Hey Sister, Seoul Sister...

We landed in Seoul, South Korea about 1 am on Wednesday, August 10th. Before flying to Seoul we did visit the Lama Temple in Beijing. It is a Buddhist temple. As each emperor ascended to the throne, his former residence becomes a temple. This is true of the Lama Temple. It is the Yellow Sect of Buddhism, which means that it is tied in to the Dalai Lama. However, for the 60 or so monks residing there, they had to renounce Tibetan independence and acknowledge Chinese authority. They are led by the P..... Lama (cannot remember the word right now) rather than the Dalai Lama. It is a beautiful temple with many, many altars to various Buddhas and gods within the religion. It has the largest Buddha made from one piece of sandalwood. We felt a bit like intruders, but it was so worth visiting.

Upon arriving in Seoul, we went to a hotel for a few hours to sleep and shower. We then woke and took a city tour. This city is very enjoyable. The Koreans speak more English than the Chinese, so that alone is helpful. On the tour, we visited one of the five palaces in the city. The South Koreans had a king from the 12th century up until World War II. There is still a royal blood line here, and the last king's family lived in this palace until 1998. The guide explained to us what the various animals mean. For example, the lion and the turtle are protector guardians. The animals on the eaves of the buildings increase in number as you move from the outer courts (for government business) to the inner courts (the living quarters). The Koreans derive much of their traditions on Chinese ones, so the characters here were Chinese. She explained to us the colors - white is west, blue is east, red is south, black is north, and yellow is center. This is why all the government buildings in South Korea have blue tiles - because it is east of China. Each direction also has its own metal, element, and animal. Although Seoul is a city of 10 million, it is less congested than in Beijing or Tiajin. So, we had ample time to walk the grounds of the palace and get great unobstructed views. The palace had a heating system under their floors, and the queen (chosen by the king's mother) once inside the palace never left it for the rest of her life. Thirteen of their 27 kings lived in this palace; the other palaces are all connected to it, however (e.g. one of them was for the older women such as the king's mother).

After the palace, we ate a traditional lunch of beef stew in a restaurant on Insadong street, a street full of eateries, art galleries, and shops. We then went to the main Buddhist temple in Seoul. Again, it was gorgeous. The Koreans practice Zen Buddhism, focused on meditation.

Some things I learned: 1/5 of all South Koreans live in Seoul. The Korean Peninsula is 70% mountainous. South Korea was mainly agriculture, then manufacturing, now services. South Korean school children begin school at age 8, and they go to school more than 12 hours a day for 12 years. All of the school children here learn English, and most attend public schools. The Koreans pride themselves as hard workers; unless they are a CEO or professor, they only get 1 week vacation per year! Their language is beautiful, and it has 14 consonants and 10 vowels. It is hard for them to learn English because of our grammar; they place their verbs at the end of their sentences.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable day. It made me wish I could stay here longer! Plus, the lack of smog was sooooo refreshing!

A few odds and ends...

Pinyin= English letters for Chinese characters.

Restaurants here virtually on every corner: Subway, KFC, McDonald's, DQ, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks. Some menu item differences, but they are a plenty!

Mostly always Coke here... hard to find any other cola.

No tipping here.

A man we met from NY said when he first came to Beijing in 1985, there were virtually no cars and few skyscrapers. He said it has changed more than any other city he'd seen.

Elevators/buildings do not have a 4th floor (or 13 or 14). 4 is considered an unlucky number. So,the 4th floor is listed as 5A, and the fifth is 5B. The 13th is either 15A or 12B; the 14th is 15B, and the 15th is then 16A, etc. You can pay extra if you don't want any unlucky numbers in your phone number or license plate.

The end of the Silk Road...

August 5:

We started the day heading back into Beijing. After dropping Jen off at work, we headed to Ti'anamen to see Mao's body. Unfortunately, when we got there the line was over an hour long (outside in the sun). So, we decided to skip it. The square was much more crowded this time, though, so it was interesting to see just how many people can actually fit in the square - it was designed to hold one million.

Our next stop was the Summer Palace. It was extraordinary!! This is where the emperors and empresses would go in the summer to get away from the heat of the city. It is considered part of Beijing today, but it was outside the city then. As soon as you enter you see this sprawling lake with paddleboats and dragon boats on it. To the left of the entrance is Seventeen Arch Bridge, which takes you to a temple on an island. To the right are various pavilions and the living quarters of the imperial family. This includes a theater that Cixi had built for opera. We did see a performance there of dancers, musicians, and pantomime.

The living quarters are amazing. Many of the items here belonged to Cixi, and her room is supposedly just as she left it when she died in 1908. We were here when Antonio received a call from Jennifer that she needed to be picked up. So, we headed back to get our bags out of the car. That ended up being serendipitous.

When we returned, we opted to take a dragon boat over to Longevity Hill. By going that route, we unloaded and went to the left of the hill. We immediately saw Cixi's "marble" dragon boat. She had intended to build an entire imperial navy of the boats, but only one was actually built. It is supposedly unsinkable. We then went around to the back of the hill to see SuZhu Street. Since the imperials did not get to go about the city as normal people would, they had this street built. It was filled with shops and such so that they could walk down and "play" shop - complete with pickpockets! It was a truly lovely area with drawbridges and a canal.

This allowed us to climb up the hill from the back side. By going this route, you meander at a more leisurely (and less crowded) pace on rocks versus steps. Somehow, this was not as tiring to us. When you reach the top from the back, you come to the Temple of the Sea God. It is gold and green with what looks like Buddhas all over it. You continue up and around to see the Temple of Buddhist Incense. It's absolutely gorgeous, and although the smog obstructed the view a bit, it was breathtaking.

We climbed back down the front of Longevity Hill to the halls where diplomats were received and Cixi held her birthday parties. Then, you get to the Long Corridor, which leads back to the living quarters. It is masterfully painted with scenic views of the lake the entire length of it. Much of the palace had been destroyed by the Anglo-French forces during the Opium wars in the 1860s, but it was rebuilt in 1886. We spent many hours there, and we absolutely loved it.

We took the subway back to our hotel. The subway is very clean and very digital. It is also cheap - only 2 yuan! It is set up the Paris Metro, and it's so easy to use.

August 6:

Jen and the kids joined us in Beijing today. We went to the zoo to see the giant pandas. The pandas live in the Sichuan area, and there are so few left even in captivity. They were neat to see, but the zoo does not have the best living conditions and it was very crowded, so we opted to not see any more of it.

We ate lunch at Blue Frog. It is a westernized bar and grill in the Sanlitun Village. This is the area of Beijing where most of the embassies are located. It was excellent food, as was the Cold Stone Creamery ice cream afterwards :-).

We went to a Chinese acrobat show. Although Antonio had called the day before to reserve our tickets, there had apparently been some mix-up. It worked out for us, though, because we had paid for the cheapest seats and ended up in the front row! It was so amazing.

Once back at the hotel, we went on a search for a KTV. They are karaoke bars where patrons can sing in the big area or groups can get their own private rooms. Sadly, we must have gotten lost. We ended up at a restaurant for appetizers and drinks. Then, we called it a day.

August 7:

We started the day by visiting Olympic Park. We went into the Bird's Nest (had to pay). The stadium is very cool, architecturally. They had some of the opening ceremony props on display, a wax museum of the International Olympic Committee's presidents since 1896 (a bit creepy), and a great view of the Cube. The Cube has now been transformed into an indoor water park, complete with an artificial beach. It's a great use of the building/center.

We took the subway (they had created a line just for the Olympic area) to the Pearl Market. Antonio had gotten into an accident and had to go to an insurance office. We spent hours there - bought some necklaces, ate, and again spent so much money. At least I got Carolyn her shoes :-). Bartering has become second nature, but these salespeople were even more aggressive and assertive than those at the Silk Market. We had intended to go to the Temple of Heaven afterwards, but we instead ate a leisurely Sichuan dinner (hot pot!) before heading to the shadow puppet show.

Unfortunately, Antonio had not checked his directions and got lost. After calling the place and having them tell us they wouldn't start the show until we got there, we stayed lost and learned it would take 20 more minutes to get there. We were embarassed that the others there to see the show had to wait on us, so we called them back and told them to go on without us. Sadly, we headed back to Tianjin. Jen talked with Antonio again. Apparently, in China, this "saving face" is common in the men; they won't acknowledge when they don't know something. Antonio always tells Jen that he knows where he's going, but he has gotten lost more than once. He apologized.

August 8:

Spa day! We just relaxed all morning. In the afternoon, we went to Andy, Jen's hair stylist. He has a spa, and we all got pedicures and massages. For only $32, I got a pedi and a 90 minute massage. It was different than the ones I had gotten in the US, but it was so relaxing. We had Jen's Italian beef and Ellen's fried rice for dinner. We then watched The Dilemma and stayed up until one watching Modern Family episodes. It was a fun way to end our stay here.

We leave tomorrow to fly to Seoul for our 18 hour layover. It will be sad to go, but it's been a long trip and home beckons. The language barrier here is the hardest I have faced, so every activity takes just that little bit longer. It will be good to be home.

August 4: Today, we spent over five hours on Ancient Culture Street. It is full of shops and other interesting kiosks of items. I found it particularly interesting the number of shops selling memorabilia from the Mao era. We have found many things of a propaganda-type leaning, but there are actual shops that sold the little red books, shoulder insignias of the Red Guards, and other such items. It was just a leisurely day, and way too much money was spent :-).

Xi'an

August 3: Xi'an

Xi'an is the oldest city in China. It is credited with being one of the four cities of civilization (along with Athens, Istanbul, and Rome). By 700 A.D., the city had a population of 1 million people! Thirteen dynasties used Xi'an as their capital city. There are old Chinese characters there made around 246 B.C. by the first emperor, Qin Shihuang. He was the first to unify the seven different areas that became known as China (middle kingdom). At age 13, he ordered his mausoleum to be built. It took 750,000 workers 37 years to complete it all according to his wishes. Although invading armies had destroyed and looted some of what had existed, the area then went undiscovered for centuries.

We flew into Xi'an and hired a driver for the day. Our first visit, due to a translation error, was to a market that is built upon the beginning of the Silk Road. We got a brief tutorial on how silk is woven into fabric. A single pupa is used for lighter clothes; a double for items such as hats and blankets. It was a bit interesing, especially the clothes of the old emperor and empress.

We then made our way to the terracotta soldier pits. Our guide explained several things to us. We already knew the dragon represented the emperor. Any common man seen wearing the dragon was immediately killed. The phoenix represented nobility. The emperor's chariot had a roof in the shape of a turtle shell, which represented long life. The driver of this chariot had to kneel because nobody could be taller than the emperor. The mountains surrounding the area are still mined for gold and black jade, which can be found nowhere else in the world. Jade represents good protection and was the stone of the imperial family.

The mausoleum of the first emperor lies below a hill of grass. It once contained a huge model of China itself and was protected by crossbows. The pits that stretch out for a mile beyond the mausoleum is where much of the treasure was buried. The pits closest to the emperor's burial ground are filled with the richest treasures. Pits 10 and 11 were not found until 2001. The soldiers here had armor made of black jade. The armor weighed 20 kilos. The weapons had chrome plating, a technique which was not rediscovered until 1937.

The first pit was discovered by farmers who were digging a well in 1974. If the farmers had been even only 1 meter over, they would never have discovered the pits. Farmers before had been buried over the pits, and relics every once in a while had been found. However, the people just thought they were bits and pieces of things. The farmers at the well found the true treasure. Coincidently, one of them is still alive today and we got to see him. The timing of this find was great in that it was near the end of the Cultural Revolution. Any sooner in time, and the soldiers would have most likely been destroyed with other historical artifacts.

The soldiers themselves were made outside of the pits and baked for a week in over 1,000 degrees. There are 11 entrances into the pits, through which the soldiers were carried and carefully arranged in battle formation. Each soldier has a different face and the signature of the craftsman who made him. The soldiers are characterized by their clothing, their hairstyle, and height. For example, only 7 generals have been found thus far. Their shoes point upward, they are taller, they have two knots in their hair, and they have knotted ropes on their uniforms. Most of the soldiers are of Han ethnicity; the other minority groups can be seen with longer hair and slightly different features.

Pit 1 contains the soldiers without armor. These were the newer recruits, and it was a sign of bravery to enter battle without even a helmet or weapon. There are horses here, and there are wheel indentions indicating chariots, but they have not yet reconstructed a chariot. Unfortunately, Pit 1 is brightly lit in a hangar. When they opened Pit 2 in 1994, they learned to keep them darker. Pit 2 contained mixed military forces with more cavalry (3000). Pit 3 contained many bronze weapons and evidence of religious sacrifices. It was the command center where the soldiers would pray and get their orders. Pit 4 is empty. Pit 11 contained the entertainers to the emperor such as acrobats and dancers. This will open in 2012 (along with Pit 10).

Sadly, when the discovery was made, much damage had already occurred. The walls and floors of the pits were made from brick, but the roof was made from wood that was not local. The roofs had collapsed upon the soldiers. Only one was found intact. He is now known as the "lucky warrior," and he was a kneeling archer found in Pit 2. He still has some of the original lacquer as well. It took 8 years just to uncover Pit 2. One half of Pit 1 is known as the hospital, where the soldiers get reconstructed before they are placed back to their original point of discovery. It takes two archaeologists 6 months to restore one soldier. The soldiers are restored using the original clay of the pits. The soldiers were painted using a "pink" lacquer because that represented a real skin color,but they are not going to relacquer them. The other half of Pit 1 is restored, but the archaeologists are still working to uncover the rest. It is in Pit 1 that most of the soldiers stand, facing east. So far, 8,000 have been discovered throughout the pits.

It was truly an amazing experience to see this working site and to see firsthand the craftsmanship from 2,200 years ago! We also rode a cable car up the Li Mountain and visited the Hot Springs. This is where many of the emperors would come during the winter to warm up. It was also where Chiang Kai Shek resided while fighting the Communist forces during the civil war. We flew back to Tianjin that night. I would stay longer if I were to go again because there is so much more to see, including the Han and Ming tombs. The city is smaller in size than the other two we have visited thus far, but it is very touristy and busy nonetheless. The smog was here as well....

Oh, and bamboo, the pan (spelling?) tree, and the crane also represent long life.

Getting Acquainted with China

We left the US around 12:30 pm on Thursday, July 28th. Crossing over the international date line, we were in daylight the entire 12 and 1/2 hour flight. Sleep was near impossible. Our layover in Seoul was short, and we were excited to get to China.

We landed in China around 8 pm on July 29th. Jen, Haley, and Nate met us at the Beijing airport. We decided to spend the weekend there. That first night, we adults went to an Irish pub near the hotel. We tried Tsing Tao, a Chinese beer. It wasn't bad. It's hard to be 13 hours ahead of the U.S., though. Beijing has a population of 20 million people!

On Saturday, we went to the Great Wall at Badaling. There, we took the chair lift up to the wall. We walked for a couple hours. What an amazing experience!! Although I twisted my ankle, it was just so incredible to be there. It was a clear day, and we could see quite far. To get down, we took a luge. We ate lunch near the base of the wall. Chinese food is served family-style, and sanitary conditions seem to be optional. We saw a waitress actually catch a fish from their pond, cook it, and serve it to the table next to us - eyes and all.

We then returned to Beijing and went to Hao Hai (ho high). It is the only place left in Beijing where you can see the original alleyways and shops of old Beijing. We climbed up the drum tower and heard/saw a performance. The bell tower would signal time in the morning, and the drum tower was used to signal time in the afternoon and evening. From the drum tower, you could look out on the Forbidden City. We ended the evening at a restaurant where we ate Peking duck. We saw a variety show performance, which included acrobats, an opera singer, musicians, a dancer, a shadow show, and a mask guy. It was very entertaining.

July 31: The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is where the emperors and empresses of the last three dynasties of China lived and entertained. Very few people were allowed inside the gates. Under the Ming and Qing, the city was divided into walled sections. The Forbidden City was originally built as the innermost of these sections. It was opened to more in 1911 after the last emperor was overthrown. It occupies 775,000 square feet, has 9,999 rooms, there is a moat on the north side, and the 4-mile wall is 33 feet high.

The city contains many halls and courtyards. The gardens consisted mostly of trees and rock formations. The Imperial Garden contains a pagoda atop of rocks, where the emperor and empress would walk up to and offer sacrifices during some holiday festival. Some of the trees were planted in the shape of Chinese characters. The halls were all named after virtues and blessings. We saw an exhibition on stone drums, on which emperors inscribed poems marking momentous occasions. We also saw the collection of imperial jewels, many from the time of Cixi. The city was very crowded, and it was hard to maneuver through the crowds of people with their umbrellas. The Chinese do not like to get burnt or tan, so they use whitening cream and umbrellas for shade.

We then went to Ti'anamen Square to look around. We ended up at a Tex-Mex place and then the Silk Market. Bartering took some practice, and the market was overstimulating. The salespeople are very aggressive. After buying some things, we drove the 2 1/2 hours to Tianjin.

Some observations/things I learned:

The Chinese can only own three properties their entire life. Usually, that counts their parents' and /or in-laws. So, companies like Cat are having a very hard time getting workers to move near their plants because for many this may be their final move allowed, and they don't like to leave their families.

The spitting is everywhere by everyone.

The staring is constant and unnerving (at first). They love to stare at Westerners and take our pictures. We have been recorded, asked to pose for pictures, and even followed. Twice, I was told I was beautiful. They apparently like the novelty of blue eyes.

Pushing is the course of action for everyone. They don't line up, and you learn quickly to push your way through.

The "squatters" are interesting, and many places do not have toilet paper.

There is much more leniency/freedom here than I expected. Although the government controls many things still, you just don't see complete regulation.

Kids start school at 7 and graduate at age 16. Colleges are not that hard to get into. They have both public and private schools.

The military is not conscripted. You can serve 2 -3 years to get a free education after.

There is a minimum wage and required insurance/benefits.

There are at least 56 practiced religions and over 100 dialects.

The Chinese drive at age 18, and there are far fewer rules of the road here. They drive using the same principle of pushing. They use horns frequently, and they do not stop for pedestrians. There are no car seat or even seat belt laws, per se.

Parents choose to place their kids in cultural activities. The government only mandates some athletes.

Virtually everyone has a job. You see very little homeless.

They don't have an illegal immigration problem; the policies into the country are far too strict. If you leave and get deported back to China, you are jailed and banned from ever leaving China again.

They do have capital punishment.

Soldiers march 108 paces a minute.

They still technically have a one-child policy, but it differs in various areas of China.

Babies are often seen bare-butted or wearing "slit pants." The parents and/or nannies are so subservient to the baby's needs, they anticipate when the child has to go to the bathroom.

Men retire at age 60, women at age 55. They have to; the government mandates it for them to be paid a pension and benefits. Employers must provide benefits by law.

August 1: We went to Old Town (thinking we were at Ancient Culture Street). The city of Tianjin is quickly developing. It has 10 million occupants, and it's the fastest growing city in China. Only Beijing and Shanghai have more people. Like those two cities, it has its own provincial status. The Haihe River runs through the city out to Dongjiang Bay and then to Bohai Sea. Every bridge that spans the river is different. After the Treaty of Nanjing (Tianjin), China opened to foreign countries. The area known as Five Avenue is where the foreign concessions where, each styled in that country's architecture. It is known for its history as the residences of many dignitaries and such. The buildings, for the most part, are very modern and unique. The city is a port, and industries abound (including nuclear plants). Zoning laws seem to not exist.

The staring is even more prevalent here than in Beijing. Many things here in China, however, are a facade. For example, they have recycling containers throughout the cities, but they don't officially recycle. Every house has heated floors, but the government controls when they are turned on and off (no house has a switch for them). It is such a mix of the new and old, but there is a show to the outside world and the reality that actually lies within. It is so interesting, and there is so much still to learn. Jen gave us an example: as a manager at Cat, she is a "boss." Employers/bosses speak at weddings about the work ethic and character of their employee. There is even a special seat reserved for the boss at the reception. Jen has been expected to do this, and it is dishonorable to decline. But, at the same time, the Chinese have found many of the requirements of their jobs for Western companies incomprehensible and will question such practices. It's all so interesting to hear about the cultural clashes experienced by Jen and those she works with.