Beijing Part 3- Peking Duck and Ming Tombs

Troy and I are not typically too adventurous about eating cute animals... actually we are quite against it. When we were in China, though, everyone said we should try Peking duck. How couldn't we?

Carving the duck for us. 

This is how much the Chinese think we should eat in one meal-- always WAY too much food! 

You take the thin tortilla-like wrap and fill it with duck, special sauce, celery and onion sticks. 

Troy trying the delicacy-- we both approved! It was delicious. 

After dinner, we went to see a world-famous Kung-Fu show. Troy loved it. This kid was the main character and he was so fit and serious about his job. 

The next day, we were off to the Ming Tombs. Thirteen Ming Emperors were buried in these foothills. Only one has been fully uncovered and is open to the public. 

The tomb has been standing so long that there are full grown trees growing through the walls. 

The tunnel leading to the Tomb. 

The bricks were removed piece by piece (as you can see by the shape) to access the Tomb. 

Where the tomb was supposed to be located. The pile of money is from visitors to the emperor. 

Instead he was buried here... with his concubines. Scandalous! 

The dragon was always used to represent the Emperor. This is his throne so he can rule after death. 

The Phoenix made to represent the Empress, also a throne to rule after death.

The Ming Tombs were enlightening... seeing the thought and care (not to mention crazy amount of money) put into perserving a ruler after death was shocking.

This almost ends our visit to Beijing but there is one big event left... who knows what it is? :) 

Beijing Part 2- Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven

 Hey there, world! 

Yes, I am still here, believe it or not! I have been so busy lately and my new job requires me to stare at computer screens so much that I simply can't do it any longer when I get home. Since hubs went off on another work adventure, now I can make the time! Time to talk about the next day of our trip to China!

On the second part of our Beijing leg, we visited the Summer Palace. This palace was built for the Dragon Lady mentioned in the previous post. 

The Summer Palace sits on a large, shallow man-made lake where Lotus grow in the summer. 

The "Long Corridor"-- 728 meters/2,238 feet in length. 

Much like our Torii gates in Japan!

No two paintings are the same on the Long Corridor. It runs from one end of the property to the other so the Dragon Lady can enjoy the whole property in any weather. 

One of the four gazebos painted to represent a season of the year. 

A large marble boat meant to represent the balance between people and the government. At any time the people can stop allowing the government to float peacefully by overturning it. Good insight... 

After the Summer Palace, we were off to the Temple of Heaven where emperors made sacrifices to the gods of agriculture. This structure is often seen on advertisements for China, and rightfully so, it is absolutely gorgeous.  

In the corridor on the way in there were many retirees playing cards games, performing music, and enjoying the sunny weather. 

The Temple of Heaven is built with no nails. This required exquisite craftsmanship and attention to details. I can't even imagine designing that! 

Truly the trip of a lifetime!  

You can see how big it is compared to Troy! 

This picture was a bit of a fan favorite on Facebook so I thought I would share Troy's picture-taking handywork! 
I promise to blog again soon-- my goal is to let less than a month pass before my next entry. We have lots more to share about China!