|
Sightseeing in Beijing The Niehaus Center has arranged two days of sightseeing in Beijing (Monday, 12/8 and Friday, 12/12) for the enjoyment of our guests. We have also arranged additional tours and activities for Friday night and Saturday, 12/13, for our guests to join at their own expense. A description of each of our planned sites is provided below. Please also note the section explaining how to sign up for the Friday and Saturday activities and the section regarding what to wear/what to bring. Monday, 12/8—The Great Wall at Badaling and the Forbidden City The Great Wall at Badaling* "It sure is a great wall." The Great Wall stretches from Shanghaiguan on the east coast to Jiayuguan in the Gobi Desert. Construction on the “original” wall began during the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.) when Qin Shi Huangdi unified China. Separate walls, constructed under the supervision of independent kingdoms, were subsequently linked to keep out nomads and potential invaders. While the wall never worked well for this purpose, it did serve as a “highway” of sorts, moving men and equipment over difficult terrain. An estimated 180 million cubic meters of rammed earth form the core of the original wall, and it was faced with 60 million cubic meters of bricks and stones during the Ming Dynasty (a project that took over 100 years!). More recently, parts of the wall have been renewed for tourists. The Badaling section is the one closest to Beijing and the most frequently visited. While it gets a bit “touristy” in the summer, we can expect a more relaxed experience in December. The Forbidden City The Palace Museum or “Forbidden City” is the largest and best-preserved constellation of ancient buildings in all of China. It served as the home and ruling hub of two dynasties of emperors, the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911). The basic design for the “city” was established between 1406 and 1420 by Emperor Yongle, who commanded battalions of up to a million laborers. The buildings still standing today mostly date post-18th century due to the damage caused by the Mongol invasion of 1644, occasional bouts of arson perpetrated by discontented imperial officials, and a few royal lantern festivals gone awry. Still, the palace is a remarkable site with a fascinating history. Time permitting we will climb the hill in Jingshan Park (across the street from the back gate) for breathtaking aerial views of the entire palace. Friday, 12/12—The Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven with evening outing to see the China National Acrobatics Troupe The Summer Palace The Summer Palace is one of the most awesome sites in Beijing. Located on Kunming Lake, its temples, gardens, pavilions, and corridors once served as the summer playground for the imperial court, as a “vacation retreat” of sorts where the Emperor went to escape the blinding heat in Beijing. While the site had always served as a royal garden, it was considerably expanded and enhanced by Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century and again by Empress Dowager Cixi in1888 (allegedly with military funds intended for the creation of a modern navy). One of the best-known sites at the Palace is a large marble boat, commissioned by Cixi, which sits permanently at the northern edge of the lake. Other sites include Benevolence and Longevity Hall, which houses a hardwood throne and a large collection of bronze animals, and the Long Corridor, which is more then 700m long and is decorated with paintings depicting mythical scenes. You will also see a jade gallery, a rare collection of Qing artifacts, and a collection of Cixi’s calligraphy. The Temple of Heaven and its surrounding park The Temple of Heaven was built during the Ming Dynasty (~1530). It is set in a 267-hectare park with four gates, one at each of the compass points, and walls to the north and east. The temples are round with square bases, in line with the ancient Chinese belief that heaven was round and the earth was square. The temples were originally designed as the location for the performance of the solemn rites, where the Son of Heaven came to pray for bountiful harvests and to atone for the “sins of the people.” After viewing the altar, proceed to the Imperial Vault of Heaven, which houses the 65-meter Echo Wall. A whisper can travel clearly from one end to the other. The China National Acrobatics Troupe For those planning to remain in Beijing, we will arrange a trip on Friday evening to see the China National Acrobatics Troupe at guests’ own expense. Tickets will be arranged by the Niehaus Center once we get a final count, and we will go as a group. The estimated cost of the ticket is between $20 and $25 (USD), depending on where the seats are located. Saturday, 12/12—The “Dirt Market” and Surrounding Antique Markets and a tour of “Old Beijing” The “Dirt Market” The “Dirt Market” (Panjiayuan) is a huge outdoor flea market of sorts, carrying everything from true antiques to kitschy knick-knacks. In the covered section, you’ll find all kinds of “antiques” (most are reproductions here), Chinese furniture, carved chests, Tibetan carpets, scrolls, Chinese chess sets, teapots and other ceramics, jewelry, Cultural Revolution memorabilia, and anything else you can imagine. In the non-covered section, anything goes. Rural villagers hawk all kinds of wares. True antique hunters usually begin in this section. Be prepared to bargain for everything at this market. The best time to go is early in the morning, as most vendors begin packing up around 11am. Afterward, we will visit some other (indoor) antique shops in the area. There is no cost for this outing except for transportation (we will travel together) and what you choose to spend on souvenirs. “Old Beijing” No trip to Beijing would be truly complete without exploring “Old Beijing”—a large web of hutong (alleys) home to almost a quarter of Beijing’s residents. These passageways with their beautiful gates and charming courtyards were originally built in the Mongol Yuan dynasty after Genghis Khan’s army razed the city. By the Qing dynasty there were 2000 hutong and by the 1950s that number had jumped to 6000. More recently, new construction, especially for the Olympics, has caused the destruction of many of these lovely neighborhoods. We will take a guided tour through several of the hutong, and time permitting we will visit the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, which served as the center of the old Mongol capital. The estimated cost for the tour is about $25 (USD). The exact price will depend on the number of people we have. And…“New Beijing” For those interested in taking in a little Beijing nightlife, we will head out to a “Night Market” (a big “food fair”) on Saturday evening, followed by drinks at one of Beijing’s well-known pubs. To Sign Up To sign up for any of the Friday or Saturday activities, please click on the sign-up page. Please note the specific activities in which you would like to participate. The choices are again:
We will arrange our activities for Saturday night more casually in Beijing with those remaining at the hotel. An envelope will be provided to you in Beijing for payment. Both USD and RMB will be accepted. What to Wear/ What to Bring Please keep in mind that Beijing is known for its chilly winters. Average temperatures in December range from the mid-20s to the mid-30s. Most of our sightseeing ventures leave us outdoors for several hours (though we will break for meals and snacks), so please dress accordingly. Warm coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and thick (cotton) socks will make the tours much more enjoyable! Also, please wear sturdy, rubber-soled shoes in which you can walk and stand comfortably for long periods of time. Sneakers or hiking boots are good options. Items to Bring:
*Descriptions for all sites have been taken in part from Harper et al. 2002. China. Melbourne: Lonely Planet Publications, pp. 156-206. |
