Beijing is a vibrant city. It is a large city covering a huge area with the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square right in the center. East meets west here in Beijing. It is loaded with embassies. Being the capital city, you see compound after compound surrounding us as we make our way to the Temple of Heaven. Living in the ex-patriot community you would think that you are living in a suburb of Atlanta, GA. The homes and the people are generally western folks here on short term assignments. We are picked up by a shuttle and with an hour and 15 minute ride through choked arteries of roads, we finally make it to the
Temple of Heaven which is a set of religious buildings dedicated to sacrifice to the heavens. Built in the early 1400's, it is exemplary of early Chinese architecture. It is quite pretty and interesting.
It was a very hot day and despite everything you here about pollution in Beijing, it really wasn't bad. On day 2 with the visit to the Forbidden City, we had blue skies and sunshine for most of the day. Did I say it was hot?.... Yes. Fred bought, as he would say in French, beaucoup d'eau. We needed it. You do a lot of sweating in 95 degree heat and very unbearable humidity.
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| Fred and Lisa Begtine at the Temple of Heaven |
After spending time at the Temple of Heaven you realize that the past here is very old. 5000 years of dynasties and history is evident at the Temple of Heaven. To think that this place was built 1400 years AD is amazing.
There were displays of various types at the Temple, but most were dedicated to the various types of sacrifices that were made at the temple.
Leaving the Temple, we found ourselves in a more active area, the Pearl Market shopping district. You can buy almost anything there. I bought an interesting little speaker system that collapses into a ball like figure. The price was right, 60 RMB, or about 10 dollars. You see quickly here that China really does manufacture everything for the world.
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| Pearl Market - Loaded with Everything for Purchase |
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