"INSPIRATIONAL BEIJING" Beijing by LysDor

Beijing Travel Guide: 7,402 reviews and 14,770 photos

"On the banks of a great river in the province of Cathay, there stood an ancient city of great size and splendour which was named Khanbaliq, or the Khan's city."

That's how Italian explorer Marco Polo described it when he first saw the capital we now know as Beijing.

I have been several times to Beijing between the years 1996-2000 and always in wintertime, to be more precise just before Christmas so all my pictures do look a bit sad and grey and wintery but brightened by christmas "decorations".

Amazing as there is no real Christmas in China! What was even funnier: bying Christmas cards written in chinese to surprise all my friends and family!!

I won't be able to tell you either how it is in summer except what I've been told: very hot and polluted opposed to extremely cold in wintertime.

The two main reasons of my very short visits (max. 5 days): say hello to my parents living there at that time and shopping!

Of course I took the opportunity to visit the major sights, taste the delicious chinese cuisine, see how locals were living without forgetting the wonderful shopping possibility - so much to buy, so cheap, so little time to do it and definitely way too less room in my suitcases, lol...

- The CHINESE DRAGON -

Most of us are all to familiar with the classic western concept of the dragon, but not all have a great insight into probably one of the most recognised dragons, the Chinese dragon.

In Chinese mythology there are five types of dragon:

1.Those guarding the gods and emperors
2.Those controlling the wind and rain
3.Earthly dragons which deepened the rivers and seas
4.Guardians of hidden treasure
5.The first dragon

The First dragon appeared to the mythical emperor Fu-hsi, and filled the hole in the sky made by the monster Kung Kung. Its waking, sleeping and breathing determined day and night. Season and weather.

There are many differences between the classical dragon and the Chinese dragon, these include the ability to fly even without wings, shape-shifting abilities, and of course the general benevolent behaviour to the populace.

The Chinese dragon is made up of nine entities. The head of camel, the eyes of a demon, the ears of a cow, the horns of a stag, the neck of a snake, it's belly a clam's, it's claws that of an eagle, while the soles of his feet are that of a tiger, and the 117 scales that cover it's body are that of a carp.

The Chinese dragon has four claws as standard, but the Imperial dragon has five, this is to identify it above the lesser classes. Anyone other than the emperor using the 5 claw motif was put to death.

The Chinese dragon (Lung) was a divine bringer of rain, necessary for the good of the people. Throughout Chinese history the dragon has been equated with weather. It is said that some of the worst floodings were caused when a mortal has upset a dragon. The dragon was also a symbol of the emperor whose wisdom and divine power assured the well-being of his subjects. Many legends draw connections between the dragon and the emperor. Some emperors claimed to have descended from the dragon.

Chinese dragons of myth could make themselves as large as the universe or as small as a silkworm. They could also change color and disappear in a flash. They rise to the skies in the spring and plunge into the waters in the autumn.

Ancient China Dragon occupies a very important position in Chinese mythology. It shows up in arts, literature, poetry, architecture, songs, and many aspects of the Chinese conscience. The origin of Chinese dragons is unknown, but certainly pre-dates the written history.

Nine Dragon Wall A very popular tourist site in Beijing is this Nine-Dragon Wall in BaiHai Park. After hundreds of years, the colours of the ceramic tiles are just as brilliant. The wall was built in 1756. It is 21m long, about 15m high and i.2m thick. It is faced with 424 7-colour ceramic tiles. At the centre of the wall, there is a giant dragon, flanged by four dragons on each side. In addition to these nine large dragons, the wall is covered from edge to edge with many smaller dragons. In all, there are 635 dragons.

According to legend the Dragon had nine sons, and each had a strong personality. There is no general agreement as to what the Dragon's sons are called. However, to most people, they are:

1.Haoxian A reckless and adventurous dragon whose image can be found decorating the eaves of palaces.
2.Yazi Valiant and bellicose; his image is seen on sword-hilts and knife hilts.
3.Chiwen Chiwen likes to gaze into the distance and his appearance is often carved on pinnacles.
4.Baxia Baxia is a good swimmer and his image decorates many bridge piers and archways.
5.Pulao Pulao is fond of roaring and his figure is carved on bells.
6.Bixi Bixi is an excellent pack-animal whose image appears on panniers.
7.Qiuniu Qiuniu loves music and his figure is a common decoration on the bridge of stringed musical instruments.
8.Suanmi Suanmi is fond of smoke and fire; his likeness can be seen on the legs of incense-burners.
9.Jiaotu Jiaotu is as tight-lipped as a mussel or a snail. His image is carved on doors.

Enjoy your virtual visit to this fantastic city and if you can visit it yourself!

Last visit to Beijing: Dec 1999
Intro Updated Apr 16, 2004
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Comments (90)

crewrower Mar 14, 2007 at 1:34 AM Report Abuse

Actually, I'd say the pollution in Beijing is equally bad in the winter. Good advice about money changers, but risk is more counterfeit bills, not getting tricked with jiaos.
infinitys Feb 6, 2006 at 2:48 AM Report Abuse

hi, amazing tips demostrated by great pictures with fantastic presentations,thank you for sharing those with us.You did not come to my beautiful country it seems after seeing your travel map.Did you ever see any picture of so called '' Van'' pet?
MickeH Jan 10, 2006 at 10:47 AM Report Abuse

Really liked your tips! Makes me miss Beijing. But what's with all the pink? Hurts my eyes :-)
matcrazy1 Apr 11, 2005 at 1:37 PM Report Abuse

Awesome pictures and great info. I have to visit China soon, before it becomes the second superpower which may cause problems...
ZenLady34 Dec 27, 2004 at 1:41 AM Report Abuse

I like your Beijing photos! Makes me want to go there (again...lol).
XueLangZi Oct 14, 2004 at 11:24 PM Report Abuse

haha.....I like your page of Street life in Beijing.......very interesting! you pay attention on some details....nice
ecoquester Jul 25, 2004 at 12:34 AM Report Abuse

some good stuff here, Thankyou Lysdor....
canadiantravelgirl Apr 6, 2004 at 1:37 AM Report Abuse

Interesting page with great info and pics!!!
Mike25 Mar 8, 2003 at 3:49 AM Report Abuse

Nice pictures of everyday life in Beijing.
globetrott Jan 4, 2003 at 3:56 AM Report Abuse

a perfect page and brilliant pics - Happy New year,Tiina !!