Mama Chong Comes to Beijing!

Mama Chong came to Beijing last week to visit me. Here are some pictures of us hanging out in the city!

Smiling in front of the Water Cube

The original Ms. Chong posing with Ying Ying, my fave Fuwa

The competition pool in the Water Cube where Michael Phelps won his medals last year. Sadly, we thought the pool was rather underwhelming when we saw it. Maybe the cheesy castle backdrop and the fake plastic swans and boats had something to do with it.

Chongers Squared.

Honorary guest Old Man ToFu

We went to Yuanmingyuan, site of the Old Summer Palace. For those of you who don't know, Emperor Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty built the original Summer Palace, which included a European-styled building that was meant to resemble the Palace of Versailles. Unfortunately, Yuanmingyuan was destroyed by the French and British forces during the time of the Boxer Rebellion, and today, this park is a symbol of how the West humiliated China.

There was a maze-like structure in the park. After walking around and around in the dizzying maze, we finally found each other and posed for another picture!

Went to Made in China at the Grand Hyatt for the infamous Peking Duck.

No, it's not a rock. The name of this dish is called Beggar's Chicken! Word has it that Emperor Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty was a foodie back in the day, and he frequently snuck out of the palace to sample local cuisines. One day, while wandering through a peasant village, he came across this fantastic dish which was nothing more than chicken baked in salt and clay in a brick oven. The Emperor fell in love with the dish, and hence, Beggar's Chicken was born. Today, you can find the dish at many Chinese restaurants. To make the dish, you stuff the chicken with pickled vegetables, mushrooms and dates, cover it with salt and clay and slow cook it for at least 5 hours. Here's Mama Chong trying to crack open the finished product.

...and here it is! The meat was so tender it came right off the bones. If you haven't tried this dish, I would highly recommend it!

Mother Daughter photo at The Forbidden City

We also went to the Mei Lan Fang (one of China's most acclaimed Chinese opera stars; you can watch a movie about him called Forever Enthralled, directed by Chen Kaige) theatre to watch a Chinese opera. Apparently, my grandfather used to own a theatre in Vietnam back in the day, and my mom and uncles used to practice acting in these operas!

Lazy Sunday afternoon in Sanlitun

Lunch at Element Fresh!

Posing at Beihai Park

Sitting and smiling at the steps of Beihai.

This is just a sneak peek for now. We're on our way to Japan, Land of the Rising Sun, for a family trip!