There are many performers in Tiāntán Park - some
play
instruments, some sing opera, some dance, etc. These two
gentlemen are playing èrhú (
二胡 = er = two, so "two string"
violins).
Unlike western violins, the bow is strung
between the two strings.
The
èrhú players were kind enough to let
Lauren and Anthony
try playing a bit. Anthony plays western violin, so this was a
nice treat for him!
Summer
Palace
The Summer Palace (颐和园) is a great place to cool off on
a hot
day because wind blows over the large, hand-dug lake, creating an
evaporative cooling effect.
The buildings at the Summer Palace are brilliantly
painted with intricate designs like this. The time involved with
all of this is staggering.
Lauren with three of Huang Wen Hui bóshì's
students resting by the lake.
Forbidden
City
The Emperor's palace (Zǐjinchéng = 紫禁城) is a huge
complex called the
Forbidden City. It was a hazy day when we visited this
year. This is the view from Tiān'ānmén Square (天安门广场)
looking toward the
main entrance to the Forbidden City.
Tai Chi lessons from Lu
Beibei
Graduate student Lu Beibei sidelines as a tai chi chuan
instructor. She very graciously gave the three of us
tàijíquán (太极拳) lessons
during our stay in Bĕijīng. She is a
great teacher -
very patient, very supportive, very attentive to detail, and very
unwilling to overlook mistakes.
Xīnjiāng-style dinner with
Wang
bóshì (of the China University of Mining and Technology -
Zhongguo Kuangye Dàxué - 中国矿业大学)
Wang bóshì (of the
China University of
Mining and Technology - Zhongguo Kuangye Dàxué -
中国矿业大学)
is Xiao Ping's academic advisor in China.
He's an expert in petroleum and coal - fields of great interest to me,
but not my primary specialty. He honored us with a great dinner
at a restaurant specializing in
Xīnjiāng
(新疆) food. There were dancers from Xīnjiāng there, as well.
Xiao Ping, Wang bóshì, and I at
dinner. Wang bóshì is a very good guy. If he
was an ore deposits geologist like me, I'd be happy to do research with
him!
Xīnjiāng dancers with Lauren, Anthony, and me after
dancing together. I spoke with the dancers after the show on the
street in front of the restaurant after their shift. They were in
their regular modern clothes and would have blended in with almost any
group of college kids in China or the U.S. Xiao Ping translated
for me. Dancing in Bĕijīng was their big break (Xīnjiāng is a
poor place.)
Lauren for scale with a nice
Rapakivi textured
granite used for dimension stone facing of the restaurant.
Special dinner with Xiao Ping
Xiao Ping treated us to a special traditional dinner at
a restaurant done up in the style of her hometown. Chinese people
can be remarkably generous and Xiao Ping is definitely an example of
that virtue.
Hénán molybdenum
project - Bĕijīng tourism photos
There's a great life-sized dinosaur model outside the
museum. Having "meat and skin on the bones" with a full sized
dinosaur gives visitors a fun feeling that these creatures actually
lived and walked around like we do. 
Lauren was wearing her Kutztown University Geology Club
t-shirt with a cave bear design that day. The museum had a cave
bear skeleton on display in a very similar pose. 
This T-Rex skull was posed near the second floor
mezzanine with the feet of the skeleton at the ground level.
They had several great displays like this that give visitors a feel for
how big these creatures were. 
It was a hazy day on the Great Wall (万里长城), but a great
day. Lu Beibei gave us a tour. Hiking the Great Wall is
aerobic exercise!
Looking down one of the steep stairways along the Great
Wall. The steps can be slippery because they've been worn smooth
by many thousands of tourists (and Imperial Guards many years ago?)
Hundreds of visitors on the wall - the Wall at
Bādálĭng
(八达岭) is one of the most visited sections of its entire 5500 mile (8850
km)
length.
Safety is always a concern when taking students on trips
like this. (sigh) .
The Temple of Heaven (天坛) is a nice place to spend an
afternoon. The Temple is impressive, but I like the park as much
as I do the Temple because there are so many interesting people. 
Stromatolite
fossils in the limestone used for the steps. 
Automobiles may be growing in popularity in Bĕijīng, and
the roads may be packed, but bicycles are still an important mode of
transportation in China. 
Delicious, authentic Chinese food - different from what
we get in the U.S. and a treat every time!
Bimbo
brand bread - probably wouldn't be a great seller here in the
U.S. This photo is a study in contrast because Lauren is
definitely the opposite
of a bimbo - she is very smart!!
