China Trip: Day 4

No one had any trouble in tonight’s meeting thinking of 10 things they wanted to remember about today. 

We started off at the Temple of Heaven, where ancient emperors performed rituals to make everything right between heaven and earth. Caleb explained the myriad symbols—the numbers, colors, shapes and creatures—that are integrated into the design of the complex.

In honor of tomorrow’s International Women’s Day, the women in our group took a photo next to a marble carving of the phoenix, the symbol of the empress.

After warming up at a tea ceremony (ask a ninth grader about the pee-pee boy), we had lunch and headed to the silk factory. The guide there learned so much from Colleena’s talk that she asked for a copy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon bargaining, sometimes successfully, for lower prices at the Pearl Market. The kids were pretty proud of themselves. (“We got a lot better by the end.  Now we know what to do in Xi’an.”) We were seated front and center at the acrobatic show, which made the dangerous feats seem terrifying at times, as evidenced by the screams of “No! No! Don’t do it!” (as the sixth motorcyclist entered the giant steel cage). 

We ended our day in the banquet hall of the famous Quanjude Roast Duck restaurant singing "Happy Birthday" (in Chinese and English) to Ruari. It’s hard to believe tomorrow will be our last day in Beijing. Hopefully we will have a chance to write some postcards at the Summer Palace. We have lots to write home about.

Catch up on all the China adventures!

Day 1: Touchdown in Beijing

Day 2: We're Really in China

Day 3: A Great Day on the Great Wall