Day 2 - 23/7/11 - Saturday

Breakfast at the hotel was quite nice. The buffet included traditional Chinese foods such as dumplings and noodles, and western style food as well. Eggs, bacon, toast etc. No juice for us as Cinthia was told by a Chinese friend not to drink anything that wasnt bottled or boiled.

Given the full tourist day lay ahead, at least we had a decent sleep under our belts after several broken hours sleep on the plane trips. The driver (Mr. Ju) and guide (Sophie) picked us up. They were both Chinese, although only Sophie could speak English. Firstly Temple of Heaven, which Sophie explained to us all the history.

The Emperor only actually visited twice annually (Once on Winter Solstice and once during Spring) for prayer reasons, only if there was drought or famine did he attend again.The Temple setup with the 3 gates/ buildings was quite interesting. A key policy of Chairman Mao once he swept into power was that the people were able to enter the Temple of Heaven, for the first time in its 500 years of existence.

Post the Temple of Heaven we proceeded to busy Tiananmen square. (if I recall correctly Tiananmen means Gate of Heavenly Peace). The square was the famous location of the Communist Party quelling of a student uprising in 1989, with a brave student standing in front of a tank, an image that was captured and beamed throughout the world as one of the most famous images of the 20th century.

Tiananmen Square is the gateway to the Forbidden City, which was the location that housed the emperor during the reign of the dynasties. Contained within the centre of Beijing and now a heavily visited tourist attraction, it allows a constant reminder of the ruling elite history of this large nation. The place was huge, and Sophie told us about the Ming dynasty. It's fascinating to hear how a 3 year old boy became the emperor of one of the most powerful countries in the world, and how an Emperor's concubine ruled for almost 40 years!

We had lunch then went to Summer Palace

 and got a dragon boat to return... but to my disappointment we didn't have to row as the boat had a motor.

Heading back, the driver Mr. Ju was crazy, driving like he was being chased by cops. He weaved through freeway traffic like it was standstill, planning moves at least 100 metres ahead. I suspect he dreams about lining up on pole position in the Chinese Grand Prix. Admittedly he was keen to get us to a 5pm show, so he would not have to wait until 6.30 to take us to the next session.

After a stressful 50 minutes drive, we arrived at a Kung Fu fighters play. The play combined real kung fu fighters and dancers, composed and performed to outline the story of a boy's journey from young kung fu buddhist student to master warrior monk. It was a nice story, particularly his fight against internal demons, and the lure of a beautiful woman.