Thanks to the kindness and generosity of my school and my colleagues, I got some leave time from teaching this past semester when our oldest son Gus came to China for a visit. We were waiting for the right time to do the Big Tourist Thing here in China. Although I've lived here for close to two years, I hadn't seen the Great Wall nor Tiananmen Square, nor the Forbidden City.  We didn't want to go during the worst heat of the summer, nor during the crazy crush of the Chinese national holidays (when the mad migration is called "People Mountain People Sea"). So hurray - moderate fall weather, (but with the ever-present pollution haze), smaller crowds, and the chance to see China through the eyes of an intelligent and perceptive newcomer, namely our son.

I've mentioned this visit in a few previous posts but there are a lot more pictures and good memories, so here goes.... 

Here's something that caught my eye: the beginning of a Chinese-for-ESL children's play about that well-known fable, The Three Little Pigs:

When I wrote my "What to pack for China" list I forgot one small, very lightweight thing -- it's something that will remind you of home and you'll be glad for your foresight.  It is, of course, your Remembrance Day poppy!

Ross and I saved our poppies from a previous Remembrance Day in Canada and brought them to China. Here is Ross at a diner in Beijing with our son Gus, wearing his poppy.  We saw one other girl with a poppy that day.

And at 11:00 am Beijing time (all of China is on Beijing time, btw) on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we were just about to exit the beautiful Summer Palace grounds. The Summer Palace was a resort on the outskirts of Beijing by a beautiful lake for the Emperors and their Empresses and concubines to escape the sweltering summer heat of the Forbidden City. Now it's open to the public. We stepped off the pathway and huddled together with heads bowed to observe a moment of silence in this unlikely setting.

Last night I got a chance to see an episode of "China From Above" on a wickedly good TV screen. Episode One looks even more interesting and beautiful. I'd definitely make time to watch this National Geographic show. Breathtaking vistas, colors, buildings and scenery.