On the first floor, there was a huge pool that had numerous water massagers built into the sides, as well as lounge chairs, and semi-hot tubs. We spent a couple of hours there relaxing away and enjoying the complimentary water, tea, and juice. In addition, there was an upper portion where people could lie on "hot slabs" and sleep if they wanted. Furthermore, there was a set of "natural" hot tubs, some of which were filled with various herbs. Finally, there was a fairly large pool filled with small fishes that would "nibble" / clean dirt off your body if you stayed still. When lunchtime came, we changed into bathrobes provided by the spa (they were white and red striped...reminding me of prison hahahaha). Lunch was a buffet, filled with various Chinese dishes, as well as soup, rice, and noodles (and great dessert!). After lunch, we headed upstairs to a floor filled with massage chairs that each had LCD TVs attached and ended up sleeping for a bit. (There were also personal massage rooms and a VIP section) Next, I ended up surfing the web at a mini "internet cafe," though the internet/ computers there were horrible...so I left after a couple of minutes (think IE version 6, Windows XP PRO chinese version, <256 MB RAM, and laggy internet). Instead, I ended up going back to the first floor and relaxing in the hot tub for a while longer. Afterwards, we went back and began packing for Beijing!
Routine for the next several days was the same: staying at home for part of the day, then going out later on.
The first day I went out with my cousin, and we ended up watching the new Transformers movie, the original English version :). I thought the plot and action were pretty good, though it was definitely rushed at parts. I've got high expectations for the next one though! Next, we headed to the arcade again. This time, I ended up playing Tekken and did quite well (I picked Lei Wulong for those of you who are curious). After I placed my one token in, this guy came over and we started fighting each other. I won the first battle (which are a best out of three) easily, as he barely landed any hits. Since he lost, he put in another token and we fought again. This time, he picked Devil Jin and kept using a cheap move that was hard to block. I lost the first battle, but ended up winning the second one. In the third and final battle, my character was brought down to near death (any one hit would've KO-ed him), while my opponent had over half his health left. Somehow, I managed to use a large succession of combos and was able to take him out :). Since he left, I ended up playing the computer and won three series of battles, before I ended up losing. (All this was on one token ^^, Note: I also managed to hit the jackpot in this wheel of fortune-esque game that dispenses tickets) Afterwards, we went out to eat some sushi at this restaurant near the mall. I ended up eating 10+ kinds of sushi, as well as a bowl of seafood ramen. The sushi was pretty good and not too expensive, after converting back to US currency haha.
The next day, I ended up going out shopping and bought lots of various goods, including shirts, ties, etc. For dinner, we went to an amazing Korean BBQ restaurant. The place had optional tradition seating, where you were required to take off your shoes, and also, all the waiteres/ waitresses wore traditional clothing. We ended up getting two plates of pork, one plate of fish, one plate of lamb, one plate of beef, one plate of potatoes/ sweet potatoes, and some vegetables. I really enjoyed personally cooking the meat, as well as the custom sesame sauce they provided.
After a couple of days, we went to one of the largest amusement parks in Zhengzhou (I don't think it was that big, as there were only 14 rides total?- it had a tourist rating of AAAA, whereas the max is AAAAA). The rides at the park were fairly repetitive, as the majority of them involving spinning in a circle, or flipping upside down. I seriously doubted the safety of the rides, as the cushions were rock hard...think binders being hit on your upper torso/ head as you are being flipped upside down and turned in circles. Afterwards, we headed to an Italian restaurant, which was actually full of "outsiders," mostly Indians?. For dinner, we ended up getting a sausage and green pepper pizza, chicken and egg soup (that's not Italian.. haha), pasta and...beef?, as well as a Hawaiian pizza (which was made of pineapple...and shrimp?) The pizza wasn't too bad, as the cheese was quite authentic, though there was hardly any tomato sauce. Everything tasted pretty good, though the shrimp was quite unexpected...they didn't really have much taste either.
Near the end of our trip, we decided to spend a day at a health spa, which was part of a four-star hotel. Basically, you could stay for 24 hours (with three meals included) for only 100ish Yuan (16ish dollars?). The spa facilities were amazing as there were so many different aspects. The shower room was quite extravagant too, as there were massage style showers and other aspects. On the first floor, there was a huge pool that had numerous water massagers built into the sides, as well as lounge chairs, and semi-hot tubs. We spent a couple of hours there relaxing away and enjoying the complimentary water, tea, and juice. In addition, there was an upper portion where people could lie on "hot slabs" and sleep if they wanted. Furthermore, there was a set of "natural" hot tubs, some of which were filled with various herbs. Finally, there was a fairly large pool filled with small fishes that would "nibble" / clean dirt off your body if you stayed still. When lunchtime came, we changed into bathrobes provided by the spa (they were white and red striped...reminding me of prison hahahaha). Lunch was a buffet, filled with various Chinese dishes, as well as soup, rice, and noodles (and great dessert!). After lunch, we headed upstairs to a floor filled with massage chairs that each had LCD TVs attached and ended up sleeping for a bit. (There were also personal massage rooms and a VIP section) Next, I ended up surfing the web at a mini "internet cafe," though the internet/ computers there were horrible...so I left after a couple of minutes (think IE version 6, Windows XP PRO chinese version, <256 MB RAM, and laggy internet). Instead, I ended up going back to the first floor and relaxing in the hot tub for a while longer. Afterwards, we went back and began packing for Beijing!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Zhengzhou Adventures: Part 1
Upon arrival in Zhengzhou, we were picked up by my aunt and uncle, who brought us to their apartment. By this time, I was starving, so we woke up my cousin (who was also visiting), headed to breakfast and ate "you tiao" and drank soy milk, both of which are incredibly delicious.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_tiao)
Next, we returned home and my parents unpacked/ went out to the bank, etc. As a result, my cousin and I decided to head out into the city. After wandering around for a bit, we decided to head to the local arcade. We ended playing Time Crisis 4 and eventually beat it, after spending like $30 (Yuan) haha. Hung around for a bit more and played some Initial D, as well as various other games.
Headed back home, chilled for a bit and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Went out to this restaurant, where we booked a banquet hall, and ordered some delicious food. Afterwards, we returned and slept pretty early (we were worn out by our wearisome walks and adventures so far ^^)
The next day, my cousin and aunts arrived from Guangzhou. My cousins and I ended up driving around the city before we went to the mall, visited the arcade again, and ate at KFC (western food ftw). I ended up eating a fried chicken sandwich, along with some fried chicken. We returned home at around 10ish and I ended up talking with my cousins/ family until 1 AM.
The following day, we headed to Kaifeng for some family business, but also for some relaxation. After we finished our business, we ended up eating at a banquet hall, feasting on small baozi (a specialty in Kaifeng), squirrel fish (not made from squirrels!), egg and chicken soup, as well as various other dishes. Afterwards, we headed to a five star hotel, with amazing rooms and awesome facilities, to relax and recuperate. (The price of the presidential suite was 38800 Yuan => ~$6000). My cousins and I ended up swimming during the afternoon and going to the gym. Afterwards, I watched some TV before taking a nap. Later on, we all rendezvoused for dinner.
Next, we returned home and my parents unpacked/ went out to the bank, etc. As a result, my cousin and I decided to head out into the city. After wandering around for a bit, we decided to head to the local arcade. We ended playing Time Crisis 4 and eventually beat it, after spending like $30 (Yuan) haha. Hung around for a bit more and played some Initial D, as well as various other games.
Headed back home, chilled for a bit and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Went out to this restaurant, where we booked a banquet hall, and ordered some delicious food. Afterwards, we returned and slept pretty early (we were worn out by our wearisome walks and adventures so far ^^)
The next day, my cousin and aunts arrived from Guangzhou. My cousins and I ended up driving around the city before we went to the mall, visited the arcade again, and ate at KFC (western food ftw). I ended up eating a fried chicken sandwich, along with some fried chicken. We returned home at around 10ish and I ended up talking with my cousins/ family until 1 AM.
The following day, we headed to Kaifeng for some family business, but also for some relaxation. After we finished our business, we ended up eating at a banquet hall, feasting on small baozi (a specialty in Kaifeng), squirrel fish (not made from squirrels!), egg and chicken soup, as well as various other dishes. Afterwards, we headed to a five star hotel, with amazing rooms and awesome facilities, to relax and recuperate. (The price of the presidential suite was 38800 Yuan => ~$6000). My cousins and I ended up swimming during the afternoon and going to the gym. Afterwards, I watched some TV before taking a nap. Later on, we all rendezvoused for dinner.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Nanjing: Day 2
Woke up pretty early and grabbed a buffet breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel lobby. Ended up seeing two one-star generals in the Chinese Navy (based on their blue attire), which I thought was pretty cool. Tour bus came to our hotel and picked us up...apparently there was another family from the US on the tour too haha.
Anyways, our first stop was the former palace of a "self-proclaimed king" who led farmers in a rebellion against the government (he ended up winning). Inside, many relics from his "dynasty" were preserved...including, but not limited to, urns, bowls, statues, monetary coinage, etc. As usual, I ended up taking lots of pictures (which will eventually be uploaded...).
Next, we headed to yet another famous imperial garden, complete with pagodas, a lake, fake mountains, and a Buddhist Temple. Went through the usual tour of famous sights/ locations on the complex, then our tour group ended up watching a Chinese Ensemble play some traditional Chinese songs. Afterwards, we were treated to a brief opera performance. Apparently, lots of elderly people come to the park everyday with their birds, instruments, and "equipment" to practice Taiqi, fly kites, and relax.
As we passed by the souvenir shop, my dad ended up buying this huge scroll of a replica of "Wu" (on the scroll, there are actually five separate words embedded in this one modified chinese character)...there's also a complex story about its meaning. if you ever come by my house, make sure to see it! Next, the tour group ate together at a local restaurant. We ended up buying tomatoes (with sugar), cucumbers, Nanjing duck (a specialty, too salty for my taste though), a stir-fried dish, and rice.
Our next stop was one of the main entrance gates to the city of Nanjing. Nanjing is completed surrounded by walls and water (it was a capital way back in the day), so there are limited entrances. The gate was composed of four separate giant doors, and in a sense was a mini-castle. (Think Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings) Even if the enemy breached the first gate...they had three more to go, and would be instantly owned by a rain of arrows (a small enclosure separates each gate). In total, this gate had 29 separate "enclosures" that could be used to house over 3000+ soldiers.
Next, we took a brief road tour of famous landmarks around Nanjing (there were lots!) before we headed to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's memorial/ grave. (Tour buses/ all visitors can only park for a max of 1 hour at a time...) Climbed all the way up, and then hiked all the way back then (wasn't too much to see). While we were waiting for the bus to leave, we perused a Jade Shop. Inside the store, I saw this huge sculpture that I tried to take a picture of, but apparently photography isn't allowed...? Being crafty, I went outside the store and then took a picture :D. Oh, I forgot to mention, this jade sculpture is priced at $288,888 (Yuan).
Next, we were taken to a cutlery store (all asian tours do this :/), and were given a demonstration on their "fine" knives. I'll admit, there knives really were sharp...and extremely durable. For a little over $100 (Yuan), my dad bought a six piece set...(the retail price was 550, but we were at the factory...complete with warranty and refund if broken). There was even a 10x refund if you couldn't bring it past customs, security checkpoints...etc.
Finally, we headed back to our hotel to pack and check out in time for our train. The train we took was once again a sleeping train (we bought four beds, which equals one personal room). Ended up sleeping quite well before we arrived in Zhengzhou (where I was born) at around 6AM.
Note: Facebook is currently blocked. Thanks Chinese Govt...(proxy time!)
PS Asian bread = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_tou ^^ (fried man tou and bing are also really good!)
Anyways, our first stop was the former palace of a "self-proclaimed king" who led farmers in a rebellion against the government (he ended up winning). Inside, many relics from his "dynasty" were preserved...including, but not limited to, urns, bowls, statues, monetary coinage, etc. As usual, I ended up taking lots of pictures (which will eventually be uploaded...).
Next, we headed to yet another famous imperial garden, complete with pagodas, a lake, fake mountains, and a Buddhist Temple. Went through the usual tour of famous sights/ locations on the complex, then our tour group ended up watching a Chinese Ensemble play some traditional Chinese songs. Afterwards, we were treated to a brief opera performance. Apparently, lots of elderly people come to the park everyday with their birds, instruments, and "equipment" to practice Taiqi, fly kites, and relax.
As we passed by the souvenir shop, my dad ended up buying this huge scroll of a replica of "Wu" (on the scroll, there are actually five separate words embedded in this one modified chinese character)...there's also a complex story about its meaning. if you ever come by my house, make sure to see it! Next, the tour group ate together at a local restaurant. We ended up buying tomatoes (with sugar), cucumbers, Nanjing duck (a specialty, too salty for my taste though), a stir-fried dish, and rice.
Our next stop was one of the main entrance gates to the city of Nanjing. Nanjing is completed surrounded by walls and water (it was a capital way back in the day), so there are limited entrances. The gate was composed of four separate giant doors, and in a sense was a mini-castle. (Think Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings) Even if the enemy breached the first gate...they had three more to go, and would be instantly owned by a rain of arrows (a small enclosure separates each gate). In total, this gate had 29 separate "enclosures" that could be used to house over 3000+ soldiers.
Next, we took a brief road tour of famous landmarks around Nanjing (there were lots!) before we headed to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's memorial/ grave. (Tour buses/ all visitors can only park for a max of 1 hour at a time...) Climbed all the way up, and then hiked all the way back then (wasn't too much to see). While we were waiting for the bus to leave, we perused a Jade Shop. Inside the store, I saw this huge sculpture that I tried to take a picture of, but apparently photography isn't allowed...? Being crafty, I went outside the store and then took a picture :D. Oh, I forgot to mention, this jade sculpture is priced at $288,888 (Yuan).
Next, we were taken to a cutlery store (all asian tours do this :/), and were given a demonstration on their "fine" knives. I'll admit, there knives really were sharp...and extremely durable. For a little over $100 (Yuan), my dad bought a six piece set...(the retail price was 550, but we were at the factory...complete with warranty and refund if broken). There was even a 10x refund if you couldn't bring it past customs, security checkpoints...etc.
Finally, we headed back to our hotel to pack and check out in time for our train. The train we took was once again a sleeping train (we bought four beds, which equals one personal room). Ended up sleeping quite well before we arrived in Zhengzhou (where I was born) at around 6AM.
Note: Facebook is currently blocked. Thanks Chinese Govt...(proxy time!)
PS Asian bread = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_tou ^^ (fried man tou and bing are also really good!)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Nanjing: Day 1
After waking up at around 6ish, we took the bullet train to Nanjing and arrived around 11ish. We stayed at this three star hotel (normally reserved for people in the military only), which we booked via our travel agency. The rooms there are HUGE (think 1.5x of function room in Next Dining) After grabbing breakfast at this restaurant nearby (which also had ridiculously large portions)...we purchased 3 dishes, a soup, noodles, and asian bread?-man tou- but barely finished any of it.
Next, my dad and I headed to the Presidential Palace in Nanjing. The Presidential Palace is famous for being an important capital in the Qing and Ming dynasties, as well as the former Headquarters of the Chinese Nationalist Government (namely for Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT- woot), before it fell in the Chinese Civil War to Mao Zedong. (http://www.nanjing.gov.cn/pub/english/life/leisure/spots/200705/t20070525_213704.htm if you're interested in more ^^)
The layout of the Palace is quite geometric, as there is one central lane that stretches from one end to the other (you can even see from one side to the other!) In addition, there are multiple wings that house numerous buildings used by the former government officials that occuppied it. It was really interesting seeing the historical context in which the palace was used as well as observe the preserved artifacts/ museums on the complex. There were entire buildings dedicated to the life of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, as well as the preserved offices of Chiang Kai-shek and his cabinet.
The grounds of the Presidential Palace are extremely beautiful, as there are mountains and lakes (key to fengshui!). For example, there are numerous gardens, pavilions, pagodas, and even fountains. Some cool parts I noticed were a horse stable, an air raid shelter (a war was going on!), and life-size sculptures.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel, ate at the same restaurant, and headed to bed early as we would be waking up early for our tour the next day.
Note: Still trying to upload pictures...
Next, my dad and I headed to the Presidential Palace in Nanjing. The Presidential Palace is famous for being an important capital in the Qing and Ming dynasties, as well as the former Headquarters of the Chinese Nationalist Government (namely for Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT- woot), before it fell in the Chinese Civil War to Mao Zedong. (http://www.nanjing.gov.cn/pub/english/life/leisure/spots/200705/t20070525_213704.htm if you're interested in more ^^)
The layout of the Palace is quite geometric, as there is one central lane that stretches from one end to the other (you can even see from one side to the other!) In addition, there are multiple wings that house numerous buildings used by the former government officials that occuppied it. It was really interesting seeing the historical context in which the palace was used as well as observe the preserved artifacts/ museums on the complex. There were entire buildings dedicated to the life of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, as well as the preserved offices of Chiang Kai-shek and his cabinet.
The grounds of the Presidential Palace are extremely beautiful, as there are mountains and lakes (key to fengshui!). For example, there are numerous gardens, pavilions, pagodas, and even fountains. Some cool parts I noticed were a horse stable, an air raid shelter (a war was going on!), and life-size sculptures.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel, ate at the same restaurant, and headed to bed early as we would be waking up early for our tour the next day.
Note: Still trying to upload pictures...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
