My Travels in Beijing(II)


Throughout my ten-day stay in Beiing, I had been to many shopping malls with my mother and brother.  But since they were generally the same as those back in Malaysia, I have decided not to mention them here. 


The third place we visited was Tiangtang, the Temple of Heaven, which clonsisted of three prominent architectures across a spacious square: The Hall of  Prayer, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Altar.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven was easily noticeable at the centre with its unique rotund hulk, bedizened with a circular engraving-covered wall that dazzled the eyes with its multiple colours. Its three-tiered roof , according to Dominic, resembled the crown of an emperor.  In the interior one could see several tablets and incense urns, each elaborately made and looking grand. There was something worth-mentioning about the wall too - it could transmit sounds over large distances.  Dominic made a lot of funny voices, and he attracted a pair of young lovers to come and test their voice.  However, strange thing happened, no matter how loud they were, their voice could not be echoed off the walls.  Disappointment was written on their faces, but I personally felt that they had not 'aimed' their voice at the right angle. 


On the other hand, the Circular Mound Altar was an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by intricately carved dragons. The centre of the altar was a round slate called the Heart of Heaven. We took turns standing on it and were surprised to find our voice amplified each time we spoke. It turned out that the entire altar had been designed in such a way that when an emperor was reciting prayers, his voice would be clearly heard by his retinue of officers through an acoustic system that occurred when his voice hit and was reflected off the guardrail.  

The Hall of Prayer was simpler in architecture, a wooden building used by an emperor to pray for good harvests We watched it cursorily around its perimeter.





The fourth prominent place we visited was Hou-Hai, a hutong area along a scenic lake where a cluster of hundred-year old shops and houses was situated. Anywhere we went, serried ranks of buildings wound their way through from one end to another. In some alleyways you could see different stalls selling clothes, watches, snacks and the like.  I could not help buying a skewer of barbecued lamb and enjoying its tender juiciness as I walked.Some shops harked back to 1930s, some high-end like those at departmental stores and some the likes of Starbucks, serving quality brew.  Besides, the billboards alone held a spectacular view, each having a style of its own. In some residential areas, you could see people going about their daily routines, exuding a simple, down-to-earth charm that made us smile. Having roamed for two hours, we finally decided to settle down for lunch. But, alas! we had only a few notes left. We solved the problem by sharing a container of Teriyaki chicken rice at an economic Japanese restaurant.  

The visits to all these four places were memorable.  It remained for me to thank the Lord for giving us such an opportunity.

Comments

suituapui said…
It sure looks cold.
December 23, 2015 at 2:06 PM
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