Beijing Highlights

Sunday, March 18

Beijing Highlights

This appeared to be a day to see how much could be seen in less than twelve hours. We awoke to a dusting of snow that was a magical. The trees and shrubs were coated and it even stuck briefly on the streets. The air was cool but not unpleasantly so and we were excited to travel to the fabled Great Wall. The portion of the wall we  were visiting is about an hour outside the city and we just “happened” to pass by a factory where jade is made into jewelry. There is now a suspicious pattern forming that tourists are treated to a demonstration of a local craft and then invited into a showroom on the off chance that those same tourists might want to carry home such a treasure. Tricky people these Chinese!

Jade has a fascinating story and there is much of it in China. It has been revered for its beauty for centuries and transforming the hard mineral into precious articles appears not to have changed very much. Moving water is utilized in the cutting and carving process and polishing is done by hand. There are many colors of jade with jadeite the highest quality prized for the translucency.  So jade is not just a color, it is a stone!

We saw pieces both large and small in all shades of green as well as lavender, red (agate), black, caramel and white. There was, of course, jewelry of all description but also vases, statues, bowls and figurines. Again, it is conjecture on my part to think a lay person can ascertain the quality and all one can do is pick out a piece, set yourself a maximum of what you are willing to pay and then shop.

I had decided I didn't want a jade bangle though they were beautiful and many Chinese women wear the ones they have inherited. The bracelets are virtually imperious to everything and are said to bring good luck. I decided I wanted a small pendant in jadeite and chose one that is set in gold with a "happiness" symbol in the center. The jade itself was not that expense but the gold ratcheted up the price a bit. I vowed the piece would be my only splurge!

Many women on our tour contributed to the economy and we then clamored aboard the bus for the continuation of our drive to the Great Wall. You actually see it snaking its way along the ridges for quite a distance before you get to a place to visit. It looks just like the pictures with its crenulated top and watchtowers interspersed. On this day, the frosting of snow emphasized the hulking grey stones of the wall and glistened on the leafless tree branches. I believe that wall could relate incredulous stories gleaned from the tremendous work force that built the miles designed to keep out the foes of the emperor to the guards who spent the long and cold hours in the watchtowers to the tourists that now flock to its’ steps to be able to boast, “ I climbed the Great Wall!”

Once we arrived, we discovered the iconic monument is steeper than it looks and substantially more treacherous when covered with snow packed down to ice. Nevertheless, Paul and I trekked up almost to the first watch tower and turned around only because the path downward was very icy and  to descent required side stepping  the steps while holding fast to an iron railing. We loitered in the area while awaiting our bus and, naturally, found a souvenir....this time a "fingerprint" painting of the wall down right before our eyes. It is unique for sure.

The bus whisked us away to a local tourist Chinese buffet at the cloisonné factory where we ate our fill and tasted traditional "fire water". 

The burning liquor I could have passed on but we did enjoy gelato on the way out. It was not as good as Italy or that made by Paul but satisfied anyway. So, on to the next treat which in this case was the Beijing Zoo. Our goal:  to see the pandas on their home turf.

As time was short and the list was long, we were hurried along and went into the zoo solely to see the pandas. We, of course, have seen the adorable creatures in the Washington Zoo but, then, one sees two at the most. It is thrilling to see several at one time and to be so close to them. 

The enclosure itself  looks pretty ratty after seeing the zoos in our country but when we saw a panda outside, it came within five feet of us. We were told that the zoo had taken in some extra bears after the recent earthquake in rural China had traumatized some of the pandas. The one we saw was making a repetitive route within his enclosure so I surmised we were watching a psycho panda!

In the few remaining hours of daylight we plodded on to yet another venue-the Summer Palace. Beautiful grounds and even the bridge that Marco Polo walked across when he visited Peking.

Outside the palace a tasty treat of roasted sweet potatoes is available.