China

The Great Wall is 1200 miles long, first built in the 3rd century BC to thwart invaders from the north. While parts of the Great Wall have been fully restored, others still lay in ruin. In traditional Chinese, it means "long city/fortress". Stretching from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, the Wall runs gernerally along an arc on the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain, though much has been restored.

Once the palace of a prince – turned Emperor – the Lama Temple is now home to practicing Tibetan Buddhists. Followers of the Yellow Sect of Buddhism come daily to burn armloads of incense, pausing to spin the prayer wheel, with hopes their pleas to the cosmos will be answered with prosperity.

The prayer wheel was larger than Warren, seen left spinning the tablet inside. A Monk studies the crowd, awaiting quiet reflections with worshipers. The air was thick with whispy smoke from incense burning. Each stick of incense was the size of a large stick of pepperoni.

Of all the Chinese dynasties, the Qing was the strongest and most glorious. It was also the last. After flourishing in the 18th century, it fell apart in the 19th. Like many complicated systems, it grew brittle and inflexible. It could not adjust as new problems arose. Bad harvests, warfare, rebellions, overpopulation, economic disasters, and foreign imperialism contributed to the dynasty’s collapse.

The Summer Palace was originally a royal garden and palace for emperors of Qing Dynasty during the hot summer months. Constructed as a single building in the 1100s, the palace expanded over the centuries into a large warren of buildings, extravagant pavilions, decorated paths, and gardens, which overlooks Kunming Lake.

Despite the treaty of 1842, misunderstandings between the Chinese and Europeans continued; small incidents flared up into major battles, including the Second Opium War (1856-1860); and the Qing dynasty suffered one humiliating defeat after another. Foreigners took advantage of mishaps to increase their demands for concessions from the Chinese. In 1860 British and French troops occupied Beijing, forced the emperor to flee to his summer residence in Jehol, north of the Great Wall, and burned and looted the magnificent Summer Palace outside Beijing.

Early every morning before touring and late in the afternoon afterwards, I trekked to Tiananmen Square from the Beijing Hotel, hoping to catch a parade or rally. None were, but I relished the people watching. Everyone was kind, helpful, very friendly, and many spoke English.

Tiananmen Square drew international attention in 1987, when students initiated pro-democracy demonstrations after the death of their hero, a liberal general of the Communist Party. What started out as a peaceful memorial demonstration, quickly escalated into a pro-democracy movement, with 100,000 students and workers demanding the removal of China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Martial law was declared.

Emperors of the Ming Dynasty, who ruled in China from 1368 to 1644, were inhumed in decorative tombs built above aground. Of the 13 out of 17 tombs, only two have been excavated and restored for public viewing. We visited the Dingling and Changling tombs, both of which were guarded by a lengthy avenue lined with marbled lions, elephants, camels, and horses.

My erudite and lively niece, Samara, is engaging here in animated debate over political rights with our Chinese guide. In cafes, whenever our discussions crossed over delicate political or ethical lines, our guide either excused himself or was quickly joined by a political officer on duty nearby.

Temple of Heaven has been one of the most holy places for the whole country for more than five centuries. It used as a complex of sacrificial buildings for the Ming and Qing emperors, and is the largest one in Beijing among several royal altars to Heaven, Earth, the Sun, the Moon and other deities or symbolic forces of Nature. Attracted by the calm setting in the park complex, we saw many park local residents (by the thousand each day, we're told) practicing singing, martial arts, Peking opera, chess, dancing, calligraphy.

The Temple of Heaven was built during the Ming dynasty. The 15th-century structure, with its red walls and gold detailing, is typical of the architecture of the Ming dynasty. China’s emperors worshiped in the shrins after the Communist revolution in 1949.

Chinese Opera combines music, acrobatic dance, and spectacular costumes to tell stories from Chinese history and folklore. We watched transfixed, as dancers with mask-like makeup and elaborate costumes used symbolic gestures to dramatize important figures from their heroic, divine, and animal worlds. Warren and Ian were especially impressed with the martial art exploits.

The night the kids sneaked out of the Beijing Hotel to gather with new friends on the block, thoughts went through my head of possible kidnapping, drugged liver donations or...? "Ah, not to worry," said the hotel security calmly. “You could walk naked down the road at night and never be bothered.”

Before dawn, the kids clambered into bed, believing we'd never known. “Best experience of my life!” exclaimed Samara and Ian the next day. “We were invited into a one bedroom apartment, shared by five people; no toilet, only a sink. Toilets were communal and on the main floor of the building or else down the road.” She’s got the travelers’ bug. Next thing I know, Samara will be broadcasting from Afghanistan some day before long.
The night the kids sneaked out of the Beijing Hotel to gather with new friends on the block, thoughts went through my head of possible kidnapping, drugged liver donations or...? "Ah, not to worry," said the hotel security calmly. “You could walk naked down the road at night and never be bothered.”

Sacred Palace used during the Qing Dynasty from the 18th century. It has over 9,000 rooms on 250 acres and housed the imperial court of Chinese rulers. Until the last generation, ordinary citizens have been forbidden to enter.

The Qing dynasty was established by a nomadic tribe from Manchuria and adapted most of their governmental structure from that of the previous Ming dynasty. It lasted for almost 300 years, extended China’s borders farther than they had ever been before, and perfected the Chinese imperial system. The Qing empire appeared so orderly and prosperous in the 18th century that the French philosopher Voltaire praised the Chinese for having the most effectively organized government that the world had ever seen. European thinkers admired the powerful and learned Qing rulers as “enlightened despots,” and advised their own kings to copy Chinese methods of government.

We spent a full day hiking part of the Wall at the Badaling section (closest watchtower to Beijing), a strenuous steep slope that left us breathless at the top. The Badaling Section was particularly reinforced with stronger materials like brick and rammed earth to prevent the persistent Mongol raids, which continued periodically over the years against the Chinese Dynasties.

When the People’s Liberation Army marched onto Tiananmen Square, hundreds of supporters were brutally killed, another 10,000 injured, and hundreds arrested. Widespread arrests, trials, and executions followed; the foreign press was banned; and the Chinese press placed under strict controls. This extremely violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protest caused widespread international condemnation of the Chinese government.