Random Photo's from Beijing (2 Viewers)

[aujj65]

Harry, I'm still following! Impressive paintwork on The Summer Palace, are you sure we burnt it down?

Jeff

 

[Harrytheheid]

Great photos Harry,

really good choices for this forum,

Michael

Thanks Michael.
Great to hear from so many folks who have been enjoying this thread.
I did hope these would be both entertaining and interesting.
Almost got another few processed. Will post when the opportunity presents itself.

Cheers
Harry

 

[Harrytheheid]

Harry, I'm still following! Impressive paintwork on The Summer Palace, are you sure we burnt it down?

Jeff

Jeff - everyone knows it was the French wot dun it.....

I'm not convinced it was the Summer Palace anyway - I really need to look it up on wikipedia or something similar.
The reasons why I have my doubts will become apparent when I get the next lot posted.

Cheers
H

 

[Harrytheheid]

Beijing Day 4 #5.
So, here we are. And what tells me we’re not in the Summer Palace? Well, Madame has been blethering something about 5 (or more) "Very Badaah Western Countries including the - Even More Badaah Japanese" making a "Big Fire" at Tzu Tzi's "holiday house" in 1900 - obviously a reference to the Boxer Rebellion rather than the 2nd Opium War 40 years earlier.

Beijing Day 4 #6.
The fact that this is The Temple of Heaven gave me an even better clue. This is where sacrificial ceremonies were held and the Qing Emperors used to do the deed themselves. Yeah, bulls and chickens and stuff – not human beings – not as far as I know anyway, and I seem to remember reading (need to check though) that the Colonial Powers did in fact wreck this place in 1900 - so we're not in the Summer Palace - but at least we’re in someplace just as interesting

I looked up the Summer Palace on Wikipedia; here’s a link if anyone wants to have a look at this fascinating place;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace#Location

I’ll be copying and pasting that Wikipedia page into the Babelfish on-line translator, and get the English into Chinese, then we’ll see if Missus H can earn her housekeeping money by figuring out how to get me to the real McCoy in July

Beijing Day 4 #7.
I think that’s the Eastern Hall of Prayer - all very Taoist stuff

Beijing Day 4 #8.
This is a snap of the incredible detail incorporated into the Temple of Heaven

Beijing Day 4 #9.
Here’s another one

 

[Rob]

Beijing Day 4 #5.
So, here we are. And what tells me we’re not in the Summer Palace? Well, Madame has been blethering something about 5 (or more) "Very Badaah Western Countries including the - Even More Badaah Japanese" making a "Big Fire" at Tzu Tzi's "holiday house" in 1900 - obviously a reference to the Boxer Rebellion rather than the 2nd Opium War 40 years earlier.

Beijing Day 4 #6.
The fact that this is The Temple of Heaven gave me an even better clue. This is where sacrificial ceremonies were held and the Qing Emperors used to do the deed themselves. Yeah, bulls and chickens and stuff – not human beings – not as far as I know anyway, and I seem to remember reading (need to check though) that the Colonial Powers did in fact wreck this place in 1900 - so we're not in the Summer Palace - but at least we’re in someplace just as interesting

I looked up the Summer Palace on Wikipedia; here’s a link if anyone wants to have a look at this fascinating place;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace#Location

I’ll be copying and pasting that Wikipedia page into the Babelfish on-line translator, and get the English into Chinese, then we’ll see if Missus H can earn her housekeeping money by figuring out how to get me to the real McCoy in July

Beijing Day 4 #7.
I think that’s the Eastern Hall of Prayer - all very Taoist stuff

Beijing Day 4 #8.
This is a snap of the incredible detail incorporated into the Temple of Heaven

Beijing Day 4 #9.
Here’s another one

Superb pics Harry,wonderful detail in these shots.

Rob

 

[1879fanatic]

Superb pics Harry,wonderful detail in these shots.

Rob

I must agree with Rob! These all are first rate photos, not like my usual tourista pics. H has put a lot of time into this and deserves some Kudos (not candy). Enlightening as all hell!
Mike

 

[aujj65]

Harry,

Very impressive decoration! This has been a very enlightening thread so far…………thank you.

Jeff

 

[Harrytheheid]

Hey guy's thanks for the positive responses. Nice to know so many others are enjoying this.
Here's a few more;

Beijing Day 4 #10.

Beijing Day 4 #11.

Beijing Day 4 #12.

Beijing Day 4 #13.

 

[Shannon Reuss]

Great pictures! Looking forward to the next installment.

We were not able to get to Beijing on our trip last year but I am in the middle of reading "Fried Eggs with Chopsticks" about a British woman's trek through China and her first stop was Beijing so your two narratives are melding nicely and unlike yours, hers has no pictures.

 

[Harrytheheid]

The next installment is coming up soon Shannon.
Photos #12 & #13 are just a wee teaser.

Regards
Harry

 

[Harrytheheid]

Oh, and cheers to Jeff, Mike and Rob too.

I really wasn't sure if I should do this thread. You know - who's going to be interested in someone's holiday snaps on a toy soldier forum?
But then I reckoned, well there's others here apart from me, who might enjoy seeing the Military Museum as well as the incredible details on those buildings.

As I've said, I've done the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs and all that stuff before, but we're going back to Beijing for about a week sometime in July - and this time, the weather will be better - and I'll be better prepared to take improved photos.

Cheers
H

 

[kilted vampire]

Not all of us have been there Harry. China has been in the news a lot lately. Some of their artwork is fabulous. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the shots.

 

[Harrytheheid]

Had to delete the previous post cos I forgot to resize one of the photo's.
Here it is this time;

Beijing Day 4 #14.
Yup, it’s someone’s wedding day – and they’ve come here to get the photos taken - which is a pretty good idea and I bet it happens all the time, cos it's such a great location

Beijing Day 4 #15.
All the Ladies going ga-ga as usual ...

Beijing Day 4 #16.
Every Bride looks beautiful on her wedding day of course.
I did try and do the gentlemanly thing, but I couldn’t get near the groom so’s I could advise him to do a runner at the earliest possible opportunity. Another good man bites the dust I guess

Beijing Day 4 #17.
A shot from the door of one of the series of temples throughout the complex

 

[1879fanatic]

Oh, and cheers to Jeff, Mike and Rob too.

I really wasn't sure if I should do this thread. You know - who's going to be interested in someone's holiday snaps on a toy soldier forum?
But then I reckoned, well there's others here apart from me, who might enjoy seeing the Military Museum as well as the incredible details on those buildings.

As I've said, I've done the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs and all that stuff before, but we're going back to Beijing for about a week sometime in July - and this time, the weather will be better - and I'll be better prepared to take improved photos.

Cheers
H

The architecture, the displays od weapons, planes, even toys, the locations, and as importantly the quality of the photos are just fab! All this stuff is sometimes "suppressed" in the West, so it's great to see from the Chinese side. Just wish the museum display plaques had descriptions written in English so we could tell what the planes and weapons are So, H, if you could just go back and translate each and every one, that'd be great
Mike

 

[Harrytheheid]

The architecture, the displays od weapons, planes, even toys, the locations, and as importantly the quality of the photos are just fab! All this stuff is sometimes "suppressed" in the West, so it's great to see from the Chinese side. Just wish the museum display plaques had descriptions written in English so we could tell what the planes and weapons are So, H, if you could just go back and translate each and every one, that'd be great
Mike

Well, funnily enough I've been giving the self-same thing some thought, cos I'd like to know what the Chinese text says as well.
There are a couple of plaques in English coming up, but what I was thinking about was; photo the Chinese ones, scan the JPG's into PDF's, I've got softwear that'll change PDF files into word files and I can then paste the text into an on-line Chinese to English translator.
I'll try it when I get home in a couple of weeks time. If it works, then - Robert's Your Mother's Brother - and I'll be able to translate at least some of the Chinese plaques into English during our next visit.

Cheers
H

 

[Harrytheheid]

Beijing Day 4 #18.
Temple Interior

Beijing Day 4 #19.
Temple Interior - Again

Beijing Day 4 #20.
"It's Disorderly Arrangement" just cracked me up

Beijing Day 4 #21.
Wonder what a "Fast Card" is?

 

[Alexdakar]

Very cool and interesting pictures. Thanks for posting.

 

[Harrytheheid]

Beijing Day 4 #22.
Incredible detail even on the ceilings

Beijing Day 4 #23.
This is one of my favourite sections of the entire complex, which has been turned into an enormous public park. All the old folks come here every day to sing patriotic songs, play Mah Jong, chess and cards – sometimes for quite considerable sums of cash. And if you allow them to catch your eye – they’re incredibly friendly towards foreigners like Yours Truly.
I tend to understand Mandarin to a certain extent, although I do have problems speaking it cos of the 5 tones, any of which can completely change the meaning of individual words. No wonder folks burst out laughing when, say, I ask in my execrable Chinese to pass the soy sauce in a restaurant. I’m probably unknowingly telling some old guy that his carrot and oyster sandwich reminds me of my first girlfriends big blue eyes….

Beijing Day 4 #24.
I’m even getting used to the “Plink-Plonk” music these days. Well not quite, but it doesn’t make me grit my teeth anymore. Besides, these folks would have a fit if I forced them to listen to Deep Purple, Hendrix, or Zeppelin

 

[Harrytheheid]

Not all of us have been there Harry. China has been in the news a lot lately. Some of their artwork is fabulous. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the shots.

Hey, Immortal One,
I just noticed you there in the mirror - or not!!!
Yes, the artwork really has to be seen to believed.
The amount of detail is simply amazing.
My first trip into China was in 1995. I bought one of those hollow painted crystal balls for my Mum. They have a small 1/4-inch hole in the bottom which the artists use the paint a scene on the crystal - FROM THE INSIDE...!!! It's incredible.

Cheers
H

 

[UKReb]

Harry

You have turned this into a superb geographical thread-you have me mesmerised and it looks like a few others too. I know as much about China as I know about constructing three dimensional rotational graphics but thanks to you I now know a little about this fascinating country.

Thank you for posting

Reb