China - The Country, not Dishes

The Quilt travelled a good long distance to visit the country of China. It was a fascinating trip; filled with beautiful sites and places.

Temple of Heaven

天壇

The ancient emperors came here to pray for a good harvest and peace.

Mao's Tomb

毛主席紀念堂

The body of Mao Zedong is on display in this tomb. We heard that perhaps it is now only a plastic replica and that the actual body has been moved to a safe location.

Tiananmen Gate

 天安門

Tiananmen Gate - Gate of Heavenly Peace - is decorated with a portrait of Mao. The gate is on the northern end of Tiananmen Square and marks the beginning of the Forbidden City.

Great Wall of China Badaling

The Great Wall lived up to all expectations. It was absolutely amazing. The Quilt had heard that the wall could be seen from space, but this is only a myth, it can not be seen from space nor the moon. 

At the Great Wall, the Quilt climbed to the highest section in order to have this portrait taken with the Chinese Flag. The Large star is for the communist party, the other four stand for the four classes of people: Peasants, workers, bourgeoisie and businessmen

Water Cube

北京國家游泳中心

Beijing National Aquatics Center

This was one of the most exciting things to see, the inside of the Water Cube where Michael Phelps won all his gold medals. The texture of the building was very photogenic.

Bird's Nest

Beijing National Stadium

The Bird's Nest was a bit of a disappointment, don't know what we were expecting, but it didn't live up to the hype quite the way that the Water Cube did.

View of the Oriental Pearl Tower from the Bund

外灘 东方明珠塔

Shanghai was a wonderful city. The view of Pudong from the Bund was great, especially at night when everything was all lit up. The Bund was also quite nice at night all lit up.

Overall, the quilt was quite impressed with its visit to China, it was grateful that it didn't have to eat!