We'd been told that it gets really cold here (it does!) but that the air was so dry there was never a frost (doesn't seem to be) or much in the way of snow... Two out of three's not too bad.
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This was the centre of the Middle Kingdom. The link between Heaven and the more mundane world here. This is where the Emperor would come to receive guidance on what to do only after the three days of fasting had attuned him to the frequency of the Gods (They probably sounded like Elvis or possibly Johnny Cash). During the procession from the Imperial Palace it was forbidden for commoners to view the court's procession so they had to stay inside with their windows shuttered.
The whole of the main temple is wooden and there is not a single nail used in its construction. These are the old residential districts of Beijing. Sadly(?) many, if not most, have now gone but the remaining ones seem to be protected from the developers. They are basically just streets but are charming and there is a sense of community in them.
Well worth a gentle stroll. You won't see anything jaw-droppingly beautiful or spectacular.... They're just nice and peaceful, which is rare commodity in Beijing. Our first half-term holiday and we took the 35 minute journey on the High Speed train to Beijing. Only 6GBP per person in first class, so we splashed out. Very impressed with China's railway system... Very clean, efficient and cheap! First stop was the Forbidden City and then round to Tianaman Sq. They were a short walk from the hotel, so we thought would make a nice afternoon outing. The only problem was so did everyone else. According to the news the day we were there and the day before saw a total of 2.5 million people in the square. Everyone else's pictures of this place show a vast deserted sq, it is (I believe) the largest public space in the world. So, even when there are a lot of people around it still looks empty.
Oh no! Not on the day we went.... It was heaving. A double holiday of Moon festival and National day. Apparently they will make sure they don't fall at the same time in the future as it was so busy everywhere. Still got the classic shot of the portrait of Mao though Big floodlit buildings, bridges and statues, a reflection or two, add in some blurred movement from a boat and Bob's your Uncle... Neil's looking to get the camera and tripod out. This is the first instalment of what I imagine will be a recurring theme as I work my way down the river... There a number of really interesting bridges and pieces of public art. The Steel work was quite eye-catching at night. This is the same bridge as before but showing a boat moving down the river and the Jin Tower, which is the tallest building in Tianjin in the background. The next bridge up, which leads to the Old Italian Concession, is modelled on a Parisian theme. It sounds fairly bad, but actually the effect is quite nice. The Italian concesion is full of EUropean resaurants and is not a bad place to eat, but it does, to me a t least, feel really touristy.
China is (in)famous for its poor air quality and smog. The first day we were here I could see why. Then we had a few days or low humidity, moderate heat and beautiful blue skies. It was pretty close to perfect. This is the view from our apartment looking towards the city centre. On this day, as you can see (well, you can't) viability was poor. I think this might have been mist rather than smog but I'm certainly no expert on things geograpahy. But then, on another day we got this. More or less taken from the same place. Actually it was by the trees that you can see in the on above. The river is at most a two minu So, as you can see pretty impressed so far. |
This will be a blog about my latest shots and what I liked or was trying to do with them
AuthorsWe are teachers and have worked in various schools in Europe & Asia. This is really a chronicle of out travels over the years. It is meant for us to look back on, reflect and remember where we've been, what we've done and all our little adventures. If you like it too, then fab! If you don't, do you think we care? Archives
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