Beijing

Beijing is a city rich with history, of the ancient world as well as of modern capitalism developing in a communist nation. The city has some great sites to visit, and despite the smog, we braved them all.

Tiananmen Square

 Dad decided to buy a one star general hat that he wore throughout our time there haha

 In front of the Forbidden City with Chairman Mao Zedong's picture still present

 Forbidden City with tons of tourists

 Part of the Imperial Gardens in the Forbidden City

 Solid doors for heavy protection

 Me compared to the tall walls of the Forbidden City

 Mote surrounding the walls

 Temple of Heaven

Though I knew that the Great Wall was one of the Seven Great Wonders of the World, not until I saw it did I realize what an accomplishment the wall was to build, especially in an era without our modern technology. It is so far up in the mountains, and covers an estimated 10-20,000 km, it really is amazing. We went to the Mutianyu area, which is the best renovated and not too crowded. You take a cable car to the top, having a view of the expansive but barren valley below, and the winding wall as it travels up the mountainside. It was breathtaking to think of the estimated one million Chinese who worked on the wall (20% of their population at the time) and the many who died there. 

We also visited the Summer Palace, which is actually a large "park" with a manmade lake of about 500 acres. It was a gift of the last emperor of China to his mother, and what a gift it is. Within what is now such an industrial city, it is a beautiful pice of nature, that though man-made, is very peaceful. 

 In front of the Bird's Nest, home of the Beijing Olympics in 2008

With our tour guide & driver