The Catholic Church in Tianjin

We took a mid-night train from Chengde to Tianjin. Train departed Chengde station at 22:50. Since we booked the 2nd class bed seat which costs 69 Yuan, we could comfortably sleep in the train with pillow and blanket provided. The weather was cold outside, around 15 degree Celsius below zero. After a few stops, at 06:05, our train arrived at YangLiuQing station, where we took a bus that cost 3 Yuan each person for an hour drive to Tianjin City. Tianjin is the 3rd largest city in the Northern China, but not much places of attraction. Beside visiting the Ancient culture street and South City Foods Street, we visited 2 historic Catholic Churches.

Chengde

Chengde is about 230 KM north east of Beijing. The train left Beijing train station at 6:30am and arrived at Chengde station after 4 hours 18 minutes. Chengde, originally called Rehe was once the summer resort capital of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The only attractions are the Mountain Resort and the Eight Outer Temples as a world cultural heritage site, listed byUNESCO in 1994.


Street of Chengde



Mountain Resort



Puning Temple

Baby Potala Palace

Random Snaps in Northern China

Some of my personal favorite snaps for this Northern China Trips (15-22 Nov 2009).

Bird's Nest & Water Cube

A visit to the Beijing Olympic Green sitting at the north end of the Beijing city's axis is often on the top list of any Beijing trip. Water Cube Aquatic Centre is just few hundred metres away from the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium.

Lama Temple, Gong Wang Fu & Beihai Park

Yong He Gong(Lama Temple) was built in 1694 as the residential palace of Prince Yin Zhen. In 1723, when the prince became the Emperor Yong Zheng and moved into the Forbidden City, the building was retiled in imperial yellow and converted to a temple.

The Prince Gong's Mansion Garden used to be the private residence of He Kun, a famous scholar in the reign of Emperor Qiang Long (1736-1796). It is distinct by its three rows of buildings. Main buildings cover 20 different types including Bat Hall, Moon-inviting Platform, Goodwill Hall, Study Room, Theatrical House, Refreshing Pavilions, Gaily-painted Pleasure Boat, etc. The distinctive halls, platforms, houses and pavilions, together with waters and plants have created a delicate and elegant scenery.

Another winter palace for emperors for successive dynasties called Beihai Park. The lake is Beijing's largest and most beautiful public waterway.

The Great Wall

The Great Wall, symbolizing China's ancient civilization is one of the world most renowned projects. Construction of the wall began during the 7th century B.C. It's total length of 6,700km. Badaling section is the highest point of the wall, 800m above sea level.