5.
Beijing Duck
After lunch we were off to the Ming tomb. The
tomb had intricate carvings on the roof and beautiful sculptures
adorned the walkways. It was the first real tomb I had ever been
to in China so I took some pictures and spent most of my time
in awe. Walking around the tomb gave me some time to relax and
stretch out after the Great Wall excursion. Soon, it was time
to go and everybody clambered back onto the bus.
Ming tomb
Next we went to an underground city. It was built as an emergency
shelter during the Cold War and now has become a secret tourist
attraction. It's secret because not many people are supposed to
know about it; if another war arises the Chinese government would
still like to use the underground city. It was very interesting
but also quite scary as well. The tunnels were dimly lit and damp,
it was cold underground, and it was very easy to get lost. The
underground city is not a real "city", per se, but rather
a network of tunnels underneath Beijing. Some tunnels led to Summer
Palace or the Forbidden City, others led to rooms where people
could sleep or watch movies, and the entire thing was built to
be self-sufficient. George told us how they would grow silkworms
and use the silk to make blankets. Silk blankets are very warm
and can be vacuum-packed for easy travel. In the middle of the
underground city we reached a silk factory. This is where they
grew silkworms and made blankets, robes, etc. We watched a demonstration
on how the silk was pulled in four directions and stretched across
a table to make one layer of the blanket. Layers would be added
until a blanket of sufficient size was reached. After shopping
around we cleared out and headed for dinner.
 
Tunnel inside the underground
city
The last dinner in Beijing was really good.
Some highlights included kung pao chicken, Beijing duck, and great
tea. Duck was a culinary highlight for me during this trip; I've
had duck before in St. Louis but the skill and preparation needed
to create an authentic masterpiece can only be found in China.
This was also the first time I ate duck the traditional way, wrapped
with onion shoots in lotus bread and drizzled with plum sauce.
Kung pao chicken, part of the
last dinner in Beijing
The art of roasting ducks evolved from techniques used to prepare
sucking pigs. Its history can be traced back to as early as the
Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) when it was listed among the imperial
dishes in Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages, written in
1330 by Hu Sihui, an inspector of the imperial kitchen. Since
then, chefs have developed the idea that the skin of the duck
should be soft and crisp at the same time so that it melts in
the mouth. The preparation of duck requires a series of complicated
steps which include inflating the unbroken skin like a balloon
so that it roasts correctly. After roasting, the art turns to
slicing and serving the meat. A skilled chef can cut between 100
and 120 slices, all with equal amounts of meat and skin. Also,
dishes can be made with the duck's innards, head, wings, and webs.
After dinner we had free time until check-in. I learned a new
Chinese phrase tonight - wan ba, meaning internet bar - and went
to go find one with Henry, a new friend. It was 10 RMB for a 4-hour
card and I accidentally told him 10 dollars so we left because
he thought it was too expensive. Again, physically I knew I was
in China but mentally I was not switched over yet. When we got
back to the hotel I wanted to go swimming but decided it was better
to pack my luggage so I would be ready to go in the morning. As
I cleaned up for the night I hoped that all the other cities would
not be extremely terrible since Beijing set the bar really high.
It's a beautiful city and I'm glad it was our first stop on the
trip.
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下一站是「地下城(防空洞，地下防禦工事)」，這是冷戰時期所建的一座緊急
避難所，現在變成神秘的觀光景點。神秘的是很多人不應該知道這個地方， 而且如果真有戰爭，中國政府還是會使用這個地方，很有趣也挺嚇人的。
地下城昏暗陰濕，很冷也很容易迷路，地下城不是個「城」，是個北京地下通 道相連的網路，有些通道通往頤和園或紫禁城，有些通到人們可以休息或看
電影的地方，整個地下網路自給自足。
在北京的最後一頓晚餐十分豐盛，特別的菜有宮保雞丁，北京烤鴨和上等茶。
尤其是烤鴨，我在聖路易嚐過鴨肉，但是在中國料理的烤鴨味道特別好， 這也是我第一次吃正宗烤鴨，青蔥、薄餅沾甜麵醬。
