Highlights of the day:
\n– despite sleeping late, I actually awoke at 6.30am. And then I felt like I needed a bit of a workout to get some colour in my face. So I went to the hotel gym and ran for about 30min. After which, the red returned to my cheeks and I felt better. \ud83d\ude42
\n– Had one of the worst meals in Beijing–an economy rice pack (three dishes with rice) from 7 Eleven. Pathetic. I feel sorry for myself already. OK fine, I’m being overly dramatic. Still, the food sucked. I feel like I’ve wasted my calories.
\n– went for a foot, neck and shoulder massage. Felt good to loosen the tight muscles.
\n– Attended an opening reception of the Beijing International Book Fair at 人民大会堂 (Great Hall of the People)<\/b>. It’s a rare opportunity to enter the banquet hall as usually only dignitaries are allowed to do so. 人民大会堂 is on the western side of 天安门广场 (Tiananmen Square)<\/b>, which is a big and impressive square. Chairman Mao’s portrait on 天安门<\/b> flanks the square on the southern side, the National Museum of Chinese History<\/b> flanks it on the eastern side and the 毛主席纪念堂 (Mausoleum of Mao Zedong)<\/b> flanks it on the north. Just behind the 毛主席纪念堂 where Mao Zedong’s corpse lies, is the 前门 (Front Gate)<\/b>. Just behind the 前门 is the 鼓楼 (Drum Tower)<\/b> where in ancient times, a drum used to be hit at certain times of the day to let the people know what time of the day it was.
\nYou experience a sense of grandeur when you step into the area which has lots of political and historical significance. At night, lights that line the buildings are lit, and there’s a kind of beauty of this old city that’s hard to describe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Highlights of the day: – despite sleeping late, I actually awoke at 6.30am. And then I felt like I needed a bit of a workout to get some colour in my face. So I went to the hotel gym and … Continue reading