Great adventures in China

Patricia and David Eastman

Our exotic journey began with a 12-hour flight from Los Angeles

International Airport. We crossed the International Date Line and

lost one day en route to China.

Arriving early in the morning in Beijing, we met our tour guide,

who told us to call him Tiger instead of his Chinese name. After

checking into our hotel, we were immediately transported to Tiananmen

Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace.

Our second day was one of our favorites. We went to the Great

Wall, which extends more than 3,700 miles and is the only man-made

structure visible from the moon. We were able to walk along the

ramparts, but found the climbing difficult, as the steps are uneven,

and it was windy and cold. During the afternoon, we were taken to the

Ming Tombs, the burial site of the Ming Dynasty’s royalty.

Our most exciting and enjoyable tour was Xian, which was the

ancient capital of China under 11 dynasties. We visited one of the

century’s great archeological discoveries: a buried army of about

8,000 life-size terra cotta soldiers (each one has a different face),

horses and chariots guarding the tomb of the emperor. Two farmers

digging the well discovered the army, which is in three pits. Many of

the figures have yet to be unearthed.

In 1979, the Terra-cotta Army Relic Museum was established. The

first pit is larger than a football field, and excavation will

continue for many years. More than 40,000 bronze weapons have also

been unearthed. Why the emperor had this army created is unknown. Our

first impression of the Terra-cotta Army was how lifelike, tall and

numerous these figures are. They can be very shocking but do present

strong artistic charm.

While in Beijing, we visited a hutong, or ancient city alley, in

the old part of the city and were served a delicious Chinese lunch by

a family living in one of the old homes. We were transported around

the area by a traditional three-wheel cycle, stopping to visit

several markets with displays of unusual foods.

We enjoyed an evening Chinese dinner banquet, featuring Peking

duck, and attended a performance of the renowned Peking Opera on our

last day in Beijing.

We flew to Shanghai on our sixth day of the tour and enjoyed a

daylong Shanghai City tour, ending with a delightful and breathtaking

performance by the renowned Shanghai Acrobats that evening.

The last day of our adventure was an excursion to Suzhou, which is

often called “Paradise on Earth.” We embarked on a short cruise on

the ancient Grand Canal and visited Suzhou’s most famous gardens.

As we bid farewell to China, we knew that someday we would like to

return and enjoy another exotic journey.

-- Patricia and David Eastman are residents of Costa Mesa.

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