China Tour: Sightseeing and an Authentic Chinese Team Meal
8/26/2014 10:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Pictures, pictures and more pictures! Today was an amazing sightseeing day. Not the mention the weather was just perfect -- a nice breeze with a high of 88 degrees, clear blue skies and no sign of smog. The city of Beijing must have known that the Dragons would be sightseeing today!
"Today was exciting. We did a lot of sightseeing with the team," senior guard Freddie Wilson said. "We visited the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City was filled with huge emperor buildings, which is something I never expected to see in my life. We did a lot of walking throughout Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and there was so much to see.Drexel players, coaches and staff visiting Tiananmen Square
"Everything we saw had deep historic meanings behind them. What stood out to me the most was the garden at the end of the Forbidden City. The rocks that were built in the garden were so unique giving it an ancient feel."
Our local tour guide, George, did an outstanding job touring our group through the famous -- or infamous -- Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. There were so many things to learn and see about these two historic sites in Beijing, and George had all of the details we could have ever wondered.
Tiananmen Square is located at the center of Beijing City. Here you will find the Tienanmen Tower, the Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag ceremony. We learned that Mao is buried in a crystal tomb that is on display when the memorial hall is open. When the doors are open, there is a line approximately 2 miles long of tourists wanting to view his tomb.
The Forbidden City is also at the center of Beijing City and was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is rectangular in shape, and it is the world's largest palace complex. It is surrounded by a six-meter-deep moat and a 10-meter-high wall.
For dinner, the team and support staff went to an authentic Chinese pecking duck restaurant called Quan Ju De on Hon Hai Lake. This was quite an experience. We were able to experience the family style lazy Susan and ate authentic Chinese food that ranged from pecking duck, which was sliced by the chef in front of our party, to fish and shrimp that had some amazing chinese flavoring.
"The food was very different but it was tasty," Wilson said. "The atmosphere on the street that the restaurant was on was very bright with a lot of lights, music and a lot of people in the streets. Overall today was a fun day for the team. The sightseeing and Chinese experience was great!"
The dinner capped off a day that was such a great Chinese cultural experience that we will all remember.
Here are more photos from the day: Kenell Sanchez (left) and Mike Westerferwith a local Chinese boy" src="/common/controls/image_handler.aspx?thumb_id=14&image_path=/images/2014/8/26/photo 5 (1).JPG" />Kenell Sanchez (left) and Mike Westerfer with a local Chinese boy
Bobby Jordan -- No caption necessary" src="/common/controls/image_handler.aspx?thumb_id=15&image_path=/images/2014/8/26/photo 2 (2).JPG" />Bobby Jordan -- No caption necessary
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