2 Days in Beijing

The Journey Begins

Beijing was not our first stop in China. We had already been to Shanghai and Dalian both of which were fantastic stops. Beijing did not disappoint.

We were awake when the alarm rang. It was time to get ready for Beijing. One more check to make sure we had everything we needed. Really, we were only going for 1 night. Approximately 90 passengers gathered at the meeting space on time only to hear about a delay due to an issue with the gangway. Chinese regulations would not allow us to use our gangway and theirs had an electrical problem. Was this a sign of how our overnight excursion would go?

Holland America’s Excursion crew did a great job ensuring we had all the necessary paperwork with us before we left the ship. We had a very smooth trip without any hiccups. When we got back the next day, we heard other tours did not have the same experience.

The bus ride from Tianjin, where we docked, to Beijing was 3 hours. What is the first stop for most travelers during a long ride? Yup, a bathroom break. This was just the first of many non-western toilets. Oh, my poor knees. Next stop was the mandatory checkpoint where officials checked our passports. It only took us about 20 minutes for our bus to be cleared. We heard that several of the other tour buses had waits of 40 minutes up to an hour or longer.

As an explanation for the tight security, we were told that a big government meeting was wrapping up in the buildings surrounding Tiananmen Square. However, this checkpoint is mandatory for all traffic coming into Beijing even when no government meeting is taking place.

First Stop: Ming Tombs A UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Ming Tombs are a collection of tombs built during the Ming Dynasty. The complex holds tombs for 13 Emporers, 7 concubines, and 1 eunuch. The Ming Dynasty lasted from 1368 to 1644. Our guide told us only 1 tomb had been excavated. Per our guide, further excavation will happen when they can ensure the integrity of the contents.

We saw a lot of artifacts in the museum and learned about the clothes and art of the era. Some of the artifacts were identified as replicas. As with most tours, we could have stayed longer.

Since 1961, the People’s Republic of China recognized the site as a key ancient architectural and cultural significance. The National Tourism Administration designated the site as one of the 40 best tourist sites. Finally, in 2003 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Second Stop: The Wall

Yeah, we made it to “The Wall”. The weather held. We were at the Juyongguan Section of The Wall. It looked fairly doable. Steve and I started up the steps. They proved to be steeper than they looked. Steve made it to the first level. The second level was a steep incline, not steps. I slowly worked my way up to the second level. Then I turned around to take a picture. Wow! I lost my equilibrium. I rested and started again and went up a little bit further. I still felt a little unsteady so I slowly made my way back down. I can honestly say that I climbed part way up The Wall. I’ll take it!

Third Stop: Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City

The next day we got a very early start. Leaving the hotel by 7:10am, we arrived at Tiananmen Square before 8am. The Square was already crowded. Tiananmen Square is massive. We passed by Chairman Mao’s mausoleum. As we approached the other end of the Square, our tour guide got us together so a photographer could take a group picture in front of Chairman Mao’s Photo. Being typical tourists, we bought a copy.

The Forbidden City was across a busy street so we went down a steep slope continuing on underneath the street and came up the other side. At last, we were going to enter the Forbidden City. Entry into the City is limited so as not to have massive crowds wandering around. The result was that we could enjoy the sites and be able to take pictures instead of being immeshed throngs of people.

The Forbidden City was completed in 1420. The City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households from the Ming Dynasty through to the end of the Qing Dynasty amounting to over 500 years. Additionally also, serving as the political center for the Chinese government. In 1987 the Forbidden City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Inside the Forbidden City

Our tour guide asked us what was missing in the Forbidden City. Turns out it was flowers and trees. He told us there were several reasons why: no structure including trees could be higher than the palaces; the buildings are made of wood and the threat of fire was too great. We saw bronze cauldrons strategically located around the courtyards that were used for storing water.

Notice the figurines on the corners of the buildings. Only official buildings had these on the roofs. The line starts with a Dragon representing the authority of the state. Next will be a Phoenix which our tour guide said represented a courtesan who was power-hungry and was hung from the roof for treason.

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Our visit to both Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City lasted a little over 4 hours. Thankfully the tour provided a special bus to take us back to our tour bus. If that sounds silly, believe me, we all needed it. Without that special bus, it was another 45-minute walk back to our tour bus.

Third Stop: Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven was where the Emporers from the Ming to the Qing Dynasties went to pray for a good harvest. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The walk was shorter to get to the Temple.

Take My Photo

Taking photos was the theme of the day. The first set of photos were taken at the Temple of Heaven.

The photos below were taken at the Forbidden City. The families encouraged our taking the photos of the little girl.