China: One year countdown to the Beijing Olympics begins

On 8:08 p.m. of 08/08/08 (August 8, 2008), the 2008 Beijing Olympics will begin. It’s one big party in Beijing today as China and the world counts 365 days to the opening of the Games of the XXIXth Olympiad. I was planning to join the party in Tian’anmen Square but ended up watching the ceremonies on TV instead.

I was in the center of Beijing today for a change in routine. It took me quite a while to get there from my hotel which is along the North 4th Ring East Road near the construction area of the National Olympic Center (I should check that out one of these days). The hotel is about a kilometer from the nearest subway station.

First stop was the Philippine Embassy to meet up with my brod who is consul general in Beijing. We had lunch at Friday’s (after having Chinese food three times a day everyday for the past week, one craves for a change).

After lunch, I took a subway to Tian’anmen Square. I had wanted to check out the countdown clock again but the whole square was cordoned off in preparation for the program in the evening. Oh well! There goes my revisit to Chairman Mao’s mausoleum.

Crowds were already waiting along the sides of Tian’anmen. There were even people passing the time in the pedestrian underpasses since it was so humid outside. I walked towards Qianmen and from there, took the subway to Liulichang Cultural Street.

Known for its cultural stores housed in restored old shop houses, Liulichang is a must-visit if you like the feel of old streets or like collecting antiques or art. You can find a lot of antique stores, calligraphy and art galleries, bookstores, tea houses and small shops selling miscellaneous cultural stuff (but no commercial souvenirs like those in Sichahai). Just like always, bargain hard. I got myself some really nice ceramic figurines for one-third the original price (I feel I could have gotten them even lower).

Exhausted by the humidity, I decided to make my way back to the hotel. Beijing is just so big, I’m getting so much exercise from the long walks. One more day of lectures before we fly to Guilin for the weekend. I heard it’s really nice.

Technorati Tags: beijing, china, heritage, acrhitecture, tiananmen square, olympics, travel, travel blog

China: Around old Beijing

I wasn’t that excited today maybe because I was at the Forbidden City just last October. It was also a Sunday, and I was expecting a large crowd and I hate going around heritage sites when they are crowded.

My expectations were not unfounded. There were just too many people and you had to jostle your way to see the different areas of the Forbidden City. Add to the fact that many of the major buildings were undergoing restoration and still covered by scaffolding. I was hoping restoration works on the main palace was finished by now since it was also covered last year. But it was not yet completed. So I just made good use of my time and strolled around the palace complex.

Like yesterday, we had lunch in the bus. They took us to the Yashow Clothing Market in the afternoon but that did not interest me (as a general rule, if it’s something I can buy easily in the Philippines, I won’t buy it). So I asked permission from the organizers to separate from the group. Boris from Serbia joined me to Beihai (North Lake) Park which I had wanted to see during my trip last year. We took a taxi from the market to Beihai which was RMB20 (PHP140). Had I known it was a clothing market, I would have stayed behind at the Forbidden City since many of the historical sites are nearby. Entrance to the park is RMB20.

Beihai Park was part of the imperial gardens. If not for the large weekend crowd, the stroll around would have been very refreshing with its large picturesque lake full of lotus plants in full-bloom and hundreds of trees. As they say, the garden has the dignity of the northern style and the exquisiteness of the southern style. Maybe I could come back on a weekday to absorb the scenery.

In the middle of the lake is Qiong Island linked by two old bridges. The island has a hill with several temples and shrines, and an imposing white Tibetan-style dagoba on top. From the top, you could see the entire Forbidden City and other old structures in the vicinity. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate with us. Since it was foggy, visibility was low.

We walked several hundred meters towards the north gate of the park to get to Sichahai for a rickshaw tour of the hutongs. I was there last year but it was in the evening. So I was not able to appreciate the hutong tour that much. Hutongs are the alleyways which typified old Beijing.

Outside the palace, princes, civil servants, wealthy merchants and other common folk lived in these hutongs. There are just a few of them left as many of them were bulldozed to give way to new developments. But the Beijing government put a stop to the demolition and preserved a large part of the hutongs close to the Forbidden City as a reminder of life before. Sooner or later, cities realize that preserving heritage is vital for their growth and development. And I hope local officials in the Philippines realize it sooner while there is still something left to preserve.

One of the places we visited was the 300-year old Beijing courtyard style home of the Qi family (5 QianGan Hutong), which is one of a few well-preserved private courtyards open to the public (RMB20). One could see the development of the city’s hutongs by visiting these all-gray homes which are still in use. It amazes me how local and foreign tourists visited these alleyways in droves. And residents charge for entrance into their traditional homes. Imagine this happening in old Manila districts such as (Hidalgo Street) Quiapo, San Nicolas and San Miguel.

While in Sichahai, don’t forget to check out Yandai Byway to shop for souvenirs such as Mao memorabilia, silk and traditional clothing, tea (although prices are outrageous), Chinese cultural items, as well as the usual tourist stuff like magnets, key chains, trinkets, etc.

I didn’t buy anything since I wanted to reserve all my shopping towards the end of the seminar. But make sure you bargain hard since they overprice the items beyond comprehension. Don’t think an amount is too low because if you turn away, they might just say yes. I asked the price of a Buddha image and they said RMB260. I didn’t budge. Their asking price went lower but not that much. I said RMB50 and they laughed. When I left, they ran after me and said “Ok, ok, RMB50!” But I said I’m no longer interested and I’ll think about it. Who knows, I could have gone lower.

From Sichahai, we walked towards the Drum and Bell Towers. I had seen these towers last year but in the evening. So I wanted to see them up close while the sun was still out. From there, we walked towards the subway station and took a train back to our hotel in the northeastern area of Beijing, just in time for dinner.

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Three years after Unesco's World Heritage Center released a scathing report on the country's poor management of its cultural sites, boom-time China is starting to realize that preserving archaeological finds can be more lucrative than developing shopping malls.

Technorati Tags: beijing, china, forbidden city, hutongs, unesco, heritage, architecture, travel, travel blog

China: Back in Beijing

I can't believe I'm back in Beijing in less than a year! I'm attending the Seminar on Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage for Asian and African Countries organized by the China National Institute of Cultural Property (CNICP) from August 1 to 15. However, I arrived a day late because of the GMA event last August 1.

I was hoping to see more ASEAN countries here but it's just me and the two delegates from Myanmar. There are some from the former Soviet Union such as Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkmenistan, as well as Nepal (South Asia) and Mongolia (East Asia). But most of the delegates are from Africa. There are also some Arab delegates attending another seminar.

As always, we're being served several courses for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And at the rate I'm going, I might gain more weight. Sigh! Most of our time will be in sessions at the CNICP. But on weekends, the group will go on educational trips.

Today, I was back at the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall of China, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Good thing they brought us to those I have not yet seen. Last year, I was at Zhao Ling and the Great Wall section at Badaling. This time, we visited Ding Ling, the mausoleum of the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yijun and his two empresses. It was completed in 1590. We got to visit it's underground palace (burial chamber) since this was the first of the thirteen tombs to be excavated (only three have been unearthed to date). There was a museum built near the entrance which features all the treasures they found in the underground palace.

We had lunch in the bus before proceeding to Juyongguan Pass which is the section of the Great Wall nearest to Beijing. What is unique about this section are its fortified gates.

Since it looked like it was going to rain (and it did), I decided not to go to far up. I was able to explore the walls on both sides of the gate. In front of the gate, I was also able to get on a camel for a photo. We got back at the hotel at about 4 p.m. which gave us two hours to rest before dinner was served. Tomorrow, I will be back in the Forbidden City. More photos is Multiply.

Technorati Tags: beijing, china, great wall, ming tombs, unesco, heritage, architecture, travel, travel blog

Pangasinan: GMA opens transport terminal in Rosales, Pangasinan

For the past few weeks, I've been traveling from Manila to Rosales, Pangasinan almost everyday to monitor the final preparations for the inauguration of the Carmen Rosales Central Transport Terminal. Finally, the project we've been working on was opened this morning.

Leading the ceremonies was none other than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Also in attendance were Speaker and Mrs. Jose de Venecia, Sec. Leandro Mendoza, Sec. Arthur Yap, Rep. Conrado Estrella III, Rep. Robert Estrella, Gov. Amado Espino and Mayor Ricardo Revita among many others.

Despite my exhaustion, I have to begin packing my stuff in a while. I'm off to Beijing tomorrow to attend the Seminar on Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage for Asian and African Countries organized by the China National Institute of Cultural Property. Since most blogs are blocked in China, I won't be able to see my own blog for the next few days. But it's good I could still update it.

Technorati Tags: rosales pangasinan philippines transportation travel travel blog

Marinduque: Boac, Marinduque and its architectural heritage

This is day two of my Marinduque trip. We were planning to visit the Tres Reyes Islands which we saw from Mount Malindig. But we were just too tired and spent most of the morning resting. After lunch at the beach house, we went to the Boac town proper to check out the church.

It was a pleasant surprise as we got down the jeep to discover that Boac still has a sizeable collection of architectural heritage. I really didn't expect to see the town virtually intact, so many heritage houses and buildings! Although you could see that progress is fast setting in.

If controlled properly, Boac can become a great heritage town. The heritage district can be a showcase for the municipality and province and a potential tourist attraction if the heritage structures are protected, new buildings and development in the heritage district are controlled and regulated, and heritage structures properly restored.

Heritage ordinances have successfully been enacted by LGUs such as the City of San Fernando, Pampanga; Dagupan City, Pangasinan; the Province of Pangasinan; and Vigan, Ilocos Sur. These legislative measures prevent the demolition or improper renovation of heritage structures which are cultural treasures and the pride of the community. If the local government knew how to play its cards right, it would preserve the historic core so that it would become a major tourism attraction for Marinduque. I hope they realize that sooner or later.

We went up the hill to the Boac Cathedral. The exterior is still intact. But not for long because as I write, they are plastering the buttresses with cement! The interior was covered with bricks and it's obvious it isn't the original. But at least the retablos are still intact. Boac would be such a waste if people there are not educated as to how important it is to restore heritage properly.

We also got to see some morion masks in the shops. They aren't cheap though, about PHP4,500 per mask. From Boac, we took a jeep to Balanacan Port in Mogpog for the 4 p.m. ferry back to Lucena. We decided to stay at the rear end of the ferry so that we could enjoy the view. We arrived at the port three hours later and boarded a JAM Liner back to Manila.

Part 1: Hiking up Mt. Malindig in Marinduque

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Technorati Tags: mogpog, boac, marinduque, philippines, beach, travel, travel blog, heritage