The night would end with Randy and I catching what we had missed the first night (a circus/acrobat show). What an amazing experience it would be ( Read more... )

One of the things I have always admired about Confucianism is it's emphasis on education. Confucius thought it was important for those who lead to know the odes (poetry), to be able to write, to know the classics and to be well rounded in their intellectual education ( Read more... )

The next place we would stop at for an hour would be the Olympic Park. It is here that one sees the major stadiums, including the Bird's Nest where the Opening Ceremony took place. It is quite a masterful piece of architecture. Apparently the architect has designed some other buildings as well which are now plays on different relations to birds ( ( Read more... )

One of the fascinating areas we would visit this day would be the Dingling Tomb. The Dingling Tomb is where one of the Ming Emperors is enthroned with his two wives (one whom gave him a son, another who did not). The area has come to be lucky for long life ( Read more... )

The next day would start with an early wake-up. We would be driving for over an hour by bus to reach the north west section of the Great Wall. It was on the way that we saw how it had been expanded and Henry told us about how it had been renovated in the 80's though the base and most of the structure was still as it was originally ( Read more... )

The final place we would be going was to the Beijing Opera. It was a private show our guide organized for us that we paid for, since it wasn't part of the package. It was well worth the price ( Read more... )

If the Heavens are out their discerning the will of God(s) doesn't really have a good track record. This was my first thought as I walked around the beautiful location of the Temple of Heaven. It was here the Emperor would make offerings to Heaven for a good harvest (Hall of Offering for the Good Harvest) and to Heaven as it's representative on ( Read more... )

What a last few eventful days it has been ( Read more... )

Today was my first day visiting a Christian community in China and my first Christian faith visit this year. What an experience it was ( Read more... )

One the final day Randy and I would catch the Lingering Gardens. These gardens are quite lovely and smaller compared to some of the other ones we had been too. One of the great things about this garden though was the music (Suzhou Opera and storytelling that happened each hour), women dressed as noblewomen doing historical reenactments ( Read more... )