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Beijing |
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Tiananmen Square
Highlights
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We stayed in The Palace Hotel, and it couldn't have been more luxurious. With Channel, TIffany, Cartier, YSL, Louis Vuitton, and Armani boutiques in the lobby, we felt like we were in Manhattan! |
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Beijing is dominated by modern buildings with many more under construction, and it's especially
scenic at night. You might even call it China's City of Lights. |
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The Forbidden City, built in 1421 during the Ming Dynasty,is a linear series of buildings (halls) facing south, you walk through one and come out in the courtyard of the next. They seem to go on forever. |
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The Marble Boat sits on Kunming Lake at the beautiful, tranquil Summer Palace. You aren't allowed to go inside the palace, but you can stroll down the gloriously painted Covered Walkway.
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The Sacred Way, lined with elephants, lions, tigers, and other charming animals, leads to the Ming Tombs, the final resting place for thirteen of the Ming Dynasty's sixteen emperors. |
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The Great Wall extends 2,480 miles from the East China Sea to Central Asia. We climbed a long, steep flight of steps to one of the numerous towers that dot its length. The area immediately below the section that we visited is thronged with shops, stalls, and vendors - every bit as touristy as it would be in the U.S. |
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The Temple of Heaven was built as a site for imperial sacrifices, at about the same time as the Forbidden City. It is also laid out as a series of halls, ending at the stunning, blue-roofed Hall of Prayer. The grounds were designed according to principles of numerology and fengshui and are popular gathering places for locals to exercise, sing, play games, musical instruments, and knit.
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We visited a Cloisonne Factory and saw workers applying the tiny wires that form the designs with tweezers and then filling them in with enamel. We could have easily spent half a day in the showroom and finally decided on several gorgeous bowls (which we had shipped, as we did with all of the large items we bought). |
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We also visited a Cultured Pearl Factory where we resisted the jewelry but ended up buying some pearl nightcream (which I love using, I wish I'd bought more). |
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