Pictures of the Week 2011-19
Hello All,
Upon arrival in Beijing (formerly known as Peking) our tour bus took us to our hotel, the beautiful Westin Chaoyang. We would call the hotel home for the next three days before returning to the United States. We were in Beijing during a three-day Chinese national holiday. What a privilege--NOT! Folks had descended on the area from all across the country to see their national treasures. Wow, talk about a mass of humanity!
Beijing is a modern sprawling city that encompasses several thousand square miles. It is known as the “grand imperial capital of China.” It has a population of nearly 20 million--third largest city in the country. You know how large American cities might have an Interstate highway circling it. Well, Beijing has six highways circling it--and they are building the seventh!
An amazing fact that our tour guide relayed to us was that “there are two thousand new cars sold in Beijing daily.” That’s a fact that takes you a minute to wrap your mind around! Forty-three percent of all cars sold in China are Volkswagen. Citron and Ford are other popular manufacturers. Official government vehicles are easy to recognize as they drive black Audi A8s. They even have a special license plate and all other drivers are required to give way to them.
Another bit of trivia that we will share with you, unlike western countries, it is the groom that pays for the wedding when Chinese couples marry. Our tour guide joked that when a Chinese guy asks a girl on a date she responds by asking him what type of car he owns. If it isn’t a Mercedes or an Audi the guy usually strikes out!
Beijing is a beautiful clean city. The highways and streets are wide and lined with flowers, shrubs, trees, and spectacular buildings. We found the inside of buildings to be just as amazing as the outside. Few cities in the world have served as the political and cultural center for as long as Beijing has. It is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It has been the heart of China’s history for centuries, and there is scarcely a major building of any age that does not have at least some national historical significance. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates, but we found the modern buildings to be spectacular. Art treasures and its universities have long made Beijing the center of culture and the arts of this historic country.
While most buildings are not what you would call skyscrapers, they were generally between 30 and 40 stories high. Though modernistic they were still dignified and tastefully done. Notice the extensive use of glass and the many innovative shapes of the buildings. Here are a few examples.
Upon arrival in Beijing (formerly known as Peking) our tour bus took us to our hotel, the beautiful Westin Chaoyang. We would call the hotel home for the next three days before returning to the United States. We were in Beijing during a three-day Chinese national holiday. What a privilege--NOT! Folks had descended on the area from all across the country to see their national treasures. Wow, talk about a mass of humanity!
Beijing is a modern sprawling city that encompasses several thousand square miles. It is known as the “grand imperial capital of China.” It has a population of nearly 20 million--third largest city in the country. You know how large American cities might have an Interstate highway circling it. Well, Beijing has six highways circling it--and they are building the seventh!
An amazing fact that our tour guide relayed to us was that “there are two thousand new cars sold in Beijing daily.” That’s a fact that takes you a minute to wrap your mind around! Forty-three percent of all cars sold in China are Volkswagen. Citron and Ford are other popular manufacturers. Official government vehicles are easy to recognize as they drive black Audi A8s. They even have a special license plate and all other drivers are required to give way to them.
Another bit of trivia that we will share with you, unlike western countries, it is the groom that pays for the wedding when Chinese couples marry. Our tour guide joked that when a Chinese guy asks a girl on a date she responds by asking him what type of car he owns. If it isn’t a Mercedes or an Audi the guy usually strikes out!
Beijing is a beautiful clean city. The highways and streets are wide and lined with flowers, shrubs, trees, and spectacular buildings. We found the inside of buildings to be just as amazing as the outside. Few cities in the world have served as the political and cultural center for as long as Beijing has. It is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It has been the heart of China’s history for centuries, and there is scarcely a major building of any age that does not have at least some national historical significance. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates, but we found the modern buildings to be spectacular. Art treasures and its universities have long made Beijing the center of culture and the arts of this historic country.
While most buildings are not what you would call skyscrapers, they were generally between 30 and 40 stories high. Though modernistic they were still dignified and tastefully done. Notice the extensive use of glass and the many innovative shapes of the buildings. Here are a few examples.
We were informed that Bill
Gates of Microsoft had the top floors of the building below leased during the
2008 Olympic Games held here.
There was a controversy over
the following building as it was being built. The public didn’t like it because
it reminded them of coffins sticking out of the ground. However a publicity
campaign saying it depicted the mountains of the Three River Gorges won public
approval.
The following building
magically changes in appearance depending on where you view it from. It was
fascinating to us.
Following are a few shots from
inside our hotel and another hotel where we stopped for lunch. They were both
very luxurious.
Here are a few goodies for
sale in one of the hotel gift shops.
The following shots are familiar buildings from
the 2008 Summer Olympics. The first is the National Beijing Olympic Stadium
“Birds Nest” and the second is the
“Water Cube.”
We’ve tried to share with you
the loveliness of this beautiful sprawling city--probably more photos of
buildings than many of you really care to see. However, we thought it was truly
a magnificent sight. In our upcoming write-ups we will cover the many specific
attractions in and around Beijing.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns