China # 7

Been awhile since we last posted - so before we forget what we did - here goes ........
March 23rd we started our day at the  Emperor'sSummer Palace.  I didn't bring a warm enough jacket so I wore Dad's.  Naturally, the Palace was very beautiful.

  The grounds feature a lovely lake that was hand dug by slaves and the hills surrounding it are the dirt that was heaped up.  Incredible.



There is also a large marble boat in the lake which the emperor had built to symbolize his security and stability in the uncertain waters.  Of course, it doesn't float - but that's another story.

 The grounds also have a long  covered walkway that is ornately painted and allowed the emperor to see the mountains on the right side and the lake on the left.  These guys had it all - at the great expense of others.

After that we had our lunch at the Pearl Factory where we saw the process of the cultured pearls - and also the beautiful jewelry.  For once, we resisted the temptation to buy - even though the smooth salesman had me put on a beautiful string of golden pearls to model.  He demonstrated how every women has a specific color and length of pearls that highlights her best.  Must say - nothing was cheap.
We ate our lunch upstairs in a large room.  They have the tourists thing figured out.

After lunch we headed off to the Beijing Zoo - just for a couple of hours to see the Pandas.  It was very interesting.  For one thing, the Panda exhibit was put together for the Olympics - not all that long ago - but already looks old and rusted.  It must have been some fast work.  Also, they just don't have the same standards as we do - and even though I realize it was too early for trees and flowers - it still is not what I think we are used to in the U.S.  Still, the pandas were very cute and certainly close to the viewers.

That night we opted to attend a Chinese acrobatic show - and it was amazing.  No way to really explain all the mind boggling acts - but the Chinese are known for this kind of stuff - we weren't disappointed. The girls are all very young when you see them close up and our guide told us that by about 15 or 16 they are no longer flexible enough for these acts. 

One weird thing that happened was that the previous night  Dad had a tailor come to our room and measure him for a custom made suit.  We thought she (the tailor) would meet us at the hotel later for his first fitting - but she came to the theater and Dad had to go the restroom and change there.  OK - whatever.  You can guess that these guys (and girls) work crazy hours.