china photos, part one:

so i mentioned that i had over 2000 photos between nicholas and i. i haven't even seen my mom's pictures yet. but here i have sorted it by sight or city we visited. part two just consists of a few more random photos and all the rest. thanks for viewing. it's hard to really gain a feel for how amazing these sites were, so maybe you can just go for yourself one day ;) to see larger pictures, simply click on the image.

ming tombs + sacred way:

i don't actually have a picture of the ming tombs here because there really was hardly anything to see inside, haha. it was just an empty room. but a little ways down was the sacred way - 500 year old gigantic marble statues and a very cool scenic walk.

grandma's house + the birds nest:

we were able to stop and visit the city my grandma grew up in. the first image is her front door. the 2nd image is at my grandpa's house! we were able to go there as well. the rest of the images are at the bird's nest in beijing. we weren't allowed in but the outside was pretty cool to see.

xian and terracotta warriors:

i've been to xian before but the terracotta warriors are pretty amazing to see, every time. the wall is pretty cool. but this is just crazy! 8,000 clay soldiers, horses, and chariots - most of which are STILL buried! it blows my mind. and they all have different faces! so crazy. and some farmer just found them one day back in the 70's or something. i mean, could you imagine just being out on your farm and discovering there are all of these below you hanging out? i love the thought of the undiscovered and what more there is to find. apparently the actual emperor's tomb has not been opened yet.

the great wall of china:

so okay, i know the great wall is a world wonder and all, but i just couldn't grasp the magnitude of the wall. probably because i spent the whole time climbing (literally) up the STEEP side of the wall cause my punk older brother wanted to go left instead of right. (right was the side my mom and everyone else went! the easier side) i mean, notice the steep steps in the bottom lower right image ;) pretty darn high. heh. but it was still pretty cool to see. next time i'll just take in the wall instead of climb the wall.

the forbidden city:

the forbidden city was a cool sight to see. basically some emperor built it and no commoner's or lowly people were allowed in. there are thousands of rooms..it's legit. it's huge. and i love all the intricate design and details of the stone carvings and structure. we got to see the royal headquarters, still intact with furniture and everything - it was so cool. it made me want a time machine where i could go back in time and see when they actually lived ;)