seer
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My first memory of thinking about China was from my parents saying, "if you dig down through the earth, you would end up in China." This was interesting and is why I got a globe soon after. That globe is still here at my side and makes plain now as it did then that the country antipodal to China is Argentina, not the United States. (Despite this obstacle, digging to China from the USA may soon be possible!)
Visiting mysterious China became my greatest travel desire from the age of five or six--sparked by the digging concept and enflamed by stories of China in old issues of National Geographic. I was able to visit in November 1993 and again in August 2002 (and again, in July 2005.) The experience was everything that I had longed for as a child.
Lu Hui, Album of Miscellaneous Subjects, 1891
The history of China and its capitol city Beijing have much to teach the thinking traveller.
Edited by seer (05/21/06 01:39 PM)
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seer
Master Chronicler
Reged: 12/09/02
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Loc: Northern California
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Beijing Dongwu Yuan, the Beijing Zoo, is the oldest and largest zoo in the Asia Pacific area and the world-famous home of the giant pandas. It contains more than 7000 animals, including golden monkeys from Sichuan, yaks from Tibet, sea turtles from the Chinese sea, Manchurian tigers, and snow leopards. The Beijing Zoo is also famous for being the home of zoological research and for housing many rare birds and animals.
Like everything in Beijing, the zoo has a complicated history:- Originally an imperial manor during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644).
- Plants were cultivated and animals were raised here during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).
- It became the Ten Thousand Animal Garden (Wanshengyuan) zoological park in 1908.
- It was destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Beijing (1937-1945).
- After the revolution, it was rebuilt as the West Suburb Park.
- The name was changed to Beijing Zoo in 1955.
Lingling at the Beijing Zoo
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seer
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The Beijing Planetrium was built in 1957 and contains a planetarium, an exhibition hall, a lecture hall and an astronomical observatory. The planetarium, with its cupola measuring 25 meters in diameter, is the main focus of interest of the entire complex. At regular intervals, 45-minute presentations take the visitor on a virtual tour of the heavens made possible by projectors installed in the center of the hall which faithfully reproduce an image of the starry sky on the inside of the cupola.
The Beijing Planetarium Cupola and its Zeiss Star Projector as Chinese postage stamps (issued in 1958.)
The planetarium's new 18 m diameter inclined, domed auditorium is now among the most modern in the world thanks to new equipment installed in 2003 from Silicon Graphics and Carl Zeiss.
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seer
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Beijing's Confucius (Kongfuzi) Temple was built in 1306 and is the largest Confucian shrine other than that in the philosopher's home town of Qu Fu.
Confucius' (551-479 BC) moral doctrine became--long after his death--the official moral and political doctrine of Chinese State during the Han Dynasty. (It is never too late to begin studying The Analects or the many comments about Confucius and his writings. Consider for example, Chapter 1, verse 4)
Rén, "benevolence, charity, humanity, love," kindness. The fundamental virtue of Confucianism...
...Confucius defines it as "Aì rén," "love others." [Analects XII:22]
Yì, "right conduct, morality, duty to one's neighbor," righteousness.
Yì may be broken down [Analects IV:15] into: zhong, doing one's best, conscientiousness, "loyalty"...
...and shù, "reciprocity," altruism, consideration for others, "what you don't want yourself, don't do to others" [Analects XV:24 or 23].
Lì, "profit, gain, advantage": Not a proper motive for actions affecting others. The idea that profit is the source of temptation to do wrong is the Confucian ground of the later official disparagment of commerce and industry. (The Master said, "The gentleman (chün tzu) understands yì. The small man understands lì." [Analects IV:16])
Li, "propriety, good manners, politeness, ceremony, worship."
Xiào, "to honor one's parents," filial piety.
During the T'ang Dynasty, the canon of Confucian Classics became the basis for the great civil service examinations that henceforth provided the magistrates and bureaucrats (the "Mandarins") for the Chinese government.
For a very long time, this structure was part of the Imperial College (Guozi Jian) and the temple's coutryards contain many carved stone tablets with the names of scholars who passed the national literary examinations. (If you've read Robert van Gulick's stories about Judge Dee then you know just how difficult this examination was.)
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seer
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The Beijing Exhibition Center opened in 1954 as the city's first large-scale, comprehensive exhibition venue, with the late Premier Zhou En-Lai cutting the red ribbon and Chairman Mao Tse-Tung contributing poetic thoughts, the 735,000-square meter, Russian-style building is a period piece landmark fronted by a red star-topped spire and an entrance lobby festooned with massive, multi-layer crystal chandeliers. Offering a cohesive yet flexible and easily accessed venue are the three East Wing exhibition halls and single large hall, entertainment theater and restaurant in the West Wing.
Primarily intended for the display of heavy industrial and agricultural machinery, the two outdoor areas flanking the central building have a total of 8,ooo square meters These spaces can also be set up to exhibit light industrial products, including those of the electronic and similar enterprises.
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The Drum Tower was initially built in 1272 during the Yuan Dynasty, was rebuilt in 1297 during the Yuan Dynasty, and again in 1420 and 1539, during the Ming Dynasty. The two-story structure was made of wood with a height of 47 meters. On its second floor there originally were 25 drums. Among them, there were one big drum and 24 smaller drums. Now, only the big drum is left. The drum is beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes at a time.
The Drum Tower and companion Bell Tower were used together to announce hours. At the very beginning in the Ming Dynasty, the bell and drum were beaten together both during the day and nighttime. (When Qian Long was emperor in the Qing Dynasty, the bell and drum were beaten together only two times each night. Perhaps he was a light sleeper  )
At seven o'clock in the evening, the drum was beaten followed by the bell to inform people it was time to go to sleep.
At nine o'clock, eleven o'clock, as well as one and three o'clock in the morning, only the bell was beaten to avoid disturbing sleepers.
At five o'clock in the morning, the drum was beaten followed by the bell to inform people to rise.
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The Bell Tower is a 33-meter-high edifice with gray walls and a green glazed roof. Each face of the base of the building is pierced with an arched opening and each side of the Bell Pavilion, which stands on the platform, has an arched gateway as well. The Bell Tower first came into use during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, when it was converted from the main hall of the former Temple of Eternal Peace (Wanningsi), which had been built during the Yuan Dynasty.
The new Bell Tower was destroyed by fire after only a brief existence and it was not until 1747 that Emperor Qianlong undertook the reconstruction of an attractive durable stone structure. This building was so sturdy that he only damage that it suffered during the Tangshan earthquake of 1976 was the loss of a single stone animal head decorating the roof.
The Bell Tower originally housed a huge iron bell. But because its tolling was not loud enough, this was replaced by a massive cast bronze bell over 10 inches thick that is in perfect condition today. (There is an interesting legend about the casting process.) The iron bell was moved to the back of the Drum Tower where it has remained for over 500 years. As recently as 1924, the bronze bell could be heard ringing out the 7:00 p.m. chime from a distance of over 20 kilometers.
The schedule of drum beats and bell peals used to announce the hours is given in the Drum Tower placemark.
View north from Drum Tower toward Bell Tower (Ashkeling)
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The Buddhist temple now known as Baita Si, the White Dagoba Temple was originally known as Temple of Great Holy Longevity and Eternal Peace. It got its name from an older white dagoba inside the temple.
In the same year after the dagoba was built, a magnificent temple was constructed with the dagoba as its centerpiece. In 1368 during the Yuan Dynasty, the Temple was destroyed by thunder and fire, only the dagoba remained intact. Most of the buildings you can now see inside the Temple were constructed in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). The Temple was reconstructed in 1457 during the Ming Dynasty and was repaired in the following dynasties. The Temple originally had the name "Temple of Great Holy Longevity and Eternal Peace". It was named "Miaoyingsi" after it was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). It is now commonly known as the White Dagoba Temple.
The Temple consists of several halls and yards. In one hall, wooden Sakyamuni, Medicine Buddha and Amitabhas are offered sacrifices to.
The present-day brilliance of the dagoba’ s surface is due to the fact that it is painted with an expensive whitewash containing a high percentage of pulverized seashells. A local joke relates that if it were not for this whitewash, the monument would soon become a “black dagoba.”
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Archway, the main entry at the south side.
Built initially in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, this building was the residence of Emperor Yongzheng when he was just a prince. However, in 1744 the Qing Dynasty formally changed the status of the dwelling to that of a lamasery, and so Yonghe Lamasery became the national centre of Lama administration. More...
Here is a map looking north, just like the Placemarked view. The long row of trees in the Keyhole view are between the Archway (#1) and the Gate (#4).
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seer
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Loc: Northern California
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Beijing is the rail hub of the nation, and while the highway network is expanding, it is still a long way behind the “Iron Rooster” as the key means of transportation in China. Chinese trains are divided into different classes, from the lowly hard seat (for seasoned aescetics only!) to plush, air conditioned soft sleeper cars that cost nearly as much as air fare. Nowadays, trains to nearby destinations such as Tianjin and Chengde are often double-decker soft seat carriages that offer modern climate control and good sanitation.
The Beijing Railway Station
If the phrase "Iron Rooster" is unfamiliar to you, it is a Chinese euphamism for a railroad train. Those with even modest interest in China or railroads would enjoy Paul Theroux's wonderful Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China. Highly recommended for learning something about being Chinese.
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Edited by seer (07/01/05 11:53 AM)
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