Tian’anmen Square/Olympic Park and Ghost Street at night – Beijing – PRC – 2010-2013

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beijing, Beijing at night, china, Olympic Park Beijing, prc, Tian'anmen Square

Beijing at Night

No matter where you are in the world, sightseeing during the day is always completely different from night when the lights are on.  This is particularly so with one street in Beijing.

Ghost Street as it is known to both Chinese and expats (or Gui Jie 簋街) is a street in Beijing that is renowned for its great restaurants and thousands of Chinese lanterns hanging from buildings and trees.  It’s nice to walk along the street during the day but at night when all the lantern are lit it’s quite beautiful.

So where does the names ‘Ghost Street’ come from…it actually relates to the character for Gui (簋) as it refers to a round-mouthed bamboo container for food. The name is frequently mistaken for a similar sounding word, meaning ‘ghost’, so many refer to the street as ‘Ghost Street’.

Ghost Street is a 24-hour celebration and home to more than 200 restaurants.  There are so many different styles of Chinese food that can be tasted; from spicy food to Peking duck.  My favourite restaurant is an old courtyard home called Hua’s Restaurant (Hua Jia Yiyuan) which has great food but also the ambience of the restaurant is beautiful.

A little further down the well known street of Dongzhimen Nai Da Jie where Ghost Street is located, you will come to the famous street Chang’an Jie where Tian’anmen Square is situated along with the Forbidden City.

These are also a wonderful sights to see at night.  Tian’anmen Square is closed off at night with police patrolling to ensure no-body walks on the square, but prior to its closing, Tian’anmen has the lowering of the flag which occurs every night at sunset (as it does at sunrise – but that was way too early for me to attend).  A great sight to see with Chang’an Jie closed off for the soldiers to cross the road and lower the flag.

Olympic Park in Beijing is really pretty to see at night with the National Stadium or Birds Nest, the National Aquatic Centre or Water cube and the multi functioning broadcasting tower all lit up.  It is very different (perhaps a little bland) during the day so I preferred visiting in the evening.  The stadium is lit up in vibrant yellow and red and the water cube changes colours every few minutes. The water cube was used for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water-polo during the 2008 Olympic Games and after the games, the centre was turned into a large water recreational centre which is open to the public.

The National Stadium was designed by Swiss architects with artistic input from Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei (an amazing person who has spent time imprisoned in China for his outspoken views on the Chinese governments stance on human rights and democracy).

(photo from http://www.theguardian.com)

The stadium hosted the main track and field events for the 2008 Olympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies and will be used for the 2022 Winter Olympics.  But today the stadium is not used a lot apart from hosting sightseers and it has hosted a few football games but in the main it is vacant.

At the south of Tian’anmen Square is a gate which once guarded the southern entry into the inner city. Although so many of Beijing’s city walls were demolished, Qianmen remains an important geographical marker of the city and can be seen from the rooftop of one of Beijing’s great western restaurants (Capital M) which is owned by an Aussie lady from Melbourne.

And one time of the year that is incredible in Beijing, and a period you have to be out walking the streets, is Chinese New Year.  Such an exciting time for Chinese and visitors.  Over about a twenty-three day period there are fireworks going off every night and they are just incredible (and so noisy).

And during the day, as I mentioned, Olympic Park is very different!!

The Sacred Way near the Ming Tombs – Changping District – Beijing – PRC – 2010-1013

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beijing, Ming tombs, prc, Sacred Way, Tianshou Mountain

A walk along the Serene Way and a visit to the Ming Tombs

The Sacred Way and Ming Tombs are places near Beijing I would always send my visitors and have been there myself quite a few times.  It takes over an hour to get to the Tombs from Beijing (around 42 kms) and it’s worth either hiring a driver or driving yourself as a taxi would be quite expensive and then you have the trouble of finding one when you are finished. I always enjoyed starting at the beginning and walking my way along the Sacred Way checking out all the stone animals and warriors but it’s not a short walk – it’s around 7kms.

The front gate to the walk to the tombs houses a giant tortoise and it is said to give luck in different areas of you life when touched.

This Sacred Way is said to be the road leading to Heaven. It is said that the Emperor, known as the Son of the Heaven, who came from Heaven to his country through the Sacred Way, also deservedly would return to Heaven through this road.

The road is lined with stone statues. These statues are usually twelve human figures and twenty-four animals including lion, camel, elephant, a mythological unicorn, dragon, phoenix, tortoise and horse.

There are four of each of the animals: two standing and two squatting and all have  different meanings.

The Sacred Way leads to the Ming tombs which are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The first Ming emperor’s tomb is located near Nanjing (which was the capital of China during the reign of the first emperor).  However, the majority of the tombs are located in a cluster at the end of the Sacred Walk, and collectively known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty.

The site is located on the southern slope of Tianshou Mountain.  The location was chosen based on the principles of feng shui by the third Ming emperor.

After the construction of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) in 1420, this third emperor selected his burial site and created his own mausoleum. Subsequent emperors placed their tombs in the same valley.

During the Ming Dynasty the tombs were off limits to commoners until 1644 when Li Zicheng’s (the Chinese rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty) army ransacked and set many of the tombs on fire before advancing and capturing Beijing in April of that year.  Now there are only three tombs of the thirteen open to the public; Changling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb and Dingling Tomb.

The layout and arrangement of all the thirteen mausoleums are very similar, but they vary in size as well as in the complexity of their structures. Each of the tombs was built in an area at the foot of the mountain, with distances ranging from half a kilometre to eight kilometre between them.

And on the way to the tombs, you can stop and see part of the Great Wall at Badaling – beware this is the most commercial, re-buil )and busiest part of the Wall.  But like any other major tourist spot in Beijing, ‘never’ visit on a Chinese public holiday otherwise you will be visiting with ‘millions’ and ‘millions’ of Chinese tourists.

(this photo from http://www.hdtimelapse.net)

Temple of Heaven (Tiantan 天壇) – Beijing – PRC – 2010 – 2013

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beijing, china, prc, Temple of Heaven

A great place to take visitors near Beijing – Temple of Heaven

Over my time living in Beijing, I must have gone to the Temple of Heaven about ten times; which is probably not a lot compared to others but I did enjoy taking visitors to see the beautiful temple and also to walk through the grounds in the lead up to the Temple.  I loved doing that.  And the reason I loved it is because of the Chinese (old and young; but mainly the older generation) exercising and enjoying themselves; playing a form of shuttlecock /ballroom dancing/performing tai chi/playing mahjong/singing opera and walking both frontwards and backwards.

The ladies would hang their handbags on hooks on the wall and then go off and dance/sing etc.  I always enjoyed seeing the elderly out and about early in the morning doing their different forms of exercise.

One particular activity I really enjoyed seeing was the elderly Chinese men (it was always in the main the men) writing calligraphy on the ground with a large brush – the characters were written in water so they didn’t last long in the heat, and were usually poetry or Chinese proverbs.  This to me is very ‘Chinese’ and I loved seeing the characters being written.  It saddens me to think that this will stop when the elderly pass.

So what exactly is the Temple of Heaven…it’s not just another beautiful temple, it has a history like everything in China – the temple sits on large grounds and comprises a series of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of Beijing so not hard to get to – taxi is easy as is the subway (and it’s near Hong Qiao Pearl markets so you can always [as I did] pop into the markets for anything – not just pearls). The complex was visited, once a year in winter, by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship Heaven and to pray for a good harvest. Since the emperor’s rule was legitimised by a perceived mandate from Heaven, a bad harvest could be interpreted as his fall from Heaven’s favor and threaten the stability of his reign. So, it was pretty much self-interest that the emperor prayed for a very good crop, well also I presume to ensure the Chinese people were well fed.

So after walking through the gardens and viewing the outer buildings of the temple, you reach some steps to enter the temple (there are always steps in China; always!!).

My final visit to the Temple of Heaven was with my brother and nephew when they visited me in 2013 and my nephew loved seeing the Chinese doing their forms of exercise.

The temple complex was constructed during the Ming Dynasty in the 15th century during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of Beijing’s Forbidden City. The complex was extended and renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century.

The temple was renovated in the 18th century under Emperor Qianlong. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a beautifully coloured, triple-gabled circular building, built on three levels of marble stone base, and is where the emperor prayed for good harvests.

The building is completely wooden, with no nails. The original building was burned down by a fire caused by lightning in 1889. The current building was re-built several years after the incident.

There is also a Circular Mound Altar which is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by carved dragons.

The center of the altar is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven where the emperor prayed for favorable weather. Because of the design of the altar, the sound of the prayer will be reflected by the guardrail, creating significant resonance, which was supposed to help the prayer communicate with Heaven. My first visit to the temple in 2010 was very early one morning and without the usual tens of thousands of visitors, I was able to try out the resonance – it worked!!!

(this photo taken from Wikipedia)

A lovely place to visit in Beijing!!

Marco Polo Bridge – Fengtai District – Beijing – PRC – 2010

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beijing, bridge, Fengtai District, Marco Polo, prc

Half Day Trip to The Marco Polo Bridge

Whilst I was studying Mandarin in Beijing in 2010, I didn’t know at that stage I was going to be posted to Beijing for three years starting the following year, so I was trying to make the most of sights that were not really too touristy.  I had read a bit about the Marco Polo Bridge so one day after class, I hired a guide and off we drove.  It’s about 15kms south west of Beijing in Fengtai District so not far to go.

So what about the history of the bridge…clearly it has something to do with Marco Polo hence the name.  The bridge is not the original, which, unfortunately, is like a lot of structures in China…but its history is quite interesting.  The original bridge was constructed 1189 and was completed in 1192.

The bridge was damaged from flooding and reconstructed in the Qing dynasty in 1698. So, back to my story…why is it called ‘The Marco Polo Bridge’ well my guide told me that its name comes from a time when the bridge was highly praised by the Venetian traveler Marco Polo during his visit to China in the 13th century and for the 20th century Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which marked the beginning of the second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident – I must admit I had to do some research to remind myself of this incident and in short…there was a battle between the Republic of China’s National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army in 1937 – the Japanese wanted to look for a missing Japanese soldier in Wanping and the Chinese refused, so the Japanese opened fire and attacked the bridge; the Chinese held the bridge with the help of reinforcements.

I also visited the Wanping Fortress, which is a ‘walled city’ on the eastern side of the bridge. The Fortress was erected with the purpose of defending Beijing against Chinese rebel leader Li Zicheng and the peasant uprising.

From the beginning, it functioned as a military fortress, and there are still gunfire holes in the walls.  It now serves as a war museum, surrounded by a park with numerous sculptures.

Back to the bridge; it really is quite beautiful, 266.5 metres long and supported on 10 piers and 11 arches with 281 pillars.

On each pillar stands a stone lion. The most intriguing feature of these animals is the fact that there are more lions hiding on the head, back, under the stomach or on the paws of each of the big lions.

Investigations to determine total the number of animals have been carried out on several occasions but the results have proved inconsistent, ranging anywhere from 482 to 496. However, record has it that there were originally a total of 627 lions. The posture of each lion varies, as do their ages. Most date from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, some are from the earlier Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368); and a few lions dating from as long ago as the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) but they are now quite rare.

I was very lucky when I first arrived on the bridge to be just one of about ten people so I was able to take some uninterrupted photos, then a school bus arrived about an hour later and tens and tens of young Chinese children swamped the area.  No chance for uninterrupted photos after that!!

‘Midnight in Peking’ walk – Beijing – PRC – May 2012

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beijing, Midnight in Peking, Paul French, Peking

Paul French’s book ‘Midnight in Peking’ – retracing the steps of a murder

Whilst living in Beijing, a friend told me about a book he had read by author and historian Paul French called ‘midnight in peking’…a true story based in 1937 Peking around the Legation Quarter.  This is now an area that is home to several fabulous restaurants.  ‘Lost Heaven’ being just one and one I have previously written about.  Legation Quarter is a beautiful compound which in the 1930’s was home to embassies and clubs of the foreign colony of Peking who lived there between 1861 and 1959.  It is located in Dongcheng District, to the east of Tian’anmen Square.

But back to the story, it was a time when Japanese troups had already occupied Manchuria and were ready to advance south. At the time it was said that Chiang Kai-shek and his government, long since fled to Nanking, are ready to cut a deal with Tokyo and leave Peking to its fate.

(photo of Chiang Kai-shek from Wikipedia)

Chiang Kai-shek was a Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975 and was  an influential member of the Kuomintang, the Chinese Nationalist Party, and was a close ally of Sun Yat-sen who was the founder of the Republic of China.

Again, back to the story…there is much tension for both Chinese and foreigners in Peking and inside the ancient city walls. On one of those walls, not far from the nefarious Badlands, is a massive watchtower which is said to be haunted, or so the locals believe, by fox spirits that prey upon innocent mortals.

Then one night, the body of a British expatiate school girl (Pamela) is found dumped at this watchtower. Pamela is the daughter of a former British consul to China, and when the details of her death become known, the diplomatic community find it hard to cope with the way she was brutally killed.

Seventy-five years after the murder, which was not solved at the time as without specific evidence, was wrongly attributed to a Japanese secret society or an American organized sex ring. Another account for the murder was that Pamela’s death was in retaliation for the killing of a Japanese soldier by British soldiers in a drunken brawl. Although the source of the information was a known eccentric, British diplomats accepted this account and as the police investigation at the time was inefficient and ineffective, the matter was not taken further..Paul French’s investigation gives the case the resolution it was denied at the time.

After my friends had finished reading the book, we each downloaded the audio walk of Pamela’s Peking (Beijing) as it was in 1937 and were ready to retrace the places that Pamela visited, where she lived, the location of her death and other major locations mentioned in Paul French’s book.

We caught the subway to Qianmen and commenced the walk. We walked to various locations over a couple of hours including the Armour Factory Alley, where Pamela lived and whilst her home has now gone, the Hutong (or street) was still there.

We walked to the Foxtower where Pamela’s body was found and the badlands which were the infamous red-light/nightlife district of Peking, the former Legation Quarter and also to areas where many of the suspects in Pamela’s murder spent their days.  I enjoyed the book and definitely enjoyed the audio tour.

Four days in Guilin and Yangshuo – Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region – PRC – March 2013

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Bamboo rafting, china, Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubu Hill, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin, Li River Retreat, Moon Hill, prc, Reef Flute Cave, Seven Star Park, West Street, Yangshuo

Two beautiful cities in Guangxi Region – Guilin & Yangshuo

Even before I arrived in China, friends had told me about two places I ‘must’ visit – Guilin and Yangshuo..it took me nearly two and a half years, whilst living in China to get there but I finally did and I must say it was definitely worth it.  I would suggest to anyone who has not been there to put it on your ‘places to visit in China’ list.  I created a four day itinerary for me and my friend visiting from Australia and then asked my favourite travel agency ‘Global Easy Travels’ to pull it together to include a tour guide and transport.  They did and as usual did a great job.

The flight to Guilin from Beijing was uneventful, however, because I wanted to arrive early in the evening, there was a one hour stopover in Xi’an, but this is still better than arriving at midnight into Guilin.  We stayed at the Shangri-la Hotel with a river view room with views that were just fabulous; complimentary L’occitane products in a cute purse (loved them) and a very comfortable bed (loved that even more).  The hotel is centrally located in Guilin and has a great hand made chocolate shop within.  Breakfast was very good with so much choice (even vegetarian cheese) and then in the evenings the bar area was very relaxing for a glass or two of Sauvignon Blanc.

The next day we departed early for the Longji Rice Terraces which really are an amazing example of farm engineering and a two hour or so drive from Guilin.  The fields are situated along the slope of the mountain winding from the river up to the mountain top; the highest part being 880 metres in elevation and the lowest being 380 metres.  The terraces were mostly built during the Ming Dynasty which is about 500 years ago.

We walked up to the top of the mountain but of course there are entrepreneurial Chinese who will carry you up in a sedan chair for around 20 RMB (@ $1.50 AUD) – I now wish I had done this as the steps were endless but on the way up and down we got to see some amazing homes and meet some wonderful elderly Chinese ladies making and selling all sorts of things.

There was also a lot of residents travelling up and down the hill or relaxing and eating lunch.

I am a sucker for an old Chinese lady selling things so now have shoes, wooden ducks, bookmarks and various other things that I have given away to friends.  The day was particularly foggy so unfortunately we did not get a great view of the rice terraces but enough to know they are just amazing.

I also loved the houses on the side of the mountain, lovely wooden structures; most with Chinese lanterns outside.

We also visited the Reed Flute Caves which are natural limestone caves over 180 million years old.

The caves were incredible and I would recommend them to anyone travelling to Guilin.

Our second day, we travelled from Guilin to Yangshuo along the Li River which took approximately four hours.  We counted fourteen boats departing at the same time and travelling in a convoy down to Guilin.

The trip afforded us the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful scenery at a very relaxed pace and also sightings of water buffalo, small villages and bird life.

Lunch is served on the boat and you pass the mountains that are depicted on the 20 RMB note.

It is amazing though, no matter where in the world you are, no matter what you are doing or seeing, the younger generation will always be more interested in playing games on their phones or sending and receiving text messages.  Just like the three young girls in my photo, who were sitting opposite, and most of the way were engrossed in their smart phones!!

Once we arrived in Yangshuo, we walked through West Street which is the oldest and busiest in Yangshuo.  This street resembles the letter S and is 517 metres long with a width of eight metres.  It is very quaint with hostels, cafes, bars and shops selling every type of Chinese knick knack – however the items for sale are very similar to those being sold in every other touristy shop in China.

But of course, like in every other provide I travel to, another delightful elderly Chinese woman approached me.  She was awfully cute and literally 1 metre tall.  She spoke some English and after I conversed with her in my best Chinese, I came away with post cards, more wooden ducks and some Chinese hanging things – again things I do not need – more to give away to friends.

I found a lovely little restaurant near the end of the street and bought our guide a drink and my friend and I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Western Australia – very happy with that so we decided to stay and ordered a pizza and another glass of wine each.

Then it was time to go to our hotel – the Li River Retreat (www.li-river-retreat.com) where I had booked the only Deluxe River View room.

The Retreat is owned by an Australian and the rooms have spectacular views of the local mountain and river.  It’s worth staying at this hotel just for the meals; the food is delicious; both the Chinese and western dishes.  We sat outside in the evenings and drank more Australian Sauvignon Blanc and met a lovely lady (Mary) from the UK who was in China retracing her father’s steps after his escape from Hong Kong during WWII. (she has recorded her great adventures on her blog http://www.wodebaba.wordpress.com).  In the afternoons we could also see the boats arriving in tandem from Guilin.

One morning we took a bamboo raft ride down the Yunlong River which is the biggest branch of the Li River.

The raft is guided down the river by a local guide and along the way you can buy beer, corn on the cob, fried fish and water at a local shop on the water.  It was great to experience the raft going over the dams – my friend and I were soaked after the first little waterfall which made our guide laugh heartily.

The dams were built by the local farmers to keep the water high enough to irrigate their farming lands.  We also visited Moon Hill which is a huge rock with a round hole in its centre.  You can climb the 800 steps to the top but I decided not to and we instead made friends with a lovely local family and their two gorgeous children.  The father was very happy to take our photo and the kids were keen to speak what seemed to be their one word of English – ‘hello’.

One evening we went to the Liu San Jie (the three Liu sisters) light show.  It’s the world’s largest natural theatre which utilises the waters of the Li River as its stage – it was wonderful.

The mountains are illuminated during parts of the performance and the show features more than 600 local people who are farmers, fisherman and young children from surrounding villages.

Our final day in Yangshuo we drove back to Guilin and visited the Seven Star Park which occupies about 120 hectares on the eastern side of the Li River.

The park has many attractions; hills, a stone forest, caves, pavilions, flora, a camel hill (which actually looks like a camel hence its name), a zoo and cute monkeys running around the park, apart from one who had been captured and was forced to wear a grotesque jacket and held on a lead.

We also visited Elephant Trunk Hill and the surrounding park, which was very pretty with lots of lanterns and lovely flowers and trees.

I did, this time, climb all the steps to the top and had great views over Guilin.

Elephant Trunk Hill got its name because it looks like an elephant drinking water. The round opening that would be under the elephant’s trunk is known as Water-Moon Cave because at night the reflection of the moon can be seen through the arch and it looks as if it’s under the water and floating on the surface of the water at the same time.

Finally a drive to Fubu Hill which reaches a height of 213 metres and is very pretty with a lovely surrounding lake.

At the bottom of Fubu Hill is a  three storey ‘thousand buddha’ cave which holds about 200 buddha statues and not a ‘thousand buddhas’ as the name suggests. Both Elephant Trunk Hill and Fubu Hill were definitely places which were worth us taking the time to visit.

Dinner at Cafe Sydney Restaurant – Sydney – NSW – Australia – September 2015

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Cafe Sydney, NSW, Opera House, Restarurant, Sydney Harbour Bridge

Wonderful views of Sydney Harbour from Restaurant ‘Cafe Sydney’

When I used to live in Sydney, friends and I would go to Cafe Sydney on top of the old Customs House at Circular Quay for special events.  One of my best friends and I even took my family there for christmas day one year. The food has always been fabulous and the views spectacular.  I just love it there.  One year I organised for a few friends to take a very sick friend there, picking her up in a limousine and having a wonderful meal on the evening of ‘Earth Hour’ when (the majority of) lights are turned off to conserve energy.

This month, I had a visiting delegation from China and my bosses wanted to take them to a fabulous restaurant in Sydney and Cafe Sydney was chosen.  We arranged for a private room which had exceptional views of the Harbour Bridge.

We had pre-arranged the menu as our group comprised seven Chinese and six Aussie..so we thought it might be too long for us all to select off the larger menu.  Our chosen menu had a couple of options for entree/main and dessert.  I had the vegan option (as I don’t eat cheese) so had my own separate menu (thank you Cafe Sydney for having a vegan menu). But for my meat and fish eating colleagues, the menu looked wonderful.

We all started off with naan bread which was delicious and then went onto our separate entrees etc apart from we all shared fries (staple diet of mine no matter where I go – which I know is very bad but I just love them) and a lovely fresh salad.  My entree was a pea risotto which was delicious and I forgot to take a photo until I had mixed it around a little, then I had a dosa wrap with vegetables inside – I had tasted dosa before but I did not know it was made of lentils.  The chef did a great job of the dosa and whilst it was delicious, I was rather full from two pieces of naan bread and the risotto but ate about half (with fries of course)

There is an excellent selection of wines at this restaurant and we chose a sauvignon glance and merlot to cater for both red and white wine drinkers.  We also had sparkling mineral water which is from NZ (Antipodes) and not only is is refreshing but I just love the bottle.  Then it was time for dessert and I really believe I chose the best…’salted caramel, chocolate peanut tart, banana fritter with chocolate ice cream’….it’s funny I was too full to eat the dosa but when my dessert arrived I seemed to find room to fit it in…

My Chinese colleagues took lots of photos outside of the Bridge and Opera House and my only complaint of the evening was, that because we were in a private room, it seems the waitresses forgot us during the evening and I had to chase them several times to serve more drinks (but must say that is definitely my only ‘minor’ complaint), apart from that, the service was great and meals fabulous.  Definitely a place to visit for lunch or dinner.  If you can dine on the balcony it’s even more special.

A night at the Sydney Opera House – Sydney – NSW – Australia – September 2015

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Concert, NSW, Opera House, Schumann, Sydney, Sydney Symphony Orchestra

A Robert Schumann concert at the Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

A week ago I was looking after a delegation who were on official business here in Australia and was invited, with them, to the Opera House to see a concert.  But prior to the concert I took the delegation, of which most had not been to Australia, down to the Opera House and Mrs Macquarie’s chair to take some photos of the amazing Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Sydney skyline and some lovely flowers along the pathway.

My guests absolutely loved the views and because it was a beautiful sunny day we took some great photos in the sun and also just when the sun was going down.  It was lovely to see so many people drinking and enjoying the afternoon in the open bars around the Opera House.

Then, as we were running late, we raced to the Opera House and went into the Concert Hall for our concert.  I had not heard of Robert Schumann before this concert and I must admit I am a huge fan of opera and had not really been to too many concerts especial one with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, before, so I was looking forward to the evening.

Robert Schumann was born in 1801 and died in 1856.  He was regarded as a child of Romanticism; was a critic as well as a musician but first aspired to be a writer and then pursued music studying the piano.

The concert was Schumann’s ‘cello concerto in A minor’ with Daniel Muller-Schott playing the cello along with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.  Daniel won the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 1992 and has appeared in many of the world’s great concert halls.  This was Daniel’s first appearance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and was playing the ‘Ex-Shapiro’ Matteo Goffriller (cello) made in Venice in 1727.  Schumann’s cello concerto was exceptional.  And I must say Daniel was very handsome.  I was very lucky as we were seated in very good seats in the Concert Hall so had a very good view of the orchestra.

(photo from http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Muller-Schott-Daniel-2.htm)

Charles Dutoit conducted the evening and is one of today’s most sought after conductors, having performed with all the major orchestras of the five continents. At the end of the concert, Mr Dutoit went around and shook the hands of the majority of the orchestra, something my friend told me is unusual.  Clearly a very nice man!!

When he was in his early 20’s Dutoit was invited to conduct the Vienna State Opera and has since conducted at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera and the Rome Opera.

(photos from https://royalphilharmonicorchestra.wordpress.com)

The concert lasted just over two hours and comprised many different musical instruments including drums/violins/violas/flutes/trombones/double basses/horns/harp/clarinet/trumpets/organ/mandolin and piano – a truly incredible sound from all these incredibly talented musicians…so glad I had the opportunity to attend.

(photo from http://www.operahouse.com.au)

Shopping for furniture – Gaobiedian Street – Beijing- PRC – April 2013

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beijing, china, furniture, Gaobiedian Street, shopping

Gaobiedian Street Furniture Shopping

Gaobiedian Street is a famous antique furniture street in Beijing.  It’s located west of and within the 5th ring road and is 1500 metres long with more than 300 stores specialising in reproducing furniture of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

You can also find antique decorations, ceramics, high quality traditional Chinese furniture and other wooden furniture.  One of my favourite stores is Lily’s Antique Furniture which comprises three floors.  Like many others, I bought quite a few things from here and whilst they seemed a little more expensive than some other stores, I found the quality good and ultimately brought them back to Australia with me.

There is a small Chinese restaurants in one of the side streets which has good food and like many other small Chinese restaurants in Beijing, is very reasonably priced.  The streets around Gaobiedian are old and lovely with the usual Chinese lanterns and washing hanging on a small line.

Many shops in Gaobiedian Street still keep the business style of having the showroom in front and the workshop in back. So making furniture at your particular request is easy. Definitely worth a visit.

Peking University in Winter & Tsinghua University in Spring – Beijing – PRC – 2011 and 2013

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beijing, china, Peking, Spring, Tsinghua, University, Winter

Two different universities; two different seasons

After reading an article on Tsinghua University by a colleague, I decided to take a trip and see what it was like.  It’s easy in Beijing to take the subway but as usual I hired a driver as I was also going furniture shopping at Gaobiedian Street afterwards – and with my penchant for buying all things Chinese, I knew I would need somewhere to store my purchases..but back to the university…

Its grounds are lovely.  They include a couple of lakes and many trees which at the time I went, were just about to blossom so whilst it was a bit chilly, it made for a nice walk.

Tsinghua University a research university and was established in 1911 as “Tsinghua College,” and renamed to “Tsinghua School” in 1912 and “National Tsinghua University” in the 1920s.

Tsinghua University describes itself as being dedicated to academic excellence, the well-being of Chinese society and to global development. There is a Lovers Lake located on the grounds – aptly named during my visit as the first thing I saw on the ground was a torn condom packet!!

Whilst I was studying Chinese in Beijing in 2011, I also went to another university; Peking University.  This time I went in winter and it was such a lovely day out – a group of us took the subway and like Tsinghua, the grounds are really lovely.

Peking University is the first modern national university established in China, founded as the “Imperial University of Peking” in 1898 as a replacement of the Imperial Academy. It also served as the highest administration for education in China at the beginning of its founding.

In addition to academics, Peking University is especially renowned for its campus grounds and its beautiful traditional Chinese architecture.

Throughout its history, the university has educated and hosted many prominent modern Chinese thinkers and also said to have taught Mao Zedong, but I am not sure if this is true.

Peking University was influential in the birth of China’s New Culture Movement, May Fourth Movement, the Tian’anmen Square protest of 1989 and many other significant events.  No protesting students were seen during our visit only a partly frozen lake with skaters.  The bare trees and frozen ground did not make the views bleak, in fact it was very beautiful walking around and enjoying the tranquility.  I particularly loved the reflections of the buildings and trees against the lake.

Alongside Peking University, Tsinghua University has consistently ranked as the top higher learning institution in mainland China.  Both universities are rated high also in world rankings; Peking at 46 and Tsinghua at 52.  I must say my favourite grounds are Peking; for me I loved the huge lake and pagoda.