VISITING BEIJING, GUANGZHOU, GUILIN, AND HONG KONG
INTRODUCTION
I traveled to China on business and sightseeing over a seven year period and my travel diary shows what I enjoyed the most…riding horses in Beijing and seeing the Temple of Heaven, walking on the Great Wall of China, enjoying the beautiful landscapes of Guilin, and the wonderful and vibrant cities of Guangzhou and Hong Kong
As a horse lover and English rider, I was also able to see the 2008 Olympic games held in Hong Kong. It was the year that the United States Equestrian Team won the gold medal in the jumping competition.
I was able to meet and talk with businessmen and learn about their transformation from a culture of humiliation under the leadership of Mao into the pride they feel today as a prosperous and powerful nation.
There is so much to see and do in China because it is a vast and diverse country. China grows stronger politically, economically, and socially everyday. China has so much to offer including cultural history, art exhibitions, engineering wonders, world class performances, and natural beauty.
I hope this travel diary gives you a sample of what is waiting to be discovered.
CHAPTERS IN THE CHINA TRAVEL DIARY
1) This travel diary starts in Beijing at the Forbidden City and a visit to The Temple of the Heaven which many regard as a spiritual center of China.
2) I then went horseback riding in Beijing at a stable with a horse from the Hong Kong racetrack and instructor from Mongolia.
3) While in Beijing I went for a walk on the Great Wall of China and can understand why they call it one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.”
4) On another visit to China, I went with other businessmen to the Guilin Tire Technology Center to see their technology and manufacturing of large off road tires for construction equipment. We then went into the Guilin National Park took a cruise down the Li River.
5) On another visit I went to the city of Guangzhou and visited the Opera House and Canton Tower
6) My visit to Hong Kong and the Great Buddha and taking the trolley up to Victoria Park to see the night skyline of Hong Kong
7) I was fortunate to see the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Hong Kong where the United States Equestrian team won a team gold medal.
8) I wrote a “Tribute to the Suzhou Gardens in China after visiting the Huntington Library and Gardens” in San Marino California and walking through “The Garden of Flowing Fragrance.” A walk through Liu Fang Yuan, or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance gave me a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.
9) At the end of the travel diary, I thank my dad for all the good work he did in the community after his retirement. This included being on the Board for the Huntington Library and Gardens when they started building their Liu Fang Yuan, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance Garden
VISITING BEIJING
Hutongs are a type of narrow streets or alleys in Beijing. Hutongs are alleys formed by lines of traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one with another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. Many of the workers who built the Forbidden City lived in these neighborhoods.
Since the mid-20th century, a large number of Beijing hutongs were demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently many hutongs have been designated as protected, in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history.
In ancient times, the emperor was said to be a son of Heaven and therefore Heaven’s supreme power was bestowed upon him. The emperor’s residence on earth was build as a replica of the Purple Palace where God was thought to live in Heaven
GOING RIDING IN BEIJING
I wanted to go riding while in Beijing. I met a horse friend in Beijing and we traveled in search of a riding stable. When we arrived, we were given horses that had come from the racetrack in Hong Kong and the riding instructor from Mongolia.
Approximately 90 horses are boarded at the Equuleus International Riding Club. These include European Warmblood horse, Australian Thoroughbred horses, retired race horses from Hong Kong, and local horses. The horse club is accredited as the 4-star horse club in China by UK, China Equestrian Association, Beijing Turf and Equestrian Association.
VISITING THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
VISITING THE NATIONAL PARK AT GUILIN
VISITING THE GUANGZHOU OPERA HOUSE
The Guangzhou Opera House is one of the most fascinating opera houses in the world. Designed by the renowned Zaha Hadid, who was the first female winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and completed in 2010
THE CANTON TOWER
VISITING HONG KONG
We left about 7:30 in the evening to view Hong Kong from Victoria Peak and didn’t get home until 1:30 in the morning. There are so many people there that it took a long time standing in line to ride the tram up the hill and then standing in line to take the tram down the hill. The good news that by going at night, the weather was much cooler. It was an adventure walking, riding the train, riding the bus, and riding the tram up to Victoria Peak.
2008 OLYMPIC EQUESTRIAN EVENTS IN HONG KONG
The equestrian competitions were held apart from the main games in Beijing. This was because Hong Kong has established a huge horse racing industry since its British colonial days. This has resulted in quarantine measures for horses being well established in the region, and were likely to result in fewer problems with equine disease than other cities in mainland China. Additionally, there were already stabling sites for horses at the Hong Kong Racetrack, hence less construction was needed to facilitate the equestrian sports required by the Olympics.
The only problem was the heat and humidity in Hong Kong during the summer. To solve this problem, air conditioning was installed in the stalls for the horses and in the warm up area for the horses and riders.
All the events were well organized and efficient for the horses, riders, and horse lovers who came from all over the world to see the best in the world compete for the gold.
The U.S. dressage squad finished fourth in the team competition. In the final for individual medals, two of the 15 competing were Americans, with Peters finishing fourth. Peters commented on his Olympic experience, saying, “It feels wonderful. There was a ton of discipline involved. We worked really hard. At the end of the day, discipline is the bridge between dreams and accomplishment. That paid off today.”
Quote from the UNITED STATES EQUESTRIAN TEAM FOUNDATION • VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 3 • FALL 2008
A TRIBUTE TO THE SUZHOU GARDENS IN CHINA. VISITING THE “GARDEN OF FLOWERING FRAGRANCE” AT THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY
After traveling in China, I visited the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino California and walked through “The Garden of Flowing Fragrance.” This garden was inspired by the centuries-old Chinese tradition of private gardens designed for scholarly pursuits. A walk through Liu Fang Yuan, or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, helped give me a greater understanding of the Chinese culture.
The “Garden of Flowering Fragrance” at the Huntington Library reflects the traditional style of scholar gardens in Suzhou China.
“Description of the Chinese Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan) in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province Occupying an area of 5.8 acres, the Lingering Garden is located outside Changmen Gate in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Originally a classical private garden, it is one of the four most famous gardens in China. In 1997, it became a UNESCO world heritage site”
From “Lingering Garden” in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DEDICATION
My dad, Ernest Eugene Yeager, served on the Board for the Huntington Library and along with his wife, Billie, was a donor and supporter for the Liu Fang Yuan, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance Garden. They both went to China with the garden committee and were welcomed by their Chinese hosts. This travel diary is dedicated to him as a thank you for all the good work he did in the community after his retirement.