We also see snuff bottles being painted on the inside by means of a brush inserted through the neck. I collect antique snuff bottles in the UK, from our famous Portobello Market in London, and it is interesting to see how easily these girls do the painting. However, the quality is nothing like the antique bottles. Seals (or "chops") are a good buy, but get an oriental friend to translate your name into Chinese characters before you come to China. You need characters that not only produce a phonetic rendering of your name, but also have an appropriate meaning as well. Once you have done this, the seals are astonishingly good value as a useful souvenir.
Lunch has been arranged for us in a spacious restaurant, and is plentiful though unremarkable. To be fair, since it is included in the already reasonable price of the day, it is actually very good. In fact, given the price we paid for the package and trips, I think Jules Verne gave us very good value. Nevertheless, the Chinese food we had was generally ranging from reasonable to poor, compared with London Chinese restaurants. Maybe I just don't appreciate Chinese food!
The Temple of Heaven is worth a visit, but I can't do it justice here. It's a tall circular building with a very impressive interior and setting. The ceiling is wonderfully decorated, and it all seems to be arranged on huge, beautifully painted wooden beams that appear to balance on each other. Breathtaking! But all rather similar to The Forbidden City. I think the Emperor was driven to the attractions of his concubines by the sameness of his surroundings.
After returning to our Hotel, I decide I can find better food on my own than Jules Verne had found. We locate a splendid looking restaurant near the hotel. The menu is entirely in Chinese, with about 10% of the items having a rough English translation. We choose roast tofu, beef in oyster sauce, sweet and sour pork, noodles, and rice. Fortunately, the rice never comes. There is just too much food. And what is over-provided in quantity is more than compensated for by the under-provision in quality. Almost inedible! Still, it is only 10 dollars for two people, and it will keep us from starving. In future, I will trust Jules Verne! Let's see what the Ming Tombs bring.
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