Sight Seeing

Thursday our guide took us and another family to Tienaman Square and the Forbidden City.  She also took us to a restaurant for lunch, and ordered delicious Beijing Duck as well as several other dishes.  I don't know how they all stay so skinny with all the eating they do around here!

Guards in training inside the Forbidden City.

 Some typical tourists in Tieneman Square, in front of the entrance to Forbidden City.

 Only the emperor was allowed to have golden colored roofs and nine dragons on the corners.  The more dragons, the higher the status.  The dragons keep evil spirits away.  I want some.

 Goosebump alert!  Friday our group of now 3 families were taken on a rickshaw tour of the hutongs.  We first stopped at Prince Gong's "mansion".  It had pretty gardens with lots of rock, and all of the rock was brought in from south China.

Then on to the Drum Tower.  It was used to keep the cities time.  The building is real tall so the sound can reach across the city.

 I think there were 24 drums, one was big.  They are all replicas.  There is only one original drum left from the Chin dynasty, it was on display but it was in bad shape.

 Five young women came out and performed on the drums.  It was very powerful and fun to watch.  They must have great arm strength!  This is where I got goosebumps.  It was great!

And this is where I about had heart failure.  There were 69 steps to get to the top of the building to hear the performance, and they were s.t.e.e.p.  And it's humid.  I hope I can walk tomorrow.  I already have shin splints from the day before.  We've had to speed tour because of other commitments.

There is more of the hutong tour (including having lunch in a families home) but I'm gonna end here because it's now Saturday morning, we have to eat breakfast at the hotel, pack our bags, and get on the tour bus for the Great Wall.  We then fly later today (Saturday) to Nanchang, and then tomorrow (Sunday) at 4:00 pm Jiangxi time it's Lily time!!!  Woo hooooo!  Will try to update more before then.