China – Beijing, a walk back in History (7) .. and also my 200th Posting in my blog since Nov 2012

The next morning in Chengde, Hebei and on the way back to Beijing. Beautiful view of the bare trees on the side of the road.

Arriving back in the evening, we passed the modern part of Beijing; high rise offices and buildings.

We could still see lots of people cycling on the inner roads specially built for the cyclist.

…and the outer roads.. jam packed with cars and buses.

Later we headed to Wangfujing, located in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It is one of the Chinese capital’s most famous shopping streets. Majority of the main shopping area is pedestrianised and is very popular for shopping for both tourists and residents of the capital.

Wangfujing Snack Street, located in hutongs just west of the main street, densely packed with restaurants and street food stalls. The food stalls serves a wide variety of common and exotic street food. Dare to try?

Follow me on my last posting on Beijing and see where the the last place I dropped by before heading back. 😊

China – Beijing, a walk back in History (6)

Heading to Chengde city , Hebei province after coming from Putuo ZongCheng Temple.

Had the chance to walk around the city in the evening to see how the locals there lived and also the buildings and alleys.

Fruits displayed openly on the side walk.

.. and also food too.

This was the view of one of the alleys in the evening market where locals doing their marketing.

Their local food of which I do not even know what they are.

One of the restaurant along the street in Chengde.

In 1703, Chengde was chosen by the Kangxi Emperor as the location for his summer residence. The Mountain Resort in Chengde was used by both the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. The site is currently an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The resort is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the city. Because of its vast and rich collection of Chinese landscapes and architecture, the Resort is a culmination of all the variety of gardens, pagodas, temples and palaces from various regions of China.

This is the table of the Chinese Emperor in China and their family.

Beautiful frozen lake with a gondola at the side.

The big garden but bare during end of winter.

Want more? If yes, then stay tune for more.

China – Beijing, a walk back in History (5)

On my journey in Beijing continues. Heading to another city outside Beijing which is Chengde in the Hebei province.

Some snap shots to keep you busy before we head to Chengde.

Cute little sign which I saw.

First stop was Putuo Zongcheng Temple. The temple is a Qing Dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built between 1767 and 1771, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796). It is located near the Chengde Mountain Resort, which is south of the Putuo Zongcheng.

View of the Great Red Tower of tje Putuo Zongcheng Temple

It is one of the Eight Outer Temples of Chengde. The temple was modeled after the Potala Palace of Tibet, the old sanctuary of the Dalai Lama and it represents a fusion of Chinese and Tibetan architectural styles. The temple complex covers a surface area of some 220,000 square metres, making it one of the largest in China. Many of its halls and pavilions are adorned with copper and gold tiled roofs, adding to the splendor of the site.

The main hall of the temple, crowned with Chinese pavilions and centered around a hall with a golden rooftop

Closer view of the Great Red Tower.

Locals setting up stalls at the base of the temple selling souvenirs.

Qianlong tablet pavilion which was located behind the front entrance.

Can anyone guess where does this entrance to leads to?

Enjoying the journey so far? If you do… dun stop! There are more to come. 😊