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Jonathan Yarak | profile | all galleries >> Travel >> Study Abroad in Beijing, Fall 2005 >> Chengde tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Chengde

Joyce, Aldri and I went to the nearby city of Chengde for the day this past saturday (11/6). It was awesome, except for the bus rides there are back which were terrible. Chengde is about 250km northeast of Beijing and home to the Qing Emperors' Imperial Summer Villa, as well as many other temples and attractions. The Imperial Summer Villa is larger than Beijing's Summer Palace and Forbidden City combined, so we didn't have nearly enough time to explore it all. In fact, we only were at the Villa for an hour or two and spent much of the day at Puning Temple and Putuozongcheng Temple, where they have a Potala Palace look-a-like. Then it got cold, so we retreated to Beijing. Oh yeah, and we all took a lot of pictures of each other, but I've tried to keep the absurd pictures of each other taking pictures to a minimum.
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Some crabs being sold in a market near the entrance to the Imperial Summer Villa.
Some crabs being sold in a market near the entrance to the Imperial Summer Villa.		 Fruit seller on the way to work.
Fruit seller on the way to work.		 Buddha welcomes you to Puning temple!
Buddha welcomes you to Puning temple!		 The main entrance, with sign celebrating the 250th anniversary of the temple.
The main entrance, with sign celebrating the 250th anniversary of the temple.
No Chinese monk would be caught without his cellphone!
No Chinese monk would be caught without his cellphone!		 Obligatory burning-incense picture.
Obligatory burning-incense picture.		 Joyce and Aldri being goofy in front of one of the many buildings of the temple.
Joyce and Aldri being goofy in front of one of the many buildings of the temple.		 Temple architecture.
Temple architecture.
Yay for shadow pictures.
Yay for shadow pictures.		 Aldri spinning the lucky bell-type devices.
Aldri spinning the lucky bell-type devices.		 Pigeons taking flight in the temple.
Pigeons taking flight in the temple.		 Then they attacked me and I snapped a picture while covering my head out of fear of bombs.
Then they attacked me and I snapped a picture while covering my head out of fear of bombs.
The main temple hall.
The main temple hall.		 Joyce quoting Shakespeare to Aldri above and me showing my disapproval.
Joyce quoting Shakespeare to Aldri above and me showing my disapproval.		 Architectural Intersection.
Architectural Intersection.		 Cool rock way off in the distance, it looked kind of like a turtle from one side, here it just looks weird.
Cool rock way off in the distance, it looked kind of like a turtle from one side, here it just looks weird.
Temple roofs.
Temple roofs.		 The main temple hall.
The main temple hall.		 Bird flying into the sun.
Bird flying into the sun.		 Absolutely HUGE statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, it's 22m tall, made of five different kinds of wood, and has 42 arms.
Absolutely HUGE statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, it's 22m tall, made of five different kinds of wood, and has 42 arms.
A thousand little statues line the walls.
A thousand little statues line the walls.		 Group shot.
Group shot.		 More main temple.
More main temple.		 Now at Putuozongcheng Temple, do not pull off!
Now at Putuozongcheng Temple, do not pull off!
The Potala Palace minifacsimile.
The Potala Palace minifacsimile.		 My polarizer was all over this task.
My polarizer was all over this task.		 When 10mm just isn't wide enough... this thing was huge, and it's a SMALL version of the real Potala in Lhasa...
When 10mm just isn't wide enough... this thing was huge, and it's a SMALL version of the real Potala in Lhasa...		 Prayer flag towers in front of the main palace, or Red Palace.
Prayer flag towers in front of the main palace, or Red Palace.
Prayer flags blowing in the wind.
Prayer flags blowing in the wind.		 Me taking a picture in front of the leaning tower of Potala.
Me taking a picture in front of the leaning tower of Potala.		 Inner courtyard of the Red Palace.
Inner courtyard of the Red Palace.		 Joyce and Aldri at the top.
Joyce and Aldri at the top.
They were hard at work renovating the temple, this guy was their elevator.
They were hard at work renovating the temple, this guy was their elevator.		 This guy was taking a break from his work.
This guy was taking a break from his work.		 Random guy wanting to take his picture with the foreigner.
Random guy wanting to take his picture with the foreigner.		 Taken by strapping camera to my hand and leaning over the edge.
Taken by strapping camera to my hand and leaning over the edge.
This is what it took to get the previous picture.
This is what it took to get the previous picture.		 Yet another jumping picture, I wonder what the people in the background were thinking...
Yet another jumping picture, I wonder what the people in the background were thinking...		 Strangely orange walkway.
Strangely orange walkway.		 Greatest. Picture. Ever.
Greatest. Picture. Ever.
The Potala mock-up in the distance.
The Potala mock-up in the distance.		 The whole Putuozengcheng Temple.
The whole Putuozengcheng Temple.		 No Recovery Box! In the Imperial Summer Villa now.
No Recovery Box! In the Imperial Summer Villa now.		 Covered walkways in the Imperial Summer Villa museum.
Covered walkways in the Imperial Summer Villa museum.
Lake area in the Villa.
Lake area in the Villa.		 Low sunlight on the lakeshore.
Low sunlight on the lakeshore.		 Aldri and Joyce in front of the lake.
Aldri and Joyce in front of the lake.		 And on the bridge.
And on the bridge.
The three of us on the bridge (I'm standing about a foot lower than them, hehe).
The three of us on the bridge (I'm standing about a foot lower than them, hehe).		 More reflections as we quickly lose light.
More reflections as we quickly lose light.		 Joyce and Aldri. It's a nice shot of them, but they look a little cold...
Joyce and Aldri. It's a nice shot of them, but they look a little cold...		 Here they are in their more natural state.
Here they are in their more natural state.
Obligatory posing-with-statue pictures.
Obligatory posing-with-statue pictures.		 Playing with the children.
Playing with the children.		 Me being weird while Joyce looks on.
Me being weird while Joyce looks on.		 This is how I spent our very cold, very long bus ride back to Beijing.
This is how I spent our very cold, very long bus ride back to Beijing.
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