Monday, Jan. 8th
I spent all day in Beijing experiencing this ancient and bustling city. While in Tiananmen Square I met a young woman named Lili. She wanted to practice her English–– so in order to do so, we spent most of the afternoon in the Forbidden City. Because Lili is a History major, I enjoyed the experience of wandering around, listening to her background–– and looking at the details of the architecture. It was a nice change to make snapshots and use a camera without a tripod. Below are a few happy-snaps from the Forbidden City.

The Entrance

The Forbidden City is much larger than I expected.

A courtyard

A room for quiet conversation and diplomacy

Later that evening Brian Dou and his wife Grace took Leping and myself to a very fancy restaurant for Peking Duck. It was scrumptious. The duck is brought to your table, expertly carved and served with plum sauce. What a wonderful evening! It was the last experience of the trip, and Tuesday morning Brian Dou drove Leping and I to the airport. Exhausted I left for home enamored with China.

I would like to thank Leping Zha, for his expert guidance on this trip. He met me in Beijing, and was with me for the entire adventure. He translated every conversation and organized every aspect of this journey. He expertly guided me through the Huangshan Mountains, explained Chinese culture, history and introduced me to local photographers, like Mr. Guan. I will be forever grateful.

Richard