What a packed day we had today. Some members of the group got up early this morning and walked to Tienanmen Square where they watched a flag raising ceremony. I went for a run and ironically took years off my life . . .the smog is really bad here.
We again had a great breakfast and then were off to Summer Palace. This was beautiful...elaborate gardens, a lake, incredible architecture. We took a boat ride across the lake, and then we were off to a demonstration on fresh water pearls. We then headed to the Forbidden City and took in a great deal of Chinese history. It is interesting to consider over 3,000 years of history compared to hundreds of years of American history. I am going to leave more specifics for the students; I am going to bring the computer down for a couple of them to blog. Last night we ran into some Internet problems, so hopefully tonight some will be able to get on. I will upload some new pictures soon.
-John White
