Today was a sight-seeing day. We started around 8:30am by meeting a few other CHI families who are here to complete their adoptions. We come from all over – Seattle, St. Louis, Hartford, Fresno, and Williamsburg. Most everyone arrived either yesterday or the day before so we were all essentially in the same recovering from jet-lag mode. It was fun to finally meet these other families.
Our first stop of the day was the Temple of Heaven. It was first built in the 1300’s by the Emperor of China. The ancient Emperors were considered deity, and were called the Son of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was where he would go to make sacrifice and pray for a good harvest for his people. It was some really fascinating architecture.
Interestingly, we were more fascinated by all the Chinese who were there relaxing. There were hundreds of elderly Chinese sitting, playing games of cards or dominoes, dancing, learning martial arts, and generally just having a good time. It was a pretty relaxed morning.
After a good Chinese meal, we ventured to one of the ancient Hutong areas. Basically a Hutong is a winding set of alleys where old homes with courtyards are located. We took a rickshaw ride through these alleys. We also visited a home of a local family. It was a more relaxed atmosphere than the rest of Beijing.
To finish off our day of touring, we went to the theater to see the Chinese Flying Acrobats. It was an hour of incredible physical feats that showed strength, balance, and artistry. The costumes were ridiculously fantastic, but the stunts were even more astounding. At times it was hard to watch as I was sure one of the performers was going to plunge to the stage from a great height, and I was going to have to run up there and provide some sort of medical attention! Happily I was able to stay put and enjoy the show.
To finish off our day in this fascinating land, Marti, Sarah, and I went to McDonalds. It just seemed the right thing to do. Mickey D’s has somehow achieved a uniformity in its menu and taste so that no matter where you are in the world, it tastes the same. However, this McDonald’s here in Beijing offered something that I have never seen or heard of before…24 hour delivery service! How ironic is it that such a free-market idea works in this country!
Comments