Meeting Lily

The next pictures capture our first meeting with Elizabeth Mei Nance (aka Lily).



Cote is rather happy at their first contact.



Cote snatches Lily from her caretaker's arms.



Cote is captivated by the moment, Joe is just confused.



All smiles these two.



Lily gives a solid pull on Jen's hair.



Lily and Cote take a moment.



A great picture.



Joe finally gets a chance to hold Lily.

Tian'an Men Sqaure

On Sunday morning before we flew out to Guangzhou, we walked around Tian'an Men Square. The place was a buzz with activity despite the stifling heat. A couple of times Chinese families approached us and wanted to have us take a picture with their children. The poor kids looked at us like we had two heads - apparently Westerns can be quite the novelty.



Just say Mao.



I made Cote pose for this picture.



This shot epitomizes Beijing - a gray haze hangs overhead, cranes fill the skyline, and a large communist style building (Great Hall of the People) is counting down the minutes, hours, and days until the 2008 Summer Olympics.



Mao's Mausoleum.



View of Mao and the Gate of Heavenly Peace from afar.



Happy snap by the Monument to the People's Heroes.



Another view of Mao's Mausoleum.



Qian Men - part of the fortifications of the old wall surrounding Beijing.



The Arrow Tower (or Jian Lou) - remnant of the old fortifications.



St. Joseph's Church on Wangfujing Street.

Temple of Heaven

Following the Forbidden City, we toured the Temple of Heaven. Created in the Ming dynasty, this is really a complex of various temples.



Entrance to the Temple of Heaven, with the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the background.



Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests surrounded by a 3 tier marble platform with intricate carvings.



A temple in the area of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.



Got to get in a few sweetie pictures.



Great view of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.



Coming up to the Imperial Vault of Heaven.



Sweetie picture at the Imperial Vault of Heaven.



Making our way to the Round Altar.



The Round Altar.



View from the top of the Round Altar looking back into the Temple of Heaven.

Forbidden City

Day 2 of sightseeing in Beijing started off at the Forbidden City. Crazy Americans.


Sweetie picture in the Outer Court by the Meridian Gate.



View of the Gate of Supreme Harmony.



Sweetie picture with the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the background.



View of the Gate of Supreme Harmony looking South.



Walking up to the Hall of Middle Harmony (for the record, I didn't name these places).



Yet another sweetie picture.



View of the Marble Carriageway - carved pictures of dragons chasing pearls among clouds, reserved for the emperor.



Viewing the Hall of Preserving Harmony.



Sweetie picture as we are about to enter the Gate of Heavenly Purity.



Sweetie kiss in the Imperial Flower Garden by a tree more than 300 years old.



The Pavilion of a Thousand Autumns.



Departing the Forbidden City through the Gate of Divine Prowess.



Sweetie picture just outside the Gate of Divine Prowess.



Looking back into the Forbidden City across the moat.

Summer Palace

Following the Great Wall workout, our next stop was the Summer Palace - built by the Qing Dynasty in the early 1700s.



East Palace Gate - the main entrance.



Another sweetie picture by the scary dragon-thingee.



Cote gets a happy snap with Longevity Hill in the upper left of the picture.



View of the Seventeen-arch bridge and South Lake Island in the background.



Entrance area to the Long Corridor.



Walking through the Long Corridor (2,388 feet long with over 14,000 scenic paintings).



View of the Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha in the background.



Another sweetie picture by a neat gateway.



Sweetie picture along the Long Corridor.



The Marble Boat (only the base is actually marble, the rest is wood painted to look like white marble). Nobody spends money so wisely as a monarch with absolute power.




Getting ready for our ride across the lake.



View of Longevity Hill from the boat.


More sweetie pictures by the Dragon King Temple.



Viewing crossing over the Seventeen-arch Bridge.