Beijing Free and Easy Blog: Day 4

Peking Duck

Before the ducks are roasted

How could I say I have been to Beijing without having Peking Duck before, right?

The price of a decent Peking duck can be from as cheap CNY88 to CNY300.
Some can even price higher, depending on the 人気 ningki popularity.



Some told me to go to Quanjude. But the price was crazy to me.
Surveyed a few more, but I decided to go for the one nearest to Bestay hotel.
I thought it was a 賢い kashikoi wise choice.

Peking duck restaurant nearby Bestay Hotel

The price was 手頃 te goro reasonable.
The place is fantastic. Beautifully decorated. Clean. Staff looks neat.
Most importantly, the smile was there. It was hard to find around Beijing.

Ordered the CNY133 鴨 kamo duck.
Said to be using a higher grade of sauce.

Waited quite a while.
It was worth waiting.
Chef sliced the duck in front of us.

Chef preparing the duck

First, the 皮 kawa skin.
Then, the 肉 niku meat.

You can also take home the 骨 hone bones if you want.
I told them to keep it...hahaha.
Why do I want the bones anyway?

Eating the Peking Duck

Peking Duck condiments

It comes with some 調味料 chou mi ryou condiments.
Spring roll skin. (Popiah skin)
Green Onions
Cucumber
Fermented soybean paste
Sugar

Pick up the Peking Duck skin + condiments.
Roll it up and yummy yummy yummy!

It got creative by cutting up the buns in half and sandwiching the duck meat + condiments.
Yummy too!

Sweet Potato Paste

Sweet Potato Paste as dessert

Sweet Potato Paste as dessert.

Coconut jelly on top. Sweet potato below.
Topped with sweet sweet honey.

Yummy Yummy!

Temple of Heaven

There are many gates into the Temple of Heaven.
Foolish me.
Didn't notice the East Gate was only a 100 metres away, I walked 300 metres to the North Gate.
Could have saved some walking energy there if I had been 観察力が鋭い kansatsu ryoku ga surudoi observant.

Temple of heaven Ticket Office

I bought the entrance ticket for CNY15.
The entrance ticket only gets you into the park.
If you want to visit the building, you would need to pay another CNY20.
You could purchase the combo ticket for CNY35.

It is the どれでも同じ same anyway.

The interesting point about the Temple of Heaven is the architecture.

Architecture in round and square shapes

3 Main areas:
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
Imperial Vaults of Heaven
Circular Mound Altar

The whole area is based on 丸い marui circular and 四角い shikakui square shapes.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a round building on a square platform.
The Imperial Vaults of Heaven is surrounded by round walls.
The Circular Mound Altar is of course a circle, on top of a square platform.

The entire place is in a semi circle.

The circle represents 天国 tengoku Heaven.
The square represents 地球 chikyuu Earth.
Remember, ancient times, Earth was thought to be square.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest

The center of attention would be the center building with a big blue umbrella roof.
3 smaller building by the side.
Outside was furnaces for burning the sacrifices.

Pretty Model in Temple of Heaven

Lucky day.
Saw pretty girl modelling.

Beautiful Couples at Temple of Heaven

Saw a couple shooting wedding photos.
Looks like a great couple together.
幸せようになります shiawase youni narimasu 
Wish them happiness.

Imperial Vaults of Heaven

Imperial Vaults of Heaven

The interesting point in this place is the Echo Wall.
It is said that if 1 person ささやく sasayaku whisper at one end of the wall, the other would hear it on the other end.

You would not be surprise to see there are many people putting the Echo Wall to test.

Echo Wall

I saw this mother was speaking out loudly:
"Can you hear me? Mama is here!"
"I can hear you"
"Can you hear me?"

Then I saw a few people came over to her and asked:
"Can you really hear her (your child)?"

She said: "Yeah, I hear her voice. She said mama, mama."

In my mind I was thinking.
Are you sure?
Maybe it was all just in your mind?

Come on, firstly, the place is not too big, if you shout a little louder, the other side would have heard a faint voice.
On the contrary, if you went a little softer, I doubt you would hear anything considering the amount of people and noise and all the disturbances.

Circular Mound Altar

LingXing Gates

Pass through some white gates, the Lingxing Gates. That always come in three.
The middle one is used by the Emperor.

Suggest you to use the middle one and get a feel of the Emperor`s path.
Imagine yourself in the past surrounded by guards and ministers who dared not step in a single foot into the middle path.

Take the middle gate and the middle path up to the top of the Circular Mound Altar.
Step on Heaven Heart Stone.
This is where the Emperor つなぐ tsunagu connects with Heaven.
Asking for blessing from the Heaven.

Fantastic Yoga Pose on the Heart Stone

The Heaven Heart Stone is a very popular.
Only 2 feet in diameter, and every wants to get a spot on it.
Not to connect with Heaven.
But to connect with Facebook and upload the photo and see how many likes you get.

Times have definitely changed.

Is chaoyangtheatre.com a scam?

Easily accessible by subway to Hujialou Station.
Chaoyang Theatre is right next to the Exit C.

My advice; get a discount online instead of purchasing through the counter by yourself.
I got my ticket from http://www.chaoyangtheatre.com/
Was afraid it was a 詐欺 sagi scam.
Check up and down for the website validity.
Now that I came back from the show, I can assure you that it is real.

Simple steps:
Email the guy, Dragon Wang.
On that day, he will wait for you at the entrance.
I made an appointment with him at 6:20pm.
Reached there around 7:00pm.
Thought he had left.
He was still there with a small China flag.
He had a paper with my name written on it.
It was really not hard to recognize him.

I paid him in cash.
But he didn't pass me ticket instantly.
Got a little 心配 shinpai worried.
He took my money and went to counter and bought the ticket.

Hmmm...if I buy by myself over the counter, I pay CNY180.
...if Dragon Wang buy for me over the same counter, I pay CNY120.

Wow, discount 30%!

Chaoyang Acrobatic Show

Inside the Chaoyang Theatre

Tips: Actually the hall is not so big. You don't have to buy the VIP seats.
Even if you buy the normal seats, you would have a fine view of the show.
Be there early to get the first row of the normal seats.

ワア waa Wow!
素晴らしい subarashii Superb!
すごい sugoi Bravo!
すごくいい sugoku ii Marvelous!
...was all I could use to describe the whole show.

Show you some photos of the Chaoyang Acrobatic Show.

As cool as ice cream

There will be a 15 mins break after 45 mins show.
Then there was this girl that I could not help noticing her ego in selling ice cream.
Walking around in this face, repeating "ICE CREAM".
No smile.
Cool. (as ice cream)









Total show time: 1 hour 45 mins.
The show comes one after another without any small breaks in between.
They were professional.
When they failed an act, they will redo it until it become successful.

The last show was the most exciting.
5 motor cross bikes in a sphere cage. Passing by each other precisely just inches away.
There was 間違える余裕がない machigaeru yoyuu ga nai no room for mistake.
There could not redo it.
One mistake, they could die.
I was worried for their life.
I was worried I would witness a terrible act went wrong.
Phewww!!!! Luckily it went well.
The excitement + anxiety really pushed it to the climax.

Thank you for the great show!