Coming soon . . . I was up most of the night with the sick boys, so I am heading to bed. Tomorrow we are taking the 2 hour flight to Xi'an to see the ancient capital city and the Terra Cotta Warriors. I will hopefully update the post in Xi'an.
Day 7
When the group awoke we discovered four people were sick. Since we didn’t want anyone to miss out on the Great Wall we readjusted our itinerary so those four could get some rest and not miss it. In the morning we went to the Hu Tong district. This is the oldest district in Beijing and is preserved by the Chinese government for it’s historical significance.
It was interesting to see how the city used to look before the cultural revolution. The houses are individual family houses surrounding a courtyard instead of the high rise apartments that are seen everywhere else in Beijing. The courtyards are shared by the neighbors which creates a real sense of community. The public bathroom are also shared by the families since there are no individual bathrooms in the homes. I am sure this also adds to the sense of community.
In Hu Tong we took a rickshaw tour. We were driven around the district on the back of a bicycle built for a driver and two riders. We stopped at what is now a hotel but used to be the home to an important military official. Our Hu Tong guide, Helen, showed us the symbolism of the architecture and taught us about Feng Shui and yin-yang. One interesting item she pointed out was the beams holding up the roof. There were four beams over the door, which showed the importance of the family living there. The more beams, the more important the family was. Commoners would have no beams, and the emperor in the Forbidden City had twelve beams, the highest number of beams allowed which was reserved only for him. The hotel we were shown had four beams, which meant this was a pretty senior official’s house.
After the stop at the hotel we made our way back to the center of the district and were taken to a home where we were served a traditional family meal. We met a very nice husband and wife who cooked us lunch. While we were waiting for the lunch to be prepared, the man told us about his family. He has two sons, the oldest of whom lives in Houston, Texas and teaches Kung Fu. The man had also taught Kung Fu and had been a classmate of the famous martial artist and Chinese actor Jet Li. He was very happy to share his house with us and wanted us to know his house was one of the best homes in Hu Tong; he even had his own bathroom. On our way out we noticed that his doorway had two beams, so this house was much better than just a commoners house.
After Hu Tong we went to the 798 Art District. This is a factory district that was converted to art galleries. There were a number of neat galleries and small boutiques. Some of the students found some neat artwork and books to purchase.
We felt bad the four students had to miss this part of the trip but we were hoping they would be able to meet up with us at the Silk Market. We boarded our bus and headed to the Silk Market and contacted Mrs. Leyrer who had stayed back in the hotel with the sick students. She said they were doing a little better and she hoped to bring them on the subway to meet up with us.
The Silk Market was a bustling, seven floor market with anything you could want. Everyone had fun bartering and seemed to get better with each transaction. Mrs. Leyrer, who had stayed back at the hotel, brought the students who had been sick to the market via subway. The ride was a little rough for their stomachs, but it seemed worth it as each of them were able to get some souvenirs.
We then headed back to the hotel, closed the day with a devotion, and backed our bags for the flight to Xi’an. Tomorrow would bring a trip to the Summer Palace, a Tai Chi lesson, and a flight to Xi’an. More on all of that later.
Day 7
When the group awoke we discovered four people were sick. Since we didn’t want anyone to miss out on the Great Wall we readjusted our itinerary so those four could get some rest and not miss it. In the morning we went to the Hu Tong district. This is the oldest district in Beijing and is preserved by the Chinese government for it’s historical significance.
It was interesting to see how the city used to look before the cultural revolution. The houses are individual family houses surrounding a courtyard instead of the high rise apartments that are seen everywhere else in Beijing. The courtyards are shared by the neighbors which creates a real sense of community. The public bathroom are also shared by the families since there are no individual bathrooms in the homes. I am sure this also adds to the sense of community.
In Hu Tong we took a rickshaw tour. We were driven around the district on the back of a bicycle built for a driver and two riders. We stopped at what is now a hotel but used to be the home to an important military official. Our Hu Tong guide, Helen, showed us the symbolism of the architecture and taught us about Feng Shui and yin-yang. One interesting item she pointed out was the beams holding up the roof. There were four beams over the door, which showed the importance of the family living there. The more beams, the more important the family was. Commoners would have no beams, and the emperor in the Forbidden City had twelve beams, the highest number of beams allowed which was reserved only for him. The hotel we were shown had four beams, which meant this was a pretty senior official’s house.
After the stop at the hotel we made our way back to the center of the district and were taken to a home where we were served a traditional family meal. We met a very nice husband and wife who cooked us lunch. While we were waiting for the lunch to be prepared, the man told us about his family. He has two sons, the oldest of whom lives in Houston, Texas and teaches Kung Fu. The man had also taught Kung Fu and had been a classmate of the famous martial artist and Chinese actor Jet Li. He was very happy to share his house with us and wanted us to know his house was one of the best homes in Hu Tong; he even had his own bathroom. On our way out we noticed that his doorway had two beams, so this house was much better than just a commoners house.
After Hu Tong we went to the 798 Art District. This is a factory district that was converted to art galleries. There were a number of neat galleries and small boutiques. Some of the students found some neat artwork and books to purchase.
We felt bad the four students had to miss this part of the trip but we were hoping they would be able to meet up with us at the Silk Market. We boarded our bus and headed to the Silk Market and contacted Mrs. Leyrer who had stayed back in the hotel with the sick students. She said they were doing a little better and she hoped to bring them on the subway to meet up with us.
The Silk Market was a bustling, seven floor market with anything you could want. Everyone had fun bartering and seemed to get better with each transaction. Mrs. Leyrer, who had stayed back at the hotel, brought the students who had been sick to the market via subway. The ride was a little rough for their stomachs, but it seemed worth it as each of them were able to get some souvenirs.
We then headed back to the hotel, closed the day with a devotion, and backed our bags for the flight to Xi’an. Tomorrow would bring a trip to the Summer Palace, a Tai Chi lesson, and a flight to Xi’an. More on all of that later.
Next: Day 8