Summer Palace

Yesterday, my study abroad program treated the group to a trip to the Summer Palace. The weather yesterday was pretty reasonable, but only in comparison to previous days. 
We went pretty late in the day, which meant we couldn't go inside the buildings, or to the Royal Shrine, but it was also a lot less crowded. Yesterday was also a national holiday, so a lot of people were out touring the city. It was a worthwhile trade off. 


When we got off the bus, street vendors instantly flocked to us, selling watches, Mao memorabilia, and Summer Palace goodies. I ended up getting a Chanel watch for the equivalent of $7. Hahaha. I'm waiting to see when it stops working. Later today we are going to the Great Wall of China, so I'll be sure to post the pictures from that soon. 

There was a rickshaw outside the Summer Palace with the McDonalds logo. I'm not sure why, or what it means...

Entrance to the Palace area.

This was supposed to be a Chinese Unicorn. It protected the Palace and foreign dignitaries from Small Pox.  

I've decided that this is Mushu from Mulan. Except in real life it was the spiritual protector for men. 

The Phoenix is a traditional Chinese symbol of women and it was also their spiritual protector.  

These are in a lot of places around Beijing. When trees get too big to support their own weight, these structures are made to support the tree in it's continued life.

Because the railings are what's important here....

The longest continuous walkway in the world. It's a little under a mile long, and is hand painted the entire length. Please see the video at the bottom for more. 

The Summer Palace lake/pond. You can rent boats and go out on nice days.

An example of the paintings. 

The Royal Temple. Our tour guide gave an excellent explanation of the Chinese "religion." Because there was no national religion in many places, but many outlaying regions of China did have religious affiliation, this temple was built. Basically, people could come here and worship China, or the Emperor, who was the physical manifestation of China. Because the religions practiced inside of China, people could come here and worship the nation of China, while still being true to their own religion. It was a really clever way to have a "national" religion while still allowing people to do whatever they want. 

Friday was a national holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival/Summer Solstice. Dragon Boats were everywhere.

After we got back from the Summer Palace, a friend and I adventured through campus to find dinner. Cats are literally everywhere on campus, and they are HUGE. 

Dinner!

Here is the video of the walkway. Please keep in mind that the walkway was a little under a mile long, and that everything you see was hand painted. 

Today, I got to meet my Host Mom! I am one of 17 students participating in full time homestay with a handful of others who are in a short 2 week homestay program. 
My Host Mom is this really sweet middle aged woman who lives with her mother and younger brother. She speaks fluent English, so that was really helpful to fill in the blanks where I had zero clue what was being said. 

My Host Mother and I. 

I think I mentioned (maybe) before that the graduation ceremonies for Peking University have been happening all week. Outside of the main dorm street, graduating students are selling their books and items that they don't want to take with them after graduation. 

Also, on my way back from meeting my Host Mom, I stumbled across what I've decided is where bikes go die. There are at least a thousand bikes just sitting there, and people have obviously forgotten about them. 

My feet hurt soo bad. 
Today was jam packed with endless activities, so it's no wonder. We meet with our specified Chinese tutors that we will meet with once a week, and got a tour of the campus. My tutor helped me buy a Chinese cellphone too (the carrier is called "Unicorn" so I knew it was the right choice). 
A girl in my group had her birthday today, and since ours are so close, we are organizing a joint-birthday party for Friday where we are going to have Chang Shou Mian or Chinese longevity noodles. The idea of those is that the noodles are really long, just like the life you are celebrating. 


My program also organized a group trip to Tiananmen Square, Chairman Mao's memorial and a locally famous restaurant that sells Beijing Duck. 




This is the view from my dorm room this morning. No, those aren't clouds, and yes, that is the sun. For the first time in my life, I can look at it freely and don't get weird flashies in my eyes. 

As you walk to Tiananmen Square, you pass by the Forbidden City. This is the pathway that the emperors took from the forbidden city to Tiananmen Square. It is called "The Center of the Universe" for that reason. 

This is the tunnel you have to take from The Center of the Universe to Tiananmen Square. For reference. Right about where the doorway is, is the famous portait of Chairman Mao looking over Tiananmen. 

Me, being a tourist. 

 Because roads are at best absolutely terrifying, most crosswalks are above or underground.

Chairman Mao's memorial building (in the far back) and the Memorial to the People's Martyr. In the memorial building is where Chairman Mao's body is kept for display. There are extremely strict rules that people must meet before they can enter the building. A dress code is strongly enforced, and people must remain absolutely silent inside the building. You can buy white carnations and lay them in front of his statue in the lobby for around 75 cents. 

PS: Seeing a dead persons body on display was strange. 

The restaurant we went to with the rotating table. There was literally so much food that plates had to be placed on top of each other. Beijing Duck is positively delicious, and depending on where you go, relatively inexpensive. This particular place charges by the person.  

While on a self-guided campus tour with my new friend Olivia, we found this beautiful building. It is one of the few places on campus that is quiet. I have found my new study location. 

This is the underside of the roof. Everything was very clearly hand painted. 

The main entrance to Beijing DaXue or Peking University. You must have a student or staff ID card to get inside the gates of the campus, that is why there are scary security guards. 

The smog this morning wasn't too bad, but by 5:30, the air quality had significantly deteriorated, as you can see in this photograph. Visibility is poor at best, and breathing sucks. Strangely enough, there is no smell or taste, like smog often found in other places. In Beijing, it is only visible and felt in your lungs.