Hutong Tour and Temple of Heaven

Hi Everyone,

We had another very busy day today. It was a little rainy and cloudy today, but we didn’t let those kind of little details hold us back from seeing some sights.

After a quick breakfast in the hotel we met with our guide and were off for the Hutong Tour. I’ll do my best to give you details as best I can, but keep in mind I’m still adjusting to the time change. I am going to try and post the pictures in the order that I talk about them, but I have no way of checking and editing – I can only post to the blog. I cannot view it and edit it, but WE CAN read the comments that you write to the blog. It is a little weird.

Hutong means narrow street or alleyway and they were originally constructed wide enough for horses. Over the years, as Beijing has grown, the old Hutongs have been replaced with streets that are more modern. The government is now preserving the last little bit of these historic neighborhoods.

Wim and I rode in a rickshaw, which is basically a 3-wheel bicycle with a carriage on the back that seats 2 adults. A driver pedals the riders around. In case you are wondering, we didn't actually ride it sideways. I don't know what is going on with this picture! Our guide followed behind us on his bicycle and we rode around the Hutong. It was filled with little markets, shops, and many people busy going about their day.

During this tour, we were able to go inside a family compound. This is several living units with a common courtyard in the middle. I tried to post a picture of Wim with our guide standing in the courtyard next to a cistern (giant cement vase), which the family still uses to collect water when it rains for use in their daily life, but this picture would not post. I upload the pictures in the reverse order as you see them, so maybe my computer is as tired as I am and is getting fussy.

Next we visited the Drum Tower and were able to watch a short show of performers who drummed on large drums.

From outside the Drum Tower we were able to view Beijing. The picture shows a street, this is the Center Axis of Beijing and it runs north to south. The Drum Tower is at the southern end of the Center Axis and is also referred to as being on the Dragon’s Tail. The Forbidden City is at the Northern end and is referred to as being on the Dragon’s Head.

We next visited a small Porcelain factory. I use the word factory loosely because it doesn’t really fit our definition of a factory. We were able to watch one man using a pottery wheel to make a porcelain pot; another room had two women hand painting beautiful and elaborate pictures on the vases.

For lunch, we had Peking Duck, some kind of beef and pepper dish, and some kind of fried chicken everything was FANTASTIK!

This was all we had originally planned for today, but our guide mentioned that if we wanted, she could arrange for us to visit the Temple of Heaven and the cost was very reasonable. Oh, I should mention, the Tour today was just me and Wim and our own van with a driver and the guide. Really nice and personalized!

The Temple of Heaven is like a large park, filled with lots of trees, people dancing with colored streamers, and several buildings. There is a picture of Wim playing paddleball with one of the Vendors. It was a fun game, but we decided not to purchase the set. Lastly, there is a picture of Wim and I in front of one of the structures, Temple of Heaven.

This is a small sample of the 100+ pictures I took today! There is also so much more to say about the trip; everywhere we go, it is simply amazing. We will visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Tianamen Square tomorrow.

We are having a great time and I think tomorrow we might be close to fully adapted to China time. There is so much about this trip that is amazing, not to mention meeting our daughter in just a few short days.

One overall feeling I have so far, this is an amazing world we live in, filled with so much beauty and culture, more than I had ever imagined. All at once, the world seems to be bigger and more full while at the same time seeming smaller and closer than it felt to me yesterday. I hope that makes sense.

Zai jian!
Reena and Wim.