Summer 2008 - Part 3: Still Beijing
Woke up with a little jolst of excitement. It’s our third day in Beijing and we were going to see the Olympic stadiums and more historic sites. We’re going to take it easy today. It’d been too much walking for the past days.
DAY SIX εδΊ¬
Out of the 12 new stadiums added to the list of venues to be used for the 2008 Olympics, the two most significant architectural works of art that we were going to see were the National Stadium (nicknamed “The Nest”) and the National Aquatics Center (nicknamed “The Water Cube”).
Photos of the stadiums taken from the internet. Fantastic sights at night.
Well, it turned out the Olympic stadiums were already being barricaded in preparation for the Olympic events. The public could only view from a distance.
At the front end of the Olympic Green near the gate we were at was the Digital Building.
Other new buildings along Beichen West Road with super large TV screens. Works great for PS3 after the Olympic games 
So that was all for the Olympic stadiums. Wish we could catch more close-up without those damn barricades.
Next we took a subway train headed towards δΈε Dongdan for lunch. Dongdan was where the locals go for shopping and food.
This had to be the simplest lunch we had in China. Finally something light…
After lunch, we roamed around the area before catching a cab to 倩ε Temple of Heaven. It’s a place visited by Emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties annually for prayers to Heaven for good harvest years.
Unlike the Forbidden City which signifies the Chinese history of monarchy, the Temple of Heaven symbolizes the power of heavenly authority. As per Wiki… “In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important.” This practice of heaven worshipping is said to even pre-date Taoism.
Surrounding the temple hall is a vast garden. We got to enjoy an escapade of fresh air amidst the pollution we see all around Beijing.
It was approaching evening by the time we exited the garden. We took a bus back to Tian’anmen to witness the daily flag-lowering ceremony. This ceremony takes place precisely at sunset everyday, which exact time can differ from day to day. It’s amazing how many chinese citizens from outside of Beijing city actually travel to witness this important daily event.
Tired and hungry, we decided to settle for a simple meal of sliced beef in hotpot. It’s amazing how a simple restaurant like this can provide such a satisfying meal.
So that concludes the Beijing part of our trip. Tomorrow we’d fly to Shanghai!
July 26 2008 07:28 pm | travel
