Golden Hour

 

Golden hour is always beautiful, but especially in the Fall and beside a lake in Connecticut.

Some Chinese People

I like photographing people.  Sometimes as planned portraits, sometimes just capturing people as they go about their lives.

She demonstrated a tea ceremony and showed us how Chinese people brew a range of different teas.

An artist and a merchant in a Beijing hutong.

A woman taking a break after posing for someone else.

An energetic jade saleswoman.

A man greeting guests at a restaurant.

Two people greeting guests arriving for dinner and a show.

People arriving to see the Terracotta Army in Xi'an.

A craftswoman making small clay terracotta warriors for sale in a big shop.

David, our guide in Xi'an and Beijing.

A girl outside the Xi'an wall, playing with the equivalent of a big yoyo.

A man in Zhuijiajiao.

Cooking.

Displaying knickknacks.

Two men in Haitan Ancient City.

Belle, our local guide for visits to the Summer Palace and the Lama Temple.

This three week trip to China was wonderful.  I'm back in Connecticut briefly before heading to Florida for the winter.  Photographs from Connecticut will be here tomorrow. 

Lama Temple

 Lama Temple is Beijing's principal and largest Buddhist Temple. It was built in 1694, as part of the city wall for Emperor Yongzheng, before he ascended the throne in 1722. 

Yongzheng’s son -- Emperor Qianlong -- sent for 300 Tibetan monks and 200 Chinese students and housed them in the palace in 1744. From then on, the dwelling served as a temple and monastery.  Lama Temple is considered one of the greatest centers of Buddhism outside of Tibet.

Burning incense and bowing is a big part of Buddhist culture.

Photographing Buddha is not permitted, so I photographed parts of the temple interior in front of the golden Buddha statues.

Summer Palace

 The Summer Palace is a complex of palaces and gardens set in multiple lakes in Beijing.  The first stage of construction on the Summer Palace building was commissioned in 1750 by the emperor Qianlong—the fourth emperor of the Qing (Manchu) dynasty—as a gift for his mother. It was completed in 1764.

The Qinjan marble boat dates back to 1755.  An advisor told the emperor that "the waters that float the boat can also capsize it," implying that the Chinese people can not only support an emperor, but can also topple him.  So, the emperor had a very substantial boat built as a sign of stability.

We were there during a national holiday week, when many Chinese came in from the provinces to see Beijing, perhaps for the first time.  Some, like this woman, wore clothing typical of the provinces.

We were told that this long corridor is in the Guinness Book of Records as the place with the most paintings.  (Perhaps an exaggeration.) 

The Summer Palace itself is off limits to visitors.  It is visible here from the long corridor.

We took a boat trip to a small island in the biggest lake.

We weren't alone.  Many people enjoyed the day in boats.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is the imperial palace complex in Beijing. It was the residence of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty Emperors, and the center of political power in China for over 500 years from 1420 to 1924.  For centuries only the imperial family and their entourage were permitted to enter, but now it is one of China's most important tourist attractions.

Like Tiananmen Square immediately south of the Forbidden City, it can feel very crowded at first.  But, it is such a big space, with multiple courtyards, that it doesn't feel crowded once one moves further along.

The Forbidden City has many buildings, more than I can remember.  I will just show a selection.

Like other tourist spots in China, many young women wore lovely traditional dresses and headwear.  They are there to be photographed for social media by their companions, but most didn't mind being photographed by a harmless appearing old man.

Tiananmen Square

 Tiananmen Square is massive and crowded.

This colorful basket of fake flowers is not a permanent installation.  It was a holiday week.  Beijing had floral displays all over the city, including in Tiananmen Square.

Tiananmen Gate is at the northern end of the square.  It separates the Forbidden City from Tiananmen Square.