Still having the great impressions of the great wall in mind, we had to pack and to check out from the hotel because later that day we had to catch the train to Handan. After loading the baggage into our bus we didn’t leave Beijing before visiting the awesome Summer Palace. The weather was very nice that day, so Petrus was with us.
The Summer Palace was initially built as a residence for the widows of the emperors. But the emperors used it as a summer residence then as well. The Summer Palace was not a fortification. Moreover it was a comfortable place with green gardens and flowers. The Emperor reached the Summer Palace by boat over a connecting waterway from the Forbidden City. So now you can imagine how amazing the walk through the summer residence of the emperor was.
After this hike across the beautiful scenery we finally reached our meeting point at the north gate of the Summer Palace. Our bus was waiting there to bring us to the railway station of Beijing where we had to catch the train to Handan. The railway station of Beijing was a really unforgettable experience. It was not possible to be on the platform before the train arrived. The Train was leaving at 16:31 and the trip to Handan took about 4 hours. With seats in the comfortable first class cabin we enjoyed the trains top speed beyond 200 kph.
Finally we arrived at the Handan train station, where Xiaoing’s brother Pingjie picked us with two busses up for giving us a lift to the hotel. Arrived at the hotel we were welcomed very heartfully. Mr. Wang and other important personalities from the Handan City invited us to a great buffet in the hotel with very amusing show acts. It was really very special to be welcomed in such a friendly and open minded atmosphere.
After Dinner we were heading to a real chinese karaoke event. Mr. Li opened the evening with a very impressive chinese song. Then every group performed a song. At the beginning it was a little bit uncomfortable for us, but later on the karaoke machine was set on fire. After a day of many awesome impressions we finally jumped into our beds and the sleep took us away in chinese dreams.