på toppen af den fremragende mur, vinter vinden og bider såvel som den skarpe luft overraskende klar. To dage tidligere, da jeg havde fløjet i Beijing, var solnedgangens farver bløde i den dygtige himmel.
Kigger ud af flyvemaskinen, havde jeg anstrengt for at fange mit allerførste glimt af Megalopolis ovenfra. Beijing er berygtet for sin forurenede luft, men den dag på den fremragende mur var himlen fjernet med bare en smule haze bosætte sig på bjergene i det fjerne.
De 2700-nogle års historie under mine fødder integrerer med andre sektioner af væggen, der strækker en kæmpe samlet på 13.171 miles mod øst såvel som vest. Den bemærkelsesværdige skala af disse tal tager et øjeblik at synke helt ind.
Hele turen til Beijing havde været en hvirvelvind, fra hastigt at fuldføre mit visum i de 24 timer før jeg var arrangeret for at afgå Mexico City samt hovedhus til specifierne til Thanksgiving, til de 22 timer, det havde taget mig til at flyve fra Mexico City til Vancouver, såvel som endelig den 12-timers lange flyvning, der bragte mig til Beijing.
Men på den fremragende mur blæste alt dette hektiske forberedelse væk i den kølige brise. Der er noget om at besøge verdens vidundere såvel som at vidne til disse uovertruffen feats af varig menneskelig kreativitet.
Under denne nylige tur til Beijing, Kina, hvor jeg opholdt sig i en hurtig tre-dages 72-timers tur, opdagede jeg, at Kina er et land af vægge.
Kulturelle aktiviteter.
Ud over den fremragende mur er der en række lavere vægge, der ligeledes er vigtige i kinesisk kultur. Beijing, vi lærte, havde en stor bymur, fyldt med 9 byporte, som blev elimineret i 1960’erne under den politiske impuls af de sidste faser af det fremragende spring fremad (1958-1961). Også hjemmet er ligeledes almindeligvis sikret af en mur.
Den forbudte City.
En anden palpabel barriere i byen, såvel som i kinesisk historie, er mellem typiske mennesker såvel som den ædle, elite herskende klasse. Forskellen mellem de to klasser er tydeligt afgrænset såvel som endda farvekodet. Rutinemæssige bygninger i byen er en kedelig grå, mens den forbudte by i modsætning hertil er oversvømmet i lyse røde såvel som dens præcise beskrivelse i nuancer af grøn, blå, såvel som guld.
Den forbudte by er yderligere adskilt af den moat, der omgiver det, et middelalderligt støttesystem til at supplere alle væggene. Fra den forbudte by kan du område Pagoda på en højderyg et par kilometer væk. Faktisk blev højderyggen produceret af snavset, der var blevet mudret ud omkring væggene for at bygge vildgraven.
Den forbudte by er massiv. Efter at have lavet vores metode med grandiose indgangen, tilbragte vi timer vandrende med de primære åbne luftpassager. Det var rygter om at have 9.999.5 værelser, en halv plads mindre end Guds palads, som blev nævnt til at have 10.000 værelser. Den egentlige rumtal er på 8.704 værelser.
Den forbudte by er den kejserlige by bygget under Ming-dynastiet såvel som udnyttet af de kongelige husstande i hele Qing-dynastiet, for en samlet på næsten 500 år fra 1420-1912.
24 kejsere levede lige her over spændingen af disse to dynastier. Udover at give boliger til royalty, var den forbudte by ligeledes det politiske centrum af byen såvel som stedet for de vigtigste ceremonier.
Den fremragende mur af Kina
Den fremragende mur, på over 13.000 miles lang, er den længste mur i verden. early building on some parts of the wall began in 7th century BC during the Ming dynasty. Naturligvis har væggen ændret signifikant i løbet af den tid, idet nye sektioner bliver bygget såvel som andre, der falder i misbrug.
Badaling,the section of the wall we visited was just about 300 miles from Mongolia, as well as it would’ve been developed to protect from invading forces of the Huns. The wall itself is about 20 feet tall as well as it was constructed, in big part, by slaves as well as bad farmers.
Maden
Chinese food is ubiquitous throughout the world. however as any type of traveler knows, “Chinese” cuisine is a cultural chameleon of sorts, amazingly adaptable to the tastes of the regional country anywhere it’s found, so I was curious to try the original, authentic cuisine as well as it did not disappoint.
Every meal was a vibrant array of many plates served on a lazy susan as well as shared household style. There were many different preparations of vegetables, from black Chinese mushrooms to bok-choy as well as Chinese broccoli. As a bonus, I found exactly how much I like fried yam.
Another highlight was having dinner at the famous Quanjade Roast Duck restaurant, where fresh roast duck was carved for us right at the table. Roast duck is a Chinese delicacy that has historically been reserved for emperors, as well as the restaurant we visited has been extremely successful in rendering this delicacy offered to the masses.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
One of the most fascinating parts of traveling to China was discovering about traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM has existed in China for countless years as well as to this day it continues to be a extremely typical method in many Chinese households.
Problematic aspects of TCM includes the poaching that it has generated, especially regarding the utilize of rhino horns, which are regarded as a extremely potent component in many treatments.
According to the practitioners we spoke with, legislations have been passed to protect these endangered types as well as TCM practitioners are required to discover alternate remedies, although issues with poaching persist as well as TCM has definitely contributed to this continuous problem.
Tigers as well as bears are likewise thought about to have potent medicinal qualities. In total, animal treatments comprise for 8% of TCM ingredients, 91% of components come from plants, as well as less than 1% are mineral based.
TCM treatments include medicinal teas as well as medicine bags that are stated to prevent different ailments. There are some TCM soups as well as other foods that can be discovered at normal Chinese restaurants such as those that line the Wangfujing Market.
During our trip, we drank chrysanthemum tea which can assist with headaches as well as dizziness, medicine bag to battle the flu. Reiki, tai chi as well as massage are other TCM methods that we experienced during the trip.
Practical suggestions For getting around Beijing
The day I was flying out of the city, I had the day to check out on my own. There are some apps that truly came in handy (even without being equipped with a SIM card or any type of type of regional service I was able to get around by myself as well as navigate the city).
There are three apps in specific that I would suggest downloading.
1. BaiduTrans
This is a completely offline translator. You can speak directly to the app as well as it will provide you a translation. It can truly are available in handy, since there are not extremely many English speakers.
2. Pleco
Pleco is one more Chinese-English dictionary.
3. Metroman Beijing
Metroman was truly useful for checking out the city by its extremely effective as well as affordable metro system. This app includes a download of the entire metro system of Beijing. You can put in your station of origin as well as your destination as well as the map will provide you a step by step explanation of all the transfers you have to make to get there.
The app includes exactly how much time each leg of the trip will take as well as the overall expense of the trip. It is completely practical without any service or Web connection.
Beijing is a vibrant as well as fascinating city. ancient history is integrated with everyday life everywhere you look, both with the method of Chinese medicine as well as the ancient design that is the backdrop to the busy city. The savory food and the incredible sights produce an unforgettable trip.
Thank you to Ctrip and Juicer Trip for holding Amanda and making this amazing trip possible.
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