They're at it again...

Mom and Dad set their sites on China as the next installment in their adventures. Mom bought some text messages and is sending me updates, which I'm supposed to share with "everybody." I have been forwarding updates to sisters and aunts and cousins, but I thought a blog post might do more justice.

Stay tuned... there are many adventures ahead for them in this trip.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Second Update: Saturday, October 8


Saturday October 8

Great wall, Peking duck, cloisenne and jade factory.  10 dishes of food at each meal -- beer and rice wine.  Great weather.  Today summer palace, rickshaw tour, pearl factory.  Old town, acupuncture. 

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Peking Duck



  


Cloisonné


"Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials. "

File:Cloisonneming.jpg    File:Qilin-shaped incense burner 1 CAC.JPG   File:Cloisonneqing.jpg


Jade

"Jade has always been the material most highly prized by the Chinese, above silver and gold. From ancient times, this extremely tough translucent stone has been worked into ornaments, ceremonial weapons and ritual objects. Recent archaeological finds in many parts of China have revealed not only the antiquity of the skill of jade carving, but also the extraordinary levels of development it achieved at a very early date."  Full Text

Jade coiled dragon    



Summer Palace


"The Summer Palace in Beijing – first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886 – is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value."  Full Text from Unesco World Heritage List

    

Rickshaw


These days mostly by bike:


Acupuncture

From the National Institute of Health: "Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world. As part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body. In the United States, where practitioners incorporate healing traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries, acupuncture is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)."


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