Today was one of the most intriguing and eventful days we have had thus far on this incredible trip. It started out at Beijing's famous Temple of Heaven, a public park with historical and spiritual value that far exceeds any public attractions within Calgary's city Centre. Throughout the park, which is much larger than what most of us would consider a park to be, we learn about the historical meaning of it, and also experienced the daily Sunday life of many Beijinger's that seek entertainment and exercise throughout the park grounds. A cool thing about the entire premise of the Temple of Heaven is that not a single screw or bolt was used in the initial construction of the temple many years ago.
After another incredible experience with Chinese tea and the Chinese tea ceremony, we ventured off on Rickshaw taxis to visit one of Beijing's 44 Futon neighborhoods. Here, we were embraced with warm hearts of locals and allowed into their homes for a home-cooked meal (the best dumplings EVER) and a tour of what daily life in these Futons are life. Did you know that one home in these Futons can cost over 10 billion RMB? These are tiny homes with a bedroom, small kitchen and courtyard, but are still untouched by the modern civilization of fast-growing Beijing. They are preserved enough so to keep them in livable shape, but so that the historical significance remains strong.
After moving on from the temple we progressed to the Beijing Pearl Market, a loud and boisterous flea market, we quickly learned who had talents in bartering, and those who did not. The shop owners all began quite lively, kind and inviting but they quickly got down to business trying to see how much money they could acquire. The building was sweltering and the pressure of fast calculating became stressful. The sales people were quick to grab you and lure you into their shops, trying to sell items that were extremely similar to the vendors surrounding them. Most of us emerged unscathed, and their were some very interesting cover stories that were created.
Our final stop of the night was at a very nice hotpot dinner, something in which most of us had very little knowledge about. There was definitely an extremely ecstatic member of our group that was almost bursting with overwhelming happiness over the prospect of our food. It was interesting to be able to compare our experiences with the hotpot in Beijing to the familiar fondue from back home.
Ally & Skye
After another incredible experience with Chinese tea and the Chinese tea ceremony, we ventured off on Rickshaw taxis to visit one of Beijing's 44 Futon neighborhoods. Here, we were embraced with warm hearts of locals and allowed into their homes for a home-cooked meal (the best dumplings EVER) and a tour of what daily life in these Futons are life. Did you know that one home in these Futons can cost over 10 billion RMB? These are tiny homes with a bedroom, small kitchen and courtyard, but are still untouched by the modern civilization of fast-growing Beijing. They are preserved enough so to keep them in livable shape, but so that the historical significance remains strong.
After moving on from the temple we progressed to the Beijing Pearl Market, a loud and boisterous flea market, we quickly learned who had talents in bartering, and those who did not. The shop owners all began quite lively, kind and inviting but they quickly got down to business trying to see how much money they could acquire. The building was sweltering and the pressure of fast calculating became stressful. The sales people were quick to grab you and lure you into their shops, trying to sell items that were extremely similar to the vendors surrounding them. Most of us emerged unscathed, and their were some very interesting cover stories that were created.
Our final stop of the night was at a very nice hotpot dinner, something in which most of us had very little knowledge about. There was definitely an extremely ecstatic member of our group that was almost bursting with overwhelming happiness over the prospect of our food. It was interesting to be able to compare our experiences with the hotpot in Beijing to the familiar fondue from back home.
Ally & Skye