MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS

Saturday, April 2, 2016

{Part XI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Impressions of Fuzhou, China}

It sure was early rising for the team members as the bus picked them up at 6:15 AM for going to the airport and fly to Fuzhou, some 2,000 km to the south.

China is a VAST country!

Again flying on such a rattling Russian Ilyushin Il-62 ...

This is husband Pieter at a Shii-take farm...
After lunch, Pieter did lecture for the Fuzhou Academy on March 27, 1987.
His translator already got better acquainted with the topic, after his first time in Beijing...
There were several meetings with the Center of Trade etc.

Walking around the city, it again was quite obvious that most people used their bikes!
One can tell it is 2,000 kilometer to the south, more green and people are not that bundled up as in Beijing.

Laundry is hanging outside almost everywhere.

Most are in their shirt, without a coat or jacket...

City life...

In East Asia it always looks like one half of the population is selling something to the other half...

Guess they had not often seen tourists...

Police is watching out...

Balconies seem to be loaded with plants...

Again laundry hanging to dry from the balconies and windows.

Plants and laundry and one can see the construction with some bamboo poles for hanging things...

Very narrow alleys!

Bikes and laundry hanging from the balcony.

More laundry...

Even hanging from the tree!

Going home with a life chicken...

Just interesting to walk a bit around...

More green trees here.

No markings on the road...

Like mentioned before, everybody seems to be selling something...

Looks like this kid had more often an ice cream...

Did you notice his 'sleeves'?
Guess that is for protection or what... Does anyone know about this?
Is that where the saying 'Having something up your sleeve' comes from?

Everything is being done at street-side...

Nice, road repair or whatever, in front of this shop...

Some goat meat for sale...
No, thanks!

Any chicken?

That was Fuzhou, People Republic of China for a 3-night stay.
Next we will go from Guangzhou, which is even more south from Fuzhou, to Hong Kong by train...

{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part III of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Arrival in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

Thursday, March 31, 2016

{Part X of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Ming Tombs near Beijing, China}

On the way back from Jinshanling Great Wall of China, the bus with the ten delegates and their guide, did visit the Ming Tombs near Beijing.
They got to descend into the 27 m deep Dingling Tomb

Husband Pieter looking very happy, after having climbed the Great Wall and now ending the day with a visit to the Ming Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Front Gate of Dingling, with Pieter squatted down with a cute Chinese toddler...
They will descend to the Tomb of Emperor Zhu Yijun (1563-1620) of Ming Dynasty, which is 27 meters below.

Here you see the Five Sacrificial Utensils in front of The Soul Tower
For a very interesting 2-½ minute video check here: Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties(UNESCO/NHK)
Also the video is showing you the beautiful surroundings, aerial views, located south of the Tianshou Mountain

They are looking at a board with the entire region where the tombs are, the final resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming emperors.

Images are from: Zhu Yizhun - the Wanli Emperor click and scroll down.

Being 27 meters below, you will find the marble door with self locking mechanism.

Pieter and the team were told by their guide that the last person had to lock the door and that meant he himself got locked in as well!

Immolation (to offer in sacrifice...)

The less glamorous and cruel part was the offering of human lives.

In the early days, human slaves were a mere personal property that was sacrificed to serve the deceased in the afterlife. This custom died out in China already a couple of millenniums ago; not so much for humane reasons but simply because slaves were too expensive. Qin Shi Huang's terra cotta figures were excellent examples of a substitute for human sacrifice.

Some Ming emperors however still insisted on taking their favorite concubines with them. Human offerings have been found at Xianling, Changling and Jingling of the Ming tombs.

The concubines were normally not buried in the main vault but in separate "wells" nearby. Adding to the cruelty, they were buried alive in a standing position awaiting their emperor in the netherworld. (See photo to the right showing such Concubine tombs, Qingxilling).

click and scroll down for the above info: Ming tombs -General information.

Pieter also did get to see some of the Terra cotta Warriors while at the Ming Tombs.

They were probably brought there, as they also traveled to several big Museums.

These slides got lost too...

It was again unimaginably, Pieter wrote in his diary...

They treated their Beijing hosts for dinner and had to pack because next day everyone had to rise very early for a flight to Fuzhou, more to the south east.

Thanks for visiting and till next part...

{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

{Part IX of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Jinshanling Great Wall of China}

After the good two hour drive up into the mountains, north of Beijing, seeing extreme poverty and shaggy mushroom houses without any production due to the cold, the Jinshanling Great Wall of China came in sight!
One of the World Wonders...

In Pieter's diary he wrote: 'There are no words for being able to stand here on this enormous wall and for climbing up. Got exhausted!!'

The team was lucky that they got to see the Great Wall Section at Jinshanling as that proves to be the BEST!

Click here: Sections of the Great Wall of China: where to go, where to avoid

I bet it can't be fully grasped until you're actually ON it...

Would have loved to be there too!

How pleased Pieter was for having his lined Parka to wear in the cold areas of China!

It was quite a climb up into the mountainous area, some 130 km or 80 miles north of Beijing.

Here you can see Jinshanling's Great Wall Section - the most popular for hiking. Clicking the link also lets you see a video for getting a more real idea.

It weaves like a snake across the mountain... and that for 8,852 kilometers!

Good that those trees were bare so the view of the Great Wall was visible!

Everyone's excitement grew...

The bus is snaking through the mountains and coming closer and closer...

Yay, almost there!
Can you imagine that this got already started in the 6th century?
Read more about the history of Jinshanling Great Wall by clicking on this link.