Salutations from Beijing for the final time!
Day three dawned bright and cold on us as we prepare ourselves for another day seeing the awe-inspiring sights this rich city has to offer. We would just like to say again, Beijing is a city of inconceivable size. Skyscrapers fill the air for miles and miles on end. It is a city that well and truly must be seen to be believed.
Following a hearty breakfast we set off on a 40 minute bus ride to the much anticipated Summer Palace. Yesterday’s visit to the Forbidden City was always going to be a hard act to follow. The Summer Palace was the emperor’s home for three months during the summer; however, he could stay there for three years with the permission of his empress. The Palace was built in 1750 and given to the emperor as a gift. Having walked around, viewed the sites and been in the presence of ancient Chinese architecture, we were all well and truly convinced that the Summer Palace soared past all expectations. Just walking in and around these buildings and architectural feats was a humbling experience. How such ancient builders built these houses, living spaces and gardens with such crude tools and little or no safety precautions made us realise how impressive this culture and history is. The Palace also boasts a huge man-made lake, acres of gardens, and a near endless series of courtyards and ornate walkways. A truly spectacular experience and definitely one of the highlights so far.
Having been left inspired by the Summer Palace, we made our way by bus towards the Old City of Beijing. We got off the bus at the entrance and immediately noticed the change in our surroundings. It seemed that we had left the skyscraper-dominated environment miles away and had stepped into a blast from the past. The Old City has been preserved and still lived in by some people in an attempt to save some of Beijing’s very rich cultural history. We then took a short rickshaw ride to a local family house. The ride wound its way through the streets of the Old City, passing random dogs, rabbits, small houses, little markets, narrow shops, rusty bikes and furiously contested games of mahjong. It was a priceless insight into the lives of the working class citizens of China in the olden days and today, which just highlights how privileged we are to live in Australia, and that we must not take our privileged lives for granted.
We stopped outside a very old, cramped and slightly ominous looking house. We were led inside to be greeted by a rather cramped looking room filled with round tables and paintings on the walls. But the owner then came in with delightful plates full of delicious, traditional Chinese dishes. All our previous preconceptions were washed away as we chowed down on home-cooked chicken, pork and vegetables in marinade. They told us a lot about Chinese culture and the kindness on display as they opened their homes to us and provided us with a lovely lunch. We stayed for a lesson in Chinese history about the origins of the Old City and the Huton way of life. It was very interesting and gave us a valuable insight from the real people. After this we enjoyed a lesson in dumpling making and the art of the Chinese Opera make-up. We got to paint our own masks and enjoy “letting out our inner artist” – some masks a bit more abstract than others! We enjoyed the short rickshaw ride back and onto the bus we went.
Due to the APEC conference being held in Beijing this year, we could not venture into the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube – the home of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. However, we did get to see the national stadium from afar, and got close enough to take some photos. The afternoon’s activities included Naluoxiang road to do some shopping. We treated ourselves to hot, succulent, chocolatey churros; $6 for 12 churros, what a bargain! It is a great experience to visit these markets as we can barter for cheaper prices which is quite a skill!
We enjoyed a traditional Chinese dinner of sweet and sour chicken, noodles and steamed vegetables. We were treated to a great end to the night and our final day in Beijing with a rendition of happy birthday and a lovely cake to Simon Rodgers, who turned 15 today.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Beijing and will remember every last memory of it. Beijing has been an amazing start to our Big Experience and we are truly thankful for the opportunities we have had. We now look forward to jetting over to Xian tomorrow to experience all it has to offer.
By Jamie Philander and George Hronopoulos
