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Beijing Images 16 images Created 18 Dec 2008

It's a quiet afternoon in Beijing, as rickshaws whisk by, tinkling their bells as grannies sweep the front of houses with twig brooms. You glimpse into a courtyard filled with wisteria, while neighbors clack mahjong pieces on a board under a tree. While the rest of the city rushes headlong into the 21st century In the Shichahai Lake District, one of Beijing's few leafy areas, residents here still take midday naps and chat with the neighbors. As noted by Marco Polo, nearly all of Beijing was once a huge maze of narrow alleyways called hutong connecting family courtyards where parents live on one end, elder sons on the sides and children behind the courtyard. Today only a few of these neighborhoods still thrive. Most notably, Shichahai Lakes District is made up of three lakes: Houhai, QianHai and XiHai but most people call them Houhai after the biggest one.
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  • Chinese Lion Doorknobs, Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details. Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural styles of Korea, Vietnam and Japan.
    chinese-door-5.jpg
  • Calligraphy Brushes at Liulichang Market - Liulichang is a famous district in Beijing that is known for its traditional Chinese architecture and also its antique market that sells crafts, artistry, calligraphy, inkstones and antiques. Its name came from the time of the Ming Dynasty when a colored glaze factory produced glazed tiles for the palaces and temples in the city.   Liulichang was a favorite haunt for scholars, painters and calligraphers who gathered there to write and purchase books, as well as to paint and compose poetry but continues to thrive as a market aimed at tourists.
    calligraphy-brushes.jpg
  • Houhai Lake Beijing - The lakes area of Beijing contains some of the most extensive old hutong neighborhoods and the three lakes of Xihai, Houhai and Oianhai. The Back Lakes are easily the most photogenic part of Beijing, save the old Forbidden City. The lakes are known collectively as Shichihai, and have become trendy with lakeside cafes, bars and restaurants in recent years.
    houhai-lake-2.jpg
  • Gate of Heavenly Peace, Forbidden City Gate - Since 1925 the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
    forbidden-city-5.jpg
  • The Chinese Fan Dance is known for its beautiful and delicate poses.  Similar in style, the banner or handkerchief dance originated in the north of China. It is noted for its skilful and difficult motions. It is  popular among ordinary people and serves as a kind of exercise as well.
    chinese-fan-dance.jpg
  • Similar in style to the Chinese Fan Dance, the banner or handkerchief dance originated in northern China. It is noted for its skilful and difficult motions and popular among ordinary people. The movements serve as exercise as an extra bonus.
    chinese-banner-dance-2.jpg
  • Fruit Cart at Morning Market - Beijing's morning markets are popular with housewives shopping for fresh produce and household items.  Morning markets open extremely early with all  businesses beginning just as dawn breaks.  Therefore, this kind of morning market are also called ghost markets.  These markets spring up in regular spots throughout the city, though there is no real "central"  market.
    beijing-morning-market-1.jpg
  • Beijing Hutong Alley and Bikes - Hutongs are narrow alleys forming traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were made up by joining one family compound to another to form a hutong and then joining one hutong to another.
    hutong-alley.jpg
  • The Chinese drink tea all day long for good health and simple pleasure.   According to popular legend, tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shennong when a leaf from a Camellia  tree fell into water the emperor was boiling. Tea is deeply woven into the history and culture of China and is considered one of the seven necessities of life along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar.
    chinese-teahouse-1.jpg
  • Beijing Rickshaw Nap - Rickshaws were first used in China during the late 1800s and an important element in urban development in 20th century China in terms of  transport and for the employment it provided.  At one time rickshaw men and their dependents made up almost 20 percent of Beijing's population. Many rickshaws disappeared after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 though in recent years they have made a comeback in popular tourist areas of Beijing.
    beijing-rickshaw-3.jpg
  • Practicing Tai Chi at Beihai Park,  an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Initally built in the 10th century, it is among the largest of Chinese gardens and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces and temples. It is also a popular place for early morning exercise routines.
    beihai-park-5.jpg
  • Chinese Round Doorway, Beijing - Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details. Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural styles of Korea, Vietnam and Japan.
    chinese-round-door.jpg
  • Al Fresco Barber in the Beijing Hutongs -  Beijing traditional hutong life is now being protected in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history and way of life. Hutong life, as described by Beijingers, usually means local or courtyard life.  Yet the hutong, or alleys, are dear to the hearts of the citizens of this city.  Hutong life refers not only to the alleyways, but mostly to the neighborly way of life that is said to be disappearing.
    outdoor-chinese-barber.jpg
  • Peking opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, voice, mime, dance and acrobatics.  Performing troupes often have numerous secondary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera's characteristically sparse stage. They utilize the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements.
    peking-opera-3.jpg
  • The Temple of Heaven, or Tiantan, is sometimes used as the very symbol of Beijing. The temple was visited regularly  visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer for good harvests. Speaking of which, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, 32 metres in diameter and 38 metres tall, built on three levels of marble stone base.  The building is completely wooden, using no nails in its construction.
    temple-of-heaven-4.jpg
  • The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from attack from the Mongols of the North.  The Great Wall currently stretches over approximately 6,400 km - 2 to 3 million Chinese died in building the wall over the course of centuries. Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from earth, stones, and wood. During the Ming Dynasty, bricks were heavily used in many areas of the wall, as were materials such as tiles, lime, and stone.
    great-wall-of-china-2.jpg