As my time in China draws to a close, and the countdown to my return to America begins, I realize just how much has happened in such a short period of time. It dawns on me that I didn't write as much in this blog as I had hoped to and now I find myself trying to make up for lost time. I want to take just a moment to reflect on my Spring Festival travels around China...Unfortunately as many of you know, I was forced to return home as my mother was in a coma for two weeks which caused me to forget all about documenting my travels but now, take a walk back into the past with me as I recount my time in Beijing and Nanjing through pictures.
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| Entrance to The Forbidden City |
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| One of the 4 gates into the city |
This was a lake inside the city that unfortunately was frozen at this time...in the Summer when the weather is much nicer, you can take a boat ride around the lake and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Of course, there is the obligatory "You're a foreigner...take a picture with me" picture...LOL
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| One of the many temples inside the Forbidden City |
Inside one of the temples in the main courtyard...
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| This is one of the rooms they lived in at the time...rather small, no? |
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| That thing back there is a bed...cute and small...not like the grand palaces in Europe! |
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| I found a traditional outfit to try on...not sure which dynasty it's from, though |
He's the one who gave me the inspiration for it! LOL there were many parents taking pictures of their little boy or little girl wearing these traditional garments.
Now the tour of the Imperial Gardens...
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| As I was leaving the Forbidden City, these two girls begged their mothers to let them take pictures with me...they were so cute that I just couldn't resist! |
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| My last picture as I left the city. |
So there's a story here. After my day at the Forbidden City, one of my Freshman students who lives in Beijing and became a good friend of mine, invited me to stay with her family for a day. The only problem was that Merry's family lives in a military compound and it may or may not have been illegal for a foreigner to stay there. As her father was driving us into the gate, I was told to "keep my head down and avoid saying anything to the neighbors." I did as I was told and escaped the next morning safe and unharmed. Her house was beautiful so I took some pics in the process.
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| A beautiful tapestry that hangs behind Merry's TV depicting Ancient China and some historic battle. |
Merry then took me to The Summer Palace and insisted it would look beautiful despite the fact that it was in the middle of the Winter. After an hour of taking so many pictures, my camera died so only a part of the Summer Palace has been captured on film...the rest remains in my memory.
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| My Student Merry and I at the entrance to the Summer Palace |
The following pictures were from my trip to The Temple of Heaven...It was absolutely Gorgeous!!!
The view at one of the higher points of the temple...took a long walk to get there but totally worth it!
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| At the entrance to The Temple of Heaven, my friends and I saw this Kung Fu team practicing...It's real you guys! |
