Beijing and its enormous surroundings. A trip to the mighty China

Arrived in China with Lufthansa plane from Rome via Monaco of Bavaria. With me tried and tested a group of 4 mates travel to which were added 5 more people to unite now. Parties in Italy in the early afternoon we arrived in Beijing around noon. We have flown over European Russia and Siberia during the night while the first light of dawn we observed through the portholes the steppes of Mongolia. Since China over a subcontinent that a country we have divided our tours more travel diaries. In this we will deal with Beijing and surrounding provinces.

 

Arrival in Beijing

Beijing's new airport to meet the boy who will guide us and that his name was unpronounceable for us conventionally call Franco. On board the minibus driven by a certain "Schumacher" reach Beijing where lunch in a kind of restaurant. The room is spartan but to us is given a room with a big round table in the center of which is a plane of glass which are placed on rotating trays overflowing with the many Chinese specialties gastronoimiche. Will almost always the way we eat on this trip. The strange arrangement of trays flow on the glass makes it a little difficult to use but at least there are no expectations of a plate and another. The kitchen is more or less than that offered in the many Chinese restaurants around the world, but in the long intrigued stucco. Often we do not even realize what we eat but apart from some dishes taste really too different from our habits, the rest is more than acceptable. After lunch the first visit to the Lama Temple is preceded by an arched entrance heavily colored. Here we have the first contact with the culture and traditions even if the Buddhist temple is Tibetan in character with rollers to turn to prayer and banners. We're thousands of miles from the battered heart of Tibet, but here in Beijing this temple is an appendage of the religion of that region is nothing but a stream of Buddhism, a different way of intrpretare Buddha developed on the roof of the world. Here we have our first contact with pagodas, huge golden statues, smoking incense, monks and powerful curly-maned lions but the real treasure of the temple is a very high statue carved from a single sandalwood tree trunk. From here we would go to the nearby Temple of Confucius, but unfortunately is already closed to the public. We arrive at the Hotel Mercury where our suitcases were before us and we sit in the room. The hotel was recently renovated, has a beautiful lobby, spacious and comfortable. The dinner buffet features a variety of local foods, desserts and exotic fruits. You can also choose fish or seafood and have it prepared by the cook. E 'can also cook a specialty that is a cross between a pizza and a piadina after choosing the ingredients for the stuffing. There is also a mountain of boiled shrimp placed on a surface of ice. Before reaching our rooms we do a quick walk around the hotel by visiting a large shopping center. By taking advantage of the bath room which has, China will find tanks everywhere and being accustomed to the shower will be a pleasure for me to immerse myself for a few minutes in hot water before bedtime.

The Great Wall and Hutong

If Beijing yesterday welcomed us with a faint sun goes down this morning a few drops of water accompanied by a bit of wind. After an abundant breakfast buffet usually just get on the minibus which leads us to Badaling, the nearest point to the capital where they see the Great Wall. Or because we are north of Beijing, or because we are on a hill in this town is cold, goes down a few flakes of snow and windy. Before reaching the wall we stop at a company where the jade is processed. It will be the first in a series of visits to this kind of tourism enterprises and commercial where the guides lead us in the hope that through our purchases can receive the appropriate committees. As these state-owned companies have excess staff and there are many more orders for tourists to be served. For someone like me who is not interested in making purchases are still attractive because they offer the possibility to follow the cycle of production of various artifacts. At this first factory dedicated to jade, I notice that a skilled artisan will be able to work a ball inside the other, a work that requires great dexterity by Carthusian and experience. Prices are not prohibitive, but I came out here to see, not to buy so desist from all temptation. Finally we come to the Great Wall, this enormous cosrtruzione measure more than 6000 km, but we'll just walk a few hundred meters on a hill rising from where the views stretch along the long wall that follows the outline of the hills with ups and downs that resembles that of a roller coaster. Here, the Great Wall is besieged by tourists despite the low season are many, but for this it is heavily restored. It's easily the walkway once reserved for soldiers on guard stopping occasionally to admire the view, unfortunately marred by fog. With the sun would bring more of this wonder but also with the mist the wall has its charm. On the road to Beijing we stopped for lunch in the cafeteria of another factory in the state. The atmosphere is spartan but we are granted a secluded room with its large round table and the glass turntable. We're getting used to this kind of table, we learned to run the course in a clockwise direction so that all we can use without disturbing one another. Never fails to put the ceramic bowl of rice here is used by us as the bread on the table there is always the sticks for us but there are also Western cutlery. As per the travel plan can also drink a glass of beer or coca cola and tea is always present in use at will. Obviously, we do also see the factory, in this case closonnè, vases, metal-enriched ceramic inserts then glazed and fired several times. It 'very interesting to see the girls decorate the pot with designs, paste them minutely small fragments of pottery and brush them with the kaolin. A little farther on the oven for cooking pots and the exposure of finished products. The outskirts of Beijing, we visit the tombs of the emperors of the Ming dynasty that look like temples but have a good display of gift items. In China, a century earlier in Egypt, the dead were buried with everyday objects and precious jewels that should be useful in reincarnation, so the few graves dug numerous findings have emerged. In the glass case at the tombs of the Ming can be seen precious pottery, wreaths and jewelry. The graves were linked by the Via Sacra that we walk down for a while that we reach with the microbus. The road is not particularly beautiful but has some big statues on the sides depicting real and mythical animals placed there to protect the imperial tombs. Return to Beijing that it is still day, I take the opportunity to hire some of the many Resch and visit a Hutong. With this name of Mongolian origin identify the old neighborhoods that once made up the entire urban fabric of the city. With the advent of communism, the Hutong were razed to make way for barracks first Stalinist then, in the last 30 years, to modern buildings. The area we visit is one of the few survivors, has narrow streets overlooked by seemingly low houses with no windows because prendolo light from the courtyard. The strradine are very busy in resc, bicycles and pedestrians just as it should be in all of China until the 80s of last century. We park on the banks of the resc pond that borders the neighborhood and passed a bridge of marble walk down a narrow street overlooked by many junk shops for tourists. Immersed in these old architectures, mindful of a Beijing that no longer exists, we almost forgot that two strides away from the pulsating city with chaotic traffic and pollution rampant. We are near the two famous towers of the drum and the bell that once the rhythmic sounds with their life in the capital. We return to our resc where the "taxi driver" is waiting for us in a private home that we visit to learn how to live today in the Hutong. The house is not particularly interesting, between the thick walls marked by the time there is a thin, old furniture, old man who received us very kindly, presents features Manchuria with narrow eyes and makes us sit in a circle in the larger room. When we leave we notice a cage of birds, it seems that we are in every home and is the passion of older people in China take a walk in the park the birds as we do with dogs. Resume the Resch and back to our minibus, tonight we wait for dinner in a luxurious restaurant to eat the specialties of excellence in the culinary arts of China, the Peking duck. Even in this room there is reserved a room, the service usually on the large round table is impeccable, after a series of appetizers, a young waitress sporziona the flesh with skill and puts into thin sheets of wheat flour. The dish, very spectacular to serve, is also palatable. Return to the hotel full and satisfied for an intense day of sightseeing.

Beijing

The day presents a low sun and above there is no wind. The copious breakfast buffet in hotel sweeps by the American Breakfast, Breakfast in the British through the Continental Breakfast and of course the China Breakfast. In practice you'll be spoiled for choice of toast, plum cakes, muffins, tropical fruit, milk and cereals. Interesting, since we are in China, taste the local bread that is steamed and stuffed or drink soy milk. With the microbus to reach our Inventory report Tiananmen Square, central Beijing, the center of Chinese history, ancient and recent. On the square, which is the world's largest, face a number of monumental buildings like the Houses of Parliament and that housing the mummified body of Mao Zedong, the father of his country. At the center is the Monument to the heroes of the communist revolution, the end of the Piazza entrance to the Forbidden City which are located the famous portrait of Mao and the writing large letters which I hope will long live the Communist Party. E 'in the course of the Congress Party and it is remarkable the presence of police and soldiers across the square. In fact, however, the state presence is visible everywhere in Beijing and is probably why the city is clean and tidy and in center or in suburbia, not a graffiti on the walls, not a paper on the floor, cropped gardens, plants pruned short, great civic sense of the people or a strong control of the authorities or both. The fact is that you can travel without any fear an underpass or a dark road block because there is still someone to protect you. We enter the famous Forbidden City, is so named because until the fall of the last emperor, that of Bertolucci's films, was allowed access only to the royal court. Now the city of emperors is invaded by tourists who stare with curiosity at the numerous buildings distributed in a vast pagoda area. The hypericum had preferred to build a cluster of low buildings instead of a great royal palace as was customary in European monarchies. If inzieme architectural wonder how nice it was difficult for the rulers move from one building to another rather than from one room to another. Surely emperor's life was made easier by eunuchs and concubines, his royal head was protected by an umbrella, and transfers from one part of the city were carried by sedan chair. The structure is almost entirely of wood and fires were frequent as evidenced by the many remakes and many bronze vessels were used to extinguish the fire. The interior is rather thin because much has been stolen, we must not forget that this place has suffered foreign invasions, civil wars and the Cultural Revolution under Mao when they tried to ban any Precomun cultural form. We still see some household goods, and the throne of the emperor. We go the opposite side from where we come in, waiting for us there is our microbus that leads us to a restaurant with a company lavoir pearls. Needless to say after the big meal we had to put up with even its visit to the company, which still allowed us to discover how pearls are cultivated in oysters. One of us has chosen a great oyster once opened showed the treasure that kept more than 20 beads that we have scores. There was also explained while visiting the exhibition of jewelry that the case of fresh water pearls, much cheaper and less valuable than those that are coltivarte at sea. After the visit we go to the Summer Palace, the place where the emperors lived during the hot season. Here, using a small stream was created an artificial lake complete with island connected by a multi-arched marble bridge. On the lake are reflected numerous pagodas imperial linked to the memory of withering Cixi, the Empress mother who maneuvered the last kings as puppets. The Summer Palace which is really a great park has among the most interesting things along a wooden corridor richly frescoed with scenes of landscapes and historic battles and from a hilltop overlooking a large temple pagoda. The waters of Lake Cixi built a ship of marble rather neglected can still be seen if a waste of money that the Empress withdrew to the Chinese fleet. From here we take a broad tour of Beijing through the famed sports facilities such that hosts the Stadium in the shape of a swallow's nest and the pool walls reminiscent of the sea. Return to the hotel for dinner and enjoy the many specialty buffet then we go out again with the minibus for a tour of the capital by night. We stop at a street that is home to a long series of banquets that serve regional specialties. Products emerge from the pots smoky at times indecipherable, exposing some of the inviting walking sticks of caramelized fruit, large ravioli, bread steam but also fried grasshoppers, millipedes, snails and even silk cocoons!
Nearby we visit the long pedestrian street of the market overlooked by luxury shops of major fashion brands. This elegant street a short distance to the contrast class neighborhood full of shops of junk. You move with difficulty in this area is heavily visited by tourists and locals in search of business. In these markets is mandatory bargaining, it is usually part of a request loontanissima the value of the item and we end up buying a few yuan, the Chinese currency that bears the name of one of the many dynasties that have dominated the country . Microbus with large walk the streets of Soho, one of the most modern in the city where they make a fine show on which stands the tall skyscrapers of the new television. Returning to the hotel is noted that in the midst of this area of ultramodern buildings of a tangle of streets there is still the old observatory whose instruments are visible from afar. Today was a busy day, tomorrow we will leave Beijing.

From Beijing to X'ian

Gray day but at least no rain. We get up early to see the Temple of Heaven, not being well known internationally is considered the symbol of Beijing. The high Pagoda where the emperor went to pray in fostering a good harvest is housed in a large public park. Since early morning many elderly find themselves in the park to do Tai Chi, a slow series of exercises derived from martial arts. Others come here to dance to the tune of a boombox, playing badminton or for juggling with a ball of rubber which are attached multicolored feathers. There are also those who simply stroll among the flower beds carrying a cage with the birds. The strangest thing is seeing older people engage seriously in gymnastics, with agility able to use his legs as I can not do for years. Perhaps for this reason you can not see around a fat Chinese, are all long-limbed. After observing these Arzilli lords of a "certain age" will come with interlocking high pagoda built without using nails. E 'was conceived as a calendar, the 12 interior columns representing the months, the 4 power plants for another 12 seasons and for hours at that time the Chinese counted in 2 of 2. The pagoda is preceded by a wide staircase. And 'the last monument we see in Beijing because the minibus waiting for us to bring us to the new airport from where we will fly to the ancient capital of Shaanxi Province X'ian. We leave Beijing with its contrasts between old and new, ancient traditions and communist doctrine, bridges and pagodas.