Bicycle Touring Checklist   Table of Outdoor Checklists (Home) | << | 30 | 31 | | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | | >> | Guangzhou: 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Xian: 12 | 13 | Beijing: 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Other's Pics Bicycle Tour Adventure #32: China Page 16 Day 16: Touring China by Bicycle, Today, We visit the Summer Palace and The Yonghegong Tibetan Buddhist Temple (largest Lamasery in Beijing) And We Bicycle through Beijing Hutongs. Dennis and Terry Struck at the Un-sinkable Marble Ship of the Imperial Chinese Summer Palace (Beijing). Lake view of the Un-sinkable Marble Ship. View of Temples of the Summer Palace from the Lake. Yonghegong Tibetan Buddhist Temple: Buddha. The President of Croatia drops in during our visit. Yonghegong Tibetan Buddhist Temple: Note the Roof and Column Color. A Sprint through Beijing by bicycle. Bicyling through one of many Hutongs (explained within). Day 16 Begins Above Left: East Gate Entrance to the Imperial Summer Palace (Beijing). Above Right: Heralding Spring Pavilion. Above Left: The two big upper structures are temples, the big one is the Buddhist Temple of Virtue and the facility at the hill top is Tibetan styled (Buddhist Temple). We are overlooking a large Lotus plant patch (as well as summer tourist paddle boats, locked up for the season). Above Right: The actual living quarters for the visitors, guests, and caretakers are near the entrance at ground level and if I understand correctly the royals lived at the foot of all these Temples. Above Left: Vincent is explaining the layout and the history to us. Note to self: become a better student. Vincent is good at communicating good information and just the right amount of information. Above Right: A special calligraphy and timely message. I was honored by an elderly Chinese gentleman who came up to me and said in pretty good English, 'This is good writing.' In the four levels of Chinese communication (where the word 'fool' means 'crazy like a fox'), I took this man's meaning at the highest level and nodded an acknowledgement. Above: These covered corridors were created to keep the Royals from getting wet. Each piece of wood is painted and many crossbeams have intricate nature paintings or they are painted from a well known Chinese story (fable or real). Above Left: Stone Foot Bridge. Above Right: View of covered walkway. Above Left: Footpath Decoration. Above Right: View of temples from the base. Above Left: Really Cool Story: There were about twelve to fifteen friends with these three young men. They were lining up for photos like a Hindu many-armed Goddess. I recognized it for what it was, friends having a good time. Their friends had about 10 cameras within a one square foot invisible window, to make the correct camera shot. I was there and stepped right in to join the other picture takers. As soon as I did, everyone busted out laughing. One of the guys smiled, looked at me, and said 'Thank You' in English. I said 'Bu-yong-she-a' and bowed (You are welcome, literally 'no-need-to-thank'). A few people bowed back. Wasn't that cool! Above Right: Painted Gateway. Above Left: Some Rouge Worriers (Rogue Warriors - arh arh). Above Right: Marble Ship. Above Left: Doors and Windows. Above Right: My ship is coming in. Above Left: Our ride. Above Right: My Titanic Love. Above Left: Marble Ship. Above Right: Summer Palace Dock. Above Left: Dragon boat. Above Right: Summer Palace's Lake View. Above Left: Seventeen Arch Bridge. Above Right: Grand Pavilion. Above Left: Huge Willow Tree. Above Right: The Rules. Above Left: Incense Shop. Above Right: Roadway in front of Temple. Above: Entrance Gate to Temple Grounds. Above: Information about the Lamasery. Above: Well disguised trash cans. Above Left: Temple Entrance. Above Right: Pagoda. Above Left: Incense. Above Right: Prayers. Above Left: Buddha. This is the main/largest statue, but there are other statues and they seem to capture Buddha Statue styles and influences over time. Of course it isn't Buddha himself who is worshipped, but his teachings. There are monologues and speculation that suggest that Jesus spent his missing 23 years in the East with exposure to the teachings of Buddha. One of the monologues is by Pear S Buck's Father, Absalom Sydenstricker. Above Right: Roof trappings and color of the main hall. Above Left: Ripe Persimmons. Above Right: Tibet reminder. Above Left: The President of Croatia (and entourage). Above Right: Quiet Walkway. Above Left: Tandem. Above Right: Bikes. Our Last Bicycle Ride: A Survival Run through Beijing and a Tour of some Hutongs Above Left: Pedalling through Downtown Beijing - One must have their stuff together and their wits about them. Above Right: Hutong literally means 'Water Well'. The name is a designation of property as dispersed by the powers at the time (going back to the Ming Dynasty). A Hutong was about a half acre and maybe six to ten of them on each side of an alley way (narrow road) formed more or less a city block. Original Hutongs had walls and a gate that opened into a courtyard, with one family resident in one house. Over time, because of the value of the property, multiple dwellings were added to the original courtyard and they became little neighborhoods. The original Hutongs were granted for specialty services to the imperial court, for example one Hutong was granted to clothiers, another to stone carvers, and so on. The administrator of a Hutong had a square stone in front of the house and the specialist(s) had a round stone in front of their house (and the trade symbol was carved into the stone), all stone indicators designated a duty and connection to the royal court. Above: Hutong alleyways. Above Left: Round Hutong Stone - A Master of a Specialty to the Royal Court. Above Right: Square Hutong Stone - An Administrator a Specialty to the Royal Court. Above Left: Drum Tower of Beijing [Vincent, Jon, & Reg in bottom corner]. Above Right: Hutong Layout Relief Map [Sharon]. Above Left: View of 'Back Sea' (Hou Hai or Houhai). Above Right: Pagoda on the Back Sea. Above Left: A Bicycle Pedal Break on the Back Sea: L-R, Sharon, Linda, Terry, Reg, Vincent. Above Right: A Cutlery Specialist is Sharpening Knives on a Grindstone. Above Left: The Last Supper - We are eating at a restaurant that is the former French Embassy Post Office. Above Right: A Rare Picture - The Restaurant Staff eats a meal just before closing time. We were running late with our farewells and such. Previous  Top  Next