Beijing Day #4

We leave for Tibet tonight so obviously we had to make preparations called 400RMB worth of snacks and a large bottle of vodka with mixers. Then it was on to the parent-approved tourist activity of the day, this time the Summer Palace.

Sadly, it was a cold overcast day so the gardens weren't in their full splendor but you could still get a sense of how magnificent it must be when everything is in bloom. The estate is huge, and the favored vacation spot of the Qing Empress Dowager Ci Xi (Wiki link here). The center of the Summer Palace is a large lake, over which extends a long elegant bridge with 9 arches surrounding the center arch, with 9 as the royal number. Residential buildings are on small islands off of the lake, with the main plaza with its ceremonial receiving halls before the bridge. Off in the distance you can see both a Taoist pagoda and a Buddhist temple, showcasing the respect for both of these religions during the time of the Emperors. We walked through the estate's Long Corridor, which is an open-air corridor that extends some 600 meters, and is the longest corridor of its type in the world. It is split into 4 sections for the different seasons, but unfortunately we were too frozen to really appreciate the painted motifs on the walls, and just sort of ran through it. My favorite quote of the day probably came from my guided audio tour, which stated: "Here is the residence of the Emperor's wife, who was unremarkable in both brains and beauty but wed to the Emperor because she was Ci Xi's niece." Ouch. What a way to live down in history!

Got some dumplings for good luck before we headed off to the train station, which was a bit of an ordeal given our luggage and the crowded bus system at 6 PM. Still, we made it in good time, and were pleased by the privacy of our soft sleeper cabin. Our cabinmate is an Australian traveling with his two friends, who are in another cabin nearby. It looks to be a peaceful ride to Lhasa, and I'm excited.