Look what I found…

…in Hong Kong. I walked around the corner and ….ta da!!!! Beautiful and amazing. Inside and out.

Land of 10,000 Buddhas

Actually it’s a Monastery in Hong Kong. And there are actually over 12,000 if you count the travel size ones inside the monastery. But you’ll have to take my word about that. No pictures inside. And I guess I didn’t count every single Buddha on the 431 step hike up. But there were a lot. Each with an individual expression.

Yep. It’s up there. And there isn’t a lift.

A few more highlights…

… and must-sees we hit before we said ta-ta to Beijing.

Temple of Heaven

Like the Dome of the Rock, but in China and not Muslim. Believe it or not, it is bigger than the Forbidden City. But smaller than the Summer Palace with an area of about 2,700,000 square meters. The Temple was built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifice to Heaven. As Chinese emperors called themselves 'The Son of Heaven,'  they dared not to build their own dwelling, 'Forbidden City' bigger than a dwelling for Heaven.

Tiananmen Square

The Summer Palace

The Summer palace of some emperor in some dynasty. Yes, I stopped trying to keep track. It is the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China, even bigger in the Forbidden Palace. If that is possible. It greatly influences Chinese horticulture and landscape with its famous natural views and cultural interests, which also has long since been recognized as 'The Museum of Royal Gardens'.

Rickshaw Tour

 

Drum Tower

 

Ahhhh. Beijing. You were fun and exciting, and really, a dream come true. But now it is time to good-bye.

a wonder to behold

It has a history of over 2000 years. It stretches 5,500 miles across a very large country. It was originally separate walls built to protect the northern cities of China. During the Ming Dynasty Emperor Qin Shihuang succeeded in joining the walls together to fend off the invasions from the Huns in the north. It also stood as a symbol of a united China. Since then, it has served as a monument of the Chinese nation throughout history.

Can you say surreal? Yes. You know one of those things it would be amazing to do one day but you never actually believe it will come to pass. That was me. It was a wonder to behold. It was great…

once upon a time…

this city was forbidden. But now it is open to all for a small fee. Actually it is a palace, like Versailles or Buckingham, but its 720,000 square meters, 980 buildings, and over 8,700 rooms make it easily mistakable for a small city rather than a palace in the middle of Beijing. After fourteen years of construction the palace was complete in 1420, the Ming Dynasty. It was in use through the Qing Dynasty, 1911. It was home to 24 emperors and not just anyone could enter. It was usually just the emperor, his concubines and advisors. 

You might also recognize the Forbidden City from the Disney movie Mulan. It was home of the emperor, where Mulan came to save China.

Can you see why all the commoners and anyone who wasn’t the emperor were a little PO?

Under no circumstances…

…Should you try this at home. Just leave it to the Peking Acrobats from Beijing to twist and turn themselves in unnatural maneuvers.

They are coming to BYU February 3 & 4.

Welcome to Beijing

In 2008, Beijing welcomed the world for the 2008 Summer Olympics. In preparation for this event the Chinese built all new facilities. The Chinese really know how to host a party and they went all out in order to impress the world.

The Airport

The Bird’s Nest

The Water Cube

The Mascots