It appears that some may not be left feeling so good following Michelle Obama’s (aka FLOTUS), week-long goodwill tour of China, which ended Wednesday, March 26.

It has been reported that at least one employee (that’s all it takes to get the Daily Mail jacked up) complained of inconveniences caused by the arrival of the First Lady, two daughters and extensive Secret Service entourage at the Westin Beijing Chaoyang hotel on Wednesday of last week. Although it was Mrs. Obama’s mother who garnered special attention by purportedly ‘barking at the staff since her arrival.’ But let’s not be too judgmental – we’re all guilty of an overexcited “fuwuyuanr!” every now and then.

During the trip – billed as a reprise of pingpong diplomacy and the strengthening of ties that occurred between America and China 40 years ago – amity between the Obamas and hotel guests was put to the test. Some guests were reportedly kicked out of their executive rooms to make space on the upper floors, while others were unable to even reach the upper floors after Special agents took control of the elevators. It’s the kind of service one can only expect when paying over $8,000 a night.

And the grievances didn’t stop there. According to NY Daily News, during her appearance at the Stanford Center at Peking University, Mrs. Obama also risked angering her company with an apparent jibe at China’s internet censorship laws stating, “It is so important for information and ideas to flow freely over the Internet and through the media,” adding “Because that’s how we discover the truth, that’s how we learn what’s really happening in our communities, in our country and our world.”

The First Lady also met with her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan as well as President Xi Jinping before making an attempt to escape this week’s particularly bad air by visiting a number of sites, including the Great Wall, where she encountered perilous climbs and the Summer Palace, which is currently swamped with flying ants. Seriously, if you go take a head scarf.

Now that Team Obama has left Beijing expect a return to blue skies and good manners.

This post first appeared in the Beijinger on March 27, 2014

Photo courtesy of China.org.cn via the Beijinger.

Although the administrators of the site do a decent job describing the Guyaju site and its 147 caves, there is scant information provided about who inhabited this cliff village and what became of them. What is known is that these cliff dwellings are over 1,000 years old and most likely were built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). Due to the topography, the village would have been nearly impossible to attack from the rear and the approach from the entrance of the ravine was well fortified behind the two gates. Even if invaders did reach the village, the inhabitants lived on the upper levels and the animals were housed in the lower caves, so this too provided an advantage to the villagers defending their homes. Though clearly the village has suffered some wear caused by the elements, the remains of the narrow stairs and footholds leading to the upper caves show that the villagers had been nimble and sure-footed. Though visitor access is restricted to the lower caves, there is one typical three-room cave dwelling that is accessible and the space is impressive, dry and each room has a window with a view; more than can be said for many a Beijing apartment.

Along the pathways there are a few benches to sit on, and plenty of stairs too, if you need a rest or want to take snacks or have a picnic. Do carry beverages with you as there were no vendors around when we went and the nearby modern villa project did not appear to have any open shops yet. At the peak of the hike, there is a great view of the lake in the distance and the surrounding valley.

Admission is 40RMB for adults, half that for students, and there is ample parking. Detailed instructions and info in Chinese can be found here on the Beijinger website or you can call 6911 0333 for more details.  Depending on your pace, it only takes an hour or two to visit the cliff dwellings, so you can easily combine this excursion with a visit to another nearby attraction, such as the Longqing Gorge.

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Photography: www.chrislay.com
Blog: www.beijing-kids.com/blog/beijingkids/Christopher-Lay

With winter abating and spring another month away, my friend Bo called and said it was time to go for a five-kilometer exploration of northern China’s largest public hole, Silver Fox Cave (Yinhu Dong). Naturally, I accepted the invitation and asked how many days I should pack for. The reply surprised me – half a day. How is it that there is a massive cave system only 90 minutes away from Beijing and I had never heard of it? Okay, so I never actually flipped through the Beijing Immersion Guide, nor have I looked for things outside of the city much since we don’t own a car. But until last week, none of my car-touting friends had mentioned it either. Since wandering around Silver Mountain Pagoda Forest the week before was a hit (see post here), I was down with exploring the underbelly of a mountain.

Whereas most caves have gapping openings that announce their presence to the world’s inhabitants, Silver Fox Cave was not discovered until 1991 when miners where conducting exploratory drilling in the area and happened upon this natural wonder which was subsequently named for it’s signature formation – a beautiful two meter long white crystal filigree that to some resembles an upside down fox. To me, it simply looked like a stunning geological wonder ensconced behind glass that sadly had not been cleaned for some time.

Despite the obscured visibility of the fox, the trek through the cave was worth the 60RMB price tag. After descending about 90 meters, we were led through four kilometers of caves in places narrow enough where I should have ducked (ouch) and others where it felt like we had entered some bizarre gothic cathedral. Even though we did not have enough Chinese between us to understand our guide’s narration, she dutifully prattled on about each formation as we wandered up, down, and around the dimly lit pathway. With each turn of the trail, new otherworldly features would appear like scenes out of Lord of the Rings – minus the orcs. Stalactites and stalagmites punctuated other formations described on illuminated signs as stone chrysanthemums, forests, pearls, goosenecks and even one that resembled Chairman Mao, or Barak Obama, or even me without the glasses. 

About half-way in to our tour, we arrived at the underground stream where another guide used a cable suspended to the ceiling of the cave to pull up along the one kilometer long crystal clear water way. Though the river was not particularly deep and looked pristine and inviting, our guide discouraged us from going for a swim. At one end we could hear an underground waterfall, but even with our torches, we could not see the origin of the gentle cascade before our guide reversed course.

After another 30 minutes or so of climbing up and down stairs, we arrived at the most unexpected portion of our journey into the bowels of the mountain – a mini-sized train that looked like it had been stolen from an abandoned amusement park. Tired from our hike, we gladly sat down in the dim compartments and dutifully obeyed the conductors warning to keep our hands inside the train car at all times. Once we started moving, I shone my torchlight out the open window and could see the rough-hewn stone wall coming within inches of the train.  

After we disembarked, we ascended a stairway that gave the illusion of never ending, yet thankfully did. In all, we were underground about two hours. Even on a Friday afternoon, we were able to return home in time to meet the kids after school. Undoubtedly, the kids will be demanding to go next time.

For details on how to get to the cave by bus or by car check out this entry at the Beijinger here.

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Photography: www.chrislay.com
Blog: www.beijing-kids.com/blog/beijingkids/Christopher-Lay