China Dreams

Living Your Dreams in China

By Arnie Greenberg

Contact Arnie at
ultours@aol.com

(Beijing's Forbidden City, pictured above).

China is becoming less mysterious. The country is transforming into an inviting and modern nation. More and more people are visiting places that they once only dreamt about. And now that they are gearing up for the Olympics, more and more people are thinking of China as a holiday destination.

I was once told that China wasn't ready for foreign visitors. Not only are they now ready, but the network of hotels, especially designed for tourists, the tour companies, guides, the food services and special entertainment make China 'THE" place to visit.

The streets where tourists walk are generally clean and safe. The people are warm and cordial, especially the children. The merchandise is worth buying, even if many of the items are 'knock-offs,' and the price is right. Consider my Burberry winter coat that I've worn now for three seasons at a cost of $40. Each visitor returns with his tales of modern cities, river cruises with visual sights that amaze even the seasoned traveler, or entertainment peculiar to this now-inviting country.

Each visitor has his favorite sites. Shanghai is a modern, sparkling city. A Yangtze cruise is on many travelers' lists. Here are a few of my special discoveries in the Beijing area:

Beijing's Forbidden City…

China's official capital and most popular attraction, dating back to 1406 when construction started, contains 8,700 rooms, which took 200,000 workers to build.

It occupies 720,000 square meters with 9,000 bays of halls and rooms. The ten-meter high walls are 3,428 meters long with four splendid corner towers. There is a 52-foot fortifying moat surrounding the whole wall. It is so big that when we walked from Tiananmen Square to the other side, we had to take a taxi back.

For centuries, ordinary people could not enter the gates, hence the name, Forbidden City. It served both the Ming and Quing dynasties well. Twenty-four emperors ruled the whole country from here for almost 500 years. The last person to actually live there was Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Quing Dynasty. (See the film The Last Emperor).

The city includes magnificent halls, serene pathways and secret places, where discussions could be held away from prying ears. The Imperial Gardens boast huge pines, exotic flowers and rare stones. There are pavilions, two-storied houses and ponds. There was nothing left to be added, except, perhaps, toilet facilities for the masses of visitors. They are few and far between. Nobody expected this sacred sanctuary to be a visitor's paradise.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The reconstructed project became a key cultural relic in 1961 and was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1987.
Even with the huge portrait of Mao at the entrance, I found the site fascinating to visit. There were hundreds of foreigners there that day, but even more Chinese who still venerate the traditions of the site.

Even before you enter the Meridian Gate, you are faced with two magnificent gold-plated bronze lions. The guide explained that the one with its paw resting on a ball was male and the one with the baby was the female. They are perfect symbols of power, grandeur, dignity and luxury.

It is at this point that the emperor would give his New Year's announcements as well as his decision about the destiny of those imprisoned.

There are too many halls (rooms) or courtyards to describe or even remember. I particularly enjoyed the bedroom of the emperor, Quinqing Hall, with its ornate ceiling, red pillars and ornate rear screen. Like most buildings of this era, one can find great ceramic heaters. This room is no exception.

The Tai he Hall is larger, but similar in some respects. It was here that the emperor was enthroned and held important ceremonies. The emperor's throne was made during the Ming Dynasty, painted gold with dragons adorning it. Behind it is a gold-plated screen.

Documents, lanterns, bridal chambers, inner moats with sculpted bridges, gardens with pagodas, ornate curtains and statues of cranes or tortoises plus sculpted marble staircases, gold encrusted globes or clocks and dragons as well as portraits of emperors and empresses give us a better idea of the opulence of the rulers of this gigantic and once-mysterious country.

Visiting the Great Wall

The Great Wall, constructed as a protection over vast distances, is still an attraction draw for people from all nations. Walking on the Great Wall is an exciting thing for visitors.

Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and dating back to 770 BC, it was built in sections, covering a distance of 54,000 km. At that time, wars were fought with swords, bows and arrows. This was the best way to defend against warring invaders. The beacon towers could be a source of communication in case of attack.

The expansion of the earlier walls in 221 BC required 300,000 soldiers to do the work during the Ming Dynasty. The guides like to say that if this were turned into a wall one meter thick and five meters high, it would have enough material to encircle the globe ten times.

It is difficult to describe the feeling one gets when one visits this monumental undertaking. Thousands still visit daily just to walk over tiny sections of the wall. At the base camps there are restaurants, parking lots and souvenir shops. The entire area has been turned into a tourist mecca.

The view during a red sunset, at dawn's first light or even when it is covered with snow looks like a silver dragon. It's uplifting. During the rainy season, it sits above the low clouds as a silent sentinel to man's ingenuity.

Ancient Military Architecture

We visited the large mountainous section at Badaling, which has been meticulously constructed and is an outstanding example of ancient military architecture. Here the surroundings are beautiful, especially during the autumn months when the surrounding colors are so vivid. From Sima Terrace on a dizzying height one can see the lights of Beijing on clear nights.

The sections are all open to the public. Some come to breathe fresh air, some to do exercise, and some to bare witness to the enormity of the project that will surely leave one humble on return. I certainly felt that way. I think about my walk on only a fraction of the wall, and I dream about returning.

The trip from downtown Beijing took less than an hour on excellent roads. True, it's a tourist haven, but it is beyond belief that something as old and grand as this should still be standing and welcoming strangers. Just being there takes away some of the mystery of centuries.

Other Places in China Worth Visiting:

The Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian, a city of 11,000,000 that few westerners ever thought of visiting before the thousands of Terra Cotta warriors were accidentally discovered. Now you can see nearly 80,000 of the million life-sized armed warriors, 10,000 horses and 1,000 chariots arranged in Qin battle formations. The area covers 20,000 square meters and is awesome.

The Li River near Guilin, in Guangxi Province, where tourists cruise on flat bottom boats over all or part of the 52-mile-journey through mysterious looking peaks on the limpid Li River under perfect blue skies. You drift by water buffalo, rice paddies and fishermen on bamboo rafts. The eye-feasting scenery will amaze but never disappoint. The mountain terrain is unique.

(Note: Arnie is planning a tour to China for the spring of 2006. The tour can be started from your home city. You can save 30% because of the Canadian exchange rate for a relaxed tour that will include all of the above plus Hong Kong and more. You can go earlier or stay longer. The group will enjoy most meals, excellent western-style hotels, local English-speaking guides, and entertainment. The tour is limited to 35 adults. For more information, contact Arnie at ultours@aol.com).

(Click below for more travel stories).


	Living Your Dreams in China By Arnie Greenberg Contact Arnie at ultours@aol.com (Beijing's Forbidden City, pictured above). China is becoming less mysterious. The country is transforming into an inviting and modern nation. More and more people are visiting places that they once only dreamt about. And now that they are gearing up for the Olympics, more and more people are thinking of China as a holiday destination. I was once told that China wasn't ready for foreign visitors. Not only are they now ready, but the network of hotels, especially designed for tourists, the tour companies, guides, the food services and special entertainment make China 'THE" place to visit. The streets where tourists walk are generally clean and safe. The people are warm and cordial, especially the children. The merchandise is worth buying, even if many of the items are 'knock-offs,' and the price is right. Consider my Burberry winter coat that I've worn now for three seasons at a cost of $40. Each visitor returns with his tales of modern cities, river cruises with visual sights that amaze even the seasoned traveler, or entertainment peculiar to this now-inviting country. Each visitor has his favorite sites. Shanghai is a modern, sparkling city. A Yangtze cruise is on many travelers' lists. Here are a few of my special discoveries in the Beijing area: Beijing's Forbidden City… China's official capital and most popular attraction, dating back to 1406 when construction started, contains 8,700 rooms, which took 200,000 workers to build. It occupies 720,000 square meters with 9,000 bays of halls and rooms. The ten-meter high walls are 3,428 meters long with four splendid corner towers. There is a 52-foot fortifying moat surrounding the whole wall. It is so big that when we walked from Tiananmen Square to the other side, we had to take a taxi back. For centuries, ordinary people could not enter the gates, hence the name, Forbidden City. It served both the Ming and Quing dynasties well. Twenty-four emperors ruled the whole country from here for almost 500 years. The last person to actually live there was Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Quing Dynasty. (See the film The Last Emperor). The city includes magnificent halls, serene pathways and secret places, where discussions could be held away from prying ears. The Imperial Gardens boast huge pines, exotic flowers and rare stones. There are pavilions, two-storied houses and ponds. There was nothing left to be added, except, perhaps, toilet facilities for the masses of visitors. They are few and far between. Nobody expected this sacred sanctuary to be a visitor's paradise. UNESCO World Heritage Site The reconstructed project became a key cultural relic in 1961 and was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1987. Even with the huge portrait of Mao at the entrance, I found the site fascinating to visit. There were hundreds of foreigners there that day, but even more Chinese who still venerate the traditions of the site. Even before you enter the Meridian Gate, you are faced with two magnificent gold-plated bronze lions. The guide explained that the one with its paw resting on a ball was male and the one with the baby was the female. They are perfect symbols of power, grandeur, dignity and luxury. It is at this point that the emperor would give his New Year's announcements as well as his decision about the destiny of those imprisoned. There are too many halls (rooms) or courtyards to describe or even remember. I particularly enjoyed the bedroom of the emperor, Quinqing Hall, with its ornate ceiling, red pillars and ornate rear screen. Like most buildings of this era, one can find great ceramic heaters. This room is no exception. The Tai he Hall is larger, but similar in some respects. It was here that the emperor was enthroned and held important ceremonies. The emperor's throne was made during the Ming Dynasty, painted gold with dragons adorning it. Behind it is a gold-plated screen. Documents, lanterns, bridal chambers, inner moats with sculpted bridges, gardens with pagodas, ornate curtains and statues of cranes or tortoises plus sculpted marble staircases, gold encrusted globes or clocks and dragons as well as portraits of emperors and empresses give us a better idea of the opulence of the rulers of this gigantic and once-mysterious country. Visiting the Great Wall The Great Wall, constructed as a protection over vast distances, is still an attraction draw for people from all nations. Walking on the Great Wall is an exciting thing for visitors. Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and dating back to 770 BC, it was built in sections, covering a distance of 54,000 km. At that time, wars were fought with swords, bows and arrows. This was the best way to defend against warring invaders. The beacon towers could be a source of communication in case of attack. The expansion of the earlier walls in 221 BC required 300,000 soldiers to do the work during the Ming Dynasty. The guides like to say that if this were turned into a wall one meter thick and five meters high, it would have enough material to encircle the globe ten times. It is difficult to describe the feeling one gets when one visits this monumental undertaking. Thousands still visit daily just to walk over tiny sections of the wall. At the base camps there are restaurants, parking lots and souvenir shops. The entire area has been turned into a tourist mecca. The view during a red sunset, at dawn's first light or even when it is covered with snow looks like a silver dragon. It's uplifting. During the rainy season, it sits above the low clouds as a silent sentinel to man's ingenuity. Ancient Military Architecture We visited the large mountainous section at Badaling, which has been meticulously constructed and is an outstanding example of ancient military architecture. Here the surroundings are beautiful, especially during the autumn months when the surrounding colors are so vivid. From Sima Terrace on a dizzying height one can see the lights of Beijing on clear nights. The sections are all open to the public. Some come to breathe fresh air, some to do exercise, and some to bare witness to the enormity of the project that will surely leave one humble on return. I certainly felt that way. I think about my walk on only a fraction of the wall, and I dream about returning. The trip from downtown Beijing took less than an hour on excellent roads. True, it's a tourist haven, but it is beyond belief that something as old and grand as this should still be standing and welcoming strangers. Just being there takes away some of the mystery of centuries. Other Places in China Worth Visiting: The Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian, a city of 11,000,000 that few westerners ever thought of visiting before the thousands of Terra Cotta warriors were accidentally discovered. Now you can see nearly 80,000 of the million life-sized armed warriors, 10,000 horses and 1,000 chariots arranged in Qin battle formations. The area covers 20,000 square meters and is awesome. The Li River near Guilin, in Guangxi Province, where tourists cruise on flat bottom boats over all or part of the 52-mile-journey through mysterious looking peaks on the limpid Li River under perfect blue skies. You drift by water buffalo, rice paddies and fishermen on bamboo rafts. The eye-feasting scenery will amaze but never disappoint. The mountain terrain is unique. (Note: Arnie is planning a tour to China for the spring of 2006. The tour can be started from your home city. You can save 30% because of the Canadian exchange rate for a relaxed tour that will include all of the above plus Hong Kong and more. You can go earlier or stay longer. The group will enjoy most meals, excellent western-style hotels, local English-speaking guides, and entertainment. The tour is limited to 35 adults. For more information, contact Arnie at ultours@aol.com). (Click below for more travel stories).