The Summer Palace of the Emperor (July 11, 2011)

(Above) The entrance to the Summer Palace

(Above) The Summer Palace on the lake shore

(Above) Crowds at the entrance to the Long Corridor

(Above) A break in the crowds allowed us to see a bit of the artwork within the Long Corridor.

(Above) The Marble Boat

(Above) Laura in front of the Summer Palace while traveling back to the entrance via boat across the lake.

The Forbidden City - The Palace of the Emperor (July 11, 2011)

(Above) Laura entered the Forbidden City along with what seemed like the rest of the people in Beijing that day!

(Above) The first courtyard of the Forbidden City.  It was difficult to see much of the square with all the people.

(Above) A rock garden outside of the emperor's chambers.

Tiananmen Square, Beijing (July 11, 2011)

(Above) The crowds on Tiananmen Square

(Above) The security cameras are not at all difficult to spot on the light poles!

(Above) The Gate of Heavenly Peace where Mao's portrait can be seen hanging above the arch leading to the Forbidden City.

(Above) Several iconic images of China including the newest sign to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party in China, in the middle is the pillar of the Monument to the People's Hero, and in the back is Mao's Memorial Hall where Mao was laid to rest.

The Sacred Way to the Ming Emperor Tombs (July 10, 2011)

(Above) The entrance to the Sacred Way which is the walkway to the tombs of the Ming Emperors.  The entrance is known as the Tablet House.

(Above) Within the Tablet House is a creature with a dragon's head and a turtle's shell for a tail.  Touching the head is supposed to ensure a long life, so we all had to touch it! :)

(Above) The walkway contains several sculptures - two of each kind on either side of the walkway.  There were several animals that were meant to protect the tombs of the emperors in the afterlife.

(Above) In addition to the animal sculptures, there were sculptures of people including warriors for protection, civilian officials for administration, and ministers of merit that were the spiritual advisers of the emperors in the afterlife.

The Great Wall (July 10, 2011)

(Above 5 pictures) As we drove into the mountains north of Beijing, we passed several sections of the wall before we stopped at the Badaling section of the wall.

(Above) Laura and Grace walking along the wall at the top of our first tower.

(Above) Laura and I attempting to walk along the wall despite the growing crowds.

(Above) Laura and I on the Great Wall! :)

Terra Cotta Warriors (July 9, 2011)

(Above) This is one chamber within Pit 1.  The chambers were connected by closed off doorways between them.  The higher level of the ground on either side of the chamber was from the walls that supported the man-made ceiling of the pit once it was covered with dirt after completed.

(Above) The Chinese government built the dome-like structure over the pit to protect it from the elements as they researched the warriors.

(Above) This is the view from the side of the structure.  Can you see all of the people!?!

(Above) Some of the warriors are still under construction as the archaeologists rebuild them with pieces found in the pit.

(Above) Right in the middle of the structure was a workroom where people were cleaning, cataloging, and rebuilding the warriors.

(Above) Some of the warriors are still frozen in the mud of the pits just like this one that is partially exposed but not yet freed from the ground.

(Above) Laura and I on the platform above the pit.

Terra Cotta Warriors Pit 1 Video (July 9, 2011)

Laura was able to use her skills in pushing through a crowd to get me to the edge of the railing so that I could see the extent of the pit.  You can see the from the number of people on the edges of the railings that it was extremely crowded!!  Pit 1 is the largest of the pits and was the first found.  Archaeologists are still working to excavate the site and they were working when we visited that day!

Tang Dynasty Show (July 8, 2011)

The show was originally performed in front of the Tang Emperors.  The costumes were so detailed, bright, and elaborate that they were almost as entertaining as the show itself! :)  The show included dancing, singing, instruments original to the time, and acrobatics.

Chongqing Zoo and the Giant Pandas (July 8, 2011)

Laura and I at the zoo with a panda in the background.  The audio headsets in our ears are how the tour guide was able to communicate with the group of 32 people while we were in crowded areas.  We could hear him tell us about the locations from up to 150 meters away.  It was helpful when we lost our group in large crowds! :)

Shibaozhai Pagoda (July 7, 2011)

(Above) With the umbrella, I managed to stay dry while the poncho was not as successful for Laura.

(Above) The pagoda is nine stories high and appears to be stuck to the side of the mountain.

(Above) After the building of the dam, the Chinese government built a footbridge to the pagoda as the area around it became an island.  It is a suspension bridge that bounces as you walk across.  You can image how graceful I was when crossing it!

(Above) This is the view of the series of the ramps and planks that we had to climb to reach the village before making our way to the pagoda bridge.  The planks shifted and floated as you crossed to land and then the ramp was up the hill.  All told, it was about a mile to reach the pagoda.

Along the Yangtze River (July 3-6, 2011)

(Above) An old farmhouse along the river

(Above) Farmland along the river

(Above) Entering the Three Gorges

(Above) Terrace Farming along the river

(Above) The ship lock of a dam along the river.  At the bottom of the photo are the gates to enter the ship lock and the water level will rise once they are closed and the gates at the top of the picture will open.

(Above) Laura and I at the 185 Platform - a viewing area of the Three Gorges Dam 185 meters above sea level.  The highest level of the river with the dam is 175 meters.

(Above) Through the fog, you can see a portion of the dam from the eastern side where the water level is lower.

(Above) Entrance to the Lesser Three Gorges under the Rainbow Bridge

(Above) This mountain is known as the Buddha Peak because it resembles the shape of a mediating Buddha.

(Above) The monkeys shown were near extinction, but have made a resurgence recently and can be seen along portions of the Lesser Three Gorges.