After visiting the Forbidden City, they went to the Temple of Heaven.

Luckily, they had hired a taxi, so getting to the attractions wasn't too difficult, and they didn't take a single unnecessary detour.

Chen Hong hires the car by the day. The driver does his best to choose the shortest and fastest routes, which saves him a lot on gas!

I also visited the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Echo Wall, and the Circular Mound Altar, but only from the outside; you're not allowed to go inside.

They only gained a general understanding of all the historical anecdotes and folk tales through the skillful words of their tour guide, Zhao Yu.

That's the advantage of hiring a professional tour guide; otherwise, you'd just glance at it and forget about it immediately.

Yu Yang learned a lot during the morning's activities, and Chen Hong and her sister also broadened their horizons. They learned some folk tales that they had never heard of before.

During this time, Zhao Yu arranged meals, water, and toilet breaks in a very orderly and thoughtful manner.

The restaurant we chose was an affordable, century-old establishment with amazing food.

The South Gate of the Temple of Heaven is a large restaurant called X Ji Braised Mutton. The customers are all elderly men. It's a proper restaurant frequented by locals.

The braised mutton here is like a hot pot, with various soup bases to choose from.

Chen Hong ordered their specialty, braised meat in a red broth. They

Including the driver, there were four adults and two children in total, which made up a table. We ordered two hot pot bases.

I chose regular lamb, lamb chops, lamb tail, and lamb spine. The braised lamb at this restaurant was really tender and soft.

The broth for the braised hot pot had a five-spice flavor with a slight spiciness. Because they had children with them, they ordered a non-spicy version.

The lamb pieces were huge, with absolutely no gamey smell, and they were so tender and fragrant. This braised lamb, dipped in minced garlic and sesame oil, was absolutely delicious!

Seeing how much everyone was enjoying the food, she ended up ordering four jin (2 catties) of mutton, and the restaurant owner even gave her noodles as a bonus.

Chen Hong thought it was ready-made dried noodles, but it turned out to be freshly pulled noodles. Four adults couldn't finish all the noodles.

Simply put them in a soup pot and cook for a few minutes until they float to the surface; in just a few minutes, the noodles will absorb the flavor perfectly.

It has a rich, slightly spicy flavor, and because it wasn't cooked for too long, it still has a chewy texture, which everyone thought was delicious.

We ordered too much, and we couldn't finish the lamb.

After discussing it with the driver, Zhao Yu decided to pack the leftovers up. Chen Hong realized this wouldn't do; the leftovers wouldn't be enough for their next meal.

I also ordered half a pound of mutton for each of them to add to the meal.

The bill only came to a little over 500 yuan, which was really a bargain!

Chen Hong secretly made a mental note of this shop, planning to come back again and pack more leftovers!

Given the high temperature at noon, they discussed it and decided to go to the Summer Palace first in the afternoon.

Upon entering the Summer Palace, there is a stone resembling the God of Longevity. It is called the Longevity Stone because its shape is very similar to that of the God of Longevity.

Behind the Longevity Stone is the Renshou Hall, which is said to be where Empress Dowager Cixi held court behind a screen and received princes, ministers, and foreign envoys.

If you walk straight back from the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity and pass through an artificial hill, you can see the magnificent Kunming Lake and the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace.

In the distance, you can see the Fragrant Buddha Pavilion, also known as Longevity Hill. It is surrounded by a lake on one side and a mountain on the other, making it a picturesque place with its rippling blue waters.

It's a completely different feeling from the sea; one is clear blue water, the other is deep blue!

Walking along this path, you will arrive at the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace. Entering through the Inviting Moon Gate, you will find a 728-meter-long corridor, currently the longest in the world.

Walking into the corridor, you will pass four pavilions, each representing spring, summer, autumn and winter, symbolizing that people can live in peace and safety throughout the four seasons.

Chen Hong and her friends played with the children in the corridor until four o'clock. Junjun woke up from a nap in her aunt's arms before leaving and heading to the next stop.

Upon arriving at the Old Summer Palace, we saw the extensive damage inflicted on it by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 and the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860.

These vicissitudes of time and the deepest imprints of history left on the hearts of the Chinese people deeply moved Yu Yang.

He will study hard so that his future mission will be to join the army and defend his country. "I will definitely follow in Uncle Zhou's footsteps and join the army. When I grow up, I will kill foreign invaders!"

Xiaoyun: "Which Uncle Zhou? Whose son is he? Why don't you say he's taking over from your uncle?"

Yu Yang pouted, "My uncle won't take a gun to fight bad guys abroad. Why would I learn from him? I don't usually handle a gun."

Chen Hong: "You silly child, do you think your uncle would tell you whether he handles a gun or not? It's getting late, let's go home. I'm exhausted after walking all day!"

She picked up Junjun and prepared to go home, moving incredibly fast.

Yu Yang and Xiao Yun Zhao Yu chased after her, panting heavily as they finally caught up with Chen Hong, who was selecting cultural and creative handicrafts at the entrance of the scenic area.

Xiaoyun, panting heavily, asked, "Sis, weren't you tired? How can you still run so fast?"

“I’m mainly worried about you and the kids getting tired. I’m fine! Look how pretty these handicrafts are. Let’s buy some and take them home to give to the village chief and Xiao Hao.”

"Sure, let's send some back to our parents too!"

Why send these things to my parents? They've already visited these tourist attractions!

Yu Yang: "Mom, buy more so I can give some to Grandpa Village Chief and Xiao Hao and Wang Xin when I get back. They've never been to Beijing before."

Chen Hong nodded: "Okay, you choose for yourself, Mom will pay for it."

She then said to her younger sister, "Next year, Xiao Nini will be all grown up, which will coincide with the Olympics. I plan to invite Mom and Dad to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics."

Xiaoyun was delighted: "That's wonderful! While they're still healthy, it's good for them to get out and about more."

After spending four or five hundred yuan on a large pile of souvenirs, they finally ended their day trip and headed home.

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