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Screaming by on the Beijing-Shanghai High Speed G Train

Leaving Beijing, we had our first taste of heavy traffic and wet rain.  We were ready to leave the dreary weather (or so we hoped) and head south to Shanghai known as Beijing’s decadent little sister.  Although I truly enjoyed Beijing’s majestic Forbidden City, ancient hutongs and scattered parks, I really was getting tired of the smoggy, cold weather.  Plus the food options were becoming limiting (that happens when you don’t especially like Chinese food) and I knew that I would find much more variety and international fare in cosmopolitan Shanghai.  It was time to leave.

Photo below taken during our hour-long taxi ride to Beijing South Railway Station.  The further we got out off town and along the Ring Road, the more of these ugly Soviet-era apartment complexes there were.  It made me realize just how insanely big Beijing is and how densely the people live.  This represents one of hundreds if not thousands of these kinds of living complexes. 


In my opinion, there is no better way to see some of the countryside and what is really going on in China than to travel by train. There is something nostalgic about train travel.  You can sit back, relax and watch the world go by or in the case of China’s high-speed G trains, watch the world scream by.

The Beijing-Shanghai G Train is one of the longest and highest quality high-speed railways in the world with a designed speed of 350 km per hour.  It makes the 1,318 km/819 mile long journey between Beijing and Shanghai take a mere 4 hours and 48 minutes with a brief stop at Nanjing.  Launched in June of 2011, the railway was the first one designed for speeds up to 380 km/hour (236 miles/hour), making it the fastest train in the world.  The journey from Beijing to Shanghai took 3 hours and 58 minutes compared to 9 hours and 49 minutes on parallel railways with conventional trains. However, after a few mishaps shortly after its launch, the train was slowed down to its current rate averaging 300 km per hour/186 miles per hour.

Photo below:  Pulling up into the Beijing train station I am amazed by its modernity and vastness.  There are railways everywhere. 

Entering Beijing’s train station which is extremely modern (except for the bathrooms: Squat toilets of course).  Security was tight and the place was packed.  

An up close look at a G Train.  Impressive! 

There are rows and rows of G Trains waiting for its passengers to board.  Each train has a “sightseeing” class with only four luxurious seats, one section of first-class seats (with about twenty-four seats) and 16 trains of regular coach seats.

Leaving Beijing there are tons of buildings in the midst of construction.  We made a joke that the national bird of China is the “Crane”.

Per GMO (9/2011), “over 200 skyscrapers are under construction in China today.  This is equivalent to the total number of skyscrapers in the U.S. today”.

 

As the train slowly rolls out of Beijing, passing by one new building conglomerate after the other, it becomes evident what is really going on in China.

“A giant smog of unreality hangs over Chinese property.  SocGen calculates that over the last decade, China has completed 16 billion square meters of floor space.  This is equivalent to building Rome every two weeks” (SocGen, June 23, 2011)”.

As we would soon witness during our five hour train ride, this construction boom has resulted in vast “Ghost cities” across China in which there are no inhabitants and the cranes cease to be working.   The China National Bureau of Statistics and GMO estimate that there will be up to 75 million new homes built this year.

Per the Financial Times*:

“After a decade of soaring prices, signs are that the world’s most populous nation faces its first real estate crash.  That would be dire for other countries that rely on China to fuel their own economic growth”.

Some scary trends:

  • Home prices in Beijing have risen by about 150 percent in the past four years.
  • Residential transactions are down 11.6 percent from last year, all across China.
  • Analysts say an urban apartment costs 8-10 times the average annual income nationwide.  In Beijing and Shanghai the multiple is closer to 30.
  • Construction accounts for 13 percent of the economy, one-quarter of all investment and 40 percent of steel use.

*Source:  Financial Times “A lofty ceiling reached” (12/14/2011 by Jamil Anderlini).

As we head out of Beijing, passing by all the look-a-like buildings and apartment complexes, the G Train finally starts to pick up speed reaching of dizzying 306 km/hr or 190 miles/hour.  It is the fastest speed I’ve ever traveled by train and my stomach felt it.

Finally we had left Beijing and were in the countryside and it was beautiful ….but not for long.

Ghost cities appeared in the distant horizon and it freaked me out….they were everywhere!

This photo below spooked me the most.  We were in the middle of nowhere and in the distance there was a gigantic “Ghost City” where everything had stopped in time, uncompleted.  The initial belief of the Chinese government and real estate tycoons was “we will build and they will follow”.  Not so sure if it is true.

After almost five hours of passing ghost town after ghost town, I was fascinated and in shock.  I have never seen such massive construction and building anywhere before.  It is phenomenal.  In a country where property construction accounts for an estimated 13% of GDP in the world’s second largest economy, what will happen when the real estate bubble comes to a half?  The economic ramifications for China, its people and the world are frightening.  Let’s hope for a soft landing. 

Arrival at Shanghai’s Rail Station…..and on to the next adventure. 

Stay Tuned…more Shanghai surprises coming soon!  

Adventure Travel China TRAVEL BY REGION
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Daily Life in Beijing

China is a place awash in complexities and paradoxes.  It is a place that is growing, developing and modernizing at lightening speed yet at the same time is being held down by its ugly past.  It is full of splendid culture and traditions dating back thousands of years.  Yet, it also has some disturbing truths that may someday bring the current Communist Party and its “emperor” down.

As the country continues to race towards become the next global leader and world power, the housing bubble is finally showing unwanted signs of crashing, the Communist Party is hammering down and trying to stop the rapid growth of micro-blogging, human rights activist, journalist and anyone speaking out against the government is imprisoned and severely punished, the environment is rapidly deteriorating, pollution is pitiful, and ghost towns lay dormant.  All the same, China is still technically booming and its people are better off today than they were twenty years ago.  China has witnessed one of mankind’s most incredible rise of its people out of poverty.  

Yet, where are they headed?  What would happen if the economy begins to stagger or fall?  Will people speak up and protest?  Will there be a Chinese Spring?  What will happen to the 900 million peasants who have seen their life improve but still have a long way to go?  What will happen to the rest of the world if China is hurting?

The implications are mind-boggling and of course would have worldwide effects.  It is no coincidence that articles on current events in China are found daily in papers, online and on TV.  China is huge, important and will impact us all.

Perhaps these questions are why despite not “loving” traveling to China, I have found it one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been.  China is at the center stage of the world right now and to be there, witnessing it all, is an amazing travel experience.

To wrap up my Beijing posts, I felt a photo blog on “Daily Life in Beijing” would help illustrate the complexities and paradoxes of this fascinating place.  I am also including a list of intuitive articles on China today, for those who want to learn more.  (See the bottom of the post for links).

Here is a walk through Daily Life in Beijing.  Hope you enjoy.

Old versus New:  A remaining part of the ancient city wall in the heart of Beijing.  

All that remains is a dilapidated old wall.  Whereas right down the street is Wangfujing Dajie (below), a Vegas meets New York City-styled pedestrian walking street and shopping Mecca. 

And the new….

The Lion is the symbol of China and can be see throughout the country protecting its inhabitants for thousands of years. 

The red lantern, another prominent symbol in China.  

For some reason, I truly love this picture.

The Hutongs represent the old part of Beijing.  Hundreds exist yet many have been torn down in the thrust towards modernization. 

In a high-density city of over 20 million inhabitants, there are still many places like this one to find peace and solitude and enjoy nature. 

Signs of westernization and commercialism are prevalent but not overbearing like in most cities in Europe…note the Starbucks above. 

Yet traditional architecture can be found throughout the city bringing the visitor back to the days of the dynasties and reminding us of China’s long history and path. 

Truly spectacular hand-painted art embraces the heart and soul of Beijing. 

As you explore Beijing’s streets, you are struck by the contrasts between old and new.  Modern and traditional.  I found the local farmer’s markets to be one of those great contrasts and delights.  

I have never seen such an enormous pile of lettuce in my life!  And it looked so fresh…

Buyers and supplies loaded their produce onto the back of their bicycles, just like the old days.  

Tai Chi could be seen practiced daily along the streets of Beijing usually in the mornings.  

Or you could find parks filled with retired Chinese playing Chess, Checkers and cards.  

Ping-pong is also popular in Beijing’s many parks. 

Some of Beijing’s oldest Hutongs have been transformed into modern-day party central, filled with outdoor bars, terraces and craziness.  It was where all the young, somewhat rebellious Beijing youth hung out at night.  

Beijing is still a large bicycling community.  There are even pathways like these along the streets for bikes, motorbikes, motorcycles and electric bikes.  It is one of the main ways the Beijing people get around the city:  On two wheels.  

 The electricity and bike park outside the Hutongs.

Laundry can often still be seen drying outside the home or apartment balcony.  I was impressed with the creative methods for drying laundry in big cities! 

The pollution, congestion and traffic where alarming and frightening.  This is the typical day in Beijing.  Gray, smoggy and dark.
This parked car shows how dirty the air is!  I had to take a picture of it.  Not sure if it ever got or will get washed.  
Most Chinese live in apartments.  In a country of 1.3 billion people, space is key.  Most of the apartment complexes I saw in Beijing were quite dreary like this one below.  It reminded me of a Soviet-era complex. 

As you get out of the central part of town on the Ring Road, you pass a million of these kinds of apartment complexes where there are several generic-looking gray buildings clumped together as a some sort of compound. These kinds of developments are going up for miles and miles outside of the city.  I have never seen so many apartment complexes being built anywhere.  It simply blew me away and made me realize the gravity and magnitude of the Chinese ballooning population.  



As our time dwindled in Beijing, I left feeling perplexed and uncertain about my feelings of this city.  The history was amazing yet the complexities bothered me.  I wonder what will become of Beijing and of China?  How will it transform and grow into the next century?  Will it hold on to its long traditions or will it become more westernized?  Will democracy come or will the people remain powerless and voiceless in their own country.  It certainly will be interesting to see. 

For further reading on China, please see the following articles:

Financial Times, “A lofty ceiling reached” 12/14/11 by Jamil Anderlini

Financial TImes, “Beijing in a hole over new homes” 11/15/11 by Simon Rabinovitch

ZeroHedge.com:  “Guest Pot:  Some Things You Should Know About China” by Tyler Durden

Also the tremendous book, “China Wakes:  The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power“ by Nicolas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn is an excellent read. It is a little outdated by I think these two brilliant New York Times Writers are right on target with what is happening in China.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about China.

CULTURE
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Beijing at night

When you think of China’s city lights. your mind often rests on Shanghai and Hong Kong:  Big cities, amazing skyscrapers and incredible lighting at night.  These cities sometimes feel like Disneyland or Vegas, captivating your souls and imagination.  There is an odd resemblance to Christmas, as the city lays aglow in uncanny lights.

After visiting Shanghai I admit that the city’s evening lights are unbelievable and mesmerizing.  I instantly fell in love with the city at night, and felt that Shanghai was almost right up there with Paris, the City of Lights (yet I prefer the older city atmosphere of Paris over the newly built, ultra modern Shanghai).  I could have sat there all night admiring the lights over the Bund and Pudong in Shanghai.  I had never seen anything quite like it before and I realized that the night in Shanghai was by far more beautiful than the day time when the city was awash in pollution, traffic and noise.

For as much as Shanghai’s lights beckon,  I believe that Beijing’s city lights are highly under-rated and definitely worth admiring.  Maybe it is the old-world architecture that I fancy or perhaps the initial belief that Beijing would be uneventful.  One night in Beijing proved that my assumptions were wrong.  It was not a gray, dull, boring city.  Instead, it is an ancient city beaming with life as soon as the sun sets.  

The beauty of Beijing at night can’t be denied.  It is a place worth exploring with your eyes wide open….

The Forbidden City at night is unbelievably spectacular.  My only regret is that I’m not a better photographer as I was unable to truly capture the dreamlike nature of this place at night.  

View from the cab.  I love this photo.  I feel that it captures the true energy of Beijing at night.  I took it from our cab window obviously while we were moving. 

Picture of Ghost Street, the renowned street with any kind of Chinese food that your heart desires.  

Right outside of our hotel was one of the largest street food venues I’d seen.  It was bustling with activity as soon as the sun set.  Hungry customers lined up and ordered their meals on a stick to go (of course cooked fresh right in front of their eyes). 

The main pedestrian street at night was filled with colors and entertainment.  There were enormous flat screened TVs built into the sides of buildings.  Kind of reminded me again of Vegas or New York.  

Restaurants awaited hungry customers….

My only regret was that I was too tired from jet lag and walking eight hours throughout the day to stay up later and enjoy the sensational beauty of Beijing at night.  For the city’s secrets are often revealed at night when it is quite, more peaceful and full of a different kind of life.

China TRAVEL BY REGION
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The Lama Temple: Buddhism in Beijing

Before visiting China, I had the amazing opportunity to hike the Annapurna Circuit trek in Nepal.  As I’ve said time and time again in my blog and to family and friends, this was the one trip in my life that really touched my soul.  It inspired me.  It changed me.  And most of all, it encouraged me to continue exploring as many far off destinations that I can possibly visit.

My trip to Nepal was my first exposure to the Buddhist religion.  Sharing a border with India, Nepal, a tiny mountainous kingdom, was exposed to two main religions:  Hinduism and Buddhism, that grew and developed to become the two prominent religions in Nepal.  During my trek through rural mountains villages in Nepal, I was blessed with one Buddhist village after another.  Temples, colorful prayer flags, gigantic prayer wheels and burning juniper incense infiltrated my heart and soul.  The monks dressed in maroon robes and praying softly was a pleasant, peaceful experience.  I instantly purchased the Dalai Lama’s famous autobiography when I got home.  I felt inspired by this magical religion and wanted to learn more.

I read his book, appropriately titled “Freedom in Exile:  The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama“, and felt an anger and shock burning inside my soul that drove me mad.  I could not believe what the Chinese government had done.  It was tragic, sad and terrible.  Yet, it was a story that had been repeated all too frequently in our world’s history.  America and the injustice done to the Native Americans.  The “colonization” of South America.  The tearing apart of Africa.  And the list goes on.

What I had a hard time coming to terms with after reading this book was my feelings on traveling to China.  I understood that human rights were far from being achieved by the Tibetans as well as most of the population of China.  Would I be ok with that? 

Driving around town in the Twin Cities (the local term here for Minneapolis and St. Paul area) I grew accustomed to seeing “FreeTibet” bumper sticks on many cars.  I knew that the Dalai Lama had recently come here to speak with his people, the local Tibetans who have come here in exile to start a new life.  What do they think of the Chinese government?  I wondered but felt like I knew.

I wouldn’t find my answer of course until I was in China, looking around, visiting Buddhist temples and talking to people.  The first stop in my quest to understand Buddhism in Beijing was the most revered Buddhist temple outside of Tibet:  The Lama Temple.  Originally built in 1694 during the Qing dynasty it was used as a palace and later changed to lamasery in 1744 by Emperor Qianlong.  Today it is the largest, most well-preserved lamasery outside of Tibet and is a renowned place of worship, pilgrimage and importance in the heart of China’s capital.

We set off on our last afternoon, walking, to the Lama Temple.  After reading the Dalai Lama’s tragic account of events, I wasn’t sure what kind of religion I’d find in China.  I understood that the Communist Party of China had no official religion yet tolerated religious practice to some degree.  Yet it was hard to get a sense of how religious the Chinese are overall since many prefer to keep their religion private.  Some estimates state that there are approximately 100 million Buddhists in China.  It is the most prevalent religion, followed by 18 million Muslims, 10 million Protestants, and 4 million Catholics (Facts from “Culture Smart China:  The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture” 2010 edition).  Yet in a land of 1.3 billion people, these numbers lead me to believe that there are a lot of people who do not practice a religion or chose not to tell anyone that they do.  Like most statistics in China, it is hard to get a clear picture.

Regardless, Buddhism has a strong cultural importance in China as it has been inside the country for thousands of years since its introduction from India via the Silk Road.  I was keen to visit the Lama Temple and see what it was all about.  After visiting this lovely place, I was even more confused than ever.  For it was simply serene and the devoutness of the practicing Chinese Buddhists was deeply touching.  It didn’t make sense to me what had happened and why Tibet cannot be free.  Like most of my trip to China, it proved that it is a land of paradoxes and contradictions that a foreigner may never fully understand.   There are many questions in life that will remain forever unanswered.  Perhaps this is one of them.

Here are my pictures and commentary from my visit.

The walk from our hotel near the Forbidden City took us over an hour passing through main thoroughfares, small streets and plenty of interesting things to take pictures of.  We knew that we were finally getting closer to the Lama Temple when we reached this street packed full of Tibetan shops. 

Suddenly gray dull Beijing came to life with color, smell and sounds as we entered the Buddhist district near the Lama Temple.

The majestic archway leading into the Lama Temple.

The walkway to the temple was beautifully adorned with shade trees that cast a peaceful glow on the area.

There were plenty of monks dressed in brilliant orange.

Some monks had obviously come from far to pray and also be like a tourist and snap some photos.

When you were done with your incense, you placed them in the fire pit to burn.

As always, there were lions protecting the temple.  This one is a male with its location on the east side of the building and grasping a ball.

The breathtaking architecture of the temple reminded me of the palaces in the Forbidden City.  Yet the smoke-filled air from the burning incense gave the Lama Temple a much more mystical feel. 

Perhaps there was too much smoke in the air to take this picture but I still enjoy the close-ups of the incredible art and detail of the buildings. 

I left the Lama Temple feeling relaxed and peaceful.  It was such a special place and I was relieved to see so many ordinary Chinese there practicing their religion openly.  It is estimated that hundreds of Buddhist temples were destroyed after the revolution in China in 1949.  It is a pity that they no longer exist.

Stay tuned..Next stop is “Everyday life in Beijing”.  It is my last post on Beijing and a compilation of tons of great photos I haven’t shown yet.  Thanks for reading !

Adventure Travel China TRAVEL BY REGION
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How to get around urban China like the Chinese

Throughout my stay in urban China, I was bemused, amazed, surprised and continually fascinated by the resourcefulness of the Chinese in regards to modes of transportation.  Here is a photo blog of what inspired me.

When getting around or transporting goods, anything works, especially bicycles!   

These were the “party bikes” located in the bar zone of the Hutongs.  I loved seeing all the young Chinese gals cruise around on these fun bikes for bar hopping.  

One of many bike parks.  I loved the electric bikes.  They were sleek and quiet.  You hardly knew they were there.  

I especially loved these little bicycles.  Not sure if they have a special name or not.  But they sure are cute! 

With such heavy traffic and high costs for cars and trucks, it is no wonder the bicycle is the number one mode of transportation for both people and goods.  

Sidewalks, streets and highways…no matter!  If you are a pedestrian, you just had to watch out for passing motorcycles and bikes! 

Meals on Wheels!  Hungry anyone?

The Daily Commute:  Beijing.  (Look at all the smog!).  

I loved these little “tin cars”.  There was no way I was ever going to step foot in one of them though.  I don’t think you’d come out alive if you got in an accident in one of these little cars.  I even saw them on the highways!  Scary. 

Thankfully Beijing had their own devoted “Bike and Motorbike” lane.  This made things far safer except of course at the intersections where it was a free for all between bikes, motorcycles, pedestrians and cars! 

There are plenty of buses in China which is a cheap and affordable way to travel.  

A motorcycle park.  Genius idea! 

Driving is the most dangerous mode of transportation in all of China.  Per Lonely Planet China, “China’s roads kill without mercy.  Traffic accidents are the major cause of death for people aged 15 and 45, and the World Health Organization estimates there are 600 traffic death a day!”.   After spending ten days in China, I completely understood these facts.  Driving is crazy there (like many big cities in the world) and it was even more scary being a pedestrian in Beijing.  Vehicles do not think twice about driving right towards pedestrians even if there is a walk sign in the cross walk.  You have to really be careful and use a 360 view when crossing the street (if you want to make it safely across!).

I had heard about these graphic displays of “Traffic accidents and resulting deaths” before and was thus forewarned that they are disturbing.  Here is a display set up in the heart of Beijing.  The police were passing out flyers with pictures in case these warning signs weren’t enough. 

After seeing these graphic displays of fear, I was a bit weary getting in taxis (especially in Shanghai where our hired cab driver drove over 100 mph on the highways, passing on the shoulder.  I finally told him to slow down as the pictures continually returned to my mind). 

Stay tuned…more China coming up soon! I may even sneak in a few posts about Minnesota!

Adventure Travel China
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Hutongs at night

Finding the Hutongs at night were hard but fun!  At least we had a sign to guide us in.  Yet once inside the Hutongs, it was anyone’s bet on which direction to go.  There were no maps nor streetlights to lead your way.  In some Hutongs, a flashlight would have really come in handy!

My last post on China was by far one of my favorites:  In Search of Beijing’s Hidden Hutongs.  As I mentioned in the post, the Hutongs, or narrow alleyways, are the true heart and soul of Beijing’s past.  They are magical maze-like places which instantly transport you back in time, to thousands of years ago.  The rooftops were by far my favorite thing to capture on film.  They were so detailed and so lovely.  I could have spent hours just taking picture after picture of each and every one.  I also truly loved the sense of adventure and discovery while wandering around the hutongs.   The narrow alleyways snaked around in mysterious ways and you had to decide whether or not to go left or right or continue on straight.  It reminded me of the Dr. Seuss Book “Oh the places you’ll go“.

After our second day in Beijing, we finally discovered a fabulous hutong near Qianhai lake which was loaded with restaurant after restaurant.  We decided that day that we would have to return at night for a meal and if we had the energy, hit the bar section further down where the generation X and Y’s of Beijing let off some steam.

The main difficulty for returning to the Hutongs at night was once again finding them!  As I mentioned in my earlier post, they are marked yet still difficult to find on a map and cars are not allowed inside them.  Thus if you took a cab to a Hutong, they typically would drop you off outside of the entrance on one of the main drags and you’d have to weave your way back inside the serpentine maze of the Hutong to try to find your destination.   It wasn’t easy to find in the day time and the night time was even harder as the hutungs are not very well-lite thus you are often found wandering around in complete darkness.

This was right up my alley in terms of adventure and “getting lost”!  I loved it and best of all, we did finally find our way around some of the Hutongs thus were able to enjoy them at night as well.

Finally we found the main entrance to one of the best Hutongs in town!  Now who would imagine it would be located back here, behind this construction area?  Yet it was our way of finding it again at night!  We followed the main drag and looked for the crane above.  Then we wove around the side of the construction and voila!  There it was, an enormous maze-like Hutong loaded with boutiques, restaurants and bars!  

Finally we found international restaurants!  We found Italian, British, Indian and more!  I could hardly contain my excitement since I was not enjoying Chinese food so much.  This area was only about a 40 minute walk from our hotel.  Yes, a bit far but worth the walk and it felt great to get exercise after a big meal.  

Once you entered the Hutongs, there were many parts like this one above that were almost pitch black!  I could have really used a flashlight there!  

We had dinner at a fabulous little Indian restaurant that we found in Lonely Planet and actually had searched for during the day and found it that night. I loved having my favorite Indian foods in the heart of Beijing. It felt kind of strange but then again, I love Indian food so why not?

We didn’t make it to the wild and crazy bar Hutong (never quite figured out what the name of it was). When we had passed it during the late afternoon, things were already picking up. There were three-person bikes to rent, rooftop bars with sofas on top and lots of loud music. It felt vibrant, fun and not at all like most parts of gray, old, stiff Beijing. I really wished I had the chance to hang out there for a few hours and learn about the young, rebellious youth think of it all. Beijing, China, Communism and the future.

Stay tuned….more China coming soon! I still haven’t finished Beijing and Shanghai will be a delight as well. Thanks for reading!

China TRAVEL BY REGION
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In search of Beijing’s Hidden Hutongs

While waiting in the American Airlines lounge at Chicago O’Hare to catch our international flight to Beijing, we found ourselves talking to a China “travel warrior”, one of those successful American businessmen who had either the luxury or the headache (depending on how you view things) of traveling overseas constantly to Asia.  Since I never got his name, I’ll call him the Chinese Travel Warrior as it seemed to fit.  He’d been to China at least 40 times and was well versed in the ins and outs of traveling and doing business there.  He’d informed me gleefully about the preparation of Peking duck as well as showed me a picture on his cell phone of what you’d get in China if you ordered Chicken Soup (yes, a real dead chicken foot sprouting out of the top).  He told me the good and the bad, the nice and the dirty and helped get me excited about the adventure ahead.

Probably the best piece of advice that the Chinese Travel Warrior gave me, however, had to do with sightseeing.  He told me that I had to spend some time in Beijing’s infamous Hutongs or “narrow alleyways” that mysteriously thread through the heart of old Beijing.   He told me that the Hutongs are where the history, culture and life of old China can be seen, if that is, you can find them.

Not knowing or understanding at all what the Hutong are, I opted to search my beloved Lonely Planet China and here is what I found about Beijing’s Hutongs:

The spirit and soul of the city lives and breathes among these charming and ragged lanes where a warm sense of community and hospitality survives.  Criss-crossing chunks of Beijing within the Second Ring Road, the hutong link up into a huge and enchanting warren of one-story dwellings and historic courtyard homes.  Hundreds of hutong survive but many have been swept aside in Beijing’s race to build a modern city.

The description of the hutongs obviously grabbed my attention and lead my father and I on a three-day search in finding the best and the most colorful hutongs in all of Beijing.  Here is a collection of my photos taken during our explorations of Beijing’s Hidden Hutongs. 

Finding the Hutongs was half the battle and half the fun.  Our first day in Beijing, I was on a mission to find them.  We walked until we dropped, for over eight hours, pounding the pavement of Beijing.  I had read in Lonely Planet that all the Hutongs are marked with a historic sign.  Yet finding them on a map was another challenge all together.  We realized that the best way to find these hidden treasures was to walk without a map and explore.

Eventually after lunch we found our first section of Hutongs located directly behind the Forbidden City.   Before I saw the red sign (photo below), I noticed a dramatic change in the architecture of the buildings and most notably the roofs (photo above).  They looked old.…could these be part of the Hutongs I was searching for? I wondered.

This sign confirmed it:  Our first Hutong spotting!  

Yet this Hutong wasn’t too inviting.  Perhaps it was being renovated?  We decided not to walk down and explore it much further than this picture.  I knew there would be more.  Many more.  We would just have to find them! 

We continued our walk down Beichang Jie, one of the main drags located behind the Forbidden City, in search of more Hutongs.  We saw lots of interesting photo shots like the one above which I adore.  I love the old bicycles and the cool buildings.  

We walked a little further and came across this lovely Hutong.  I found a splendid alleyway but there was not much else back there but quiet courtyard homes.  

I was fascinated by the Hutongs and could have explored them all day long!  Here is my dad going under the electrical boxes that provide electricity to these ancient homes.  

The Hutongs are narrow thus all bicycles are normally parked outside the entrance.  I love this picture.  For some reason, it is one of my favorites from the trip.  

During our second day in Beijing, we discovered an entirely new area of Hutongs located by Qianhai Lake in North Dongcheng.  These Hutongs were more than residential and had stores, bars, restaurants and even chic boutique designer shops.  Here is a more lively Hutong that we found the second day which snaked around in many different directions.  

I found it hard to not get lost.  Yet getting lost was probably the best aspect of our search for the hidden Hutongs.  That meant you discovered new things that you probably would have missed.  Sometimes traveling without a map is the best way to travel.

If you did get lost or not want to get lost, you always had the option of hiring a rickshaw to show you the way.  We found this line up of eager rickshaw guides in a more touristy section of Hutongs (now what it was called still remains a mystery to me!  Again, it is a hutong that we managed to stumble upon and never found it again!).

Comparing notes and trying to work a deal. 

After hours of walking and exploring, we finally came across this trendy Hutong that had tons of cool bars, restaurants and shops.  This time we made a note on how to get there and find it again! 

Some of the beautiful boutique shops found in the Hutong. 

By lunch time, we were ready to take a rest and found the perfect place, The Passby Bar, located on Nanluogu Xiang, which was a great place to eat and watch the world go by.

Above is a picture of all the restaurant’s Lonely Planets!  Apparently the owner is an avid world traveler! 

As we entered the Passby, it felt like entered some kind of English pub.

I LOVED their motto:  BETTER TRAVEL THAN DEAD!  It seems like it was written for me! 

After a delightful lunch with of course a glass of wine, it was back to it.  I was determined to find more of Beijing’s hidden Hutongs and the more we walked, the more we discovered.

The architecture was a photographers dream.  

We left the Hutongs feeling excited about what we’d seen and looking even more forward to coming back to experience them at night, when they come to life with people, lights and mystery.  

The Chinese Travel Warrior was right….you can’t possibly see Beijing without finding the hidden Hutongs which are the true heart and soul of the city and its magical past. 

Stay tuned…next post will be on Beijing’s Hutongs at night! 

Adventure Travel China TRAVEL BY REGION
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Occupy 40: How to turn 40 and feel like you’re 30.

Ok….drum roll please.  Da da da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (pause). Today is a milestone day (breathe).  A day which I have dreaded, fretted about, worried about, cried about for over 365 days.  Today I am 40 years old (gulp).   Yep, thirdeyemom was born on December 6th, 1971 and today marks my fortieth year.

An oldie but goodie.  Me on my sixth birthday receiving my first pair of clogs.  December 6, 1977. 

There are lots of milestones throughout your life.  Learning to walk.  Learning to talk.  Learning how to swim and ride a bike.  Having your first sleep-over.  Learning to drive.  Going on your first date.  Having your first kiss.  Graduating high school.  Leaving home.  Starting your first job.  Meeting your husband.  Getting married.  Having kids.  And, of course turning 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and so on.

No matter what your age is, I am sure you feel the same way at each milestone birthday:  Excited, scared, nervous and in disbelief at just how fast life seems to be going.  Turning 40 is a big one.  It means you are officially “middle-aged“, you have technically lived over half of your life already (unless you are like my grandpa who just turned 96!), you can remember when your own parents turned 40, and you may even discover your first gray hair (the wrinkles have already long set in).

But….no worries!  What I’ve had to come to terms with over the last 365 days is that of course there is no turning back time.  You’re 40.  So why not decide to be “forty and fabulous”?  Of course there is no real fountain of youth yet there are ways to keep feeling young.

Here is my top ten list of ways to turn 40 yet feel like you’re 30.  For age is all a state of mind, isn’t it?  Life is a journey.  Each day is a gift.  It’s called the presence!  

So, without further delay here is my top ten list of How to Occupy 40:

1.  Exercise daily.  Run, walk, swim, bike or practice yoga.  Just do it.  It will keep you feeling younger, healthier, happier and thinner.

2.  Get plenty of sleep and eat good.  This is huge.  No McDonalds, potato chips, etc.  Instead eat lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies.  The occasional junk food pig-out is fine.  Just don’t do it all the time; you’ll pay for it more!

3.  Smile, relax and laugh often.  Enjoy life!  It’s the only one you’ve got!

4.  If you see a gray hair, dye it!  Why not look in the mirror and look young?  It will make you feel younger!  (Thankfully as a blond, I don’t have any yet.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t make my hair “blonder!”).

5.  Travel as much as possible. Travel keeps you young.  It keeps you learning, challenged and fascinated by the world.

6.  Learn something new each year.  Take a photography class, an art class or learn a new language.  It will keep you challenged and growing.

7.  Volunteer and give back.  It is important to remember those in need.  Helping others makes you feel warm inside and helps the soul.

8.  If you have kids, play with them!  Be a kid yourself again.  It feels great to be silly.

9.  Manage your stress.  Stress wears you down, makes you feel awful.  Try your best to not let the little things bug you.

10.  Live, laugh and love!  Life is short, enjoy it to the fullest extent possible.

CULTURE
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The curse of the Asian Toilet

If you have ever traveled anywhere in Asia then you have certainly experienced the “curse of the Asian Toilet” before.  Otherwise known as the squat toilet, it can be a brutal and stinky affair, especially for women who do not have the biological convenience that men do (yes, God must truly be a man!).

I, myself, am well past any issues with the squat toilet.  After traveling for three weeks in Nepal (in which over half of it was in remote villages in the Himalayas) I got broken in rather quickly to the “do’s” and “don’ts” of squat toilet etiquette.  For example, Do carry toilet paper.  Do always have hand sanitizer available (since there is seldom anywhere to wash hands let alone find running water).  Do carry a flashlight.  And most important: Do cover your noise (don’t you dare breathe in through your nose!  Mouth breathing only) and Do, and I mean Do, try your best to not look down or spill.  This is tricky for a female who isn’t equip like a male.  But it is a reality that we must face especially when using a squat toilet!  You definitely don’t want any accidents when you are traveling all day long wearing the same pair of pants!

For me, going to China and dealing with the lack of the “western toilet” (as my beloved Nepali guide called it) was going to be nothing after three weeks of roughing it in Nepal. I’d seen plenty of bad, cold, smelly toilets.  After awhile it was determined that sometimes mother nature was best.

So, I thought amused that it was no big deal dealing with the Asian toilet situation during my travels.  I’d done it, I’d mastered it and best of all, the hotel would most likely have a western toilet (unlike in Nepal where I went three weeks without one).

What I found so incredibly fascinating in China was the controversy regarding the Asian toilet (especially before Beijing hosted the Olympics in 2008), the resulting growth of the public toilets (over 5,333 were added to prepare for the Olympics), the new rating star-standards of toilets, and last but not least, the hilarious commentary I saw about the wonder of the porcelain gods.  I couldn’t get enough of toilets during my trip!

Per an article I read on www.chinaview.cn hilariously titled, “Beijing’s toilet horrors flushed away“, here is an account of the improvements Beijing has made recently to the toilet situation in the city:

Strolling along Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue in May, Kevin Born was drawn to an ancient Chinese-style building with delicate wooden carvings and wash paintings — only to find it was a public toilet.

Inside, he found a granite floor, remote-sensor flushing, automatic hand drier and piped music. He found it difficult to believe that only three years ago when he first came to China, answering nature’s call was an experience not for the faint-hearted.

“You had to take a deep breath and dash into the toilet. You held your breath and your head high, and never looked down. Then you’d dash out quickly for another gasp of fresh air. All within 30 seconds,” recalls Kevin, 30, an engineer from Germany.

The city launched a three-year campaign — with a 400-million-yuan (57 million U.S. dollars) investment — to modernize its public toilets in 2005 as part of its effort to prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games.

With 1,000 new public toilets being built and renovated each year, the fetid back-street privies are being replaced with clean, well-maintained flush toilets.

Now, Beijing is flushed with pride that all the 5,333 public toilets, boasting standardized white male and female figure signs, are available within a five-minute walk of any downtown location.  In addition, there will be 700 toilets in Olympic venues by the time the Beijing Games start and an additional 800 nearby.

Now it is time for a few of my best toilet shots (no worries….they are all flushed) as well as another interesting article I found regarding the history of toilets in China (including the introduction of the star rating system) and the push of the Chinese Government to vamp up the number of public toilets in preparation for the Olympics.  Happy reading!  (And please….don’t read this post on the toilet!).

Worth a read:  “Beijing Toilets Go Upscale”

Inside our hotel lobby, we had nice clean western toilets.  Yet I could not stop laughing over this “lost in translation”!

One of thousands of new, convenient public toilets made available throughout Beijing in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.  It was fabulous having so many public toilets available!  Most were all the traditional squat toilet, however, they were clean, not sticky and readily available everywhere.  It made a day of sightseeing or an evening of drinking beer easy.  (Don’t you hate it when you are traveling and desperately need to use the bathroom but can’t find one anywhere?!  Not possible in Beijing, thanks to the thousands of newly minted public toilets).

More public toilets located in the famous Hutongs.  They even had sinks with working running water!  Some had toilet paper too….bonus!

See, they are now nice and clean!  Not the old nasty ones that left people ready to pass out.  Locals and tourists alike embraced the availability and cleanliness of the new toilets. 

Different styles of public toilets that were “stand-alones” and much nicer than our “Port-a-Pottys” back at home. 

I could not resist grabbing my camera and taking this picture of the sign in the bathroom at one of the restaurants we ate at in Beijing.  Too funny!

It was not posted once but twice!  Guess they meant business!

In Shanghai, I nearly fell off my (toilet) seat when I realized that (a) it was heated! (b) it had a “rear cleansing” option and (c) it had a dryer!  Now that is a little disturbing, isn’t it.  (No, I did not try any of these services). 

The toilet was constantly heated to a warm 90 degrees F.  Guess they want you to stay seated for a while and enjoy!  Ha!

Stay tuned…enough silly business.  I’m starting to remind myself of my kids and their non-stop adoration of “potty talk”!   Next post will be on Beijing’s fabulous Hutongs!  Thanks for reading!

Adventure Travel China TRAVEL BY REGION
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The Art of the Chinese Massage

There is something divine about a good massage. As someone who has suffered a bad neck and upper back for over three-fourths of my life (see post:  Dealing with Chronic Pain) you can imagine how much better an excellent massage is to my poor, sore muscles.  I am like a new person after a massage.  I don’t have a darting, throbbing pain in my neck and my soul seems to finally find some sort of peace.

Unfortunately, like most luxuries in life massages are not cheap.  In fact, I find it difficult to find anywhere decent to get a massage for under $120 per hour.  In my book, as a stay-at-home mom with no income to call my own, I just can’t stomach dishing out that kind of money, even if my back hurts like hell.  Thus I end up getting probably only one to two massages a year, usually as a gift from my loving husband or understanding mother who also suffers chronic neck pain.

Before heading over to China, my neck and back were really causing me grief. After a ten-year hiatus, I had to start physical therapy sessions again to try to manage the pain and strengthen my back muscles.  It found it so incredibly frustrating to have to deal with this “pain in the neck”.  I am an incredibly active person who can’t let a persistent pesky pain stand in my way.

Looking back, I am convinced that my 20 mile plus bike rides over the summer pulling my four-year-old daughter were the main culprit in ruining my back again. (I suppose I can also add in “getting older” although I try not to dwell on it).  Stress and spending more time at the computer were also causing problems (hmmm….could it be all that extra time I’ve been spending blogging?).  I was determined to go on my trip and relax a bit, and pray my back wouldn’t go into complete spasms on the flight. Having a good seat helped significantly, but passing out after four glasses of wine and falling asleep at a strange angle did not help.

Needless to say, when I landed in Beijing after a fifteen hour flight I could barely turn my head.  I knew that it wasn’t a good sign but I had hope.  For I had heard about the art of the Chinese Massage and I knew that the price would be right.

Chinese medicine has been practiced for centuries. Per Massage Today:

Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the oldest continuous systems of medicine in history, with recorded instances dating as far back as two thousand years before the birth of Christ. This is in sharp contrast to American or Western forms of health care, which have been in existence for a much shorter time span.

Traditional Chinese medicine is based, at least in part, on the Daoist belief that we live in a universe in which everything is interconnected. What happens to one part of the body affects every other part of the body. The mind and body are not viewed separately, but as part of an energetic system. Similarly, organs and organ systems are viewed as interconnected structures that work together to keep the body functioning.

Massage known as “an mo” or “tui na” in Chinese and Acupuncture have been integral parts of Chinese medicine for thousands of years and has gained worldwide attention and practice for many years.  Chinese doctors believe that a network in the human body called “‘jing luo” serves as a passageway for vital energy and blood to reach all the parts of the body.  The use of acupuncture and massage on pressure points and injured muscles can greatly relieve pain and maintain overall health.

As soon as I landed, I could hardly wait to explore and experience the art of the Chinese massage.  My body was desperately waiting and begging.  Yet, unfortunately other things got in the way such as the more important excitement of exploring a new place.  Who wants to waste two hours trying to get a massage when I can walk until I drop and see as much of Beijing as possible?  I reasoned.

Stubborn, defiant me waited until the very last minute; until I was at the “point of no return” in level and severity of pain and discomfort.  I had walked for over eight hours long on our first day in Beijing, on hard concrete, constantly stopping to rub my back or do a quick neck stretch.  I even laid on my “tension release” racket balls for an hour, drank several glasses of wine, took a pain reliever…. yet there was no relief.  It wasn’t looking good.

The climb up to the Great Wall was amazing while I was doing it.  Exciting, fun and pure adventure.  Yet when I woke up the next morning I had hell to pay.  I was in dire straits.  I could barely move my shoulders let alone turn my head from side to side (I cursed myself and wondered how I ever managed to hike over 100 miles last year in the Himalayas!  Could my body really have aged that much in a single year?!).  

It wasn’t the way I imagined my vacation, suffering and wallowing away in pain. I had to do something.  It was time to discover the art of the Chinese Massage, and fortunately the best place in town was right outside my doorstep.

The Dragonfly Spa, located only four buildings down from my hotel,  is known as one of the top spas in Beijing.  Knowing that made me initially hesitate, thinking that it would be pricey and snooty.  But silly old me forgot the number one thing about China:  The low-cost of labor.

When I walked into the Spa to check out the prices, I was instantly drawn in.  The entire waiting room and spa smelled of roses, real fresh, fragrant roses.  Hundreds.  Thousands.  A room aloft in roses.  It instantly put me in a trance.  The friendly, pretty receptionist handed me over a neatly printed price list.  I swallowed before opening it and then to my shock and disbelief, the prices were insanely cheap.  An hour-long aromatherapy massage with hot oils was only $35.  The lesser hour-long “Chinese Massage” was a mere $16.  They even had a neck and shoulder massage for an hour for $15.  I could not believe my eyes or my luck.  I was in the perfect place! I was in Heaven!

I desperately asked the receptionist if it was possible to get a massage that moment.  It didn’t look too busy.  I was the only one there.  But I wasn’t sure because at home you have to typically book a massage at least a week in advance.

The pretty, young receptionist smiled reassuringly and told me, “One moment, please“, in perfect, beautiful english.  She picked up the phone, dialed, and spoke rapidly in Chinese to whoever answered.  “Please have a seat“, she said kindly.  Within five minutes a small, petite woman walked in, smiled at me and lead me back to Heaven.

As I left the pleasant waiting room and entered the spa, I was instantly greeted by the healing, peaceful smell of lavender.  The entire room was dark except for little candles that lined the stairs leading up to the massage rooms.  It was the most incredible, pleasing synthetic flowery smell I’d ever experienced.  It was enough to make my knees weak.

I lied down on my stomach in almost complete darkness and silence and let each ache and pain in my poor, overworked body relax.  Sometimes I think it is best if the masseuse does not speak english.  I tend to talk too much, even during a massage.  That makes it harder to relax and simply enjoy the experience.  Since I didn’t know Chinese and my masseuse knew little english, there was no conversation whatsoever.  Just silence and total relaxation; something I think everybody in this world needs.

For someone so small, I was amazed by the strength of her touch.  The hot, scented oils melted into my skin and sunk into my rock-like muscles relieving the tension that had been stored up for months.  I closed my eyes and relaxed, enjoying each and every moment of Heaven.  I didn’t want it to ever end.  It was so wonderful.

Of course, all good things must come to an end.  The sixty minutes were up, and I could barely move.  My body felt like butter and my muscles melted into the massage table.  I took my time getting up and was sad to leave.   But I knew that it would not be my last time at the Dragonfly.  For how could I resist the art of the Chinese massage? 

For the next day I was going to indulge in the $15 one-hour neck and shoulder massage.  And, little did I know there was a Dragonfly in Shanghai too where I would get a send-off massage before leaving China.  Heaven comes in threes.

Stay tuned…there are more China posts to come.  Not sure yet if it will be the post on “The Curse of the Asian Toilet” or one on the fascinating Hutongs, or old alleyways of Beijing.


Adventure Travel China TRAVEL BY REGION Trekking/Hiking
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A high-speed visit to The Forbidden City

One of the top highlights of any visit to Beijing is a visit to the infamous Forbidden City, one of imperial China’s most exquisite displays of traditional Chinese palatial architecture and grandeur.  Built in 1406 to 1420 and used as the imperial palace during the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Forbidden City is one of the best preserved complexes of ancient cities in the world, containing over 980 buildings and 9,999 1/2 rooms in the heart of Beijing.

What makes the Forbidden City so fascinating and mystifying is that it was forbidden to the general public for over 500 years.  Only the emperors (there were 24 in total from the Ming and Qing dynasties who lived there), their families, and their crew of eunuchs and servants were able to live there, from its onset until 1911, when the Qing dynasty was ousted and the Imperial era ended.  The Forbidden City was not opened to the general public until 1925, over 500 years since its construction.  (For more historical information and facts on the Forbidden City, click here.)

Our hotel was in a prime location – at the heart of Beijing – within blocks of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We couldn’t have selected a better location as our base.  We knew that the Forbidden City was huge thus agreed to devote at least a half a day for exploring the world’s largest surviving palace complex (The Forbidden City was built in the center of the ancient, walled imperial city of Beijing and covers over 178 acres in a rectangular shape.  From north to south it measures 961 metres (3,153 ft)  and 753 metres (2,470 ft) from east to west).

As we ate our lovely American breakfast, we could see the packs of provincial Chinese tourists march by our window, all wearing identical hats in order to identify them with their respective tour group.  Guides wearing headsets, microphones and sporting a similar matching hat, lead the way.  We were glad we weren’t part of the mob.

My dad and I, of course, had a different plan in mind for touring the Forbidden City.  We would simply walk to Tiananmen Square, look “American” and wait for our sales pitch.  We would go with the best, most informative Chinese (yet English-speaking) tour guide at the most competitive price for a two-hour tour.  We knew we could spend an entire day there and that most guides were happy to spend the whole day with you.  But we knew what we wanted:  A brief, yet comprehensive basic tour of the Forbidden City, all crammed into two hours time.

We headed around the gigantic 52-metre wide moat that surrounds the impressive Forbidden City walls towards Tiananmen Square, one of the main entrances to the Forbidden City.  We were lucky that it was still relatively early, only 8:30 am, thus the massive crowds we saw yesterday afternoon were presumably still riding into central Beijing on the tour bus.

We didn’t think it would be hard to find a guide.  Just the day before we got accosted by plenty of tour guides looking for potential clients while we strolled through Tiananmen Square.  Yet this morning they all seemed to be in bed, sleeping.  We waited patiently, glancing around and trying our best to look like we needed help.  Within five minutes, we met “Jack” (not related to our previous tour guide Jackie who brought us to the Great Wall.  Must be a popular “western” name!).

Jack was tall, lean and intense.  He dove right into his sales pitch with wanting eyes and seemed slightly offended as we tried to negotiate down the price and make a time limit on our tour.  He informed us that he was one of the best Chinese tour guides for the Forbidden City.  We knew within seconds after meeting him that he was the one.

Jack proved to be an excellent guide albeit an extremely high-strung, driven individual.  My father had realized that he had met his match.  Jack possessed even more of these qualities than my sometimes impatient, yet highly energetic father!  Me, on the otherhand, was rather excited to have such a high-strung, chatty guide.  I took plenty of notes!

Here are the photos from our intense, high-speed visit to the Forbidden City.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!  Warning: I had an awful hard time cutting them down.  So I decided to include almost all of them!

The entire Forbidden City, which overs 178 acres, is surrounded by a 52-foot-wide, two-meter-deep moat and a 30-foot-high red wall. I loved this picture of the backs of the buildings reflecting in the grimy waters of the moat. 

Looking the other direction.

This picture is definitely one of my favorite “third-eye” moments! The locals catching their dinner!

As we approached the Forbidden City, once again I had hoped for better weather than your typical smoggy Beijing day.  It finally dawned on me that this was a “normal” day in Beijing and I’d have to get used to it.  Too bad….as I would have loved to see the Forbidden City behind the smog.  

When I first saw the Forbidden City, my first thought was how intimidating it looked.  It went as far as the eye could see and was all done in imperial red, the color of China.  

There are four entrances (gates) to the Forbidden CIty.  We entered through the gate outside of Tiananmen Square, right next to the ticket/admission office.  This is the main gate that leads you through the Forbidden City’s main sights.  The above picture illustrates the crumbling, 30-foot high red wall that surrounds the Forbidden City.  

There is also this high grayish-colored wall that is on the far outside of the Forbidden City.  You could see plants creeping their way through the cracks. 

Here is the main ticket counter.  We were lucky to not have a big line.  It was still early (only 9 am) and the Forbidden City had just opened.   

Above is a picture of the main entrance to the Forbidden City.  This is where we met Jack, our tour guide for the morning.  The lines and groups of tourists were already forming as we entered into the Forbidden CIty.  Our timing was perfect! 

Jack was an eager teacher and couldn’t wait to tell us all about the amazing history of the Forbidden City.  All in all, there are 9,999 1/2 rooms.  Why the 1/2 room?  Because there are 10,000 rooms in Heaven thus there is a half-less room in the Forbidden City.

The line above is called the “Dragon Line” or “Middle Line” and was reserved and only used by the emperor.  The only other person able to walk on this line was the emperor’s wife, on their wedding day.  The line leads to the emperor’s office and house.  

The inside of the Forbidden City was enormous and kept going on and on through different archways and gates.  It is a beautiful place and I found this picture to be among my favorites. 

The first building we came to is the most important and largest palace in the entire Forbidden City, the emperor’s office.  The Dragon’s Line leads straight towards it.  

All of the 980 buildings in the Forbidden City are the same exact color scheme and architectural design.  The color red is the most prominent color on all the buildings followed by the yellow roofs. 

Each building is flanked by a male and female lion.  The male lion is on the east (closest to the rising sun) and the female lion is on the west.  The lion is symbolic of power and protection of the emperor.

Above is a picture of me in front of a female lion.  You can tell due to her location (west side of building) and also underneath her right foot is a baby lion.

The intricate painting on the woodwork of each building is unbelievable.  I could not stop taking pictures of the colorful design that remain bright hundreds of years later.

A group of provincial Chinese tourists in the “white cap” tour group. 

We walked past building after building trying to take it all in. 

This giant vat is one of several that is used for burning incense. 

A building’s importance is measured by the number of animals on top of the roof.  This is the top of the emperor’s office, the most important building in the Forbidden City.  It has the highest number of animals, ten.  The emperor’s home (his wife had her own as she had to share him at night with his concubines) had nine animals on top, which is considered a lucky number in China.

The crane symbolizes long life in China.  We found it ironic that it is the national bird.  There are so many (building) cranes up in China due to the intense construction boom, that we laughed at this irony.

The turtle is also an important animal in China.  It symbolizes long, happy life and good luck. 

An up close shot of the beautiful, yellow-tiled rooftops seen throughout the Forbidden City.

This is how fires were put out in the Forbidden City.  There are over 308 giant copper and iron vats that used to be filled with water in case of a fire. 

The vibrant red and gold colors can be seen throughout the Forbidden City. 

A picture of my dad and I in front of one of the many buildings (now weeks later, I can’t seem to remember exactly what building this is.  I guess that is one of the problems when there are over 900 and they all look identical, except in size!)

I love the shapes of the yellow tiled rooftops. 

There are plenty of impressive stone carvings and statues as well.  

Yet another building.  

Unfortunately the smog started to really set in, decreasing visibility greatly.  Yet I still really love this photo of the rows and rows of buildings.  Many are not even open to the public.  Just the main buildings are as it would take weeks to see them all and some have not been restored.  

Above is the “Large Stone Carving” made out of one piece of stone.  (Below is a sign that gives the details). 

Last but not least is a picture of the last emperor (only 6-years-olds when he became emperor.  His name was Puyi) who was finally booted off the grounds in 1924 (he lived here from 1911 after the failed revolution that ended the dynasties until 1924 when he was escorted off the grounds by the army).

After he left in 1925, the Forbidden CIty was finally opened to the public, over 500 years later.  Now it is the “unforbidden” city!

Stay tuned…more posts on China coming up soon!  I will be discussing “The Art of the Chinese massage”, “Asian toilets”, Beijing’s Hutongs, and more. 

China TRAVEL BY REGION
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The World (aka China) according to Jackie

We met Jackie, our 26-year-old tour guide to the Great Wall, at our hotel lobby on Sunday morning.  Jackie was dressed in jeans, sneakers, a pink button down shirt and a pastel blue sweater vest.  Needless to say, he was dressed well but not appropriate for an all day hike along the Great Wall.

Above is a picture of Jackie, smiling as we literally “climbed” up to the Wall. 

Jackie (of course his “western” name; all Chinese pick western names when they start English in primary school) is a jovial, bright fellow who grew up in rural China, like the majority of the Chinese people, to farming, illiterate parents.  He has witnessed firsthand the dramatic changes that China has experienced over the last twenty-five years, while China has emerged as a leading economic powerhouse fighting for the center stage in the world order.

Per Jackie, there used to be only three colors worn in China:  Blue, Gray and Black.  Now the Chinese wear any color under the rainbow.

Jackie is a chatty, intelligent guy.  He had a lot to say about China – where it once was and where it is headed.  He talked the entire hour and a half ride to Jiantou, the entire climb up to the Wall (in between breaks) and the entire way back to Beijing.  I, of course, asked tons of questions and took tons of notes.  I found our conversation fascinating and it was great to get an inside view from a young, educated Beijing tour guide who has over ten years of experience and is quite knowledgable about what is happening now in China.

This post is a summary of the “World (aka China) according to Jackie”.  (Note:  I haven’t confirmed all the figures and statistics.  This kind of information is hard to get out of Communist, censored China.  I have discovered that many things are a mystery in China and it is hard to get accurate, hard data.  Thus, I am just going with what I heard from Jackie (whom I feel is an excellent, intelligent source of information) as well as some of the research I conducted myself (see below for links to the articles).  So, here goes nothing:  The World (aka China) according to Jackie!

Picture above of Confucius from the Wikipedia Commons.  Confucius was one of the greatest Chinese thinkers of all time.  His influence can still be felt today, thousands of years later.

Jackie had a lot of opinions on what China is like today, especially in Beijing, China’s political and historic capital.  For the most part, Jackie feels gratitude for how far China has come over the last twenty-five years.  China has literally taken most people, including the Chinese by surprise, in their unheard of industrialization and economic advances, which have brought millions and millions of people out of poverty.  China has industrialized in a matter of years compared with the centuries it has taken most countries in a similar situation.  When you visit China, the proof is in the endless amount of new buildings, apartment blocks and skyscrapers reaching for the stars.  It is said that the crane is the national bird of China.  The building crane is as well!

Yet, none of this rapid change has not been without problems and mistakes.  As most people know, China is still ruled by a dictatorship of hardliners that slam their iron fist down on many basic freedoms of their people.  While China is growing and expanding at insane rates, basic human rights and needs of its people are being left in the dust*.  Hospitals are old and dingy.  Doctors are scarce and expensive.  Social services are lacking.  Good education is hard to find in the countryside.  Good jobs for educated graduates are becoming harder to find.  Small and Medium sized factories are closing down at alarming rates.  Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable.  Pollution is out of control.  Traffic is maddening.  Freedom of Speech is denied.  Speaking out against the government comes at a heavy price with imprisonment, financial difficulties and abandonment.  And the list goes on. 

With all these paradoxes and complexities, I found my conversation with Jackie to be incredibly interesting.  Here are some of the main points he raised:

Decrease in opportunities for new university graduates:

Last year, 6.6 million students graduated university in China.  Yet, over one million of them can’t find a good job.  Most are holding off and not accepting the lower-paid jobs in hopes that there will be a turnaround.  Jackie believes that China is good a “making” things (i.e factory level) yet not “creating” them.  I found this to be an interesting point and wonder what it will hold for the future.

Education:

Education is central to Chinese mentality.  Look at Confucius (551-479 BC) whose ideals were paramount in Chinese thinking for over 2,500 years.  Education became a priority in China yet was briefly and tragically interrupted during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) which pushed everyone out to the countryside and created an entire decade of uneducated peasants.  Nowadays, all Chinese parents realize the importance of education and dream of giving their children a better life, out of poverty, through education.  Rural and urban parents alike strive to provide the best education possible for their children so they can head out to the big cities to find a better life.  If there are no good jobs to be had, this creates a big problem.

Pressure on the lower wage jobs:  Made in China to stay?

Everyone knows that almost everything these days are “Made in China“.  China’s enormous population has provided one of the greatest means to pull itself up out of poverty by its enormous labor force.  However, rising costs have been difficult on these very factories that provide low-paying, low-skilled jobs.  Many small to medium-sized factories are having a hard time competing and are forced to shut down, creating higher unemployment and unrest among many migrant workers.  **

Economists have differing opinions on what the future will hold for China and whether or not these low-paying, low-skill jobs will migrate elsewhere where the labor costs aren’t as high and the supply costs are lower.  Per the Financial Times article, “A workshop on the wane” (10/16/11):

 “Slowing global demand for cheap Chinese exports, rising production costs and unsustainable levels of debt have combined to crush some of the country’s most savvy entrepreneurs.  China’s economic success over the last 30 years has been built on cheap capital, cheap labour, cheap energy and cheap land but this has now produced huge imbalances and inefficiencies that are causing more and more problems.

But having drastically raised the living standards of almost a fifth of humanity, the formula is increasingly seen as defunct, and a contributor to serious problems including environmental degradation and rapidly rising social inequality.  Time is running out for a model that has served it so well. ….but this does not mean that the end is nigh for the world’s second-biggest economy”.

China needs to adjust and adapt its market, what it is doing.   Most economists predict a soft-landing for China, yet not without problems.

Housing :

As the economy has boomed and China has been seduced like others by an enormous gains in the real estate market, many argue that China is also facing a real estate bubble.  Per GMO***, “Property construction accounts for some 13% of GDP in the world’s second largest economy.  Construction has been one of the most important drivers of economic growth” (Jonathan Anderson, UBS, March 16, 2011).  Although it is hard to get a true and accurate picture of the Chinese real estate market since the government tends to hide unpleasant statistics, it is said that “there’s little doubt, however, that many Chinese feel they have been priced out of the property market.  A 100 square meter apartment in China currently costs around 17 times average disposable income, according to Deutsche Bank”.    I assume this must be what Jackie was referring to when he told us that the cost of apartments in Beijing has quadrupled since 2006.

Daily Life in Beijing becoming harder, more congested:

Jackie told us that China purchases 20 million cars and trucks per year.  There are currently about 20 million citizens and 10 million migrants living in Beijing.  There are 5 million cars.  Last year, there were 2,000 new cars added every day in Beijing.  Thankfully the government decided to put stricter controls on the huge increases in traffic and pollution.  Now if you want a new car, there is a lottery system.  This year there are 600 new cars added per day in Beijing.    Traffic is also controlled by the numbers on your license plate.

Marriage and Family:

The average age of marriage in urban China tends to be 30 years old for men and 27 for women.  In the countryside, it is generally around 20 years of age.  The year 1979 represented the start of China’s famous “One Child Policy” as a way to control China’s massive, growing population.  Over the last few years, the policy has changed a bit.  In the countryside, if the first-born is a boy then a family is done.  If the first child is a girl, then the family can try one more time for a boy.  In the city, a family can have two children now (if they pay) yet it is very expensive and most families today have only one child.

Social and Political Change:

This is a very tricky question.  While most Chinese are thrilled to have food on their plates, a job and a much better life than their parents, there are still huge inequalities and disparities among the people.  Like many other young people, Jackie shared the opinion that as long as people’s lives are improving that there will not be any major “Asian Spring” or push to oust the strong-armed Chinese rule.

As an American, I found this so hard to believe and tried my best to examine everything with my “thirdeye”.  I found China to be a confusing, frustrating yet fascinating place.  So much has changed.  Yet so much more needs to change.  I will be highly interested in seeing what the future holds for China and whether or not such a brutal government can remain in power.   It all remains to be seen, doesn’t it?

For further reading, please refer to the articles below which I used in my research: 

(Note:  The Financial Times online requires a free password.  Some require a paid password for the premium service.  I get the paper at home and only occasionally read it online.   If you want to access the free parts, it is definitely worth doing as these articles are excellent, and the FT is a fabulous paper to learn about what is going on in the world).

*”Cautious Beijing keen to avoid domestic unrest” – Financial Times 11/21/11 (click here for article)

**”A workshop on the wane” – Financial Times 10/16/11 (click here for link to article). 

***GMO “The Real Estate Cycle —September 2011.

Financial Times (print version):

“China labour costs soar as wages rise 22%”  – 10/25/11

“Reshoring jobs from China won’t happen” – 11/13/11

Plus, for a fabulous book that I am in the middle of reading about 1990’s China, “China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn“.

Stay tuned…..more China coming up!  I still have a ton of photos and stories to share!

CULTURE