Romancing the Summer Palace

Day 3 (Fri, 21 Nov 2008)

Today, we're visiting the Summer Palace. First built in 1750, the Summer Palace has somewhat of a dubious reputation as Empress Dowager Cixi supposedly embezzled funds from the Imperial Navy to reconstruct and expand this opulent garden and grounds for her own pleasure.

But you know, if she hadn't done that, we wouldn't have this beautiful World Heritage site to gawk at today. Because beautiful would be an understatement - the Summer Palace is stunning on a magnitude of 10/10. There are so many picture book spots in this garden that sprawls around a large, shimmering lake, like these scenes from the Garden of Harmonious Interests which features a group of pavilions around a small lake that had partially frozen over.


















You can basically spend the entire day just strolling around the Summer Palace. Weeping willows bloom throughout the gardens, providing natural soft focus and romantic frames for photos. On the right is a pic of the two-storey marble boat (yes, it's made from marble!) where Empress Cixi used to enjoy her breakfast while admiring the scenery. Talk about decadence.

Aside: we saw a couple of funny signs. These are less common since the Chinese spruced up their English for the Olympics but you still occasionally find them (the second one was in the gents).









Anyway, we spent just over two hours at the Summer Palace as it was another cold day. The kids were also hungry as it was already after 2pm (we'd had a late start). But when our driver drove us to look for a restaurant for lunch, we found many of them closed, as restaurants in China commonly close at 2pm and reopen for dinner.

We finally found one open - Little Sheep 小肥羊. This is part of a popular chain of Mongolian hotpot restaurants. We ordered a giant tray of mixed vegetables and tofu, as well as a large platter of beef and mutton. You cook the food in a pot of boiling soup (this comes in a variety of flavours, we chose the non-spicy tonic soup which was a concoction of herbs.)

Dig the meat platter!

On the way to the Summer Palace, we had passed by the Olympic Village, so we thought we'd take the opportunity to visit the vicinity on our way back, since we had the luxury of a driver that day. On the right is the Olympic Tower.

We took a stroll down the Bird's Nest Stadium - it really is as impressive as it seems on tv.

Even the lamps were designed to match! Way cute.

And the Water Cube. Very cool exterior, it looks like it's made up of iridescent water bubbles.

To top off that great day, Kenneth's friend who works in Beijing took us out for dinner at a Yunnan restaurant. I can't really tell you what his friend ordered but the spread was substantial - there was a soup, black fungus, smoked meat, fried potato pancake (that tasted like Swiss rosti), some kind of soup noodle, chicken, stir-fried mushrooms.

These are some of the pictures, but we didn't take photos of everything. I'm honestly glad we got to try a different type of cuisine as I'm usually game for a gastronomic adventure, but I'm not sure if we'll eat that again anytime soon. Not because it was bad - more because considering it's Chinese and all the ingredients were familiar, it all tasted strangely foreign! Goes to show how diverse and disparate the different Chinese communities are.

Up the truly great, Great Wall

Day 2 (Thurs, 20 Nov 2008)

Today, I'm going up the wall, literally. Of course I'm talking about the Great Wall (forgive bad pun). During my last visit, I went to Badaling which is the most visited portion of the Great Wall. One of Kenneth's friends who works in Beijing suggested we go to Mutianyu instead as it's less crowded and commercial.

My cousin helped procure a car and driver for the day and off we went. It took about an hour's drive to the Huairou town and another half hour drive up the mountains to Mutianyu. Not bad at all, considering it takes about the same amount of time to drive to Badaling. The drive was scenic although the trees were all bare. But there is a very stark and rugged sort of beauty that we city folk don't get to see very often.

At the foot of Mutianyu is a row of shops selling a multitude of souvenirs (Mao figurines next to panda t-shirts behind rows of woolly mufflers and hats, for the unprepared). There were a few of your usual touts but nothing like the rabble you'll find at Badaling.

Following Kenneth's friend's recommendation, we bought tickets for a cable car ride up and toboggan down. Or so we thought (we always seem to encounter problems at the ticket counters). The ticket said "Ropeway up, toboggan down". Ropeway should mean cable car, right? Apparently not. The cable car was run by another operator and the ticket booth was God knows where. Ropeway actually meant this chair lift (left). I went with Andre and it was terrifying because there was only a rail in front and I was so aware that he could easily slide under it. Call me paranoid but that ride took forever and it was a long way down.

But once we were up there, the view that greeted us was just mind-blowingly spectacular. The best part was that Mutianyu is not indundated by tourists, at many sections, we were the only people on the Wall. When you look at the expanse of the Wall, you just have to marvel at how it could possibly be built thousands of years ago before the advent of modern machinery (I know, I know, at the expense of thousands of lives buried beneath the stone).

Here are some shots.

We went up one of the watch towers where we had a gorgeous panoramic view of the Wall. On the left is a pic of the kids, showing how you climb up and down the watch tower. Imagine the soldiers used to stand here in the freezing cold guarding against the barbarians. I bet Emperor Qin Shi Huang is turning in his grave to know that the barbarians are trampling all over his precious Wall.

Some parts were very, very steep and only Kenneth dared to venture down for a photo (right). But for the most part, it was a pleasant walk. I think we walked about three sections before retracing our steps (as that's where the toboggan station is).

You know, of all the historical sights in Beijing, the Great Wall is one where I think I'll never get tired of visiting - it truly is a world wonder.

After we've taken in our fill of the Great Wall, it was time for Andre's favourite part of the visit - the toboggan ride. Ride up the Wall, slide down the Wall. The toboggan ride is like a luge - you sit on a sled-like apparatus and maneouver down a track. There's a lever where you can control your speed (if you're a real chicken, you just keep braking in which case you'll inch down the chute, although the people behind you probably won't be very pleased).

Andre LOVED it. He was too young to go alone so I had to sit with him. When we're approaching bends, I'd screech "Slow down!" but he'd feign deafness just to experience the whoosh! It's quite a long way down, more than five minutes and I have to admit, it's great fun. It's a clever way of introducing a little modern day thrill at an otherwise historical site.

After that wonderful experience, we stopped at Huairou for lunch. Huairou is basically a fishing town, trout being their specialty. Many restaurants line the main road, all serving trout and country fare. We stopped at one recommended by our driver.

We decided to try trout which was fished on the spot from the catchment area and whacked to death *shudder*. We could have our trout done in several ways so we chose barbecued and sashimi. Ever tried trout sashimi? It's superly sweet and oh so good. I don't want to think of the possible parasites in fresh water sashimi though... ah well, you only live once.

We also ordered a braised tofu, stir-fried veg and braised pork. The pork dish was called 紅燒肉 - it tastes like gong bao sauce without the chili, it's delicious. Everything was delicious. And cheap! I think the entire meal set us back less than S$30.

Satiated, we went back to my cousin's place to rest. We decided to call it a day. I think you know that in a cold climate, once you're nice and toasty indoors, it's such a chore to wrap up like mummies and wander out in the cold again. Furthermore, dinner was already prepared for us. You see, my cousin has an 阿姨 who comes in to clean, cook and look after her two cats when she's away (more about the cats later). A housekeeper of sorts, quite a common practice in Beijing.

Originally from Sichuan, the 阿姨 had quite taken to Andre and took it upon herself to cook up a storm for him. When she found out that he loves fried rice and fried chicken, she prepared these practically EVERYDAY. She heard him cough (he tends to have a persistent allergic cough) and the very next day, she prepared a pear tonic soup specially for him. (My cousin was a little miffed at this as she had been nursing a cough for three weeks and there never was any pear soup waiting for her!)

I noticed that when he was watching tv, the 阿姨 would often sit next to him and just watch him in fascination even though she couldn't understand his English. Aiyah, I don't know what is it about this boy, he just attracts all these aunties and grandmas like a magnet. But since we're all beneficiaries of his charm, I'm not complaining.

When in Peking, eat Peking duck

Day 1 Part 2 (Wed, 19 Nov 2008)

This is supposed to be a travel, not a food blog, but we are such foodies that the meals tend to be highlights in themselves.

Dinner on our first day in Beijing was memorable to say the least. My cousin brought us to DaDong – one of the most celebrated Peking duck restaurants in Beijing. To give you an idea of how popular it is, my cousin made reservations for 7pm and we didn’t get a table until 7.45pm. The place was teeming with well-dressed locals and westerners – everyone was patiently waiting for a table, no one dared to complain. The restaurant is so overbooked that you’re lucky if you can get them to accept a reservation. This is practically unheard of in Beijing where new restaurants spring up everyday and the clientele is as fickle as the wind, in a city where gastronomic choices beckon at every corner.

At the waiting area of the restaurant, you can see an army of chefs behind a glass window roasting a factory line of ducks, at a large kiln.

We were starving by the time we got a table and if you weren’t overwhelmed yet, you would be when you saw the menu. A luxurious coffee table style book as thick as a telephone directory is presented to you – the menu. Every page has the name of a dish with a glossy picture – great for non Chinese-speaking westerners. Yet despite its western-friendliness, the food was distinctly Chinese, unlike the fakey stuff some of the fusion restaurants try to pull off. The restaurant regularly adds new, innovative dishes, such is the ingenuity of Chef Dong, the owner of the restaurant.

Of course we ordered the Peking duck – two in fact. According to my cousin and her friend who had joined us for dinner, this was the place with the best Peking duck. This is no idle boast. The duck, perfectly and freshly roasted, was carved in front of us and a waitress demonstrated the three ways of eating it – dipped in sugar, wrapped in skin with spring onion, or stuffed in 烧饼 (sesame biscuit) with radish and cucumber.

The duck was exquisite. I cannot say more. The skin was thin, crisp and without a drop of grease. The meat was tender, moist and soooo yummy. Each duck yielded two plates of duck (as in pic below) and I think one entire plate was consumed by Andre practically alone! He loved dipping it in sugar the most, and he unceremoniously licked the sugar off the plate.

We also ordered a rich, eggy tofu soup with chestnuts, mushrooms with goose liver, stir fried bamboo shoots, and another meat dish that I cannot, for the life of me, remember what. But it was all scrumptious.

My cousin's friend and colleague is a warm and incredibly hospitable person. She bought dinner, in fact. Great company, great food. No better welcome than this!

My cousin took home the two duck carcasses - duck porridge tomorrow!

The formidable Forbidden City

Day 1 Part 1 (Wed, 19 Nov 2008)

We had a leisurely start to the day since we’d only arrived in Beijing late last night. By the time we reached the apartment that my cousin (who’s hosting us) stays in, washed up, eaten some supper (we’re always hungry on holidays and our holiday had barely begun!) and went to bed, it was already 1.30am in the morning.

It’s wonderful to stay with family when you’re on holiday. Just a little aside, my cousin has been working with an MNC in Beijing for over 10 years. She stays in this super posh apartment within the city. This is the second time I’m staying with her, but the first time with my family. Thanks to her, we’re enjoying this terrific last-minute holiday. Thanks, 大姐!

When we woke up, breakfast was waiting for us. See? Perks! A quick call to the concierge (told you it was a posh place) and we had a taxi waiting for us to take us to Forbidden City which was to be our first tourist attraction. Enroute, Kenneth asked the cab driver which part of Forbidden City would be most interesting to children and the driver replied bluntly, “Nothing in Forbidden City is interesting to children!” There you go. Forbidden City wasn’t very far from the apartment but it still took us 45 mins due to the horrendous Beijing traffic. Here, hordes of cars, bikes and people move in multiple directions all at the same time - I've seen mothers fearlessly push their babies in strollers in front of oncoming traffic, forcing vehicles to screech to a halt or swerve to avoid them. Not for the faint-hearted.

We dropped at Tiananmen Square, but apart from the infamous incident years back, it wasn’t too interesting. Let me remind you that we are generally a theme-park kind of family, so the fact that we’re in Beijing is already a great leap of cultural faith – don’t expect any historical narratives of the trip.

What lodged in my memory more was the fact that it was COLD. Everyone had warned us it would be so, so we were dressed appropriately, but still… the winds were so cutting it took my breath away. I think it was only about 6 degrees but by golly, 6 degrees in Tokyo is a walk in the park compared to 6 degrees in Beijing! We were wearing about 3 layers each including down feather overcoats but it was still barely enough. We all wore woollen gloves but we had to keep wriggling our fingers to keep them from hurting. How on earth do the Beijing-ers take it? This is just the beginning of winter!

For most of the trip, Andre was dressed in what I call the Michelin Man look. He looked pretty funny but it kept him warm.

Anyway, we finally reached the entrance of the Forbidden City and were immediately hounded by swarms of touts who kept trying to lure us AWAY from the attraction, saying the main areas were under renovation and wouldn’t we prefer to have a day trip to Great Wall/ Summer Palace/xxx, guide included for only RMB xxx? After fending off a few of these, we bought tickets to what we thought was entry to the Forbidden City only to realise later that they were entrance tickets to one of the side attractions! Aiyoh… it was like an obstacle course, you had to navigate a series of ticket booths before you get to the one selling the actual tickets to the Forbidden City.

After returning the wrong tickets and buying the right ones, we finally entered the gates – and formidable gates they are too. I first visited Forbidden City three years ago when I was in Beijing, so it wasn’t quite as wow this time (that time, I was so awe-struck I stood stock-still every few steps just gaping). I can’t think of a way to describe it that would do it justice – it’s just magnificent. Here was where the emperor would live with his hundreds of concubines, thousands of eunuchs, generals, etc etc. It was a gilded cage on the grandest scale.

Again, I’m no historian, so any descriptions on this blog are purely from scant notes that we made from hurried web research before the trip. What amused my kids were the names of the halls and gates which sounded perfectly fine in Chinese but in English were totally grandious and hysterical. Like after we pass the Gate of Supreme Harmony, we come to the Hall of Supreme Harmony (where the Emperor performs the most important ceremonies), followed by the Hall of Complete Harmony (where the Emperor prepared for important rituals) followed by the Hall of Preserving Harmony (where the Ming Emperors changed their robes).

This courtyard just after the Gate of Supreme Harmony was where the panoramic scene of The Last Emperor was filmed.


Lesley-Anne and I had a fun time joking about what would happen if the Emperor was fickle about his wardrobe and the sedan bearers had to keep ferrying him to and fro the Hall of Preserving Harmony between his performing ceremonies and preparing for rituals. There was also the Hall of Abstinence, the Hall of Benevolence, the Palace of Concentrated Beauty. And these were just the ones we passed by, there were many, many more that we missed. (The Forbidden City is 1km by 1km in size, visiting all the halls and palaces was just impossible. Ok, impossible if you are a Philistine with two kids.)

Anyway, after you’ve seen the 8th hall, it starts to look the same. (Again, Philistine!) I started making up names of Halls, like the Hall of Absolute Boredom and the Hall of Extreme Yellowness (inspired by Andre’s outfit).

By then, the kids were pretty restless although to their credit, they didn’t complain. It was also cold. So we just made a few half-hearted explorations down unending corridors before ending up at the Imperial Garden near the exit.

It's very pretty with many picturesque spots and willow trees. There’s also the Hill of Accumulated Elegance where the Pavilion of Imperial Scenery sits (right pic), apparently a favourite lookout for the Emperor and his whole ching gang during festive occasions.

Exit the Forbidden City, cultural quota hit for the day! Time for lunch – kids perked up. We took a short cab ride to a restaurant recommended by my cousin. It's called 天地 一家 (no English name, sorry.)

It’s quite fancy with a koi pond and delicate yellow umbrellas as its signature décor. It was pretty pricey too. Kenneth and I ordered tie guan yin tea, not realising it costs RMB38 (S$8.50) each! But it is super grade tea - very refreshing, and no bitter aftertaste whatsoever. Look at the tea leaves! The food was scrumptious, even if a tad oily (like most Beijing food tend to be). We had some sliced Japanese pork (very tender), a crispy roast chicken (very crispy, Andre loved this!) with a bean sauce, and a dish of four types of seasonal vegetables.

Then it was a cab ride back to the apartment and a rest until dinner which so deserves its own post, so stay tuned!