Beijing - Last Day in China (and last blog entry)

Our last full day in China. The weather is over 40 degrees! Because of weariness and the weather we actually cancelled a visit to the zoo. Most of the day was spent visiting two 'religious' sites in Beijing.

First a Confucian site which was the home of the Imperial College. The brightest people got to train here for government service.

Confucianism is not strictly a religion. It is a set of moral codes. The Emperors accepted Confucianism, as one of the moral codes is to obey the civil leadership.


The Academy is undergoing major renovation to be ready for the Olympic Games. Most of it was either closed or covered with scaffolding. But I got a couple of pictures.




The second stop is the Yonghe Gong Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple. The largest Tibetan temple in China. Yonghe Gong means Place of Harmony and Peace. It was converted to this use in 1725.

On entry there is a bell.


and the required Lions for protection. The male steps on a ball and the female on the cub.




Some of the Buddhas are female.


When one prays, you light a specific number of incense sticks to open the path to the Buddha.



We then had lunch in a great Muslim restaurant. The only restaurant we went to in Beijing that was not approved for Foreigners. We had a delicious Hot Pot meal.

After lunch we were taken on a rickshaw ride. We went through some of the residential alleys. They took us to a 'typical' apartment. It was anything but typical. The number and size of rooms and the kitchen appliances are not standard in China. I refused to take any pictures. If you visit a 'typical' apartment in Beijing during the Olympics do not be duped.


Our final stop was at our request to a cloisonne factory. After much debate Marsha and I agreed on a vase for ourselves.

After resting we went out for our last dinner. Of course we went for Peking duck. It was cooked in a brick oven and the duck was carved at our table. While similar to Peking duck in Chicago it was still different.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventure.