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Chongqing, sanfu, one of the three furnaces

This summer vacation I planned to visit places I have wanted to go : inner Mongolia and ancient capitals: Nanjing and Luoyang. I had never been to Chongqing and people said it is a place not to be missed. It is very hot as it is surrounded by mountains and little air movement as a result. Because of this it is one of the “furnaces of China”. It is also in Sichuan, known for its spicy food.

Heading back to the hotel. It is pretty hot here.

Chongqing was the capital of the Republic of China for seven years during the late 1930s and early 1940s during the Anti-Japanese War (World War II). This isn’t one of the ancient capitals but a place I was told not to miss.

Chongqing Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street (重庆解放碑步行街) was just outside the Crowne Plaza hotel we stayed at. There is the People’ s Liberation Monument at the center of the city. It is in commemoration of the end of Japanese invasion during second world War.

Celebrating of the Anti-Japanese movement.

The city reminds me of Hong Kong with close buildings and hilly streets that seem to rise out of the water. We took the metro to view some spots. One is the metro line that runs through a building.

A video I took of the metro train: https://youtu.be/fhUylmYOcRo

We visited Ciqikou old town which was built in 1000 AD and was an ancient port. It is surrounded by a mountain and three rivers. Now it has beautiful tea houses, unique snacks and gifts and a temple (we didn’t make it to the temple as there were too many people). It was great to try some snacks and look around.

This is a cucumber carved into a Buddha. If you eat it you will live a long time. I don’t pass up vegetables when I see them.

This is yogurt quickly frozen on an anti-griddle.

The Art street is more graffiti than street art but the art on the buildings was pretty impressive and anyone can buy paint and a brush and become an artist. We took a didi to 501 Art Base which is the Art university and walked back taking in the sites and buying souvenirs. .

Tiananmen Square before leaving

The night before I left I went to Tiananmen Square. Security is right for the upcoming 100 year celebrating of the communist party. I took the photos one should take while standing in the square.

A hubao which is said to send the will of the people to above. These assist near palaces and tombs. This is its front of the forbidden city.

Of course walking back to my hotel earlier I was reminded of the times we are in. An ambulance taking away a person. The people in contamination garb. One watching the street after the ambulance left and another had just reentered the building spreading all surfaces. We have a long way to go with covid.

At the airport I was quite early. I have not much experience with Beijing Airport so took no chances. Actually, of all airports I have been: Amsterdam and the US are the worst for getting through security. Security is still tight here, they just don’t have lots of wait. If course this is actually not peak season yet. So I went to the very affordable flight lounge (no alcohol that is why it is affordable).

In the airport there are displays and history :

Temple of heaven

For 500 years in the Ming and Qing dynasties, this was an important place of worship for abundant harvests. It is the most important temple in China.

Imperial hall of heaven

An important building with 9 figurines on the roofline.

The echo wall is a building so designed that you can carry on a conversation on one side with another person on the other side through whispers.

The circle mound is comprised of stones around a center stone with 3 circles of 9, 18, and 81 stones referring to the 9 heavens. The center is called the heavenly centre stone and one that stands there will be particularly resonant.

Another beautiful park. This one has been a model for architecture and landscaping in the east and the west. The buildings in particular are architectural marvels.

The Summer Palace

I spent a morning touring the grounds of the summer palace. This is northwest of the forbidden city and the imperial family would escape government life to relax here. It is really a park and one can imagine what it would be like to be free to swim, walk through the woods, and be carefree. I enjoyed the beauty of nature and the smell of pine and cedar.

The gardens, temples, and pavilions are in harmony with nature. The Chinese name means Nourishing Peace Garden.

During the hot summer, the imperial family preferred the Summer Palace to the Forbidden City. Dowager Empress Cixi lived here for some time, with much speculation of extravagence.

History:

In 1750, Emperor Qianglong, 4th Qing Dynasty emperor ordered the building of the first Summer Palace, named Qingyi Yuan or ‘the Garden of Clear Ripples’.
In 1860, it was destroyed by the Anglo-French Allied Forces and rebuild in 1886.
In 1888, the Summer Palace was given its present-day Chinese name, Yihe Yuan, and served as a summer resort for the Empress Dowager Cixi.
In 1900, it was destroyed by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers.
In 1912, it was rebuilt as one of the final commissions of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).
In 1924, it was opened to the public.

It is beautiful!

Beihai Park and the Drum Tower

The drum tower was used for telling time until 1924. It was built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan and was rebuilt after two fires during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Beginning in the Han Dynasty, the system of the “morning bell” and “dusk drum” necessitated towers to be built. The Drum Tower was used to keep time during the night hours.

Many very steep stairs to get to the tower.

In the tower are many relics used to keep time through Chinese history.

The Kalou used the movement of water to tell time and was very accurate. Of course the water had to not freeze and later mercury was used instead of water for clock movement.

The beilu uses movement of little balls to accurately tell the time.

From there I searched for Beihai Park and the white tower I have seen from time to time. It is a large park with half being covered with water. In the center is the Jade Flowery islet with a large white dagoba.

The Tibetan lama suggested to the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty to build the Tibetan dagoba to show his belief in Buddhism and his desire for the unification among various Chinese ethnic groups. It is a beautiful park and while walking around the dagoba you could smell the numerous pines there. It has been two years since I smelled the pines and miss that.

This Reading Cloister houses tablets kept from 220 to 1644 and had important history of Chinese calligraphy. You can see the tablets on the lower floor (they look like windows).

After that I went back to the hotel. It was a very long day with a lot of walking. Quite interesting to be on the Great Wall, then see innovations in how they measured time, and walj in a beautiful park.

The Great Wall, Mutianyu

I had a big breakfast and grabbed a pretzel, hard boiled egg, apple, and pack of nuts for snacks /lunch before heading out to the great wall. Jack had booked the tickets for me and the hotel arranged a driver who would drive me there (1.5 hours one way), stay until I was done, and drive me back. The price was 850 rmb which is $131.85. Not bad for service for 8 hours.

I booked the cable car at Mutianyu as I wanted to get to the top without crowds. So we left early. The cable car puts you in the middle of the section of the wall that is open. I walked to the one side first.

At the end of the section of Wall it is blocked off. From here the wall has been poorly maintained. Local village women bring fans, water, and beer for thirsty walkers. The price is steeper than a store but then they carried it here. I was thirsty and already had water so a beer was in order. They speak a little English and I practiced a little Chinese.

I had already promised one woman at the bottom of the steepest stretch I would be back to buy beer so after spending time at the top I headed back the way I came to buy another beer and talk with her.

On the way back there were more and more people but not like it is in the busiest tourist season.

I walked all the way to the other end of the section that was open. At both ends it is pretty steep and you climb steps with hands and feet. At that end I met a friendly young Chinese woman and we conversed through translation apps. We took pictures for each other too.

A met a couple of furry friends too. Here is one of them and they loved all the attention.

I made my way back to the cable car to do some shopping and leave with the driver. A great day on the wall back and forth and could not ask for better weather.

Forbidden city

Before breakfast I took a run to go around the wall of the forbidden city. Since they are preparing for their 100 year celebration of the communist party, security was pretty tight. Just getting on the sidewalk in front required screening and checking ID including questions:

Where are you from?
What do you do in Guangzhou?
What kind of school?
Why are you here?

Of course I was just going for a run at that time. I passed in front of Tiananmen Square.

I had to make a long square around due to the security checkpoints. It was good to get a feel for the places around the hotel. Many police and forces….

Along the North side of the forbidden city.

In ancient times, the emperor was said to be a son of Heaven, and therefore Heaven’s supreme power was bestowed upon him. The emperors’ residence was built facing north. Common people were not to be at the Palace. Some facts :

The construction of the grand palace began with Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty in 1406 until 1420.
From 1420 to 1644 there were 14 emperors of the Ming Dynasty.
Then it served as the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty.
During the Second Opium War it was controlled by Anglo-French forces until the end of the war.
The last Emperor of China, Puyi, left in 1912.
In 1925, the Forbidden City became the Palace Museum.
There are 90 palaces and courtyards with 980 buildings and over 8,728 rooms.
It is 961 meters long from south to north and 753 meters wide.
There are 3 parts : the defense which consists of a moat and wall, the inner court, and the outer court.

Gate of heavenly peace.

Meridian gate which is the south gate.

Outer court consists of the hall of Supreme harmony which houses the dragon throne, hall of Central harmony where speeches were practiced, and hall of preserving harmony where there were banquets.

Gate of correct conduct where military entered.

Gate of Supreme harmony is where the emperor meets with officials.

These vats are used to hold water for fighting fires and are throughout the city. Fires in the winter keep the water from freezing.

The gate of heavenly purity leads to the inner court.

The first inside the inner court is the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqinggong), the emperors’ sleeping quarters.
The second , behind it is the Palace of Union and Tranquility (Jiaotaidian), where the imperial seals were stored.
The third hall is the hall of Terrestrial Tranquility (Kunninggong), the emperors’ wedding room.

There are 6 eastern and 6 western palaces where business was conducted and contained living quarters of the emperor, expresses, and concubines.

Animals in the roof line

There is a row of mystical animal statuettes placed along the ridge line of halls that were only for official use. The animals, like phoenixes, dragons, and lions, have powerful meanings in Chinese culture.

The number of animals is different based on the importance of the buildings. You can see nine animals on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most important structure in the Forbidden City, and seven on the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the residence of the Empress.

The roofline of hall of Supreme harmony.

Lions

In Chinese culture, the lion is the king of the animals, and is regarded as a symbol of power and strength. The lions are always in pairs, with the female lion on the left and the male on the right.

Other buildings

I then visited the gallery of timepieces. This houses some really ornate timepieces gifted from throughout the world.

This is one of three 9 dragon screens that exist in China and made in the 1770’s.

It was a beautiful day and everything is gorgeous. I love the history and seeing all of the beautiful buildings.

Beijing bound

Last year I was fearless traveling around China even when covid tests were needed every time I chose to leave Guangzhou. Cases were only in the North and I spent the summer touring the south and west.

This time feels different and I had to remind myself I had traveled with uncertainty and was careful about what I did and where I went. Therefore I would be okay. We were encouraged not to leave but being in my apartment (with construction upstairs was driving me nuts). At the last minute I decided to go to Beijing. There is only a handful of places on my list to visit and that is one. Chinese schools are still in session and it is less crowded now. Perfect timing.

A local clinic I use offered 24 hour turnaround for covid test results. This is important because you cannot fly or check into a hotel unless you have a test less than 48 hours old. To be clear, last year foreigners needed tests to go anywhere but they could be within 7 days. Because of the outbreak in Guangzhou, everyone there needs to meet the 48 hour mandate. That made me feel good as we felt singled out last year. Now you say where you are from and people are taken aback. The health code though shows all your results.

The Beijing Nuo Hotel Forbidden city was one that I saw in an advertisement and it looked lovely. Despite the price, I decided to book my stay. It is gorgeous and 100 years of history…

Outside the pool and gym area. This connects to the convention center.

The drawing room is the bar and where I had a late dinner after taking time to swim and sit in a hot tub. 1920’s swing music, beautiful accommodations, and wonderful service… The asparagus risotto was fabulous. I wondered if it was socially acceptable to lick the bowl (kidding of course, but it did cross my mind).

Next, running around forbidden city then touring inside.

And just when we thought things were normal…

As the summer was approaching we started making plans for travel. Beijing and Tibet were both places I wanted to go. Beijing was free to travel to but had cases from time to time until now. Tibet was just now opening for travel. And then….

There was a covid case in the Liwan district where there are many elderly who like to get together for activities and dim sum on a daily basis. Add to that relaxing of mask wearing and people who would not get vaccinated, and the one case became dozens. It really bothered me that Chinese people would not get the vaccine in the numbers that foreigners were. They felt safe as there were no cases and those that came in from abroad were Chinese nationals coming home who were quarantined. For a culture that embraced masks and was scared of the virus, I couldn’t fathom the lack of wont for the vaccine.

This started rounds of mass testing in two districts where there were cases. That expanded eventually to every district where multiple tests were required within a week.

As cases increased our finals were canceled which made it difficult to keep student attention as no more grades were to be collected. We thought it possible school would just cancel then but it didn’t.

You could see tents set up every half block and each apartment complex were assigned to a specific site. I was tested twice in a week despite being vaccinated. Yes, I know I could still carry the virus despite being vaccinated but really energy should be put into mass vaccinations.

The health code app we used to travel was now being used to enter everywhere including transportation. Now opening the app brought dread hoping the green code did not turn yellow overnight. That happens when you were in an area where an infected person was found. It required two more tests with 72 hours. Unfortunately that happened to colleagues who weren’t sure exactly where or with who they came in contact.

Jack and I went to a couple five star hotels over the weekend to have some sense of vacation, staying at the Sofitel first. A Russian restaurant I like is just around the corner and the bathtub was marvelous.

The next day we checked into the Grand Hyatt. I’m glad we enjoyed the pool and the executive lounge before they closed it. All pools and lounges were ordered closed across the city.

We finished out that next week of school. I still reviewed with the 9th graders as next year builds on that material. The IB bio kids had plenty to do as I have them for two years. We made plans to still have another week of school but at the end of the weekend was the announcement that students were done and teachers were to report to school Monday and Tuesday. A strange and abrupt end to the school year. Students at least received yearbooks but the awards assembly was virtual and the field day canceled.

Our social breakfast with social distancing.

In most districts all dining is suspended and food can only be ordered takeaway. In my district of Tianhe, dine in is still possible but at 50% capacity.

We could still walk around parks and mountains.

I had planned on going to Shenzhen to the beach as a last minute weekend holiday. Unfortunately, that city decided not to allow people coming from Guangzhou to go to the beach. Understandable but disappointing.

Instead we went to a nearby lake as a group. The village rents the spaces to people who want to spend an afternoon. It was a fun trip and I was able to spend time with friends from other schools I have not seen in awhile.

Even a huge downpour couldn’t dampen spirits. It was such a fun and relaxing day.

Some people who test positive are kept in hospitals and those that are contact traced are held elsewhere. There are some construction workers who needed to be quarantined and they are being held near construction sites.

I’m still going to try to go to Beijing. I also have two leadership classes at the end of the month. We will see what July brings…

This is actually being used as a barn. I should have snapped the picture when the goats were outside!

On the water….

…. At Haizhu and Dameisha in Shenzhen.

Haizhu

I went to the Saturday DragonBoat training for experienced paddlers instead of Sunday as we wanted to travel to the beach that weekend and still wanted to go to a practice. Jack and I also purchased our own paddles that are carbon fiber and much lighter.

I brought my A game so as not to show I should not be there. We separated into male and female boats and we raced one another. The women did much better than the guys. Mostly we have better timing and we coordinate well. The poor guys had to put their heads down as their coach was disappointed.

We then drove to Shenzhen to the beach for a weekend vacation. First stop was a restaurant that serves the biggest oysters and varieties of seafood. It was seafood overload.

Then we continued on to the hotel which has a private beach and marina. First off was getting into the water and then after we bought some instant noodles to use with the leftover seafood we could not finish. I even took my snorkel to practice though the water was very cloudy.

The hotel gave a free yacht cruise in the ocean. We went on that cruise the second day. We could see Hong Kong to one side of us and the Shenzhen port which is one of the top ten in the world economically. We then headed back to Dameisha Beach.