Finally, Beijing!

I am back for my 5th trip to China in the last year, and finally, I managed to make time to stop in Beijing long enough to actually see this city even if only for a brief day.
I traveled with Jeff, one of our engineering associates, who will be training our local Chinese Team on several quality functions. We started off a bit rocky as our pilot landed in Chicago and must have gotten lost getting to the gate as he pulled a fast U-turn in the middle of the road to get us there. It was one of those fast turns where the brakes are squealing and the outside wingtip feels as if it just touched the ground and then we learned our plane to Beijing would be delayed 4 hours for some sort of mechanical problem. We never learned what it was, but rumors about one of the engines having fallen off got started somehow. Hmmmm, wonder where? But we were patient (what choice did we have?) and the United folks were nice enough to put Jeff and I in the 1st class lounge to wait. Finally, we left and arrived in Beijing about 10:00 pm China time.
Saturday, we contracted a driver and tour guide to take us to The Great Wall. It was 16 degrees at 07:00 AM and probably not more than 25 by 10:00 AM when we reached the Wall with a howling wind. I started off with my big coat and quickly advanced to gloves. Then ear muffs. Then my scarf over my face.
The Great Wall is exactly that. Unbelievable! The mountains are very arid and dry and the wall just runs along the ridge like a ribbon. I can understand why the Mongols never made it into China. And, yes – there were stairs (again, as always).
It was truly spectacular and I really don’t possess the skill to describe it, so I won’t try and instead just give you pictures.
After getting beat up by the stairs and wind, we left and stopped for lunch at a factory that makes copper pottery called “Cloisonne”. These are copper pots that have copper wire glued on to create raised dams about 1/8 inch high to form intricate patterns (flowers, dragons, etc). The areas inside the wire dams are filled with colored paint type material and then oven fired causing the colors to harden. The pots are polished to high shine and then sold. Pretty cool process.
After lunch, we drove through Beijing, passing the National Stadium (the Olympic “bird’s nest”) and the swim Natatorium on our way to Tiananmen Square where Mao is buried and the National Congress Building. Very cool. A ton of history. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the history, one has to be impressed with it.
Finally, for dinner, we topped it off with a good meal at one of Beijing’s finest. The one and only Hard Rock Café – Beijing! Another vicious rumor about T-shorts being involved has also started and again I don’t know where that came from.

Enjoy the pics!