Vacation Highlights

After exploring the two ancient capitals of China (Beijing, 北京, literally means Northern Capital, and Nanjing,南京, means Southern Capital), I returned to Shanghai this afternoon after five days, marking the end of my first official vacation as a resident of China.  I'm exhausted -- it wasn't exactly a "relaxing" vacation -- but other than that in high spirits after a fun week of travel.  There's a lot to report, so rather than try to fit it all into one massive and incoherent post, I figure I'll spread it out over the course of the next few days.  This one will just cover the highlights, primarily in picture form, of what I saw and did.  Before the photographic evidence, a few quick overall thoughts:

It couldn't have been a better mix of tourist/sightseeing/alone time on the one hand, and social time on the other.  A few people I met last weekend in Shanghai happened to be in Nanjing at the same time as me, so we met up for dinner and drinks on Monday night.  Franco (my roommate) was in Beijing with his band-mate Tom, and so we met up with their friends for dinner each night, after which I accompanied the band to their three gigs.  So while I managed to fit in a good chunk of sightseeing, as you'll see below, I felt like I got a taste of the nightlife in both cities, particularly Beijing -- something I probably wouldn't have done if I were totally on my own.  Also, five days is a long time to be totally on one's own.  Some people enjoy it, and I'm generally pretty good by myself, but I was grateful for the camaraderie at night to ensure that I wasn't lonely during the trip.

This will come as a surprise to nobody, but China is BIG.  The train rides to and from Beijing were enlightening evidence of this -- I took the high-speed train which hurtles through the Chinese countryside at an average speed of about 300 kilometers per hour (maxing out at about 350).  About 5 hours south of Beijing this afternoon, I was marveling to myself that we were still not in Shanghai (the high-speed train does the trip in about 5 and a half hours, whereas the 'slow' train takes as long as 12 hours), and we're talking the length of a pinky on any reasonably detailed map of China.

Speaking of maps, both Beijing and Nanjing were good reminders of China's sheer size.  I frequently made the mistake of assuming that destinations about half an inch from a subway stop were close to the station.  Wrong.  China's concept of city blocks is quite different from the US.  Imagine getting off the NYC subway at Times Square to get to Union Square.  That's about how far I'd find myself walking, wondering when the street that looked so close on my map would appear.  I guess that's what happens when you try to map out a city that's as big as all of Belgium.

Onward to the pictures.  I've tried picking out the highlights, so there are more where these come from. Brief descriptive captions below each picture or set of pictures...

Downtown Nanjing.  I had actually expected Nanjing, a city of several million people, to feel like a bigger metropolis, but this is the about the extent of the skyscraper action in the city.

The view from the bottom of Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Mausoleum on Purple Mountain in Nanjing.  I went on October 1st, China's National Day, so it's no wonder that Sun, the founder of China's Nationalist Party and the father of Modern China, had so many guests at his mausoleum.

The hike up the steps to the crest of the mausoleum was worth it.  Great panoramic views of the mountain, and the city, which also provide a good example of classic Chinese haze.  The picture of me was taken by a freshman at a Nanjing university.  We spent most of the afternoon on the mountain together, speaking in a combination of English and Chinese.  He took down my cell number and has been texting me occasionally, asking me English questions.  Kind of a cool chance encounter, for someone eager to make Chinese friends as well as expat ones. 

The man himself, Sun Yat-sen.

Nanjing's old city wall, built over 600 years ago in the Ming Dynasty.

Some views from the parapets atop the city wall.

There's probably a whole post here, so I won't say much now, but this is the memorial hall of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre (familiarly known as the Rape of Nanking), from the outside.  I find the statue particularly moving The bottom picture is my best attempt to capture why I couldn't get inside -- the crowds were so massive, I would've had to wait two hours just to get in.  You think the Chinese care about the controversy with Japan over the islands?  You could see it on their faces, these pilgrims perfectly content to wait hours to see evidence of Japanese atrocities committed on Chinese soil, as if to bolster their indignation at the current kerfuffle.

On to Beijing.  This is the Wangfujing Pedestrian Street, famous for it's street food mall.  I remember I was here four years ago, and I tried eating starfish.  No such gallantry this time around - I just had a veggie roll of some kind that wasn't very good.

Just thought this was a cool picture of the CCTV television tower, perfectly wedged between two apartment buildings in Western Beijing.

The 798 Art District is a cool little bohemian ghetto carved out of a neighborhood formerly home to factories and warehouses.  This is one of the many galleries in the hood.  There is a rumor that there are no pigeons in China, but at least here someone chose to attract some pigeons and doves with some feed.

I made the trek north of the city center to the Olympic Green, site of the 2008 Summer Olympics.  It was a pretty impressive facility -- this is the famous "Birds Nest" National Stadium.  Let's just say it does China justice with its size.

Probably the highlight of the trip from a sightseeing perspective was Jingshan Park (景山公园).  Directly north of the Forbidden City, it used to serve as a personal garden for the emperor.  There are several pavilions that you can climb up to, and the views from the apex of Jingshan Hill are quite breathtaking.  I think the last one is my favorite -- looking down into the Forbidden City, at the crowds gathering at its northern entrance.  The Forbidden City is aptly named -- with the exception of a few buildings and a hill in the far background of the picture, what you're looking at is all part of the ancient Emperor's palatial city.

And last but not least: Franco and Tom, also known as the Horde.  Franco is on the right, picking away at his mandolin.  They do a great bluegrass show, playing primarily original material written by both of them.  Their harmonies are twangy and fun, Franco's mando strumming is great, and I found myself singing along to some of the songs by the third show.  They've officially made a fan in me.

More to come!