Today we had a busy day. First the group toured a cloisonne factory about an hour outside of Beijing. Cloisonne is an ancient art of combining metal-working with painting. You can read more about it and see examples
here. It was very interesting, but unfortunately I couldn't really view it from an art form perspective. Thanks to my safety-awareness training at work, all I could see is the potential safety hazards in the ancient production process: a man guarding his face from the kiln heat with his arms, unguarded grinders, no personal-protective equipment. I know, I'm kind of a geek to think about that stuff when I'm 6,000 miles away from home and work. Deb B - if you're reading this, can I mark this down as my February safety observation?!
Then we drove to the Great Wall at Badaling. There were people everywhere! We first took a cable car up part of the mountain, and then hiked/climbed up to another section. It was literally shoulder to shoulder with people. Fortunately we had great weather - clear and sunny and about 35 degrees. The wind was a bit brisk but it felt good to be outside in the fresh air and doing something active. I think we all felt refreshed and rejuvenated after the hike. The Great Wall is over 4,000 miles long, was built to try to keep out enemies of China, and was constructed between the 5th and 16th centuries B.C. It is estimated that 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.
I seem to be quite the novely in China - a lot of Chinese people wanted to have their pictures taken with us. I'm not sure if it's my red hair, the fact that I was wearing a pink hat and scarf with a lime-green jacket, or that we were Americans! Or maybe they're just plain friendly people!
After the Great Wall, we went to a Chinese luncheon and then to a jade factory. Jade is a precious stone that is carved into various designs by artisans.
Bill & I rested a bit back at the hotel and then caught a taxi to the Wang Jing Fu night market. It was kind of like the Times Square of Beijing, with lots of neon, fast food, stores and restaurants. But off to the left of the main drag, there was the Snack Street, with outdoor food vendors selling everything from glazed fruit on a stick to pigs intestines, starfish and crickets. All grilled before your eyes. The smell was unique to say the least, to the point of overwhelming at times. And I need to tell you that our guide, Joy, forbid Bill from eating any street food as he wanted to. We had asked her for directions on how to get there and she said "no street food - too important for you not to be sick"! Just a disclaimer stating that Bill didn't chicken out on the food...the wrath of Joy if he had become sick was too much to chance it! Next time we're in China.....
The traffic in Beijing is horrendous - all the time. There are 16.3 million people in the city, and I swear they are all in their cars at the same time on the freeways! And road signs and rules are just a 'reference' for drivers - basically if you can find an inch on a road someone will take it. We were in a taxi last night that made a right hand turn across 6 lanes of traffic from the leftmost lane! But what is amazing is that you don't see accidents everywhere, or scratched or smashed cars. They somehow all manage amongst the chaos.
Beijing is also a city of extremes - new and old. A fancy Land Rover next to a donkey pulling a cart full of bricks on the freeway; Starbucks next to a roadside noodle vendor; Burberry and Dior next to a cart selling chopsticks; the stereo-typical old Chinese man in rags walking down the street next to an obviously wealthy woman.
If you would like to view more pictures from our day, click on the More Pictures link on the top right of this page. Then choose the Day 3 - Saturday folder.
