Guys sleeping behind bar at beer garden.

Familiar brands across the street from hotel.

Familiar brands across the street from hotel.

Familiar brands across the street from hotel.

Our tour guide "Jason"

Buick with Chinese emblems. Most cars are built in China.

With Adam in front of small jade carvings

Carving a Happy Family ball

Closer view of carving

100 Horses carved from a single piece of multi-color jade

Happy Family jade carving that I bought

Poor translation

Entrance to Great Wall climb

Yes we are going to hike up there

The locks have couples initals engraved on them and symbolize their everlasting love.

Looking back down from FIRST landing on way up.

Great Dragon Gorge

Bzillions of koi

Hotel at Great Dragon Gorge

Escalator to boat ride

Entering the mouth of the dragon

Dam which makes the lake

Graffiti ?

Boat ride up the gorge

Bungee jumping platform in Great Dragon Gorge

Birds Nest and Cube - 2008 Olympic venues

3 litre beer dispenser in Beijing

Pearl factory classroom

Freshly opened fresh water oyster

About to have a few tourists model some pearls

Note the guy with the open shirt. They were everywhere.

Summer Palace pavilion

Lake at summer palace with dragon boats and paddle boats

Summer palace with lion statues.

Explanation of 17 arch bridge

Seventeen arch bridge

Adam & Kitty trying to stay dry

Water lillies, aka Lotus plants. Roots are edible and we had them a couple of times.

Very large incense burner at Summer Palace

This is (I think) a Pixiu. A mythical animal part dragon, part lion, horned, and sometimes winged.

On the way to family lunch with fellow traveler Tonja.

Our rickshaw driver

Let the race begin.

City worker who can't work during rain. Might as well nap.

Lunch host father and son answering questions

The ride back to bus after torrential rain

Temple of Heaven checkers players

Temple of Heaven Chinese Chess players

Temple of Heaven kids drawing class

Another kids drawing class.

Temple of Heaven

Incredible detail on the building at the Temple of Heaven

The flooding in Beijing

Jason leading us to Tieneman Square. Note the footwear.

Going down to underground crosswalks.

Government building at Tieneman Square

Lights, speakers, and security cameras

Tons of security cameras on every building

Garden at Tieneman Square

Huge TV screens at Tienemen Square

Wide boulevsrd between Tieneman Square and The Forbidden City entrance.

Chairman Mao at entrance of Forbidden City

Statue inside Forbidden City

Building in Forbidden City

Adam & Bob & Kitty entering Forbidden City

Door to Forbidden City with 9 x 9 gold decorations

Large crowds at Forbidden City

Rows of soldiers hats on parade grounds. Reason unknown.

Forbidden City building being restored.

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Girl posing for pictures in Forbidden City

Forbidden City

The original stone CD. (I really have no idea what it was.)

Forbidden City

Emperor's house atop the hill

Man bailing out

Explanation of pots

Lion guarding an entrance

Study room of the Last Emperor

Throne of the Last Emperor. His mother sat behind the curtain. Like the Wizard of Oz.

Not all buildings have been restored

Not all buildings have been restored

The Last Emperor's bed

Rock garden in Forbidden City

Chinese kid with cool haircut

Emperor's residence

Another McDonalds

Fancy fringed rickshaw

Motorized enclosed rickshaw

Cool building Beijing

Jenny, our tour guide in Xian

Ascending the old city wall in Xian

Building atop the Xian city wall

Old Xian to the left inside the wall, modern Xian outside

Defensive apparatus

I think a guy would stand in this and be wheeled into battle

Canon over the moat

Inside Banpo Museum

Inside Banpo Museum

Inside Banpo Museum

Inside Banpo Museum

Inside Banpo Museum

Inside Banpo Museum

Inside Banpo Museum

Construction right next to Banpo Museum

Terracotta factory & museum

Terracotta factory & museum

Terracotta factory & museum

Terracotta factory & museum

Terracotta Warrior Pit 1 from outside

Terracotta Warriors Pit 1

Terracotta Warriors Pit 1

Terracotta Warriors Pit 1

Pit 1 rows that have not been fully excavated

Terracotta Warriors Pit 1

Site of well. A few feet away and this all may not have been found.

Soldiers in various states of reconstruction

Boxes for collecting related parts

Workers cleaning and sorting parts

Horse than has been reconstructed

Sand bags are walked on so as not to disturb the dirt

The amount still not excavated is amazing

Pit 3 appears to have been command post based on ranks of soldiers

Horses in Pit 3

Many heads were missing because they were separate pieces

Several soldiers displayed showing different ranks

Huge grounds of Terracotta Warriors

Tea ceremony at end of Terracotta tour

Adam before being seated for Tang Dancing Show

Inside theatre for Tang Dancing Show

Tang Dancing Show

Tang Dancing Show

Tang Dancing Show

Dinner theatre for Tang Dancing Show

Big Wild Goose Pagoda and big incense burner

Modern LED lighting built into steps

Inside temple at Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Cushions for kneeling on when praying

Female buddha with many arms called a Bodhisattvas.

Wall murals were made entirely of jade

Another diety at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda grounds

Building at Big Wild Goose Pagoda undergoing renovation. Notice no fasteners are used.

Monk reading

Lacquer furniture factory

Lacquer furniture factory. I think this was intended to be a headboard.

Shanghai tour guide Lee

Shanghai - lots of high rise apartments

Shanghai IKEA

Shanghai - more high rise apartments

One of five bridges connecting east and west Shanghai

Shanghai building from Expo 2010

Shanghai buildings from Expo 2010

Shanghai - laundry hanging everywhere

Typical local shop. This one sold plumbing supplies.

Old neighborhood amongst highrises

Mississippi-style paddlewheeler in Shanghai

Shanghai river barges

The older side of the river at The Bund Shanghai

Newer side of river - The Bund Shanghai

Newer side of river - The Bund Shanghai

Newer side of river - The Bund Shanghai

Newer side of river - The Bund Shanghai

Fun with steet names

Explaing the lifecycle of the silk worm

Machine to unroll the silk thread from the cocoons

Cleaning and preliminary strecthing of cocoons for comforters

Final strecthing of cocoon to make comforters

Finished comforter

Lady hand weaving silk rug from pattern

Man using electric scissors to carve sculpted cotton rug

Rugs for sale

Starbucks in Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Cat in Chinatown up above the commotion

ERA show in Shanghai

Shanghai MagLev train station

Shanghai MagLev train station

Tracks for maglev train

I assume the speed was correct, but the time wasn't.