Monday, February 12, 2007

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace in Beijing was similar to the Forbidden City, but there were many memorable differences. Instead of just historic buildings, the Palace had nature pathways and ornate architectural buildings. While strolling along a dirt path, we came across a large group of people singing songs. After they were finished, the leader of the group asked us to sing an "American song." We agreed to sing them "Row Your Boat" in a round. We felt really "cool" singing this in front of about 25 Chinese men and women. However, they applauded loudly when we completed our serenade.

During our walk back to the bus, we noticed a man painting Chinese symbols on the sidewalk. He was using an oversized paintbrush and water to complete the message. Our guide informed us that the man was writing a love poem. Later, we came across a row of vendors selling paintings. Many of them depicted colorful landscape images. The trip to the Summer Palace was scenic and stands out because of its unique cultural history.

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