2008-10-10

Posted at 05:47 UT by Tamara

Great Getaways of the World
Begins its mini-series on China
with the arrival into Beijing

We had arrived the previous night at the Pudong Airport where we were met by Richard, our Beijing tour guide for China Spree, and taken to our hotel to rest for the remainder of the evening. The following morning We will board our tour bus in front of the hotel and be driven to the front of Tian na Men Square.,

Beijing means North Capital City,
and has been home to around 800 years of dynasties who have made it their capital and center of administration.
As a result, many of the finest existing examples of architecture, which underwent rebuilding during the Ming Dynasty, can be visited there.

I am traveling with the touring group,
China Spree,
along with a small group of 15 other people,
a great size for everyone getting to know each other, and to enjoy companionship and mutual support on a journey through a land where none of us speaks fluent Chinese.

Prior to leaving for China, our tour operator offered to us, some words of wisdom:

In China, everything is possible, but nothing is really easy.

Be patient, flexible, open and good natured.

China is a learning experience, not an escape, an adventure, not a getaway, a new challenge, not necessarily a holiday.

And also these 10 Commandments:

Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou has them at home, for thou has left thy home to find things different.

Thou shalt not take anything too seriously. A carefree mind is the beginning of a vacation.

Thou shalt not let other tourists get on thy nerves, for thou art paying out thy savings to enjoy thyself.

Thou shalt not forget that thou dust represent thy country.

Thou shalt not worry. One who worrieth hath no peace, and few things are ever fatal!

Remember thy passport, so that thou always knowest where it is. A person without a passport is a person without a country.

Blessed is the one who can say " Thank You" in any tongue, for this is of more worth than tipping.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If in difficulty, use thy American common sense and friendliness.

Do not judge the people of a country by one person with whom thou hast had difficulties.

Remember thou art a guest in every land. Those who treateth their host with respect shall themselves receive honorable treatment.

Some additional words of wisdom, such as making photocopies of your passport, visa, bank account numbers, email addresses, and other contacts vital in emergencies, will prove invaluable help in recreating documents lost or stolen, and in accessing cash in emergencies.

I shall be remembering these words as I encounter new experiences in China.

SEGMENT 318
Beijing, China
Arrival in Beijing and the Forbidden City - Part One
Accommodations at the Beijing Joy City Hotel
1st segment in the series on China

We Open the series with the greetings of our local Beijing Tour guide, Richard, and our National Tour guide, Miss Dong Lin, who will be our companion, assistant and, mother duck for the next 13 days of traveling through China. Without her, we would have been quite lost in a strange and foreign land, without language skills and cultural understanding, deaf, dumb, and blind.

In China, the last name always comes first, honoring the importance of family over individual, and all guides have adopted an easy to remember and say American name.
In the filmings, I have always asked them to introduce themselves in their real, Chinese names, which often have meanings in their language.

Part of this journey is beginning to learn a few important words of Chinese, such as Nee How, a greeting, and Xie Xie, (Shie - Shie), thank you.

Our national tour guide, Lin, has a great sense of humor and will make the journey sparkle a bit with her personality, for it is the people of China who are the "Best Treasures" on this 14 day "Best Treasures of China" excursion.

We begin with a walk by Tian an Men ( Gate of Heaven) square, which is closed to the public during the final ceremonies for the special Olympics. We will be walking through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, under the famed portrait of Chairman Mao, to enter into the Forbidden City.

In gaining understanding of the war torn history of China, with Dynastic control that virtually enslaved the people in unbelievable public work projects, it is no wonder that revolutions to rid itself of such onerous power controls would occur. China is a work in progress, as is the rest of the world, rising up to free her people and to create a more fair and honorable system of governing that is still working on herself.
It is a wonderful day when her doors have once again been opened to welcome in the outside world, and we are all coming together as friends to honor our common humanity.

The Forbidden City will be our first major excursion, and it is not called a city for no purpose. Most will be exhausted after walking the many gates and passages, especially those carrying their weight in camera gear

Tour guides major in college classes on tourism and are adept at pointing out the historical significance of each stop along the way, the architectural features, and history of ancient dynastic China. These are safe subjects to focus on.
They are also in prime physical form to keep ahead of any type touring group, but this group is all comprised of seniors who will certainly be pushed further than their normal daily walks, so preparing for China is important, and good walking shoes a necessity.

Subjects such as democracy, or the present political system of China, or the status of Tibet, are subjects to be avoided at all costs, including mention of such in correspondence via email. We safely remain on historical architecture.
It is always painful to hear about previous wars, hurts, misunderstandings, and suffering humanity, as all of us suffer in common from such.

Our tour guide comes armed with a valiant golden flag, and a bright yellow ducky umbrella, to provide shade, and a visual mark among the jostling crowds that never end. There are millions of people in China, and you will see the ever present crowds of them everywhere, most especially at the tourist driven sights, visited by as many Chinese, if not more, than foreigners.

You will also see the professional thieves and pickpockets who will sight you within seconds, or minutes of your arrival, as you will be standing out like a plump, fresh, foreign turkey, ready for plucking, thus there is more safety in traveling in a small huddled group close to your mother duck, and keeping watch over all your fellow travelers.

The Flags and Banners are essential in keeping the flock together in a jammed packed crowd.

We have all come to China to learn, and the memorized dialogue on the sights is educational, and welcomed as we go about photographing everything we pass, like everyone else in the crowds.

We will be accommodated at the Beijing Joy City Hotel, a restful and beautiful design where all rooms are centered and overlooking a large atrium area with waterfalls, porch swings, sitting areas, and greenery.

I especially enjoy their larger than normal Olympic sized pool which opens at 6 a.m. and stays open till 10 p.m. This allows me to swim before breakfast, and after the work of the day is through. I am still on San Francisco time and awake at 3 a.m. enjoying the coffee and tea each room is provided with, and which allows all guests to boil their water in their room for drinking throughout the day.
China Spree provides 2 bottles of water per day, and the hotel also has 2 smaller bottles in the room for brushing teeth, but I always create a bit of tea to carry about during the day, and replenish my empty water bottles to ensure plentiful liquids on arduous hikes in hot weather.

The hotel, like all stayed at during the journey, also provides tooth brushes, razors, soaps, shampoos, q-tips, and fingernail files, eliminating the need to bring any of these along on the airplane.

The Buffet Breakfasts at all the hotels proved to be the best meal of the day, the richest choices of protein rich foods, and many of the tourists I traveled with were creating sandwiches of the lunchmeats offered to sustain them during the day.

The Joy City Breakfast Buffet was amoug the best of all the hotels during our 13 day stay, offering both Chinese and American cuisine.

You can find the Joy City hotel on-line and may reach them by phone at
86-10-585-18289

This first Twenty Eight minute Broadcast Segment will be airing on Cable 27, Santa Cruz, California, beginning in October , 4 times each week, for it's first scheduled run of airings.

The series of 15 thirty minute broadcasts will continue for several months weekly, bringing an in-depth look at some of China's beautiful and remarkable sights, and a close up relationship to her delightful and charming guides.

These programs are available nationwide to all Public Access Cable stations for airings, and you may contact the Producer to obtain DVD master Broadcast copies for yourself or your Cable provider.

You may acquire this segment, or any of the other segments from this series, through the Producer
, Tamara Lynn Scott
at
TamaraLynnScott@gmail.com
TLS.GreatGetaways@gmail.com
or by calling the Production Studio at
1 - 831 -335-2069

Enjoy this in-depth look at some of China's Best Treasures. Travel along with China Spree and meet her sweet and gentle, humorous and delightful guides, as well as the art, architecture, history, language study, and up close look at the alphabet and writings of an ancient and honorable land and civilization of our fellow world peoples.

We share so much of our wisdoms in common. It is very easy to fall in love and empathy with her peoples." Wo ai Zhung Guo Ren". ( I love the people of China )

China has called herself the middle kingdom, Zhung Guo (sounds like Jung Quo) partially because everyone thinks they are the center of the universe. You will find this name printed on all her money, making it easy to remember. It is always good to know the name of a country, especially when it differs from the name she is known by outside of China.

America is called Mei Guo , sounds like ( May Quo ) Beautiful Kingdom. A very nice name!

It is wonderful learning a few words based on geography, making them easier to remember. There is no better way to learn geography than to physically visit there.

China is home to 56 different nationality groups, the Han being the prevalent 92 percent or so, with the minority groups living about her borders. We'll be seeing some of her diversity along this journey, visiting the remote mountains and rice terraces of the Long Sheng Dragon Spine Rice Terraces, and the long haired Lao peoples, for one.

Airing Schedule for
SEGMENT 318

Tuesday, October 28th
5:30 p.m. news primetime
and again at
2:00 a.m.
when all other programming goes off the air.

Friday, October 31st
5:30 p.m. news primetime
and again at
2:00 a.m.
when all other programming goes off the air.

Labels: CHINA - 16 Part Mini-Series