Chinese New Year in Beijing
Feb 6th, 2008 | 02:30 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
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Chinese New Year in Beijing
So I am a Chinese American on my first trip to the Motherland and I plan to post a trip report upon my return home, but I wanted to do this mini-report from Beijing.
When we woke up we could tell it was not an ordinary day in China. .... there were hardly any cars on the street (almost seems surreal for Beijing), the sky was so blue and clear that we could see the mountains from our room, and we could hear fireworks all day long...not the small red ones that startle you, but but the large booming aerials which sound very festive. All day ong these loud booms can be heard throughout the city but yet the streets are so quiet with hardly any traffic. Yes, it was Chinese New Year Eve!
We took the subway to the Summer Palace and both the subway and park were relatively empty. The frozen lake with a few people wandering way out onto the ice......I was waiting to hear the loud cracking of the ice but the only sound one heard was the loud aerial fireworks from a distance.
We were back at the Peninsula by dusk and then the fireworks show began! Our room is on the 14th floor which appears to be eye level with all the fireworks in the city. We have a 2 story room and the 2 story glass windows made for excellent viewing...not only of the city fireworks going off in every direction but right outside our window! (This was not the hotel fireworks but people right behind the hotel were setting off glorious large aerials that were exploding right at our level.)
Since many places in our area are closed (including Wangfujing Street), we opted to have room service so we could enjoy the celebration. This lasted all evening and at midnight, the firework explosions were surreal. We could hardly believe we were actually in China for Chinese New Year and experiencing this amazing show of a city celebrating a New Year. Perhaps the only better seat in the house would have been from an airplane looking down at the fireworks for as far as the eyes can see.
The city that was blue skied and clear all day now was filled with a thick haze from the fireworks. But as I gaze out this morning, we are blessed with a blue sky once again!
We are most thankful to all you Fodorites who have posted and helped us plan our trip!
Stay tuned for a full report...."In Search of the Joy Luck Moment"....
Oh and Happy New Year everyone!
When we woke up we could tell it was not an ordinary day in China. .... there were hardly any cars on the street (almost seems surreal for Beijing), the sky was so blue and clear that we could see the mountains from our room, and we could hear fireworks all day long...not the small red ones that startle you, but but the large booming aerials which sound very festive. All day ong these loud booms can be heard throughout the city but yet the streets are so quiet with hardly any traffic. Yes, it was Chinese New Year Eve!
We took the subway to the Summer Palace and both the subway and park were relatively empty. The frozen lake with a few people wandering way out onto the ice......I was waiting to hear the loud cracking of the ice but the only sound one heard was the loud aerial fireworks from a distance.
We were back at the Peninsula by dusk and then the fireworks show began! Our room is on the 14th floor which appears to be eye level with all the fireworks in the city. We have a 2 story room and the 2 story glass windows made for excellent viewing...not only of the city fireworks going off in every direction but right outside our window! (This was not the hotel fireworks but people right behind the hotel were setting off glorious large aerials that were exploding right at our level.)
Since many places in our area are closed (including Wangfujing Street), we opted to have room service so we could enjoy the celebration. This lasted all evening and at midnight, the firework explosions were surreal. We could hardly believe we were actually in China for Chinese New Year and experiencing this amazing show of a city celebrating a New Year. Perhaps the only better seat in the house would have been from an airplane looking down at the fireworks for as far as the eyes can see.
The city that was blue skied and clear all day now was filled with a thick haze from the fireworks. But as I gaze out this morning, we are blessed with a blue sky once again!
We are most thankful to all you Fodorites who have posted and helped us plan our trip!
Stay tuned for a full report...."In Search of the Joy Luck Moment"....
Oh and Happy New Year everyone!
