Fourteen of us left Spore on 18 Nov and returned home on 26 Nov. Nine days were indeed a long time to spend in chilly Beijing (actually spent one night in Chengde, Hebei Province). I think we visited all the royal palaces and gardens in Beijing namely Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Beihai Park and even the largest Imperial Resort in Chengde.This picture on the left is actually DeSheng Men (Victory Gate) which is the gantry to the city of Beijing. This architecture is preserved right in the hub amidst modern buildings.
So much walking in the chilly temperature of only 5C. Even with four layers of clothing (longjohn included), two pairs of socks, gloves, muffler and cap, I still felt the piercing chill in my bones! My poor nose was dripping with mucus whenever I was out in the open. My nostrils were caked with lots of dirt, mucus and even blood. The air in Beijing is really not too clean.
Had the privilege of visiting one of the seven wonders of the world; The Great Wall of China. Am really amazed as to how it was built and imagined how many precious lives were lost in the process. This magnificent structure was painstakingly created and it still stands today after so many hundreds of years ago.
This is my second visit to China, the first to Shanghai in 2002. I observed that Beijing is so different from Shanghai. Every piece of restored architecture is so anchored on the cultural and historial heritage. The Chinese government is particularly cautious about preserving the "dragon pulse" since Beijing is the capital of China. So much talk about superstition and fengshui.
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