China 2011

As you may have guessed from the title, my most recent trip was to China. It was a truly amazing experience and one that I feel pretty fortunate to have had. To western eyes, China seems quite alien. (And to Chinese eyes, westerners must seem alien too, because you get stared at A LOT when walking the streets there.) I have been blessed with a sister-in-law, who is from China and was thrilled to give me a fantastic tour of her former home. Outside of an organized commercial tour, it would have been exceptionally challenging to get around and to have seen as much as we did.

 

The forbidden city as seen from Tiananmen Square.


 
 


The White Pagoda.


 
 

It’s very hard to adequately describe the Great Wall. We chose the section of the Wall at Mutianyu, which is less touristy. This section runs along a mountain line and is pretty challenging to walk, but the views are incredible!


 
 


By the way, almost all of the Wall that you’ve seen has actually been re-furbished. This is what much of the wall looked like before being rebuilt. If you ignore the “Do Not Enter” signs (as we did) you can walk along these un-repaired areas of the Wall.


 
 

Sorry to keep butting in, but… I typically like to get away from urban centers when traveling. Usually I’ll be up at 5:00 am or so local time to photograph the countryside in the early morning light. Circumstances prevented that in the case of China, so I shifted to street photography to capture a little of the environmental feel of the experience.


 
 


If’ you’ve been to Disney World, you’ve seen this at Epcot. It is the Temple of Heaven.


 
 


We flew from Beijing about 400 miles west to the city of Xian – home of the Terracotta Warriors.


 
 


And now the food. Truly some of the most amazing food on the planet!


 
 

China 2011

10 thoughts on “China 2011

  • July 20, 2011 at 4:01 pm
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    Nice work on the pictures!

  • August 23, 2011 at 8:29 am
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    Great captures. The black and white street shots I particulary like.

  • October 28, 2011 at 3:34 pm
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    It is a dream of mine one day to be able to experience the far east and China. I think that I would need months, there is so much to see and to learn. I love your images and the mood that you captured.
    Alexis

  • December 12, 2011 at 12:27 pm
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    Great pictures! I definitely have to visit China once. I love the pictures from the great wall and the soldiers from Xian. Thanks for sharing this with us. :)

  • January 24, 2012 at 7:13 am
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    I lived in Tokyo for 6 years and never made it to China. HAVE to get there one day! Great set of pics!

  • January 27, 2012 at 8:21 pm
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    Simply incredible! I am SOOOOOO jealous of you for being able to make that trip! The Great Wall has fascinated me since I was maybe 10 years old, and seeing your photos (especially some of the unrestored sections) just makes me want to hop on a plane tomorrow.

  • February 15, 2012 at 6:15 pm
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    Some really great captures here that remind me of fun times I had in China a few years ago. Shanghai was awesome and Xi’an was equally cool but in a different way (the warriors and the food in Xi’an are spectacular!)

  • August 27, 2019 at 3:43 am
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    Experiencing the Far East and China is my one day dream. It takes me many months to see, a lot to see and learn. I love your pictures and the mood you captured.

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