November 27 Beijing

November 27 Beijing

Hello All,

This morning we met the other family travelling to Xi’an to adopt. Karee and Rodney have four and are adopting a fifth, a little one who will be two on Christmas. They brought their sixteen year old daughter with them and we will share a guide and stay at the same hotel in Xi’an. Very nice folks!

Our first stop this morning was to a government owned and operated jade factory. We learned how to tell the good stuff from glass and from the cheaper, softer form of jade. Some of the carvings and some of the jewelry were incredible.

Next we visited the amazing, the incredible Great Wall and we climbed up to the first watchtower. It was such a steep and crowded climb and the steps were so uneven! Some were four inches high and others were twenty inches! Many also were dipped and worn. It is mindboggling to think of the hard manual labor it took to build this seemingly endless monstrosity without the help of modern equipment. Not bad considering it was built hundreds of years ago!

Our last stop was at a cloisonné (enamel) factory. What a detailed and labor intensive process it is. A flat copper wire is shaped on a copper vase or base to create an intricate design. Paint made with a mineral powder is used to fill in the design and each of six layers is fired before it is sent to be polished by three different stones. I wanted to bring home a couple of the big vases, but I’ll have to wait until I win the lottery.

Our trip from Seattle to Beijing was just over twelve hours and it was after 11:00 local time when we got to our hotel room. Nonetheless, I woke at 5:40 and couldn’t get back to sleep as I starting thinking about how soon I will be meeting Marie Ling. Several times today I was startled when I realized where I am and why I am here. My mind races with questions, concerns and possibilities. We are supposed to meet her Monday afternoon!