Olympic Quest 2012: 1/7/12 Bonnie & Aron: Summer Palace

Our group at the Summer Palace in Beijing

It was a chilly, snowy day. Nevertheless, we (actually, just Aaron) ate nearly a pound of bacon mixed with friend noodles at the continental breakfast buffet offered by our Beijing four-star hotel. The food would be necessary to sustain our chilled bodies later that morning.

After breakfast, we boarded our motorcoach en route to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace began its life in 1750, known as the Garden of Clear Ripples, also Reign Year 15 of Emperor Qianlong. A sprawling landscaped park on the edge of the city, the Summer Palace was a seasonal imperial retreat. In essence, it’s similar to Minnesotans traveling to their lake homes during the summer! Interestingly, it was the favorite of Empress Cixi, also known as the Dragon Lady. Dragon Lady, however, would have traveled by a covered sedan chair and human power as opposed to our modern coach.

The Summer Palace - Kumming Lake

We had no idea what we were in for, but soon arrived on the bank of a beautiful man-made lake, Kumming Lake. Nestled across the lake was a 60-meter (200 feet) hill, known as Longevity Hill. The snow was lightly falling, the air was crisp, and there was a sense of electricity floating through the bus. In the Summer Palace, one finds a variety of palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures. As we disembarked the bacon and noodles really began to pay off. Our bodies soon began to rely on their high nutritional content.

The Summer Palace - Longevity Hill in the background

Jason, our Beijing guide, and “Big Aaron”

We spent the next two hours examining the many sites the Summer Palace had to offer. As we were outside the entire time, Bonnie and Big Aaron were in hot pursuit of Xiang Piao Piao. Xiang Piao Piao is a wonderful concoction that comes in various flavors, such as coffee, latte, hot chocolate, milk tea, etc. We had success and were soon enjoying the tour once again. Unfortunately, Big Aaron lost his hat and gloves and nearly froze his ears. As luck would have it, he was able to purchase a red stocking hat for approximately $5. Strangely, there was an applied patch on the hat that said “Perfect Attendance”…not sure what that was about it, but it did the trick!

After our visit to the Summer Palace, we traveled back into the city center and had lunch at a local restaurant where we met a Future Farmer of America (FFA) from Waseca. This high school student was representing Minnesota, along with other state officers from the United States, on a trip to China to explore the country, culture, and agriculture. It was fun to cross paths with some Americans, as we have rarely seen other Americans, or other racial or ethnic groups.

Tea Ceremony

Anyway, at the conclusion of our lunch we traveled to a local Tea House where we were treated to a demonstration of the traditional tea making process. We were all invited into a room with a large rectangular table. As we all took a seat around the perimeter of the table, a young Chinese woman began to demonstrate the art of tea making. She made several different teas and we were able to taste test each one. It was a fun experience for our students and ourselves. Nearly all of us bought tea or tea cups/pots on our way out so that we could bring this practice back to America!

Bonnie and Aron

Attaining a good buzz from the Tea House, our next stop was the Yashaw Market, located in the Embassy District of Beijing. The Yashaw Market has four floors of clothing, bags, shoes, and sportswear, plus some jewelry, nail salons, and a bunch of tailors on the top floor. Although there are several markets within to shop in Beijing, Yashaw is claimed to possess the least possessive vendors. Prior to disembarking the bus, Little Aaron offered us valuable information regarding how one successfully negotiates with the vendors inside…basically, that you never pay more than 25% of the original asking price. Flying high we left our seats, feverishly walked into the market and went to work developing our negotiating “chops”. The students really took it to them that day (note the shimmering outfits that some girls bartered for!), and we left with feelings of pride, success, and 7 more pounds of stuff to add to our already bulging bags.

Heather’s 21st birthday - outfits from the market

We had worked up quite an appetite by late afternoon. So far the only food we have had was traditional Chinese. Don’t get me wrong; it’s fantastic. But eating noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner wears on a person. We needed a break…some good old American food! The students were thrilled to learn that we were eating at the Hard Rock Café that night! We all enjoyed a meal of our own choice that evening, yet the highlight of this experience was not the bacon cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, or plates of nachos devoured by the young Americans. No, the highlight was listening to the house band cover Ray Charles’ What a Wonderful World. It was strange to see a Chinese national with a sleeve of tattoos crawling up his arm singing this tune. It almost reminded me of home; almost.

As our time at the Hard Rock ended, the souvenirs purchased, and the kids corralled on the bus once again, we traveled to a local Chinese theatre for yet another cultural experience. This experience, however, is unique to Beijing: Peking Opera. According to Jason, our guide, it’s very “cultural” and we would sure love it! Exhausted by this point in the day, we dragged ourselves off the bus and limped into the theatre. Finding our seats, we noticed that we comprised approximately 1/3 of the audience. Giving the low attendance not another thought, we waited for the show to begin. It took a few minutes for the giggling to subside once the show began. None of us had expected the male lead, dressed as a Chinese woman from antiquity, to be singing and speaking in strangled falsetto. For the next hour and a half, we were “treated” to four separate acts. Each act was unrelated to the next; rather, each act was an ancient Chinese folk story reenacted, transporting the audience into the days and times of various dynasties. To follow along, it was imperative that you read the English sub-titles located on the side of the theatre. So, with one eye on the sub-titles and the other on the actors, we diligently worked to comprehend the stories. There were a lot of bobbing heads in the theatre that night. Perhaps we should have taken in the Peking Opera immediately following the Tea House?

Another amazing day filled with memories to last a lifetime. Our bus ride back to the hotel included the singing of “Happy Birthday” to Heather (21^st) in Peking Opera falsetto…not a bad way to end the night!

Bonnie & Aaron

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