A Visit to the Summer Palace

It was a beautiful morning in Beijing - just perfect for a visit to the historic Summer Palace. This is the place the royal family would go, as recent as the early 1900s, to escape the heat and humidity of the Forbidden City. The vast number of trees helps keep the Summer Palace cool, even in Beijing's summer heat.





Traditional Chinese music was being performed at the Grand Theater of the Palace.

Beware the Street Vendor

Sanitation standards are certainly not the same in China as they are in the US. When traveling here, be careful when eating food from a street vendor; be careful eating food from a supermarket even. Meat, for example, is not generally kept under refrigeration. This short video clip, for example, shows snacks available at a street market - WaFungJing. Not to mention the selection of foods available (scorpions, chicken hearts, grubs, squids, and unknown meats) all of it sits out all day and none of it is refrigerated. Enjoy, at your own risk.

A Whirlwind Tour of Historic Beijing

I visited many historic places around Beijing today, starting with Wal Mart.
After Wal Mart, I took a subway to Tien' anman Square and the Forbidden City to see the historic Royal Palace.
From the Forbidden City we walked to the Temple of Heaven. We took a wrong turn and ended up down an alley, witnessing some incredible poverty, in the middle of one of the wealthiest cities in China. This is definitely still a developing country.
Finally... We made it to the Temple of Heaven. This is the Hall of Prayer.
It was a great day... Lots of walking; we covered almost 15 miles today, on foot.

Beijing Public Transportation - the Adventure

Public transportation in Beijing is an adventure all to itself. It seems as though traffic signals, painted lines, and speed limit signs are only suggestions. Taxi drivers, most of them anyway, drive as though they were the only ones on the road. In reality, there are 15 million people in Beijing, many with cars of their own. According to a recent National Geographic documentary on the the traffic problem in Beijing, the city never intended on having personal vehicles on the road and never designed a road system that would accomodate the vast number of vehicles. Of course, the number of vehicles on the road also contributes to the pollution problem. Beijing, according to the documentary, accounts for 20% of the vehicle fatalities in the world - all in one city. I believe the problem will only get worse.

Tightened Security

Security at the Olympic Park and all around China has gotten and will continue to get tight in anticipation of this year's games - the largest Olympic Games in history. There is the threat of terrorist activity from Islamic extremists from Tibet. So much so that the government has ordered citizens indoors during the torch run, as the torch makes its way through China towards Beijing. As the torch enters a city, cars are prohibited from being on the roads, shops and businesses are closed, and people are encouraged to stay indoors and watch the torch relay from home. Many go out to witness the relay in person, but most comply with the orders of the government.

A Lesson From the Chinese

One of the culinary students from Shanghai, Cheng Hui, has taught me an important lesson. Hui is on his way to a very bright career in culinary arts, but not before paying his dues. He knows the price to pay for success, respects the system, and is willing to follow it. He is ambitious but focused. Hui is dedicated to his art and wants to learn all he can. In his pursuit of excellence, and the lesson for me, is that he is patient and not only learns but masters one skill before moving on to another. That's the progressive learning that takes place in a Chinese culinary school - start with basic skills, master them, and then move on, building on those basic skills. His desire to master the culinary arts has taken him to pursue self-study, outside the classroom. He has mastered the art of oriental fruit carving by careful observation and practice. There's a lesson in that for everyone.

Beautiful Flowers in Beijing

Enjoyed a day at the Beijing Flower Market. Beijing is a large city full of rich history, some of the richest history in all of Asia; but, as very large cities go, it is a dirty city. Not dirty from the position of morality, but rather literally dirty. The construction going on around town, the number of cars and busses on the road, and the factories in production all add to a terrible pollution problem. It was a breath of fresh air to find such beauty in the midst of dirty city.