Having left the Forbidden City we then had to queue alongside the moat which surrounds the palace for about 20 mins for a bus to take us back to our coach - it felt rather like we were standing on the Embankment, next to the Thames.
Who says China is monitoring its citizens!
This chap was a crowd controller and barked instructions through a loud speaker constantly. Being Brits we didn't want to squash together so were continually being shouted at.
According to the itinerary we were due to take a leisurely stroll in the warren-like hutongs where we will meet a local family (1 hour on foot).
Hutongs are a style of housing established in the 13th century as tenancy for the city's growing population. They were designed to reflect the Chinese system of Feng Shui with 4 hutongs joining together to make a courtyard in the middle and sharing bathroom facilities. As for a leisurely stroll I barely got to take a couple of shots and those were from the outside.
Love the drainpipes.
And as for meeting a local family, that was a complete fabrication - we had a lunch in a house which was clearly geared up for the tourist trade (it had to be, there were forks available!).
The proprietress, who certainly didn't look her 55 years.
The cynics amongst us felt that this part of the programme was altered/curtailed purely to accommodate an optional tour on which the local guide made a few £. It was a shame because we'd driven past the area earlier in the day on our way to Tiananmen Square so could easily have stopped off then, instead of which we had to negotiate the heavy traffic again and just for about a 1/2 hour visit.
On then to the Temple of Heaven - one of the most perfect examples of Ming architecture - it was created as a place of worship for the emperors who would ask for prosperity, longevity and a good harvest for the people. Set in a 267 hectare park it involved yet another long walk - this tour was described as level 1 but so far the distances we've walked have been vast and there is one lady who is reliant on a stick so I do feel for her (especially as she'd booked pre Covid when she was considerably more mobile).
There are signs everywhere in Beijing, some telling you what to do, ie "open" on a door, and many more telling you what you can't do - maybe with such a large population to control they can't take any chances.
And this one really made me chuckle.
Once again there were lots of ladies beautifully dressed up.
Most of the ones we'd seen in the Forbidden City had been wearing trainers which rather spoilt the look, but this young lady was wearing the traditional footwear. It looks like a block of wood which must be very uncomfortable to walk on.
I snatched this picture (with Mum's approval).
Mum then spent ages trying to get her daughter to pose - this was the best we got (apart from the bag strap flying into shot).
Unfortunately we couldn't go inside the temple although it was supposed to be beautiful.
I don't know if it's true but on Google reverse image search these are allegedly for sacrificial pyres.
Don't they look fab.
This couple kindly stopped and posed for me.
