Always Bring Binoculars

We also took some birds to visit places like the Temple of Earth, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and Ancient Summer Palace (aka Yuanmingyuan Relic Garden). At the Old Summer Palace, we befriended some of the local Chinese bird watchers and went on a 20-minute walk with them, sharing the joy of seeing the birds despite not being able to talk to each other. Some of the more memorable parts of the visit included all the dragons carved into the temple, a few small boat trips with my son as captain, an impromptu game of hide-and-seek that my son played with some local kids, a crazy sport that combines soccer and badminton but doesn't. there are nets or gates, and conversations on the walls of the heavenly temple resound. Across the street from the Temple of Heaven is the Hongqiao Pearl Market, which includes a shop called Toy City, where my son purchased a replica of the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean ghost ship.