Up early for breakfast at the hotel.
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| Entrance to Forbidden City |
Forbidden City was Amazing. Went on, and on, and on, through 9 gates (9 is a lucky number to Chinese), until we finally got back to emperor's living quarters.
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First Gate in Forbidden City |
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| Entrance to Emperor's Private Quarter |
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Emperor's throne room
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| Emperor's private bedroom |
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| Concubine's quarters |
Left the Forbidden City which was breathtaking. Amazing to think that the last emporer- Puyi, was only 2 when he became emporer. Can imagine him riding his bike around the palace oblivious that the almost 200 year reign of the Qing dynasty is about to come to an end.
Back in the bus on route to the Great Wall. Stopped close to the top of the mountain for lunch in a country style place. This area appears to be a vacation destination for Chinese with many small hotels and restaurants. Mountains are beautiful.
Lunch is very good, served family style. Mushrooms, chicken, rice, etc. All very good.
Bus stops at top of hill. Got on chair-lift to the top. Most of modern Great Wall was constructed during the Ming Dynasty in 1300's to protect against Mongol invaders. Total wall is 5,500 miles in length. Many sections are in disrepair. The section we saw close to Beijing had been renovated.
On the way back to Beijing, stopped by a Jade factory. I bought a beautiful set: bangle, ring, earrings and necklace. My favorite purchases from the trip.
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| Jade factory |
Got back to Beijing and stopped by the Silk Market. Large mall with many vendors. I was too tired to deal with the negotiations and pushy vendors. Lex and I waited in the pizza place for the bus back to the hotel. Beat. Long day and adventurous day. I needed a good night's sleep.
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