Beijing - Summer Palace
Ridley and Storey flew up to Beijing on Friday for the BookWorm Literary Book Festival that Ridley was participating in. Paige and I arrived Saturday morning. We were picked up by our lovely guide, Juan, who had toured the Walters around when they were here in December. We checked in at the oh so very hip "G" Hotel and picked up Ridley and Storey, then headed for a "traditional" Chinese lunch. We ended up at the same restaurant our guide in October had taken us to! Hmmmm, any one getting any kick backs here? It was yummy, at any rate, and prepared us for our Summer Palace tour. Lots of walking and rolling (the wheel chair), lots of courtyards and ghost doors. And lots of Chinese tourists.
The Summer Palace is built around a man made lake of quite a nice size. The hill that you see is the result of the hand dredging that took place to form the lake. That is the temple that the Dowager Empress (the famed Dragon Lady) would be carried to every morning. It holds the largest - so we were told - wooden female Buddha. Fun Dragon Lady facts: she was fat and ugly and made sure that all the concubines were fatter and uglier!; she would use over 150 silk "towels" every day to dry her off after her bath - they were thrown away, never to be reused (they were wash cloth sized, and silk is really not very absorbant, hence the number required for the rotund figure); she required a banquet table of food, sometimes over 100 dishes,
for breakfast every morning. If she liked what was offered, she might share, if she didn't like it the food was all thrown away. Not a nice woman. Was a killer of men and concubine babies, so that she had the only children that might ascend the "throne." Long story on that one.
We found that most tourists thought Storey more interesting than the Palace! They would stop and stare at her being rolled about. She was writing down what the guide was telling us, and people would literally come and look over her shoulder to see what she was doing. It merited a photo!
More steps, more courtyards, more beautiful roof tiles. The girls did think that this was something they had seen before - every where we go! Courtyards, steps, ghost doors, rockery, painting -- I love it all!
Looking back across the water at a temple built on an island for fishing luck. The bridge connecting it has 17 arches so that no matter which side you start on, the middle arch is #9 - the highest, most propitious number belonging to all things emperor.
An incredibly beautifully painted covered walkway a half a mile long from the Dragon Lady's courtyard quarters toward the female wooden Buddha temple. 
Each beam painted with a unique scene.
Looking up at the temple.
A marble ship where the Dowager would go to have tea and enjoy the lake.
Leaving the Summer Palace out the back way. The splendor of these buildings, the work involved in every aspect, I find overwhelming and awing.
The Summer Palace is built around a man made lake of quite a nice size. The hill that you see is the result of the hand dredging that took place to form the lake. That is the temple that the Dowager Empress (the famed Dragon Lady) would be carried to every morning. It holds the largest - so we were told - wooden female Buddha. Fun Dragon Lady facts: she was fat and ugly and made sure that all the concubines were fatter and uglier!; she would use over 150 silk "towels" every day to dry her off after her bath - they were thrown away, never to be reused (they were wash cloth sized, and silk is really not very absorbant, hence the number required for the rotund figure); she required a banquet table of food, sometimes over 100 dishes, for breakfast every morning. If she liked what was offered, she might share, if she didn't like it the food was all thrown away. Not a nice woman. Was a killer of men and concubine babies, so that she had the only children that might ascend the "throne." Long story on that one.
We found that most tourists thought Storey more interesting than the Palace! They would stop and stare at her being rolled about. She was writing down what the guide was telling us, and people would literally come and look over her shoulder to see what she was doing. It merited a photo!
More steps, more courtyards, more beautiful roof tiles. The girls did think that this was something they had seen before - every where we go! Courtyards, steps, ghost doors, rockery, painting -- I love it all!
Looking back across the water at a temple built on an island for fishing luck. The bridge connecting it has 17 arches so that no matter which side you start on, the middle arch is #9 - the highest, most propitious number belonging to all things emperor.
An incredibly beautifully painted covered walkway a half a mile long from the Dragon Lady's courtyard quarters toward the female wooden Buddha temple. 
Each beam painted with a unique scene.
Looking up at the temple.
A marble ship where the Dowager would go to have tea and enjoy the lake.
Leaving the Summer Palace out the back way. The splendor of these buildings, the work involved in every aspect, I find overwhelming and awing.
1 comment:
Brings back fond memories. I've been to China on business many times and always loved it. I remember walking along the path of the Summer Palace looking at the painted beams.
I've been through most of China, but never been way west to Dali.
Thanks for sharing the wonderful experience.
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