Beijing Day 2

As the career planning delegates made their way to Beijing Univeristy and Beijing Normal University, the guests toured the historical and cultural sites with our guide, Lucy Li. Our first stop today was the Temple of Heaven. This most notable of religious historical sites in the world starts out with a public park filled with Beijingers enjoying activities such as Tai Chi; Dancing; Singing; Maj jong; and other activities. An enjoyment of life not seen so much in the USA. After a tour of this area we headed for lunch to meet the career development delegates who were getting back from Beijing University. We had lunch together at this wonderful restaurant with an open court yard filled with song birds in cages. After lunch we toured the Forbidden City, a busy area where we saw Arnold’s delegation—but not Ahhnold—touring as well.
After leaving the FC we walked several blocks to our bus. During this time we were swarmed by beggars of every age and malady one could imagine. It was quite a sobering and disturbing experience that one would be hard pressed to find in the West. Our guide said that the police had left the area and this is why it was so intense. One of the group members attempted to give one of the beggars some money and she became so covered with people to the point of near suffocation. The next stop in our journey was the 150 year-old Quanjude Restaurant, which is most famous for its preparation of Peking Duck. Click here for photos.
Another thing: I think the Great Firewall of China is blocking access to Wikipedia. Every time I try to get there a "page cannot be displayed" error comes up.