Day 1
Hangzhou - Xihu (West Lake) - Lei Feng Pagoda - Zhongshan Road
Day 2
Shanghai - Pudong - Huangpu - The Bund - French Concession - Tian Zi Fang
Day 3
Yu Garden - Nan Luo Gu Xiang
Day 4
Beijing - Tian An Men - Beihai Park
Day 5
Great Wall of China - Wang Fu Jing St
Day 6
Summer Palace
Unlike the Great Wall, it's so much easier to get to the Summer Palace! There's a subway station for it and all you need to do is to get off at Beigongmen Station / Xiyuan Station.
Summer Palace is known as 颐和园 and you'll definitely be greeted by the marble stone when you arrive.
Like most of the touristy place in China, there's an entrance fee to pay for Summer Palace. The entrance is actually pretty grand with 2 lions guarding it. There is actually English or rather broken English information at the counter for the convenience of non-Chinese speaking tourists.
While waiting to get my tickets, I spotted how the vendors chill their drinks. That's just a block of ice with 4 columns for them to fit in those bottles. The city kid in me has yet to see anything like that. And glass bottle is such a novelty nowadays!
In my previous entry on the Great Wall, I mentioned about Chinese caligraphy on Roman names. How does it look like? It's like the photo below.
Summer Palace is actually one of the World Heritage Sites and it received this honour in 1998. In fact, like many other palaces around China, this is a reconstructed version after demolition by fire and various forces of the past.
Animals on the roof overlooking the smog condition in Beijing is beginning to be a common sight for my visit.
This is by far one of the biggest palaces around. Like the many palace structures of the past, it has a court area, a lake area, a front hill and a rear hill area as a bonus.
In fact, according to some China tourism websites, this is by far the best preserved imperial garden in the world. The palace itself boasts of beautiful hallways, decorated corridors, arched bridges and given that this is made available at every corner, visitor is bound to be greeted by different view and scenery along the way.
These architectures are still very well maintained despite the age. While some of it has a touch of reconstruction, there are still many around the palaces which have a vintage feeling to it.
If you're tired of walking, you could also opt for a boat ride on the lake for a fee. The boat ride will also bring you to the temple island or some traditional shops by the river.
This is a section of the famed Long Corridor. It covers 75% of the lake area and the whole stretch is covered by paintings on the beams and the ceilings. The wood architecture of the past is no easy feat to repeat in modern times.
Lastly, the amazing Marble Boat is also part of the highlight of the trip. However, it was in scaffolding because they're doing some preservation work on it.
If you're up for a visit, do take note that the lake is usually frozen during winter times and thus, the cruise will not be available. The best time to visit should be summer but take note that the areas that I've visited during my trip there are all the free areas covered by the entrance fee. There are also the Longevity hill and an entertainment complex which require a separate entrance fee if you intend to visit.
This sums up the journey in China. Hopefully in my future visits, I'll get to see a different part of China.
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