The Great Wall

It's so hard to blog about The Great Wall.  Where do you start?  I think it's best to give a little background on it, so you realize just how "GREAT" it really is:

1. It began being built in 7th century... BC (Before Christ just to verify that is not a typo) until the 17th Century.
Come on - if that's not enough to blow you away, just stop reading.

2. It is the largest fortification ever built.
It was hand built to protect China dynasties from various raids.

3. It is over 5,500 miles long.
That is about 1.5 times the width of the USA from L.A. to N. Carolina.  Hand made, people.

I could go on and on with more facts just as long as the wall itself.  But if you are bored someday and want to be amazed by all the details, Google.  It's just amazing.

So amazing, in fact, that my unprofessional pictures will probably do nothing to justify it's glory.  So I'll just ramble a bit so I can remember my experience. (note- these pics are taken over two separate trips)

My CAT "mentor" (yes, I like to call you that) took me to the great wall within the first couple weeks of my arrival to Beijing.  She told me I needed to see it and she wanted to show me the best place to tour it/how to climb it/etc.  So I strapped my 6-month old Veronica on my Baby Bjorn and off we went.

Big Mistake.

Don't ever, ever, ever take a breast fed baby on a hike of The Great Wall in the middle of summer with an out of shape mother.  I'm just saying.  I haven't exercised in years and this was not the way to begin.  But even though I was drenched in sweat and tired beyond belief, it was SO worth it to go with someone who had been there before.  She showed me where to go (there are several places you can climb it) and the best way to hike it.  Without her, I would have been even more exhausted because she showed me where to get on and be able to climb "down" most of the hike instead of climbing "up."

The Great Wall is about a 45-60 minute drive from my house.  The drive to where we started our hike includes a healthy climb in elevation just to get partially up the mountain.  

Once you arrive, you have to do a little pre-climb just to buy your tickets and get to the cable car.  This pre-climb is also a post-climb, since you end up finishing at the same place you started.  It's an entertaining climb to say the least, filled with tons of cool crap to buy.

Note to all: don't buy anything until AFTER the climb!

I snagged a pic of this dude all dressed up.  Stacey was like, "You are SO lucky he didn't see you.  You are supposed to pay to take his picture."  Ya snooze, ya lose buddy.

I found myself sweating and out of breath just climbing the hill to get entry tickets.  Then, after you climb a serious incline, you get to "relax" and take a cable car the rest of the way up.

For those of you who know me and my issue with heights, inclosed places, and suspensions... not good.  This was not relaxing.  

I wondered if the "fog" was really fog or if the pollution continued all the way out here from the city.  I think theory #2 was correct.  

The (much) better view on a good day:

This part of the Great Wall we visited is an "easy" walk/climb.  It has been well taken care of and supposably the simplest journey.  Tell that to these new tennis shoes and I think they would disagree.

It's true there are other locations of the wall where you have to get on your hands and knees to get across and you travel at your "own risk."

The shear magnitude of this amazing wonder is beyond belief.  And the beauty..... 

breathtaking. 

There are many watchtowers you walk through on the journey.  These were set up for defense as well as environmental shelters.  This is a pic of my hubs and FIL climbing down out of the top of one.

There's something to be said about this amazing piece of history.  I feel so blessed to have been able to see it in my lifetime.  For me, it's more than just stone piled up in the mountains.  It's a display of hard work, intelligence, dedication, ........

and for others it is even more, I'm sure.

If the climb up the wall itself is not enough to amaze you, then hold on for the ride down.  Cause it's another "only in China" moment.  You take a slide.  Yes, a slide down.  

And here's your only method of instruction. 

Don't forget to test the brake first.

These puppies can move.  I was seriously laughing hysterically and going so fast.... I almost hit the hubs several times.  He kept yelling, "SLOW DOWN LIZ!"  Hey peeps - I haven't driven in 4 months.  And those of you who know me are aware of my driving habits.

More to post soon.  I've been so behind on blogging.  Mainly because I've been too busy.... which means I have a lot to show everyone!  I have gotten numerous emails about our house and what a home in China looks like - I will post soon.

Panjiayuan "Dirt" Market

Been slightly behind in my journal these days.  Somewhere between getting our boat shipment (finally) delivered and being bitten by a poisonous Chinese beetle - time got away from me.

But I'm back and been mentally writing this blog post in my head over the last week.  On Saturday, I ventured to the Panjiayuan aka "Dirt" Market in Beijing.  It is a market that is open everyday, but weekends are especially adventurous because local vendors from the countryside make the journey into the city to sell their goods.  They come on Saturday morning and stay until a.) their stuff is sold out or b.) Sunday evening rolls around and they need to leave the city to go home.  It's basically an open flea market/craft fair - China style.

I had no idea what to expect.  I didn't know if it would be bust or bank.  I just knew that it opened at 4:30am and the thought of the "good" stuff being picked over before I got there was a threat to me; therefore, I was going at 6am.  So I texted my driver, Mr. Yang, the night before and said, "Panjiayuan Market.  6am."  He showed up on time, seeming slightly excited for 6am.  "Good market," he said.  Hum.... still not convincing.  The whole slang "Dirt Market" had me slightly skittish.  Not to mention the air quality was already over 200.

We pulled up and I didn't really see any big building or entryway.  Mr. Yang said, "Ok, here."  I replied, "Um, where?  Where do I shop?"  He laughed and said, "Everywhere!" pointing on the other side of the parking garage.

Here's what I saw when he said that:

A massive wall of stone warriors and worshipers.  Pretty cool, but not on my list of things to purchase for the trip.  These suckers were like 30 feet tall.

So, I walked around a bit and came across the entry area.  I found out real quick why it's called "Dirt Market."  The vendors bring in their goods and set them up on the ground.  Most have a blanket and line up their treasures.  It made me smile instantly.  I knew today was going to be fun.

The front part of it is open-air.  Of course, it happened to be the most polluted day that I have lived here thus far.  My luck.

If jewelry is your thing, there's plenty here to chose.  The stones are gorgeous, colorful, and cheap.  Note the missing stone in the center of this board.  It is now in my possession.  Also note cigarette butt in bottom right corner of picture (review: Dirt Market).

This is broadly known as an antique market.  People bring goods they say are "thousands of years old" or perhaps used by rulers hundreds of years ago.  Usually it's a hoax and you have to be a very good historian to know what's real and what's not.  Anybody wanna pay for broken pottery that Mao used?

Or perhaps one of his books?

And while the goods here are amazing and there's diamond in the ruff for everyone, the real joy was communicating with locals.  Honestly, it was one of my best China days yet.  I really thought it was going to be a sad, boring alone day since my buddy couldn't go with me, but I enjoyed it.  The vendors don't yell at you.  They don't chase you.  They sit at there station and if you wanna look, look!  It is not like the Pearl Market or the Silk Market.  There was a total of 4 non-Chinese people I saw the entire time.  Nobody speaks English. 

This was the best vendor.  He was hilarious.  He didn't speak English and I don't speak Chinese, but we laughed and somehow joked through gestures and awkward vocal sounds until we agreed upon a price.  When he first got out his calculator, I simply shook my hand and started saying numbers in Chinese (that's the only thing I can say right now, don't be too impressed).  He was like, "Ah Ha Ha. Wawawa!"  Like, 'I'm impressed'!  He instantly dropped his price.  If you could have sat there and watched us, you would have laughed.  

Speaking of sitting and watching, everyone wants to watch the white western girl barter.  Each vendor has a little, teeny tiny stool (the guy in the above pic is actually sitting on it, you can't even see it and it's a miracle my big hindy fits on it).  When you want to start negotiating, you sit in the stool and grab a cane (you can see them in the above picture as well) and point to what you want.  The negotiating begins.  Each time I sat down, a flock of people would come and stand over me.  I don't know if they wanted to see how well I could negotiate, what I wanted to buy, or how stupid I was for paying the prices I did..... I'd like to think it was my negotiating skills.

About half way through the day my camera had a meltdown.  It kept flashing "bulb" and wouldn't shoot in manual mode so I had to shoot in the dreaded auto-mode.  The only thing worse than forgetting your camera is having a malfunctioning one.

I think there's like 1.4 billion people that live in China?  Well, 1.3 billion of them were at this market Saturday morning.

This is the covered back part of the exhibition.  I don't think this area is a "weekend only" part - I'm thinking it's here everyday, but I'm really not sure.

There really is something for everyone here.

Handmade calligraphy pens.

Antique music and electrical items.

 Gorgeous pottery.

Of course, tea sets.

Handmade silk boxes.

 Funny looking shoes.

Lanterns.

Old-style artwork.

Modern-style artwork

 Bull horns?

And somewhere between the purple-glazed pottery I know my sister-in-law would scream about to the hippy-styled polka dot bag and scarf my Atlanta neighbor would totally dig... I got kinda sad.  I couldn't stop thinking about how I am in the most amazing situation of my life and have the most eye-opening, spectacular, you-gotta-see-this moments - yet nobody is here to show it to.  So instead I'm writing and trying to convey in these pictures what I see on a "typical" Saturday.  It's simply amazing, jaw-dropping, did-you-just-see-that? experience.

I did purchase several things.  I only bought a trinket or two for myself and mostly spent my money on gifts for people back home.  I couldn't help but buy that special something that reminded me of my loved ones thousands of miles away.

Perhaps the item of the day was this.  I saw in the calligraphy section a personalized stamping booth.  I saw a stamp that had a dragon carved out of the middle of the handle... it was beautiful.  It is the year of the dragon here so you see them in a lot of pieces.  I chatted with the seller for a bit (she spoke some broken English) and told her I wanted to personalize this stamp with a friend's name from back home.  She said she could not sell me just this one stamp.  You see, it had a "mate" (the male dragon) that matched it and had been carved from the same stone.  In Chinese culture, it is not good to separate things.  She said this pair of dragon stamps were carved from the same rock, and what nature made man can not separate.  She offered to sell me a different dragon stamp that was even cheaper, but it was not as beautiful as the one I originally wanted.  It took me about 0.5 seconds to think of a special couple I know who cannot be separated and are solid as stone.  Needless to say, I bought the two stamps and had them personalized for the couple.

The collection of handmade stamps.

You can watch the stamp being made right in front of you.

I chose to have only the Chinese symbol written on each stamp.  Some people want the English and Chinese names etched.

Definitely authentic.

The whole process takes about 45 minutes per stamp.

She put them and a porcelain ink dish in a handmade silk box.  I'm in love with them and made a mental note to get myself a stamp made before I leave.

So there you have it.  Panjiayuan Antique Market.  Just another Saturday in China for me.

Gaobeidian Furniture Street

I've decided what I want to "bring home" from Beijing.  

It's a known fact and guaranteed thing here in Beijing.  Us expat wives get to "treat" ourselves once in a while for traveling  living on the other side of the world, away from family and friends for years just so our spouses can build their careers.  We put our lives aside and do what we need to for our hubbies.  This comes with some added perks for us.  Some people want pearls.  Others purses.  Diamonds.  Jade. 

I want furniture.

Is that too much to ask?  Just a small treasure here and there.  And I don't really look at it as selfishness, cause in all practicality - a piece of furniture benefits everyone.  Visually, comfortably, functionably.... the list goes on.  It lasts forever, and I don't have to have a "special occasion" to bring it out.  

This weekend, my friend and I went to Gaobeidian Furniture Street.  This is more than a street my friends.  It's a mecca for us furniture addicts.  It literally made me sweat, smile, and tear up.  The most beautiful, exquisite, gorgeous pieces you can't even dream up I saw.  We were there for a little under 3 hours and didn't even hit but a fraction of the stores.  Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Good's, Restoration Hardware - sorry... you ain't got nothing on this place.

Gaobeidian Furniture Street.  Beautiful.

It was hot, nobody spoke English (except in the high-end store), and we were hungry.  But I gotta tell you - we enjoyed ourselves and laughed like we had been friends for years.  We started off in Lily's Antiques, which is a higher-end store.

Lily's outside view.

Benches and swings - the heaviest wood you have ever sat on.  Of course, when you are this tiny, you don't need to worry.

This is the "antiquey" pottery they had.  But there was plenty of modern, earthy tone ones, too.

Color Pop.  It's like a Schwann Cream Pop.  

Or maybe yellow is more your look.

Can't decide?  Use them ALL!

LOVE the different woods.

And different fabrics.

As my English/German (I use a "/" here because she has a strong English accent, yet speaks in German.  Worldly woman!)  friend sat in this oversized chair, she picked up a magazine that had been placed on it.  OMG... it's her HUSBAND on the cover!  He had an entire interview published about his job in Beijing at Ritz Carlton.  Way to go!

I won't be bringing this piece home, but it's by far the coolest table I've ever seen.  Tiled.  All hand tiled.  And the antlers above I love.  

They've taken a Chinese medicine cabinet and made it functionable.  The little drawers have actually been converted to shelves inside - they are faux drawers!

Beautiful all-weather piece made from cork.

Must.  Have.  Me.  Want.  Very.  Badly.  

Wait a minute.  Want.  This.  More.  

So far all of these pieces were in Lily's Antiques.  Just ONE of the stores on this street.  It has 3 levels, with the bottom being the "modern" stuff, the 2nd floor being antique-fakes (not really Chinese antique wood, but kinda look like it), and the 3rd floor being real authentic, 3000+ year old things.  

Like this opium den.

And these chairs that were $10,000 for one.  Notice the one on the right has a hole in the seat.  I think it was actually more expensive.

After Lily's we were already pretty overly-stimulated, but journeyed anyways one way down the street.  We went in about 1 of every 5 shops we saw.  A lot of shops you don't even need to go inside, because the amazing pieces are outside.  

Like this ridiculous elephant. 

The manes on these lions were AMAZING.  Of course, all hand made.  

My mom's gonna kill me for repeating this story.  My friend will as well.  But when we were admiring these huge beasts, she points and says (in her strong English accent), "Look!  This one's even got a proper _____!"  I.  Lost.  It.  

While walking down the street, we ran into my driver taking a snooze on the job.  I thought it was hilarious.  I haven't shown him these pics yet - keeping them for a good laugh someday.  We love Mr. Yang.

At least he took his shoes off.  Notice them on the top of the car.  

We were lucky enough to see some pieces even being built right before our eyes.  

Of course, not every one appreciates true art and beauty.  This is something I would LOVE to have in my house.  I'm sure my husband would think otherwise.  But to me, this is beauty.  

And this is the most adorable children's piece I've seen.  Great for books on top, toys in the shelf.  Love it.  

And in honor of our special, loved, and missed family in England.