China 2005: Beijing, Great Wall of China and Shanghai

Greetings from Allen and Donna from the Forbidden City and Imperial Palace in Beijing, China.

In the background is the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Isn't she a cutey? She must have seen us raise our arms for the last photo. She is standing in the famous Tiananmen Square.

In the background is The Great Hall of the People.

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China and now houses the Palace Museum.

The palace complex comprises of 180 acres with 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony.

For almost 500 years these buildings served as home of the Emperor as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity which served as Emperor's audience hall.

The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Dorothy (foreground-blue dress) waving from one of the court yards.

Construction of the Forbidden City lasted 15 years, and required more than a million workers. Material used include whole logs of precious Phoebe Zhennan wood found in the jungles of south-western China, and large blocks of marble from quarries near Beijing. The floors of major halls were paved with "golden bricks" specially baked paving bricks from Suzhou.



And, they are still working on it. Notice the hard hats, of course there is no such thing as OSHA.

Bronze Tortoise from Shang Dynasty 1766 BC.

Our national tour director, Frank Ho. Frank was an exceptional young man married with a young family and a college graduate.

First class 21st century building design and construction.

The gang at the Wild Pagoda in Xian.

Jeanne and Marianne taking a moment for a photo-op.

Sigrid and Jeanne spend some moments in the garden.

Dorothy, Jeanne and Don preparing for their full body massage in Guangzhou. A full hour for under $20, some of the gang when back the next day.

Chinese model showing us jewelery.

Jeff and his purchased treasure of jade bracelet from the jade factory.

Donna and Allen's photo-op near Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China

Jeff Wong thanking the travel gods for getting him safely to the Temple of Heaven.

Dorothy buying her cut-out art in Shanghai, China. This was a family enterprise where the father, mother and children created the pieces for sale.

Dorothy and Donna discussing the possibility of rain in Shanghai, China.

Time to eat again, Donna, Don and Marianne are ready for them to bring it on. The food was excellent throughout the trip. Don Yee a self appointed connoisseur confirmed that.

Tina and Donna checking out Gore-tex jackets. Tina is wearing a mint green one with a zippered out lining that we bargained and bought for $25.00 ($125 in the states) at the Hong Qian Market in Beijing, China. Tommy Bahama shirts were $12 - $15 ($100-125 in states).

Time to eat again, Tina, Dorothy, Allen and Donna are the first to the table.

We spotted the military and I snapped this picture. Did you notice they all had the same hair style and black hair (my attempt of a little levity).

Don Yee took a moment out of his busy schedule to pose for me in front of The Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China.
Don was not only a connoisseur of foods but also an accomplished sculpture artist, he frequently ducked away from our group to a museum.

After many miles of walking the Forbidden City, Dorothy solved her tired feet problem by hiring her own chauffeur.

Another photo-op for Donna and Allen in Beijing, China. There is so much to see that you have to stop and take photos. Yes, we were behaving like tourist, which we were....

A street musician in Beijing, China.

Beijing, China traffic was not as severe as the Capital Beltway in Washington, DC, however the Chinese driving skills and obeying traffic laws were bordering non-existence.

Beijing, China has many new buildings like this, there are numerous ones over 100 stories.

The famous Great Wall of China, you can see Dorothy above the umbrella standing to the right and behind the guy in the white shirt, she has a blue dress on and next to the railing.

Allen and Donna on the Great Wall, it is designed to accommodate 12 soldiers marching shoulder to shoulder, that pretty wide.

The Wall gang enjoying our climb and learning the wall construction was during 220-206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty.

Tina with her new-best friend, they met while she was strolling on the Wall.

Jeanne with her new body guard, strange country and all, you never can be too careful.

He was awkwardly shy at first but he got used to her.

Sigrid (white ball hat and big purse) is making it up those hundreds of steps quite rapidly, Jeanne (white shirt) is on her heels, Tina (blue shirt) is right of Jeanne on middle rail, Donna is right of Tina and below in white shirt.
So obviously I'm above everyone to take this picture, not sure what's at the top when we get there, maybe Denver (mile high)?

Tina found another new best friend, her cousin, Jeff Wong. They always had a big smile, that 's how you are when you are young and innocent?

Dorothy and Jeanne shopping at the Hong Qian Market in Beijing. Don and Sigrid are innocent bystanders.

Museum of History in Shanghai, China. The building architecture reminds me of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the world's third tallest TV & Radio Tower.

Shanghai is located at the confluence of the Changjiang River and Qiantang River.

Shanghai is one of the four municipalities directly under the Central Government and China's largest city. Shanghai's population is approaching 20 million.

Shanghai, China

Chinese junk in Repulse Bay near Hong Kong, China

We are on Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island looking towards Kowloon.

Guangzhou main thoroughfare, notice the absence of cars. However, more of the population can afford car now so we will see many thousands more on the next trip.


Our national guide, Frank Ho (right with light shirt), was such a joy, we learned so much and vice-versa. A copy of my letter to him as we parted ways.

”Dear Frank,

What is there to say when everything went so perfectly?

Our trip has given us the opportunity to look back to the historical roots of our ancestors and also to have a glimpse of the future of China in Shenzhen.

We want to communicate our sincere appreciation for your many acts of kindness which enhanced our trip so very much and for your protectiveness of the families, especially Dorothy.

We will have many stories to share with family and friends and of course, your imprint on this trip will be resonated many times.

Lastly, we have been impressed with your caring, respectfulness and honesty which will be your foundation as you prepare to enter the business world and future endeavors.

As we discussed, listen to your heart and commit your energies to that decision. By doing so, you will find the business world exciting and rewarding.

Best wishes to you and your family as you take your place in the future of China.”