Tour of Beijing



Tienenman Square



Forbidden City- Where the Emperor and his wife and concubines used to live.



The Summer palace. The emperors daughter lived at the summer palace.



Gate to the Summer Palace. She came and went by boat to the palace.

There are trees here that are very old. it is common to see the trees have a structure or poles helping to hold the tree and its limbs up.

The Silk Factory- They taught us how silk is made

We visited a chinese family that lives in the Hu Tong district.  this is how most of the Chinese people used to live in a complex of four buildings connected with an garden in the very center.  Many generations live together.  Not so much any more.  Many complexes like this have been replaced with business and other more modern buildings.  This is what Beijing used to be like.

The GREAT WALL



Some of the steps on the Great Wall were very steep!



Our View from the Great Wall



Riding a rickshaw through the Hu Tong district



I think we are going to enjoy Nanjing. Our guide has been so very helpful this afternoon. She picked us up at the airport and checked us in at the hotel. We just got back from lunch, a REAL chinese restaurant within walking distance from our hotel. She had to order for us. The food was delicious. We will probably go back. We ordered rice, brocolli, kung pao chicken, and a huge bowl of spicy beef and vegetable soup. Everything we ordered was too much to feed the three of us and it cost 123 Yuan, which is $20. There are many shops around our hotel, selling lamb on a stick, a small supermarket, a hair cutting place, a place we can take our laudrey to be cleaned, etc. Everyone walking around look like locals. Can not believe that we are leaving our hotel in the morning at 9:30 to go to the Civil Affairs Office. Melodie, our guide, told us that Xin Ping will arrive about 10:00am!!! I can not believe that I am now within 30 miles of Xinping! Our guide in Beijing and our guide in Nanjing have both told us that Xin is pronounced "Shin".