It was also a good time to catch up on news from BBC and CNN. Other channels we usually get, are not on their allowed lists, we guess. Ever heard of "The Great Firewall", referring to the blocking of certain email providers or access to some websites? Well that exists here, reminding us that while in mainland China, the internet is watched closely. There is no such thing as privacy here.
Yesterday, while we were waiting for our pizza, a young Chinese gal approached us, asking where we were from. Quite obvious, we were visitors here. She happened to be from Boston and here on business. Explaining that we had arrived to Tianjin on a cruise ship that was on a world cruise, she was "all-ears". She even went as far as asking how much that costs. Not shocked, as we have heard that asked before, we explained that it depended on the type of room you book. Very intrigued, she asked for our blogsite so she could follow the trip. She was a good person to ask about this firewall we were encountering. Of course she knew all about it, and explained that some servers and sites had been blocked for many years. She added that there was a way around it, and suggested that we go to wechat for something similar to Facebook (totally blocked here).
Back to breakfast, we filled our plates from the egg station for a typical Western breakfast. The food was good and plenty with excellent coffee made one cup at a time at a machine. We took our sweet time, and at no time did we feel rushed to leave. Business men and women began streaming into the restaurant, and soon the place was full.
After checking out at the front desk, we waited for our driver who had promised to pick us up at 9:30am. He was one minute early, and ready to drive us to the airport. It took about an hour in stop and go traffic, but at least we had a chance to see much more of the city as well as the 2008 Summer Olympic Stadium right off of the freeway. That also gave us some time to ask him about family life in this part of the world. Guessing he was in his 30's, our driver told us he was married with two young boys. Since they were both in school, and he and his wife worked outside the home, they did not need the help of their parents as kid sitters. However, both sets of parents offered to live with them, but they declined both offers. He said that his in-laws always criticized that they did not feed their boys enough, while the other set of parents thought they were fat. When they did visit, they did not like the food one mother cooked, so they were most happy when everyone left them alone. Also, one grandmother said she was disappointed that the boys did not know as many Chinese characters as one of the neighbor's kids. Always competing. Always problems, no matter where you live.
Arriving at the airport,,,,, at 10:30am, we followed our driver inside to the counter, where our one suitcase was a tad overweight. No problem, they let it go. One thing we should mention, you cannot put batteries, especially the lithium type, in your checked luggage. Best to put it in your carry-on bags, then take it all out in the plastic tubs they provide. No liquids, like water, were allowed, although we had two sealed bags of pretzels, they were OK. That's when I remembered that I had put the little alarm clock in the checked bag. If it was a problem, they would find it. Guess it was OK, because it came back intact. We passed all other scrutiny, wanded, patted down, and xrayed. At least we did not have to take our shoes off. Glad to be through that.
Our flight was supposed to leave at 12:50am, but that did not happen. It was delayed until 1:30pm. Then we boarded, and waited even longer on the runway, lined up in a que to take off with other planes. At least, we did not have to worry about connecting to another flight. The air time had been listed at 2 hours, 15 minutes. In reality, it was 1 hour 40 minutes, so we ended up being about one hour late. Not uncommon for these commuter-type flights.
While waiting to take off, we were all fed a hot meal of chicken stew and rice with a roll and water. Then we were up, up, and away, as the old saying goes.
Just realized the China facts were not discussed yet. Secretive and reclusive for much of the 20th century, China is a bigger figure on the world stage these days. One in every seven human beings on earth, live in China. The population as of 2014 was 1,339,000,000 people that speaks mainly Mandarin. It is big, no huge with 3,704,427 square miles. The guiding light is not Chairman Mao, but the yuan, their money. Consumerism is their new religion.
Vast acres of countryside are being cemented over to build new shopping centers and highrise apartment buildings. Still, you can find captivating culture and history no matter where you visit. For every new skyscraper, there is a 1000 year old pagoda. And for every fast food franchise, there is a reahouse with hand-pulled noodles and steamed buns.
The best time to visit is May, then September to November. This time of year, it is beyond cold, but then tourists are not over-crowding the sights as well. Of course, the things to see here are the Great Wall, most impressive close-up, lavish palaces in the Forbidden City, and tiny homes in Beijing's narrow alleyways. Another most popular site is seeing the 6000 sculpted faces of Xian's terra cotta warriors. The Silk Road relics and sifting sands in the empty middle of Xinjiang, or ta'I chi practitioners moving in silence in all of the parks across China may interest some.
A few things to do could include taking a train ride to get the scope of the enormous size of this country, or eat a banquet fit for an Emperor at one of Beijing's food stalls. You can watch kite flyers at the colonial buildings in Shanghai, or take a Maglev high speed train that reaches speeds of 267 mph.
Eating Chinese food like the fiery cuisine in Sichuan that is flavored with flower pepper, spicy but not related to pepper is an experience. Drinking cha-tea at traditional teahouses where leaves are rolled and brewed, then roasted for a variety of brews is a good pastime.
Trademarks are chopsticks, calligraphy, the Cultural Revolution, ta'i chi, green tea, acupuncture, and state censors. A must see…..Tianamen Square & Tibet.
A random fact is among many other things, the Chinese invented paper, printing, gunpowder, the compass, and the umbrella. Who knew???
OK, back to our flight. We landed and were at the baggage turnstile by 4pm. Our bag was among the first off. And like we stated, un-opened. Once outside the building, a cute young lady by the name of Lucy, greeted us. She will be our guide for our stay here. We have a driver as well. Since we were late in arriving, the plan was changed somewhat as to what we were to do this evening. Actually, it was a better plan.
The city of Xian is the capital of the Shaanxi Province with over 8 million people. It is the seat of aviation and textile industries, numerous universities, and research institutes. As cold as it is here in the winter, the summers can run over 100 degrees F. During the spring and fall, the days are pleasant, while rain comes from July to October.
Since our hotel, the Shangri-La, is located at the other end of the city, the plan was to take us to see the Old Imperial Center from the Tang and Ming Dynasty, surrounded by a large wall. It protected the city center that measured 6 miles by 5 miles. These walls are 40 feet thick with a moat that surrounds an inner wall. It is wide enough on the top, that people can ride bikes around it.
At the Northern Gate, Lucy took us up 75 stairs to the top of this wall. Views of the city could be seen from every direction. Recently, it happened to be Chinese New Year, and Lucy told us it is celebrated for one month. Red lanterns and twinkling lights covered the trees that lined the many main streets in town. Today this ancient city center is surrounded with modern buildings, heavy traffic, and a haze that at times can block the view of the Bell Tower at the far end of the opposite wall.
We did not have time to walk the entire wall, but enough of it to realize the enormity of the 20 years it took the Chinese folks to build it. An interesting fact is that during WWII, air raid shelters were dug into this ancient wall to protect against Japanese bombings. Much of the old city within the wlls has been converted to a park.
Time for dinner, we were taken to a nearby restaurant by the name of De Fa Chang, a famous dumpling restaurant. Although she did not join us, Lucy got us a table for two, where we were served an 18 course banquet that arrived within minutes of each other. Dumplings were filled with pork, chicken, vegetables, duck, shrimp, as well as baby dumplings cooked tableside and added to a soup. Except for a plate of 12 dumplings which was brought by mistake, the rest of the samplings were steam baskets of 2 each.
Four bowls with salad fixings arrived first with fried peanuts with tiny fish, spinach, cucumber with shrimp, and a bowl of tasty tofu noodles. Small boats with vinegar and soy sauce were used to dip the food or add to the salad fixings. Loved the noodles, even if they were tofu-based…..good for us we understand.
The closest to dessert were samplings of fruit-filled pastries, and one generous slice of cantaloupe cut in pieces. Of course, we had chopsticks for utensils, but forks were also brought to us. Used both, more or less. Lucy returned after 45 minutes, and returned us to the waiting van.
The drive back was tedious with so much traffic, but the best part, was being able to see the city light up at night. It was like magic with all of the New Year decorations. The best was the Bell Tower, rising at 118 feet high, this tower resembled a Chinese temple and housed the bell which was rung to begin the day. Sure was neat all lit up.
The hotel was located on the other side of town, not all that far, but slow in arriving due to traffic. This Shangri-La is quite new…..5 years to be exact. Except for Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, Xian has the most 5 star luxury hotels in China. And this is one of the best, we heard.
Lucy escorted inside the massive lobby, where she asked for our passports to present to the reception lady. This was not the check-in place, but it allowed us hotel access. The bellman used his key card to get us up to the 19th floor, where we would formally check-in. Like we do sometimes in foreign countries, Lucy checked with our arrangements with the hotel personnel. We sat in a lounge comfortably waiting to be called for our credit card. In fact, this looked like the Horizon Lounge, which is used as the venue for happy hour for beverages and snacks later in the day. We were offered any drink of our choice, since they were opened until 8pm. We declined since we had just eaten dinner.
Going back down to the 18th floor, we located our room, which was really nicely appointed. The trouble with the short stay here, is that you really don't spend much time in these rooms. There was a notice stating that their pool was being renovated, so it would be closed for one week. Who has time anyway?
Worked on down-loading photos and note-taking until 10pm. One of us had the chance to begin reading Lost Horizon, a book that the Shangri-La Hotels have fashioned their hotels after. Copies of this book are in each room, so if there isn't enough time to complete it, perhaps the next hotels will have them as well.
Looking forward to tomorrow and the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Bill & Mary Ann
BEIJING – Shangri-La Hotel
They do serve delicious hamburgers here. Note the plate, very unusual
Breakfast buffet in Beijing
Served at the Shangri-La cafe
So many food choices
Asian breakfast
Fruit
Omelete station
Assorted fresh fruit
Yogurt with diced fruit
Flavored yogurts
Large seating area
Pastries
Lobby seating area
Gardens in the back
Decoration of peacock feathers
Ancient Chinese Wedding Custom
The bride would be carried in this to her wedding
View of Beijing from the hotel
Surrounded by apartment dwellers
One apartment housed pigeons
View of downtown Beijing
Roof top garden
Mary Ann waiting for our driver
The drive towards the airport
Communications tower
Brick buildings
Fresh paint makes it look new
Twin towers
Way of life in big cities
Very unique
Much of this area built up for the 2008 Olympics
Many apartments
The 'dragon" building
Made in the shape of a dragon's head
Science and Technology
Bottom of the dragon head
Part of the Olympic Stadium, called the "Bird Nest"
Tower behind the trees
Surrounded in a jungle of highrises
Dangerous emissions?
Today the skies were blue
Living in towers
A way of life in the big cities
This is what causes air pollution
Not as new apartments
Rental bikes
A dinosaur?
Fancy gate
Beijing outskirts
These looked like chimneys
Freeway sign post
High rise
Airport at Beijing
Airport terminal
Few places to sit at our terminal
XIAN
Power plants are numerous here also
More towers of apartments
8 million people have to live somewhere
Many businesses
Many students live here for the university
A neat street sign
Research institutes employ many
Interesting architecture
Trees are beginning to bloom
Chinese lanterns from the New Year
Decorations stay up for one full month
They are everywhere we looked
Typically Chinese
Tunnel under the inner city wall (40 feet thick)
Structure on the Northern Gate
Ancient wall
We are going to climb up to the top….Lucy and me
Wall protected the old imperial center
OK, I hate stairs…….
Up on the top of the Northern Wall
This building may have housed an army
The moat that surrounds the inner and outer wall
Pagoda
View of the modern city below
Many locals ride bikes up here
A park within the walls
Decorative pagoda
A dragon on the top
Lanterns up here too
Wall and park below
