The old Summer Palace is very close to Peking University, so we walked there. There are two major differences between the old Summer Palace and the New Summer Palace:
1) The new one's architecture is strictly Chinese in nature, while the old one also included several buildings that reflected Western architecture (and which were, designed by Jesuits - those clever fellows).
2) The new one still has most of its buildings standing while the old one was blasted in 1860 by the British and the French during the Second Opium war (The museum has become a kind of symbol to the Chinese of foreign aggression). So while, as you saw in my earlier post, you can walk around and enjoy the New Palace in the way it was enjoyed by the last Emperor of China, you can only walk around the Old Palace ruins (which looks a bit like the Roman Forum) and try and imagine how magnificent it must have looked.
This place also had a place where you could dress up in imperial togs and get your picture taken. This child looked far more regal in his robes than i did in mine:
One of the treats of the Old Palace is this stone maze that somehow escaped the fate that met the buildings just to the east of it:
I would have liked this maze more if the walls were higher and the way in more difficult, but this was one of those "all roads lead to Rome" sort of mazes. I guess I'd have preferred a hedge maze to stone as well; however, in light of the demolishment of the once grand structures, I was going to cut this little maze some slack. Apparently at night on special occasions, girls who were part of the court would run through the maze with lanterns and guests of the emperor would rush in after them, using the light to guide them to the center pavilion. Along the way, there were some nice trees planted at various points. Here is one such tree creating its own maze of branches:
And here are some pictures of the ruins. Each one had a plaque in front of it with an etched brass plate showing what the building once looked like, but these were difficult to photograph (and to see, for that matter, given the sun's glare on the brass):
The Old Summer Palace was my last sightseeing place in Beijing. After bidding my parents an early farewell at customs at the Beijing Airport the next morning, I was on my way back to Seoul for a couple of days. I'd gotten to the airport super-early as we were concerned about traffic - it was the last day of holiday. Fortunately, I was able to catch an earlier flight to Seoul, so I didn't have to sit around so long. A note about airlines. This whole trip I flew on the Korean Asiana Airlines and I have to say that this airlines is one of the most efficient, hassle-free airlines I've ever had the good pleasure of flying with. Highly recommended.
Back in Seoul, I decided to go to a Korean Folk Village on the outskirts of town - this required a long bus ride, followed by a long walk, but the village was one of the nicest I'd been to:
I guess a lot of South Korean period films are set here - they were filming while I was there - here's a gang of actors waiting to go on:
All along the village were little huts with people showing how various Korean food, medicines, arts, crafts, and tools were made. Here's a picture of a paper-maker's shop:
I stopped here for lunch and had this lady make me a Korean pancake which was really delicious:
The grounds were extensive and included a small, cool (in both senses) lake upon which boats glided (I wanted to type "glid"):
The next day was somewhat low-key as I was getting tired and anxious to be getting back to the US. I stayed in the city and visited another palace - not as grand as the others, but nice nonetheless. There was a small ceremony going on outside of the gates, so I got some more pics:
Everyone was getting their picture taken with this dude, so I did as well:
In the afternoon, I went to this area that was a kind of street market that went on for blocks in every direction. The hawkers were a bit less vulturey than they were in Beijing at the Dirt and Silk Markets, so I was able to walk around pretty easily:
I saw this cool alley with a bunch of noodle stalls and women calling out, trying to get everyone to sit at their particular stall. I went in and had one of the most memorable meals in Korea. It began with kimchee and cold noodles and was followed by a fresh bowl of hot noodles in a really amazing broth. The cold noodles were spicy, but delicious - I had to keep refilling on water:
1 comment:
Love the pics! And thanks for posting! Post again:) Can I be more demanding?? I just don't want to write right now!! Hurry up and start work here would ya?:)
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