Beijing to Shanghai

We travelled from Beijing to Shanghai on the train. It was a high speed service travelling at 300km per hour.

We had to pass through a security screening like at the airport and then show our passports and visas before being allowed on to the platform. The train was very clean and modern, all of the seats were facing in the direction of travel, perfect for having a good nose out of the window.

The fields were all very small. In the north close to Beijing there weren't many people, an occasional tractor or farmer alone in a field.

Further south we saw a lot of fields that had been cleared by fire and for around 3 hours running into Shanghai the air was thick with smoke. The fields here started to have rice planted in them and lots of fields were full of groups of people planting the rice.

We arrived to a hazy evening in Shanghai and were taken by coach to our hotel.

After Beijing it was lovely to be in a hotel with a really efficient air con system!

We headed into downtown Shangahi to find something to eat.

Laura sports some natty gloves to eat her barbecued prawns.

Stumped by the great food, next stop was the hotel bar for a nightcap.

Beijing - Day 7

The girls headed to the Olympic Aquatic Centre this morning. This has been turned into a water park with slides and rides. I'm not a big fan of heights so I left the girls to it and joined a couple of the boys for a visit to the Forbidden City.

Bicycles by the hotel.

This is the lake that surrounds the Forbidden City.

Spare copies of the portrait of Meo are kept after it was damaged during democracy protests in 1989.

There are lots of these statues around the City, in pairs either side of doorways.

Hall of Supreme Harmony. The older buildings in Beijing are all low rise. That is because for many years commoners were forbidden to build anything taller than this building.

It was a hot and busy day. As we walked through the City the buildings got closer together.

The buildings have been destroyed by fire a number of times. These large vats were kept full of water to help put out a fire. During the winter small fires were lit under them to keep them free from ice.

Hall of Middle Harmony.

You can see the modern city rising above the walls.

The Imperial Garden. This was my favourite part of the Forbidden City. The buildings were all empty and you could only look at them from the outside whereas in the Garden you could get a sense of how it was when the Emperor was in residence.

This is my favourite dragon - Mohican Dragon!

The Gate of Heavenly Peace. The southern entrance to the Forbidden City.

Great Hall of the People, on the west side of Tiananmen Square.

This is the Gate of Heavenly Peace from around the centre of Tiananmen Square. You can see how vast and open the space is. The Square is enclosed in a fence and to enter you have to pass through security and have your bags x-rayed.

The National Museum of China, on the east side of Tiananmen Square.

Monument to the People's Heroes.

Mao Zedong Mausoleum.

I only had time for a very quick walk in Tiananmen Square on the way to work. It was very peaceful in the sunshine, with groups of tourists milling around and police stood guard under umbrellas. Quite different to the image you have when the name is mentioned.

Beijing - Day 5

Another day that started with a trip on the underground. The underground is fab here. It costs 2 Yuan to  make any journey, there are clear signs everywhere both in Chinese and English, once you are on the train a simple map with lights shows you are and stations are announced again in both English and Chinese.

The Temple of Heaven.

Is it time for another ice cream yet?

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The Temple of Heaven complex was used by the Emperor for ceremonies in the spring and autumn that ensured good harvests.

A photo shoot was happening as we wandered around.

Argh! The dragon ate my finger!!!

The Imperial Vault of Heaven.

The Circular Mound Altar.

The Seven Star Stones.