BEIJING CHINA: How much will a 5-day trip cost?

In this 2010 trip, here is the summary of our expenses.
 
EXPENSES PER PAX, in US$ (based on Oct2010 conversion rates):

1. Plane fare Cebu-Manila-Cebu - we got $35 on promo Phil AirLines (regular fare is around $70)

2. Plane fare Manila-Beijing-Manila - we got $110 on promo Cebu Pacific Air (regular fare is $280)

3. Accommodation (City Walls Courtyard House) - $75 for 3nights (US$50/night for a double bed private ensuite)

4. Shows (KungFu, Acrobatic, Opera) - $35 to $42 depending on the seat row (must see: Chaoyang Acrobatic show)

5. Other incidentals (including meals, travel tax in Manila, terminal fees in airports (Manila/Cebu), taxi rides in Manila/Cebu) - $100.  A very filling ala carte meal in Beijing good for 7 pax costs around $30, that's around $4 average cost of meal per pax...very reasonable!

Important tip:  There are no foreign exchange stalls around Beijing.  Money is changed ONLY at the banks.  So better load up on CNY (yuan) from home, if you don't want to waste your time waiting for your turn at the bank!

TOUR OPTIONS:

Standard inclusion in all tours are English-speaking guide, van, airport transfers, mineral water and entrances to tourist places.

Other factors that will affect the price of your tour are the ff:

• Factories or markets in the itinerary - we got one quote with $50 markdown IF we include at least 4 factories or markets in our itinerary
• Size of the Group - the more the cheaper.  If you browse tour agencies' offerings, discounts are really huge for big groups.
• Entrance - some tours provide only for first or main entrance fees in a tourist spot so if there are other sites or rides within that tourist destination with separate fees, one pays separately
• Accommodation - some tours offer accommodation  (i read somewhere that their hotel classification is different than standard cause they have up to 7-star rating in Beijing)
• Meals - full board means all meals are provided
• Great Wall - different fees for different sections of the Wall, so ask the tour operator which side you will be taken to
• Tombs - there are two Ming tombs open to tourists: Chang tomb and the underground Ding tomb; there is also an option to visit the Spirit Way  

TOUR PRICES:

1. Without accommodation and meals, group of 5 - we got quotes ranging from $111 to $200 depending on arrangements (see above factors).

2.  With accommodation and full board meals, group of 11 - range is around $160  

3.  With accommodation (Marriot Courtyard) and full board meals, 5D4N, group of 2, includes one show - range is around $395

4.  One travel agency in the Phils. offer package of 500USD for 5D 4N all in with airfare via HK EXpress of Hongkong Airlines, 4N hotel, Hongkong and Beijing Tours. 

Memories and family bonding – "Priceless!".

The trip was worth every peso or yuan or dollar spent!

BEIJING CHINA: Suggested 5-day Itinerary

Looking back on our Beijing trip, here are a couple of tweaks to the itinerary I'd like to suggest:

If one is not inclined to watch the flag raising and lowering (but I still say one should watch this fascinating act of nationalism), Day 2 should already include the National Grand Theater and can be inserted between Tian’anmen and the KungFu show.

On Day 4, since the National Grand Theater will be transferred to Day 2, one can roam around other parts of the zoo and aquarium where the Panda House is or spend more time at the Summer Palace (I fell in love with the place, it’s so pretty!)

So the itinerary will now look like this -

Day 1: Saturday

11am-12:30pm Cebu to Manila

12:30-5:30pm Free time in Manila

5:30pm Check in at airport

7:30am-12:05am Manila to Beijing

Day 2: Sunday

12:05am Arrival at Beijing Airport, Immigration

1:30am Check-in at City Walls Courtyard House

8:30am-10:00am Jingshan Park

10:00am-12:00nn Temple of Heaven

12:00nn-2:30pm Peking duck at Quanjude and bank for FOREX

2:30pm-4:30pm Forbidden City

4:30pm-5:30pm Tian’anmen Square
(suggested change) 5:30-6:30pm NATIONAL GRAND THEATER 

7:30pm-8:30pm KungFu show at the Red Theater

9:00pm Back at City Walls Courtyard House

Day 3: Monday

7:30am-8:15am Travel time to Ming Tombs

8:15am-9:30am Ming Tombs

9:30am-10:30am Jade Factory

10:30am-11:30am Lunch at local restaurant

12:30pm-1:45pm Travel time

1:45pm-3:30pm Mutianyu Great Wall

3:30pm-5:00pm Travel time back to city

5:15pm-6:30pm Acrobatic show at Chaoyang (specify Chaoyang coz there are 3 acrobatic shows in Beijing)

6:30pm-7:30pm Dinner at local restaurant

7:30pm-9:00pm Chinese massage

9:30pm Back at City Walls Courtyard House

Day 4: Tuesday

8am Check-out from City Walls Courtyard House

9:00am-10:00am Cloisonne Factory in Beijing

10:00am-11:30am Panda House

11:30am-12:30nn Lunch at local restaurant

1:00pm-5:00pm Summer Palace

5:00pm-7:30pm Travel time and dinner at local restaurant

7:30pm-9:00pm Olympic Green: The Water Cube and Bird’s Nest

9:00pm-10:00pm Travel time to airport

11:00pm Check in at airport

Day 5: Wednesday

1:00am-530am Beijing to Manila

9:30am-10:30am Manila to Cebu

10:30am Cebu: Home sweet home

If given the chance to go back to Beijing, I would go back to the Great Wall, still at Mutianyu, and slide my way down the mountains (we couldn’t do this during our trip because it was raining and the slider was suspended); and go back to Summer Palace, beautiful!  And of course, explore other places too!

Taken from right side of the plane of the Beijing-Manila flight

How much did our trip cost?  Find out here.


What are some tour options and prices?  Find out here.


Fall in love with Beijing!

BEIJING CHINA

In this blog are our actual tour itinerary (including time spent per place and suggested changes to the itinerary), costs of the Beijing trip, tour options and prices. 

Picture-perfect Sunrise on Sept. 22, 2010

ITINERARY:

Our itinerary is from Cebu Phils to Manila Phils to Beijing China to Manila Phils to Cebu Phils.  It was a full but relaxed itinerary, with lots of time to take photos!  See suggested changes to itinerary at the bottom.

Day 1: Saturday

11am-12:30pm Cebu to Manila

12:30-5:30pm Free time in Manila

5:30pm Check in at airport

7:30am-12:05am Manila to Beijing

Day 2: Sunday

12:05am Arrival at Beijing Airport, Immigration

1:30am Check-in at City Walls Courtyard House

8:30am-10:00am Jingshan Park

10:00am-12:00nn Temple of Heaven

12:00nn-2:30pm Peking duck at Quanjude and bank for FOREX

2:30pm-5:30pm Forbidden City

5:30pm-6:30pm Tian’anmen Square (we waited for the flag lowering)

7:30pm-8:30pm KungFu show at the Red Theater

9:00pm Back at City Walls Courtyard House

Day 3: Monday

7:30am-8:15am Travel time to Ming Tombs

8:15am-9:30am Ming Tombs

9:30am-10:30am Jade Factory

10:30am-11:30am Lunch at local restaurant

12:30pm-1:45pm Travel time

1:45pm-3:30pm Mutianyu Great Wall

3:30pm-5:00pm Travel time back to city

5:15pm-6:30pm Acrobatic show at Chaoyang (specify Chaoyang coz there are 3 acrobatic shows in Beijing)

6:30pm-7:30pm Dinner at local restaurant

7:30pm-9:00pm Chinese massage

9:30pm Back at City Walls Courtyard House

Day 4: Tuesday

8am Check-out from City Walls Courtyard House

9:00am-10:00am National Grand Theater “The Egg”

10:00am-11:00am Cloisonne Factory in Beijing

11:30am-12:30nn Panda House

12:30nn-1:30pm Lunch at local restaurant

2:00pm-5:00pm Summer Palace

5:00pm-7:30pm Travel time and dinner at local restaurant

7:30pm-9:00pm Olympic Green: The Water Cube and Bird’s Nest

9:00pm-10:00pm Travel time to airport

11:00pm Check in at airport

Day 5: Wednesday

1:00am-530am Beijing to Manila

9:30am-10:30am Manila to Cebu

10:30am Cebu: Home sweet home

Looking back, there are a couple of tweaks I'd suggest to the 5-day itinerary.

How much did our trip cost?  Find out here.

What are some tour options and prices?  Find out here.

Enjoy your future Beijing trip!!! 

Beijing China: OLYMPIC GREEN

Day 3 in Beijing:  Olympic Green
(Destination 4 of 4)

We arrived at the Olympic Green after a full dinner. The night was comfortably cold.  The place is very spacious now but during the Olympics, I would imagine that place overflowing with people, from all over the world.  We scheduled to visit this spot at night so we can see the yellow lighting of the Bird’s Nest and the blue of the Water Cube. 

There were also many locals who were readying the place for the Mid-Autumn Festival happening the day after.  For tourists like us, our trip was just very timely since we were able to avoid the festivities and the traffic of people and vehicles that go with the festival and so were able to see more places at less time, but it would have been nice to witness such an event. 

Beijing National Stadium “Bird’s Nest”

Is a stadium used for the Olympics in 2008.  The stadium was designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.

"China wanted to have something new for this very important stadium," Li Xinggang, chief architect, stated.  In an effort to design a stadium that was "porous" while also being "a collective building, a public vessel", the team studied Chinese ceramics.  This line of thought brought the team to the "nest scheme".  The use (of the term Bird’s Nest) is a compliment Li explained, "In China, a bird's nest is very expensive, something you eat on special occasions."  The stadium consists of two independent structures, standing 50 feet apart: a red concrete seating bowl and the outer steel frame around it. (Wikipedia)

National Aquatics Center "Water Cube"
Is an aquatics center used for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Olympics.

"The Water Cube's design was initiated by a team effort: the Chinese partners felt a square was more symbolic to Chinese culture and its relationship to the Bird's Nest stadium, while the Sydney based partners came up with the idea of covering the 'cube' with bubbles, symbolising water. Contextually the cube symbolises earth whilst the circle (represented by the stadium) represents heaven. Hence symbolically the water cube references Chinese symbolic architecture." (Wikipedia)

This was the last leg of our Beijing tour.  After the Olympic Green, we went straight to the airport to check in for our 1am Cebu Pacific Air flight back to the Philippines.

The Beijing experience was a truly fantastic family bonding moment for us.  Make it yours too!

Beijing China: SUMMER PALACE

Day 3 in Beijing:  Picturesque Summer Palace

(3 of 4 destinations)

An Imperial Garden in Beijing, as inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998:  it described the place as “a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.  The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value”.

View of the entrance of Summer Palace, from the lake

The Summer Palace served as the summer resort for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty and the retirement residence of Empress Dowager Cixi (mother of the emperor) in 1866.  The palace has a lake and a hill.  The Kunming Lake (2.2sq km.) is man-made through excavation of soil and the excavated soil was used to build the Longevity Hill (60 meters high).   We can see that the emperors are fond of this type of architecture, as the lake surrounding Forbidden City was also excavated and the excavated soil made into the hill in Jingshan Park. 

Kunming Lake, with a view of Longevity Hill

It is so peaceful and serene in the palace.  Willow and other trees provide shade and the view of the lake calms the spirit.  Coming from the stone and bare structures of Forbidden City, one can see that the summer resort provides a breath of fresh air for the emperor’s family.  It is such a welcome retreat! 

Pavilions on Longevity Hill

The Longevity Hill is the highest point in the palace and overlooks the whole palace: with the many halls and pavilions and gardens, and of course, Kunming Lake.  On top of Longevity Hill is the Tower of Buddhist Incense.

Tower of Buddhist Incense, atop Longevity Hill

Upon entering the palace, we were met by the splendid beauty of willow trees and the lake. 

   

Setting for the perfect getaway: Blue skies, green willow trees, serene lake, and a pavilion

Coming from the entrance, we turned right and followed the pathway, through gardens and pavilions and corridors. 

One of the many gardens in Summer Palace

This corridor is recorded as the longest corridor in the world and within its length, are four pavilions, each representing the seasons of the year.

Corridor and pavilion

We passed the entrance of the Tower of Buddhist Incense on Longevity Hill and some of us went up to the tower. 

  

Stairs leading to & from the tower

At the end of the corridor, we saw the Marble boat.  This boat is made of wood but painted to look like marble.  "On each deck, there is a large mirror to reflect the waters of the lake and give an impression of total immersion in the aquatic environment."-(Wikipedia)

"Marble boat", made of wood

From the point where the Marble boat is, we rode a dragon boat to cross to the other side of the lake.

Dragon boat

The dragon boat took us to the place where the Seventeen-Arch Bridge is.  As the name suggests, the bridge has seventeen arches and links to an island, called Nanhu.

Seventeen-Arch Bridge

From the base of the bridge looking up to its highest point in the middle, one cannot see the other side of the bridge; instead, one sees the clouds beyond the bridge.  Since the Bridge is white and kept clean, its feels like entering the clouds and the heavens! What imagination! 

View from the base of the bridge

Not counting the Great Wall, Summer Palace is my most favourite place in the whole tour.

 

Beijing China: CLOISONNE FACTORY and PANDA HOUSE

Day 3 in Beijing: Cloisonne Factory and Panda House
(2 of 4 destinations) 


We rode around 30minutes from The Egg to Cloisonne Factory.  
 
CLOISONNE FACTORY
As written in the factory's entrance hall, "Cloisonne, also called enamelware, started in the Yuan dynasty until the JingTai period of the Ming Dynasty.  It is typically called "blue of Jing Tai" as blue was the dominant color used for enamel.  Handicrafts of cloisonne in the old society were used only for the Imperial Palace and royal families and they were the symbol of power and position."

Cloisonne-made Chinese lady

"The craft of cloisonne includes copper craft, porcelain craft, traditional painting, carving, ceramics and metal processing.  So it can be called the integration of Chinese traditional crafts."

The process starts with a copper base.  The design is formed by thin copper wires, yes, copper wires!  Can you believe that?  The copper wire are soldered to the copper base to form the design of the handicraft.

Copper base is "fired", then designed by copper wires soldered to it

Then the handicraft, in this case, a vase, is filled with enamel so the design will be clearer and more pronounced.  Then the object is fired in a crucible to fix the wires and enamel in place.  Afterwards, it is polished.

The spaces are filled with enamel filling

Cloisonne is both a process and a finished product.  There are a lots of cloisonne items on display at the factory, from the small hand stress-balls to statuettes to giant vases.  The dominant color is still the traditional blue but there are also now red (for happiness), green (for long life) and other colors.  The most famous design is still the dragon (representing emperor/husband) and the phoenix (empress/wife).

Stress balls (notice the blue color and the dragon/phoenix designs)

Giant cloisonne vase

PANDA HOUSE
The Beijing Zoo, which houses the Panda House, is around 45 minutes from the Cloisonne factory.

The pandas' natural habitat is in Sichuan Province but they are brought to Beijing for the zoo.  More pandas were airlifted from Sichuan during the Beijing Olympics but they were returned after.  Pandas eat bamboos and sleep when the weather is hot.  It likes the cold climate and thus, plays around when it is cold.

Pssst...

Huggable...

Beijing China: "The EGG"

Day 3 in Beijing: National Grand Theater "The Egg"
(1 of 4 destinations) 

We woke up on our third day, refreshed after the night's massage and a good night's rest.  We already packed our things for check out because we were taking the very early morning flight of the next day.  And so we were going to spend the whole day in the tour, grab some dinner then go directly to the airport at around 930pm.  After saying our goodbyes to our hosts Rachel and Rick and after taking a few more pictures of the courtyard house, we went off to our first destination.  That was 830am.

We arrived at the National Grand Theater before 9am.  "The Egg" is an opera house and cultural center.  This is one of the modern structures in Beijing, built before the Beijing Olympics in 2008.  It was a sight to behold!

The dome reflected on the lake, really does look like an egg, doesn't it?

The Theater was designed by French architect Paul Andreu.  The building is made of titanium and glass and like the old structures in Beijing, it is surrounded by a (man-made) lake.  Gazing from afar, you would not see its entrance because in order to go inside, one would have to go underneath the lake... amazing!

Entrance among the greens, goes underneath the lake..cool!

(I can't count how many times I have used "amazing" or its synonyms in my blogposts but it's just truly amazing!)  The structure is near Tiananmen Square, we were supposed to go to this spot on our first day, after Tiananmen but we have to catch the KungFu show then.

I'm just happy we passed through this site and not totally skip it while in this tour.  Next stop is Cloissone Factory.

Beijing China: ACROBATIC SHOW, Dinner and CHINESE MASSAGE

Day 2 in Beijing: Acrobatic Show, Dinner and Chinese Massage
(4 of 4 destinations) 

After the Great Wall, we rushed back to the city to catch the 530pm Acrobatic show.  We left the Great Wall around 3pm.  It was still raining part of the way.  Fruits are abundant in that part of Beijing and fruit stands line the highway.  We stopped at one and bought apples, grapes, and pears.  We were surprised to see and taste "dwarf" apples and pears...they tasted crunchier and sweeter than the normal-sized ones.

Chaoyang Acrobatic Show
As it was two days before Mid-Autumn Day, traffic was monstrous going into the city.  Since we might be late for our 530pm Acrobatic Show, we got out of our van, got into the subway, rode three stations away and there we were, in Chaoyang Theater.  It was an amazing show: two guys inside two wheels balancing each other like hamsters and at one time, one was even blindfolded; a guy balancing on top of more than ten chairs; a guy on skateboard on top of another guy on skateboard catching plates on his head; girls bending their bodies as if they don't have any bones; and for me, the most spectacular stunt was that of more than twelve girls riding on one bicycle, quite like that of a youtube posting but their stunt's finale form consists of them riding one bicycle in a formation like an inverted triangle and holding out huge colorful fans looking like a very colorful peacock on a bicycle! It was a sight to behold, beautiful!  There were many more stunts and the show lasted for an hour and thirty minutes.  It was certainly worth your time and money (seat costs $42)...it's a must see!  Unfortunately, since no picture-taking was allowed inside, we weren't able to capture even one stunt. 

Dinner in a local restaurant
Our dinner consisted of steamed fish, Chinese spicy noodles, vegetables, and sweet & sour pork.  The guys capped it off with local beer.  It was a very filling and satisfying meal after a full day.  We spent a very reasonable $30 for the yummy meal good for 7 people...so worth it!

Foot massage
We asked our driver to take us to a local massage parlor so we will experience Chinese massage.  We opted to get the foot massage costing $22 each.  It was soothing after the day's activities (two days actually, since we were on our second-day tour) and it relieved the pain and stress caused by too much walking (than the usual..we are all office employees and so the walking was much much more than the usual!) The massage was really concentrated on the foot, no head and back massage as extra, and at the end of the session, the guys received new socks to cover their newly-massaged feet and the girls got new foot stockings.  No picture was taken here, our photographer just wanted to enjoy his well-deserved massage!

What a relaxing way to end our second day tour!

Beijing China: GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Day 2 in Beijing: The Great Wall of China

(Destination 3 of 4)

An obvious UNESCO World Heritage Site "In c. 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united defence system against invasions from the north. Construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure. Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance."

From the Jade Factory, we had our lunch in a local restaurant, after which we then proceeded to the reason we traveled to Beijing: the GREAT WALL!  The ride going there was more than an hour and since it was raining, our driver had to take more caution some parts of the way.  We were really hoping the rain would stop when we arrive at the wall but it didn't.  But that didn't dampen our spirits.  We traveled miles from the Philippines just to see this world wonder, a shower in autumn will not stop us, though it did slow us a bit. 

We went to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, where tourists are lesser and therefore, not so congested. We went up the wall through a cable car and still up some stairs. The view at the top was rewarding and so breathtaking! I could not believe we have reached the great wall...it was some kind of feat!

With the intermittent rain showers, we spent the afternoon strolling, taking cover under our umbrellas, and if the wind blows stronger-running for cover in the towers, going out again when the rain showers stop, resume taking photos, breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the moment...it was as if being transported back in a different time zone and era. It was a beautiful "in the clouds" feeling. On our way down, we were supposed to take the slider down the mountain, as in really slide down the mountain! I mentally prepared for this for two months (!) because I have a fear of heights, but because of the rain, the slider was closed.  My son was very disappointed and unbelievably, so was I.  We took the cable car again going down...

The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has recently concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. (Wikipedia)

The Wall is a product of "stitching" many walls into one piece.  Centuries ago, states within China built walls to protect themselves from invading states. During the dynasty rule, when China was already united, the walls were "stitched" together to form one continuous wall to protect China from foreign invaders like the Mongols.  

One can see the grandeur of this man-made structure but one can only imagine the enormous effort, ambition and will of the ancient Chinese to protect their land, culture and identity. It is no wonder why China is a superpower country, coming from these ancestors. 

Visibility from space: myth or fact?
I was floored to learn that this idea of the Wall being visible from outer space has been disproved by lunar astronauts.  Who would have thought that a careless reference of this idea in the 1700s could mislead a lot of authors to mislead a lot of readers who do not do supplemental research.  Myth or fact, I would still like to imagine it as I have always done!  You should too, our imagination is limitless and priceless!

Here are some interesting anecdotal reports from Wikipedia: 
1 Astronaut William Pogue thought he had seen it from Skylab but discovered he was actually looking at the Grand Canal of China near Beijing. He spotted the Great Wall with binoculars, but said that "it wasn't visible to the unaided eye." 

2 U.S. Senator Jake Garn claimed to be able to see the Great Wall with the naked eye from a space shuttle orbit in the early 1980s, but his claim has been disputed by several U.S. astronauts. 

3 Veteran U.S. astronaut Gene Cernan has stated: "At Earth orbit of 100 miles (160 km) to 200 miles (320 km) high, the Great Wall of China is, indeed, visible to the naked eye." 

4 In 2001, Neil Armstrong stated about the view from Apollo 11: "I do not believe that, at least with my eyes, there would be any man-made object that I could see. I have not yet found somebody who has told me they've seen the Wall of China from Earth orbit. ..." 

5 In October 2003, Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei stated that he had not been able to see the Great Wall of China.

How about you? What do you think?

Beijing China: JADE FACTORY

Day 2 in Beijing: Jade Factory
(2 of 4 destinations)

Jade carving of a ship on display at the entrance of the showroom

The Jade Factory was initially not in our itinerary but my companion requested that we go there because of her interest in a jade bracelet.

Jade bracelet and jade earrings

This is what I learned about jade from Even, our tour guide: the stone contains minerals that have healing effects.  It cleanses, detoxifies the body and promotes health and well-being.  Jade jewelry changes color with one's health.  The clearer the jade bracelet or necklace or pendant one wears, the healthier the wearer is.  If one is not feeling well or if any organ in one's body needs healing, the jade darkens because it absorbs toxins from the body.  

We entered the Jade Factory and a guide (from the jade factory) welcomed us and showed us jade carving and the different kinds of jade.  According to the factory guide, jade carving is a skill handed down from generation to generation and therefore, the carvers in the shop are somehow related to each other.  (I'm still wondering if it's true?)

Next, she showed us to a showroom where there are different kinds of jade, jade of all colors, sizes and shapes.  The most common color of jade is green but there are other colors as well: violet, blue, orange, pink, red, white and yellow.  She told us about some history and use of the jade.  Chinese, since ancient times, regard jade as a very important stone, more valuable than gold.  For more reading material about jade, go to Shimmerlings Jewelry. 

Jade mahjong set with the certificate of authenticity

Then we went to the very big store where all types of pieces made of jade are on display.  The intricate jade carvings are really awesome, exquisite, and according to my son, old fashioned, but still very interesting.  There are many varieties of carvings to choose from -- jewelry, statues, figures, ornaments and oh that mahjong set!  One companion bought a mahjong set worth US$500 (did that have healing effects too?) from an original price of US$1000.

One useful tip to tell whether the stone is authentic or not:  Scratch the jade on plain glass. If it leaves a scratch mark, then it's not authentic. That simple!?!  On how to really tell if jade is real or not, read this.

Some jade pieces on display:

Next stop... the magnificent Great Wall!

Beijing China: AN EMPEROR'S TOMB

Day 2 in Beijing: Chang Tomb
(1 of 4 destinations)

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site (Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties)

From City Walls courtyard house in Dongcheng, we traveled an hour to the tombs.  We started at 7:30 in the morning.

On the way, we learned that the Ming Tombs is famous because thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty are buried there.  The burial site was chosen by, and (his own) mausoleum was designed by Emperor Zhu Di, more popularly known as Emperor Yongle (because he named his era as Yongle, meaning eternal joy).  The site was chosen because of the mountains (earth) surrounding the place, abundant water, wind, and silence, all factors important to Feng Shui principles. One interesting fact was that Emperor Yongle was also believed to design and build the Forbidden City during his rule.  If he had been born in modern times, he would have been an architect!

The whole burial site of 13 emperors in the Ming Dynasty among Tianshou Mountains

The whole Ming Tombs is shown in this picture above:  the burial site starts with a stone memorial arch, a gate, a pavilion, a path with stone animal statuettes lined on the side, a three-arch gate, bridge (over natural water, i suppose, and not excavated) and the final path going to Chang Tomb. The length from the archway to the three-arch gate is called the "Spirit Way" and stretches 7 kilometers.  We didn't go through the Spirit Way anymore but went directly to the Chang Tomb. 
 
Chang Tomb

Here in Chang Tomb, the layout looks the same as the Spirit Way and the Forbidden City: tomb gate, Gate of Eminent Favor, Hall of Eminent Favor, archway, pathway and finally the soul tower "guarding" the mountain where the Emperor is believed to be buried.  "Believed" because the actual bodies have not been excavated; they are buried way deep down the mountain. (Note that only one tomb in the Ming Tombs has been approved for excavation, and that is the Ding Tomb, but that would be another visit to Beijing since we didn't go there.)

Layout of Chang Tomb; partially cut in this pic at upper right is the mound where the emperor is buried

The caption in the entrance of Chang Tomb reads: "The Changling" (ling means tomb) "is the burial mausoleum of ChengZu (1360-1424), Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Empress Xushi. The construction of the main structure of the mausoleum - the underground palace - began in 1409" and "completed in 1427. It is composed of the underground structure (burial chamber) and surface palace. The Changling is the biggest in scope among the mausoleums in the Tianshou Mountain. The Hall of Eminent Favor and and the Gate of Eminent Favor is built of nanmu, the only hall and gate of such structures still remaining among the Ming mausoleums that look magnificent. Built with materials of excellent quality, they deserve to be treasures of ancient Chinese architecture".

Archway going to the burial site

Buried within the tomb are the treasures or things the Emperor believed he can still use in the next life. They believed that one who dies will still live the same life after death, and so they bury with them things they use everyday in their lifetime, plus some treasures.  That is also the reason why their people bury paper money as offering for them to use in the next life.  The Emperor even buries with them their favorite concubine!  Our guide told us that the favorite concubine, chosen by the emperor to be with him in his death, had to kill herself in order to be buried with the emperor.  Talk about supreme sacrifice!  (I read in Wikipedia that there are really concubines buried within the tomb.)  These are some excavated artifacts shown in the exhibition hall.

Gold & silver inggots; gold flatware

Empress's crowns: bejeweled, gold, jade

The visit to the tomb itself is not as fascinating if one does not listen to the stories behind what one sees.  A tourist just sees structures that look quite the same as every ancient tourist spot but if one cares to listen to the guide, things will not look the same way again. 

Next stop is Jade Factory...

Beijing China: KUNG FU SHOW

Day 1 in Beijing: KUNG FU SHOW
(Destination 6 of 6)

We ended the day with a Kung Fu show shown at the Red Theater.  The Legend of Kung Fu show tells the story of a boy who became a Kung Fu master and his trials along the way to becoming a great one!    

The show boasts of KungFu and acrobatic stunts.  The KungFu fight scenes, however, were not as intense as expected as it was only a show and not a movie (we realized that after!)  There was a very young boy, about 6 years old, who was very cute in his KungFu moves; he was a real darling. 

Front row seats cost us US$40/pax. 

Day 2 of our Beijing trip took us to the tombs, the jade factory and the most awaited Great Wall.