Our first stop was the Great Wall at Badaling, one of several sections of the Great Wall open to tourists near Beijing. The Great Wall was first built 500-200 BC, and rebuilt and changed many times since then. The sections that are visited by tourists today were built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), and have been carefully restored in the last 50 years.
Beijing is situated on a plain surrounded by mountains on three sides. The Great Wall extends throughout the mountains to protect the city from invasion. In the photo below, note how the wall follows the mountains up and down, with watchtowers at the summits. This photo was taken mid-morning, before it became crowded.
Back in Beijing, we visited the Temple of Heaven. This temple complex was also originally built during the Ming Dynasty. It has been rebuilt several times. The Temple of Heaven was used by the emperor, accompanied by several thousand assistants, to pray for good harvests. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, shown in the photo below, is the most striking of the many buildings in the temple complex.
Our last stop was Tiananmen Square, also first built in the Ming Dynasty. Tiananmen Square reminded me of the National Mall in Washington, DC. Tiananmen Square is smaller, and is paved with stone, but there are many similarities. Both are large open spaces in the center of the national government where people congregate, surrounded by national monuments and museums. Both places have been used for protests and rallies. In the West, Tiananmen Square is mostly known for the Massacre of 1989.To the north of Tiananmen Square is the Tiananmen gate-tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace), beyond which is the Forbidden City--which we did not have time to visit. On the east is the National Museum of China. On the south is the Zhengyangmen gate-tower, the tallest of the many gate-towers in Beijing. On the west is the Great Hall of the People. Inside the square are the Monument to the People's Heroes and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.
The square was decorated with elaborate floral displays of Chinese landmarks and the upcoming 2008 Olympics. The photo below shows one of these displays (note the Olympic flame) with the National Museum of China in the background.
The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was being held in the Great Hall of the People while we were there, but we did not see any evidence of it other than a huge sign and a significant police and military presence.The photo below shows the Great Hall of the People and the Monument to the People's Heroes.
The weather was beautiful for our sightseeing day. There was a brisk wind which blew all of the pollution out of Beijing. We were told that this was most unusual.
