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CHINA

Thomas Barnard
Contents

3 Chronology
4 Beijing
20 Details
22 Great Wall
24 Sacred Way & Ming Tombs
26 Xi’an
35 Parks
36 Inner Mongolia, Hohhot
42 Inner Mongolia, Grasslands
44 Friends
46 Dining
48 Transportation
50 Shopping
52 Beijing Foreign Studies University and Miscellany
54 Dispatches

Photography
Thomas Barnard
Sharon Herene
Peter Tupa

Cover: Black Bamboo


Park, Beijing
Contents

3 Chronology
4 Beijing
20 Details
22 Great Wall
24 Sacred Way & Ming Tombs
26 Xi’an
35 Parks
36 Inner Mongolia, Hohhot
42 Inner Mongolia, Grasslands
44 Friends
46 Dining
48 Transportation
50 Shopping
52 Beijing Foreign Studies University and Miscellany
54 Dispatches

Photography
Thomas Barnard
Sharon Herene
Peter Tupa

Cover: Black Bamboo


Park, Beijing
Chronology

MAY 23 JUNE 3
Arrive in Beijing Shopping: Liulicheng, Dazhalan
Jie, Observatory, long march to
May 24
Schlotzky’s, dust storm
Summer Palace
JUNE 4
MAY 25
TB plays a little volleyball, tour
TB tries 1,000 year egg.
of Hutongs, Prince Gong’s House
Shopping for sinus medicine at
department store pharmacy, JUNE 5
Forbidden City Canal boat ride to Summer
Palace, more shopping at the
MAY 26
Friendship store, Silk Market,
First bus ride, subway trip to
TB gets a haircut
Friendship Store. Temple of
Heaven, Pearl Market. Buy JUNE 6
Emily’s working girl ceramic. Minorities University,
SH shopping, TB Black Bamboo
MAY 27
Park
Yonghe Gong Lamasery,
Train to Hohhot (soft sleeper)
Confucius House, Korean dinner,
more 1,000 year eggs, whole JUNE 7
squid, canal walk at night Breakfast: TB eats lamb’s
stomach stew and milk tea.
MAY 28
Hohhot tour, lamasery, lunch:
Shopping Liulicheng antique
Mongolian hot pot, elementary
market. Tea house, SH plays Go,
school, dinner: Sorghum “wine”
walk to pizza place through
with “bull penis”
“real” Beijing
JUNE 8
MAY 29
Breakfast TB tries chicken feet,
Great Wall, Ming Tombs,
bus ride to Grasslands, horse
Sacred Way, adults-only dinner
ride, overnight in cement yurt
MAY 30
JUNE 9
Beijing Zoo, Dumplings at Mr.
Old road to Hohhot, Hohhot
Jiang’s apartment, Beijing Opera
history museum, train to Beijing
MAY 31 (soft sleeper)
Train to Xi’an (soft sleeper)
JUNE 10
JUNE 1 Children’s Day Shopping at Sporting goods
Xi’an tour, Banpo neolithic market for suitcase. Beihai Park,
village, baths, terracotta White Pagoda, last taxi ride
warriors, pulled noodles for
JUNE 11
lunch
Depart for Cleveland
JUNE 2
Xi’an city wall, Big Goose
Pagoda, jade factory, drive
through Muslim quarter, train
(hard sleeper) to Beijing
Chronology

MAY 23 JUNE 3
Arrive in Beijing Shopping: Liulicheng, Dazhalan
Jie, Observatory, long march to
May 24
Schlotzky’s, dust storm
Summer Palace
JUNE 4
MAY 25
TB plays a little volleyball, tour
TB tries 1,000 year egg.
of Hutongs, Prince Gong’s House
Shopping for sinus medicine at
department store pharmacy, JUNE 5
Forbidden City Canal boat ride to Summer
Palace, more shopping at the
MAY 26
Friendship store, Silk Market,
First bus ride, subway trip to
TB gets a haircut
Friendship Store. Temple of
Heaven, Pearl Market. Buy JUNE 6
Emily’s working girl ceramic. Minorities University,
SH shopping, TB Black Bamboo
MAY 27
Park
Yonghe Gong Lamasery,
Train to Hohhot (soft sleeper)
Confucius House, Korean dinner,
more 1,000 year eggs, whole JUNE 7
squid, canal walk at night Breakfast: TB eats lamb’s
stomach stew and milk tea.
MAY 28
Hohhot tour, lamasery, lunch:
Shopping Liulicheng antique
Mongolian hot pot, elementary
market. Tea house, SH plays Go,
school, dinner: Sorghum “wine”
walk to pizza place through
with “bull penis”
“real” Beijing
JUNE 8
MAY 29
Breakfast TB tries chicken feet,
Great Wall, Ming Tombs,
bus ride to Grasslands, horse
Sacred Way, adults-only dinner
ride, overnight in cement yurt
MAY 30
JUNE 9
Beijing Zoo, Dumplings at Mr.
Old road to Hohhot, Hohhot
Jiang’s apartment, Beijing Opera
history museum, train to Beijing
MAY 31 (soft sleeper)
Train to Xi’an (soft sleeper)
JUNE 10
JUNE 1 Children’s Day Shopping at Sporting goods
Xi’an tour, Banpo neolithic market for suitcase. Beihai Park,
village, baths, terracotta White Pagoda, last taxi ride
warriors, pulled noodles for
JUNE 11
lunch
Depart for Cleveland
JUNE 2
Xi’an city wall, Big Goose
Pagoda, jade factory, drive
through Muslim quarter, train
(hard sleeper) to Beijing
Summer Palace, Beijing 4 5
Summer Palace, Beijing 4 5
Forbidden City, Beijing 6 7
Forbidden City, Beijing 6 7
Temple of Heaven, Beijing 8 9
Temple of Heaven, Beijing 8 9
Yonghe Gong Buddhist Temple, Beijing 10 11
Yonghe Gong Buddhist Temple, Beijing 10 11
Confucius House, Beijing 12 Beijing Zoo 13
Confucius House, Beijing 12 Beijing Zoo 13
Beihai Park, Beijing 14 15
Beihai Park, Beijing 14 15
Black Bamboo Park, Beijing 16 Beijing Observatory 17
Black Bamboo Park, Beijing 16 Beijing Observatory 17
Beijing Hutongs 18 Prince Gong’s House, Beijing 19
Beijing Hutongs 18 Prince Gong’s House, Beijing 19
Details 20 21
Details 20 21
Great Wall 22 23
Great Wall 22 23
Sacred Way & Ming Tombs 24 25
Sacred Way & Ming Tombs 24 25
Xi’an Warriors 26 27
Xi’an Warriors 26 27
Xi’an Warrior Museum 28 29
Xi’an Warrior Museum 28 29
Xi’an Hot Spring Baths 30 31
Xi’an Hot Spring Baths 30 31
Xi’an Big Goose Pagoda 32 33
Xi’an Big Goose Pagoda 32 33
Xi’an City Wall and Warrior Reproduction Center 34 Parks 35
Xi’an City Wall and Warrior Reproduction Center 34 Parks 35
Inner Mongolia, Hohhot Museum 36 Hohhot’s Oldest Mosque 37
Inner Mongolia, Hohhot Museum 36 Hohhot’s Oldest Mosque 37
Hohhot Lamasery 38 39
Hohhot Lamasery 38 39
Hohhot School 40 Old Road to Hohhot (from Grasslands) 41
Hohhot School 40 Old Road to Hohhot (from Grasslands) 41
Grasslands, Inner Mongolia 42 43
Grasslands, Inner Mongolia 42 43
Friends 44 45
Friends 44 45
Dining 46 47
Dining 46 47
Transportation 48 49
Transportation 48 49
Shopping 50 51
Shopping 50 51
Beijing Foreign Studies University and miscellany 52 53
Beijing Foreign Studies University and miscellany 52 53
Dispatches 54 55

From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 5:18 AM Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2002 10:08 AM Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 5:47 AM Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 1:18 AM
Subject: Ni hao! from the Chinese tourists Subject: May 26 China update Subject: May 29 - Beijing Subject: China May 31

Hello everybody. We have arrived after several long but unadventur- Hello! Cheap! Hello! Cheap! Buy? you want to buy? “Now that’s a Great Wall” About to leave for Xi’an where the 7,000+ life-size, terracotta war-
ous flights. Today it’s very hot but the breeze is refreshing. Left the -Richard Nixon riors are being unearthed. We’ll have a chance to see the countryside
university where we are staying and traveled 1/2 hour to the Summer That’s how we are greeted on most of our field trips. Went to the de- on our 14 hour train trip southwest.
Palace on the edge of the city where the emperors would retreat dur- partment store and Forbidden City yesterday. Today we took a Its not only a great wall, but a steep wall. The most aggressive souve-
ing the summer months. Perfectly situated on the principles of ‘feng jammed bus and a pleasant subway ride to the Friendship store, nir hawkers to date corner and strong arm you at every opportunity. Still very hot here—95 degrees yesterday and nearly as warm today.
shui’ for harmony and beauty. A large lake is surrounded by lovely Pearl Market, and the Temple of Heaven. As with any tourist destina- The Beijing Zoo was nicely shaded and we saw extremely large ti-
old buildings and bridges that have wonderful views. A canal wends tion their are Japanese tourists everywhere taking pictures. Last night the leaders wimped out and we went for pizza. Corn and gers, non-African lion cubs, gorilla, chimps, alligators, and snakes.
it way from the palace to the Forbidden city. The entourage would hot peppers with practically no tomato sauce. Tom made a special impression on the Malayan tapir—4 feet tall,
take the annual pilgrimage with much fanfare, except nobody was We’ve been bartering for a few things while here. I learned the num- with white and black panda spots. It ‘sprayed’ Tom on the knees
actually allowed to look at the emperor. Canal is still there. bers 0-99 pretty well and when the negotiating gets tough, I surprise This week we are having classroom presentations by professors at the while marking it’s territory. We also watched the pandas. One lazily
the stalwarts by bidding in Chinese. school. Yesterday’s professor spoke on the single child policy. He rolled from front scratching positions to its back—doing a wonderful
We joined a group of Australian birding tourists as they sought an spent time in the states and lived in Mt. Vernon, Washington (about impression of a panda rug. The other reminded us of Momcat with its
Indian cuckoos across the canal where Chinese lazily fished nearby. The meals are fabulously cheap. Dinner last night, hot pot, was $1.25 20 minutes from where my grandfather lived, well north of Seattle). strong interest in possible food behind the door.
The buildings offered nice places to rest and take in the architectural each. Tonight we spent a fortune, $9 for both of us. As for experimen- The previous evening we had dinner with another prof. from
details. tation, I’ve been pretty adventurous: thousand year egg soup for LaConner, Washington. The exact same town where grandpa resided. Tom washed his knees and in the evening we saw scenes of the
breakfast—egg is soaked in (you don’t want to know) so that it turns The other presentation was about high school and college entrance Beijing Opera. While the singing and face paint are very stylized, the
Already had exciting bus rides and long walks through our end of black. It was mostly rice soup with a goopy base. Tonight we had a examinations in China’s school systems. acrobatics and costumes are amazing. It’s easy to see where Circque
town. New buildings going up that reminds us of Arlington VA 10 whole fish that was fantastic and calamari soup with whole, tiny du Soliel picked up the idea for some of their acts, costumes and
years ago—a bustling spreading metropolis including one right next squid; and I mean whole! We declined on frog, and found out after- Its 80+ every day. Heat is wearing everybody down, not to mention make-up.
to our room. They work noisily until midnight and then continue arc wards that they also served shark’s fin. Mostly we’ve had rice and the 24-hour hi-rise construction immediately outside our window.
welding through the night—it’s like a lightning storm without noodle dishes, which are quite good. Only a couple times have dishes Toilets now working and getting plenty of it, but we are holding up Tom practiced his dumpling-making skills with the Hiram students at
thunder. showed up laden with red peppers which we pick off. OK. Hot water has been restored too. the home of our Chinese tour director. The students are quick studies
but Tom needs more practice.
Sharon and Tom Coffee is nonexistent except at the Forbidden City which has a *$. Tom and Sharon
Sometimes you see espresso on the menu, but its vending machine Sharon and Tom
style, no thanks. Chrysanthemum tea was served with our pricey din-
ner. Otherwise we get run-of the mill green tea. We’ll attend a serious PS. Attached is a photo of a few members of our group at the Great
tea ceremony and taste real top notch teas on Tuesday night. Wall courtesy of Peter Tupa

Weather has been in the high 80s everyday, sunny and dusty. Lots of
sunscreen.

Today our toilet failed. Tank refused to fill and drained all over the
floor. Not to worry, there’s a drain in the center of the bathroom. The
hot water was shut down Saturday night, so the bathroom always
seems to be the center of our attention. You can’t drink tap water
here, so every room and everyone has a large thermos. There’s a
boiled water machine next door. We fill up and dump it in the sink to
cover for us until the running water is returns. The plumber did show
up and fix the toilet promptly.

Walking is taking its toll. Sharon has a tender foot (sort of like a
bruise she says). I have yet to get on a bicycle—they are everywhere
in every possible configuration carry all kinds of loads. Problem here
is that there is no established right of way. Cars, trucks, bikes, peds,
and busses are all exactly equal (the only socialist doctrine we have
seen in practice) so everyone crosses the intersection or turns at ex-
actly the same time whether you are in the way or not. Lots of horn
tooting to scare peds back on the curb and get bikes out of the way.
Our cabbie even straddled the painted line on the road because cars
encroached on him from both sides. No fender benders yet.

A new adventure waits tomorrow.


Tom (and Sharon, who’s back in our room elevating her foot)
Dispatches 54 55

From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 5:18 AM Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2002 10:08 AM Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 5:47 AM Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 1:18 AM
Subject: Ni hao! from the Chinese tourists Subject: May 26 China update Subject: May 29 - Beijing Subject: China May 31

Hello everybody. We have arrived after several long but unadventur- Hello! Cheap! Hello! Cheap! Buy? you want to buy? “Now that’s a Great Wall” About to leave for Xi’an where the 7,000+ life-size, terracotta war-
ous flights. Today it’s very hot but the breeze is refreshing. Left the -Richard Nixon riors are being unearthed. We’ll have a chance to see the countryside
university where we are staying and traveled 1/2 hour to the Summer That’s how we are greeted on most of our field trips. Went to the de- on our 14 hour train trip southwest.
Palace on the edge of the city where the emperors would retreat dur- partment store and Forbidden City yesterday. Today we took a Its not only a great wall, but a steep wall. The most aggressive souve-
ing the summer months. Perfectly situated on the principles of ‘feng jammed bus and a pleasant subway ride to the Friendship store, nir hawkers to date corner and strong arm you at every opportunity. Still very hot here—95 degrees yesterday and nearly as warm today.
shui’ for harmony and beauty. A large lake is surrounded by lovely Pearl Market, and the Temple of Heaven. As with any tourist destina- The Beijing Zoo was nicely shaded and we saw extremely large ti-
old buildings and bridges that have wonderful views. A canal wends tion their are Japanese tourists everywhere taking pictures. Last night the leaders wimped out and we went for pizza. Corn and gers, non-African lion cubs, gorilla, chimps, alligators, and snakes.
it way from the palace to the Forbidden city. The entourage would hot peppers with practically no tomato sauce. Tom made a special impression on the Malayan tapir—4 feet tall,
take the annual pilgrimage with much fanfare, except nobody was We’ve been bartering for a few things while here. I learned the num- with white and black panda spots. It ‘sprayed’ Tom on the knees
actually allowed to look at the emperor. Canal is still there. bers 0-99 pretty well and when the negotiating gets tough, I surprise This week we are having classroom presentations by professors at the while marking it’s territory. We also watched the pandas. One lazily
the stalwarts by bidding in Chinese. school. Yesterday’s professor spoke on the single child policy. He rolled from front scratching positions to its back—doing a wonderful
We joined a group of Australian birding tourists as they sought an spent time in the states and lived in Mt. Vernon, Washington (about impression of a panda rug. The other reminded us of Momcat with its
Indian cuckoos across the canal where Chinese lazily fished nearby. The meals are fabulously cheap. Dinner last night, hot pot, was $1.25 20 minutes from where my grandfather lived, well north of Seattle). strong interest in possible food behind the door.
The buildings offered nice places to rest and take in the architectural each. Tonight we spent a fortune, $9 for both of us. As for experimen- The previous evening we had dinner with another prof. from
details. tation, I’ve been pretty adventurous: thousand year egg soup for LaConner, Washington. The exact same town where grandpa resided. Tom washed his knees and in the evening we saw scenes of the
breakfast—egg is soaked in (you don’t want to know) so that it turns The other presentation was about high school and college entrance Beijing Opera. While the singing and face paint are very stylized, the
Already had exciting bus rides and long walks through our end of black. It was mostly rice soup with a goopy base. Tonight we had a examinations in China’s school systems. acrobatics and costumes are amazing. It’s easy to see where Circque
town. New buildings going up that reminds us of Arlington VA 10 whole fish that was fantastic and calamari soup with whole, tiny du Soliel picked up the idea for some of their acts, costumes and
years ago—a bustling spreading metropolis including one right next squid; and I mean whole! We declined on frog, and found out after- Its 80+ every day. Heat is wearing everybody down, not to mention make-up.
to our room. They work noisily until midnight and then continue arc wards that they also served shark’s fin. Mostly we’ve had rice and the 24-hour hi-rise construction immediately outside our window.
welding through the night—it’s like a lightning storm without noodle dishes, which are quite good. Only a couple times have dishes Toilets now working and getting plenty of it, but we are holding up Tom practiced his dumpling-making skills with the Hiram students at
thunder. showed up laden with red peppers which we pick off. OK. Hot water has been restored too. the home of our Chinese tour director. The students are quick studies
but Tom needs more practice.
Sharon and Tom Coffee is nonexistent except at the Forbidden City which has a *$. Tom and Sharon
Sometimes you see espresso on the menu, but its vending machine Sharon and Tom
style, no thanks. Chrysanthemum tea was served with our pricey din-
ner. Otherwise we get run-of the mill green tea. We’ll attend a serious PS. Attached is a photo of a few members of our group at the Great
tea ceremony and taste real top notch teas on Tuesday night. Wall courtesy of Peter Tupa

Weather has been in the high 80s everyday, sunny and dusty. Lots of
sunscreen.

Today our toilet failed. Tank refused to fill and drained all over the
floor. Not to worry, there’s a drain in the center of the bathroom. The
hot water was shut down Saturday night, so the bathroom always
seems to be the center of our attention. You can’t drink tap water
here, so every room and everyone has a large thermos. There’s a
boiled water machine next door. We fill up and dump it in the sink to
cover for us until the running water is returns. The plumber did show
up and fix the toilet promptly.

Walking is taking its toll. Sharon has a tender foot (sort of like a
bruise she says). I have yet to get on a bicycle—they are everywhere
in every possible configuration carry all kinds of loads. Problem here
is that there is no established right of way. Cars, trucks, bikes, peds,
and busses are all exactly equal (the only socialist doctrine we have
seen in practice) so everyone crosses the intersection or turns at ex-
actly the same time whether you are in the way or not. Lots of horn
tooting to scare peds back on the curb and get bikes out of the way.
Our cabbie even straddled the painted line on the road because cars
encroached on him from both sides. No fender benders yet.

A new adventure waits tomorrow.


Tom (and Sharon, who’s back in our room elevating her foot)
56 57

From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 11:44 PM Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 5:34 AM Sent: Friday, June 14, 2002 3:37 PM Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 10:44 AM
Subject: China Travels June 4 Subject: June 6 Beijing Subject: June 14 | Cleveland Subject: June 17 | Final dispatch

We have returned from Xi’an (the original capitol of China for centu- June 6 Beijing We are home. The contractor has started work on our bathroom Our China photos are in. We’ve been showing them off over the week-
ries), and now famously home of 6,000 life size terracotta soldiers and (stripped down to the studs), our street is under repair, our water is end and have answered many questions. It seems that everyone en-
6,000 shopping opportunities. We had a hired tour guide who spoke Our trip is slowly winding down. No more huge tourist attractions on connected by hose to the fire hydrant. This morning we had no water. joyed the story of the Tapir, so by popular demand, a retelling (with
English very well and with great confidence. He would lead us to a the itinerary. We traipsed through the hutongs on Tuesday (a block of Just like Beijing. photo attached!)
technology center before the site visit so that we would learn how homes surrounding courtyards—part of old Beijing that is quickly
soldiers were made or how jade was carved and then gave us unlim- being destroyed to build hi-rise apartments). Here are some early returns from the digital camera collection. “...Tom made a special impression on the Malayan tapir—4 feet tall,
ited time to buy, buy, buy. This would be followed by a short visit to with white and black panda spots. It ‘sprayed’ Tom on the knees
the main attraction followed by more free time in the shopping venue. We had tea at Prince Gong’s residence (father of last emperor) which Tom and Sharon while marking it’s territory...”
was surreal. The walls were painted to look like bamboo. The or- Cleveland OH
The soldiers and their building were impressive. The first few ranks nately decorated period room boomed with the techno-beat and the From Tapir.org
are complete and in formation. The rear guard are still being un- servers were wearing tube tops. All four were actually sleeping when Although tapirs are often mistaken for pigs and anteaters, they’re in
earthed. There are archers, generals, footmen, horses, etc. all defend- we first walked in. By the time we left, soft pop was on the PA and the odd-toed hooved animal family (perissodactyls), as are the horse
ing the emperor’s tomb. Each sculpture has unique facial features, the servers slipped into traditional garb. and rhinoceros. All four species of tapir are endangered. The Malay
individually carved to represent an actual person. The site was dis- tapir is native to Asia, where its natural enemies are the tiger and
covered by a farmer digging a well in the 1970s. The farm was shut Yesterday, We took a boat ride down the emperor’s canal to the Sum- man. The largest tapir, the Malay tapir weighs up to 800 pounds. It
down by the state, and became a huge dig. The farmer was given a mer Palace and enjoyed a picnic on the shores of an immense man- also has the most dramatic coloration, with black shoulders, head,
job as a celebrity. He now signs books for tourists in the gift shop. He made lake. At the palace we visited the largest ancient theater in and legs and a white band around the body.
signed our copy China (anything before the founding of the Republic in 1911 is an-
cient). We were able to review spectacular opera costumes up close If you see a tapir lounging on a hot day, you might think it is slothful.
We travelled by train which rivaled Amtrak (except the food was too (no photos allowed). However, in motion, tapirs are fast and agile, and they also swim
spicy). well. Tapirs in captivity sometimes have violent tantrums...
We spent the late afternoon in the silk market haggling for the best
possible price on “Gortex/NorthFace” rain gear. After a lot of grimac- http://www.tapir.org/about_tapir.html
Tom and Sharon ing and walking away, we got the price of the parka down from ¥450
to ¥150 ($19 USD). Tom and Sharon
Cleveland OH
After dinner, we were looking for something to do when Sharon spot-
ted a barber’s pole. “Tom you need a haircut!” To our party’s delight I
agreed to have a ¥10 cut ($1.25). The barber was quite confident and
did a good job. He was very tentative on how short to cut the top, but
we kept encouraging him. A couple of his staff sat behind me and
watched, others—with customers—kept stealing glances. At the end,
the barber (college age, blonde highlights, tight shirt, and tight pants)
gave everyone the OK sign.

Tonight we take the train to Inner Mongolia, we’ll be there all week-
end. So we won’t have access to the internet café at the school until
we return Monday.

Tom and Sharon


Beijing Foreign Studies University
56 57

From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard From: Tom Barnard
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 11:44 PM Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 5:34 AM Sent: Friday, June 14, 2002 3:37 PM Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 10:44 AM
Subject: China Travels June 4 Subject: June 6 Beijing Subject: June 14 | Cleveland Subject: June 17 | Final dispatch

We have returned from Xi’an (the original capitol of China for centu- June 6 Beijing We are home. The contractor has started work on our bathroom Our China photos are in. We’ve been showing them off over the week-
ries), and now famously home of 6,000 life size terracotta soldiers and (stripped down to the studs), our street is under repair, our water is end and have answered many questions. It seems that everyone en-
6,000 shopping opportunities. We had a hired tour guide who spoke Our trip is slowly winding down. No more huge tourist attractions on connected by hose to the fire hydrant. This morning we had no water. joyed the story of the Tapir, so by popular demand, a retelling (with
English very well and with great confidence. He would lead us to a the itinerary. We traipsed through the hutongs on Tuesday (a block of Just like Beijing. photo attached!)
technology center before the site visit so that we would learn how homes surrounding courtyards—part of old Beijing that is quickly
soldiers were made or how jade was carved and then gave us unlim- being destroyed to build hi-rise apartments). Here are some early returns from the digital camera collection. “...Tom made a special impression on the Malayan tapir—4 feet tall,
ited time to buy, buy, buy. This would be followed by a short visit to with white and black panda spots. It ‘sprayed’ Tom on the knees
the main attraction followed by more free time in the shopping venue. We had tea at Prince Gong’s residence (father of last emperor) which Tom and Sharon while marking it’s territory...”
was surreal. The walls were painted to look like bamboo. The or- Cleveland OH
The soldiers and their building were impressive. The first few ranks nately decorated period room boomed with the techno-beat and the From Tapir.org
are complete and in formation. The rear guard are still being un- servers were wearing tube tops. All four were actually sleeping when Although tapirs are often mistaken for pigs and anteaters, they’re in
earthed. There are archers, generals, footmen, horses, etc. all defend- we first walked in. By the time we left, soft pop was on the PA and the odd-toed hooved animal family (perissodactyls), as are the horse
ing the emperor’s tomb. Each sculpture has unique facial features, the servers slipped into traditional garb. and rhinoceros. All four species of tapir are endangered. The Malay
individually carved to represent an actual person. The site was dis- tapir is native to Asia, where its natural enemies are the tiger and
covered by a farmer digging a well in the 1970s. The farm was shut Yesterday, We took a boat ride down the emperor’s canal to the Sum- man. The largest tapir, the Malay tapir weighs up to 800 pounds. It
down by the state, and became a huge dig. The farmer was given a mer Palace and enjoyed a picnic on the shores of an immense man- also has the most dramatic coloration, with black shoulders, head,
job as a celebrity. He now signs books for tourists in the gift shop. He made lake. At the palace we visited the largest ancient theater in and legs and a white band around the body.
signed our copy China (anything before the founding of the Republic in 1911 is an-
cient). We were able to review spectacular opera costumes up close If you see a tapir lounging on a hot day, you might think it is slothful.
We travelled by train which rivaled Amtrak (except the food was too (no photos allowed). However, in motion, tapirs are fast and agile, and they also swim
spicy). well. Tapirs in captivity sometimes have violent tantrums...
We spent the late afternoon in the silk market haggling for the best
possible price on “Gortex/NorthFace” rain gear. After a lot of grimac- http://www.tapir.org/about_tapir.html
Tom and Sharon ing and walking away, we got the price of the parka down from ¥450
to ¥150 ($19 USD). Tom and Sharon
Cleveland OH
After dinner, we were looking for something to do when Sharon spot-
ted a barber’s pole. “Tom you need a haircut!” To our party’s delight I
agreed to have a ¥10 cut ($1.25). The barber was quite confident and
did a good job. He was very tentative on how short to cut the top, but
we kept encouraging him. A couple of his staff sat behind me and
watched, others—with customers—kept stealing glances. At the end,
the barber (college age, blonde highlights, tight shirt, and tight pants)
gave everyone the OK sign.

Tonight we take the train to Inner Mongolia, we’ll be there all week-
end. So we won’t have access to the internet café at the school until
we return Monday.

Tom and Sharon


Beijing Foreign Studies University
58 59

CHINA

Thomas Barnard
58 59

CHINA

Thomas Barnard

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