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| The Temple of Heaven in Beijing |
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| Wow! |
Today we went to the Temple of Heaven park. It was a cold morning, but there were a plethora of people outside participating in various activities. They were playing music, dancing, and working on their fitness. Some of the fellow community members taught us the art of Tai-chi. The slow movements did not appear to be very difficult, but were in fact fairly strenuous. The majority of the community members that were practicing Tai-chi were older. They were surprisingly fit for their age. Elderly people in the U.S.A. do not tend to be as active as they are in China, as seen thus far. This was also very different from the U.S.A., because people work out in gyms, instead of public spaces.
As we walked through the park, there were many other people working out on various exercise equipment. At first, it appeared the people were working out on playground equipment. After closer inspection, the equipment was actually very affective. The community members were of all ages, and unlike in the States, they do not have to pay a membership fee. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and they were able to socialize with the other community members.
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| Our group getting led by local Tai Chi experts |
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| The Temple of Heaven |
We walked over to the Temple of Heaven, which was used for the Emperor. The Emperor went there to pray for the well-being of the community and their harvest. To do this, they sacrificed animals in pots, but the women were forbidden from watching the ceremony. While the Emperor was there, he refrained from eating, drinking and having sex. The buildings were made from all wood, and were constructed without any nails. The temple was built from the inter-locking of the wood. This was very impressive, because the building was very large and detailed. The building was still in good condition, because the paint was still brightly colored.
We then drove to the airport and picked up some KFC on the way. The food was different than other KFCs in States. We flew to Xi’an (former capital of China) and experienced a different type of meal at a local restaurant. The meal was still Chinese, but different from what we had in Beijing.
We’re excited to see what this new city has to offer!
- Kelsey and Tara
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