I don’t want to make this blog a travel log. But a number of you have asked about the trip and China. So I will do a few posts on China, maybe on an every other week basis. And I’ll try to keep them brief.
First the overall look. We spent three weeks visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Yichang, the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges project, Chongqing, Guilin, and Hong Kong. We flew between most stops, cutting down travel time. Between Hangzhou and Shanghai, we took a 180 mph, very smooth train.
Let’s start with Beijing. A city of 21 million, it is modern, clean, with a lot of beautiful landscaping and amazing architecture. We saw more imaginative architecture in Beijing that in all of the U.S..
Tian’an Men Square, the largest such square in the world, is a vast open concrete area flanked by Mao’s mausoleum, the China National Museum and 
various government buildings. Here are two pictures we took in the square.
Close by is the Forbidden City, the exclusive domain of the imperial court of China for 24 emperors over a period of 500 years. Completed in 1420, it provides a wealth of magnificent imperial architecture. 
And of course, The Great Wall. Construction on this phenomenal structure started roughly 700 years before Christ and continued for nearly two thousand years, although it’s generally dated back to 200 B.C. Most of what survives today was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644 A.D.). During the Cultural Revolution (late 1960s), the Chinese were encouraged to take bricks from the wall to build their houses.
It is generally considered to be about 4,000 miles long. It is roughly 25 feet high and varies in width from 15 feet to 30 feet. As many as 63 million people visit the wall in a year. We walked part of the wall.
One of the things that impressed us was the sense of history here. The people think of how things fit into the dynasties. They talk about things that happened 3,000 years ago. All in all, an impressive country, whether you like its manufacturing, its politics, or its current activities.
More in two weeks. Please ask questions if you’d like, and let me know if you want more on China or if I should just stop. Thanks.
Jim Callan
Late reading this, Jim. But I agree–give us more. Interesting material.
Thanks for the comment, John. I will put up some more. In fact, Nov. 21, I’ll talk about the Terra Cotta Warriors.
I love how you kept this blog on China so brief, Jim. But I want MORE, let other people are telling you. I doubt if I’ll ever visit that country so, yes, be my tour guide. And thanks for sharing your wonderful trip.
Thanks for the comment, Eileen. I’ll post more on China. It is a place not many of us visit. This was my first trip – and probably my last. Not that I wouldn’t go back; I’d love to. But there are so many other places that I have not visited. I will write more on China. Thanks, again.
So now in China you are considered a real man, having walked on the wall. I learned that, via my husband who travels there for business. Please keep sharing your wonderful travels as my opinion is you can never spread the understanding of other cultures too much.
Thanks for your comment. And yes, I read that sign (through an interpreter, of course) at the Great Wall. You are absolutely right on understanding other cultures. Certainly this trip changed my perception of China.
More, please! I definitely enjoyed the write up and would be interested in whatever you have to share, including pictures. Thanks!
Okay. I’ll post again – with pictures – in two weeks. I’ve already promised next week to an author. Thanks for your comment.
Sounds like you had a great trip and the pictures are wonderful!
It was a great trip – better than we had hoped for. Thanks for stopping by.
China is indeed a fabulous county with a blending of modern and ancient culture. One day, I’d like to go back. It sounds like you are enjoying all that it has to offer. Beryl
You are absolutely right about blending the new and the ancient. And it all seemed so natural. We loved it. If you haven’t been in awhile, you should go back. It is very open to Westerners now. Thanks for stopping by.
Would be interested in more on China, a place I will never get to visit. Any issues with language?
Thanks. I plan to write more on china, unless everybody says, “Stop!” Language is still a problem, but slowly getting less so. Many signs are now in Chinese and English. But most of the Chinese speak little English. They understand some. Sign language still helps. And sometimes when we looked bewildered, they would understand what we were looking for and point. Our feeble attempts at Chinese, “Hello” and “Thank you,” were always appreciated.