Day 3 - Friday

Temple of Heaven
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Today was a long day in a busy city.

We started the day at the Temple of Heaven. The temple contains the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest. It was built in 1420 and restored in 1889 after a lightening strike.  Many people come here everyday to exercise and socialize.

After the Temple of Heaven, we went to the silk factory. They showed how the silk is made from the worms. There were many beautiful things to buy and we did indulge!! We had lunch at a traditional Chinese Restaurant, which looked very much like a fancy Chinese restaurant at home. The food is very much the same.  At the silk factory, they also had some porcelain items but not very good ones. Stone, our guide, took us to a place that made porcelain. They had gorgeous pieces. I (Jan) bought a figurine from the Tang Dynasty, which I think was around 1200.

Inside of the Temple
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Then it was on to Tian'anmen Square. It looks like a huge empty parking lot, 2,400 ft x 1,650 ft, and we had to go through security to enter it. It's surrounded by the political buildings, similar to Washington D.C. Mao's mausoleum is located here along with the Monument to the People's Heroes. There was a big electronic sign with the count down to the Olympics. Massive construction and restoration going on here for the Olympics. There is such a contrast between the new and the old. The Olympics start Aug. 8th and the city is being transformed. The Chinese government wants to put on a very good face for the rest of the world.

Performer entertaining on the grounds of the Temple
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From Tian'anmen Square, we headed across the street to the Forbidden City. This is where the Emperor used to live from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, built between 1420 and 1911. It covers 180 acres and is surrounded by a 33' wall. The wall is surrounded by a moat that is 165' wide. Then, there are many, many walls within the wall. The many walls were built to keep the enemy out. As you walk through the city, you're constantly going through gates. Many gates have a ledge to step over which is there to keep out evil spirits. It's beautiful. There are a few buildings currently being restored and some already done. We walked forever in the here. Good exercise.

Tian'anem Square
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We kept our guide, Stone, and the driver a little extra time to go to an authentic Tea House, the Food Market and the walking street. The Tea House gave a demonstration of the different types of teas and their medicinal values. The food market was a long line of vendors selling rather interesting choices like squid, lizards or grasshoppers on a stick. The walking street was a long street lined with stores and malls where cars are not allowed. It looked a bit like Times Square.

Tomorrow is the Great Wall, the Jade factory and a few other things that I can't remember.