Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace
Today was the 2nd and final day of my 2-day Beijing Boutique tour with Trippest. We started at Jingshan Park for its panoramic view over the Forbidden City.
Although a hazy morning view, from ths top of the hill in Jingshan Park, you can see how vast the Forbidden City is.
Beijing's 2008 Olympic Village wouldn’t have made my list - I'm not an Olympic Village enthusiast - but it was part of the pre-planned tour. The unique and symbolic “Bird's Nest” stadium was impressive, but my guide was just a tad off when he claimed it was made with 250 tons of steel. With a couple more zeroes, 42,000 tons make it the largest steel structure of its time.
The Summer Palace is on the outskirts of Beijing. As the name implies, it was the get-away for royal families to rest and entertain - and supposedly the “largest in the world.” The Long Gallery, at 728-meters, is very long, and therefore aptly named. We used the walkway along Kunming Lake to get to the Tower of Buddhist Incense on Longevity Hill. Once again, tour guide Niko tried to skip the highlight on the agenda but this time the girls had the popular vote so up the steep steps we went. Everyone loved the Tower and especially the bird's eye view it granted over the palace grounds, lake, and surrounding area.
My last landmark in China was the most exquisite of the day. The Temple of Heaven is the place where Chinese emperors made annual sacrifices to bring prosperity and ensure good crops. Round to symbolize their perception of heaven, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a masterpiece of wood frame construction. Standing tall on a massive marble platform, the structure is painted in brilliant hues of blue, yellow, and green to represent heaven and earth.
The Long Corridor is laced with groups of gaming “old people,” explained my tour guide, because they get into the park for free.
At this great people-watching spot you'll find crowds of Beijingers seriously engrossed in games of cards and Chinese chess.
Now it was time to leave for the airport. I hugged my new friends goodbye - And with that, my brief stopover in China was over!
Beijing's 2008 Olympic Village wouldn’t have made my list - I'm not an Olympic Village enthusiast - but it was part of the pre-planned tour. The unique and symbolic “Bird's Nest” stadium was impressive, but my guide was just a tad off when he claimed it was made with 250 tons of steel. With a couple more zeroes, 42,000 tons make it the largest steel structure of its time.
Bird's Nest stadium from the 2008 Olympics
The Summer Palace is on the outskirts of Beijing. As the name implies, it was the get-away for royal families to rest and entertain - and supposedly the “largest in the world.” The Long Gallery, at 728-meters, is very long, and therefore aptly named. We used the walkway along Kunming Lake to get to the Tower of Buddhist Incense on Longevity Hill. Once again, tour guide Niko tried to skip the highlight on the agenda but this time the girls had the popular vote so up the steep steps we went. Everyone loved the Tower and especially the bird's eye view it granted over the palace grounds, lake, and surrounding area.
The Long Gallery
Kunming Lake
Tower of Buddhist Incense is a more impressive view from a boat on the lake than here on the shore
Up close with Tower of Buddhist Incense
View over grounds and surrounding area
My last landmark in China was the most exquisite of the day. The Temple of Heaven is the place where Chinese emperors made annual sacrifices to bring prosperity and ensure good crops. Round to symbolize their perception of heaven, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a masterpiece of wood frame construction. Standing tall on a massive marble platform, the structure is painted in brilliant hues of blue, yellow, and green to represent heaven and earth.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a national treasure and a must-see relic
The Long Corridor is laced with groups of gaming “old people,” explained my tour guide, because they get into the park for free.
At this great people-watching spot you'll find crowds of Beijingers seriously engrossed in games of cards and Chinese chess.
Now it was time to leave for the airport. I hugged my new friends goodbye - And with that, my brief stopover in China was over!
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