Our first whole day in China was spent at the Summer Palace, a vast landscaped retreat for the Emporer in the hot, smelly summer months in Beijing. As well as palaces and temples, there is a huge lake complete with islands, bridges and dragon boat rides. This photo is of a group of soldiers seen on one of the boats.

The Summer Palace was our first experience of the grand and beautiful Imperial Chinese architecture. Many buildings had ornate wood and stone carvings; this one formed part of a banister beside stairs upto the 'Temple of the Fragrance of Buddha'.

Day two of the trip was spent at a section of the Great Wall near Beijing, at a place called Badaling. I was amazed at how the Wall just went up and down the steep hills, with gradients in places that must have been 2-in-1. This picture looks down one ascent, showing an exhausted Kayee!

Each tower we climbed to on the Wall afforded new views, showing the Wall stretching off in seemingly all directions. This view shows how typically the builders of the Great Wall went right over the top of steep sections, rather than following the contours.

It was quite early morning when we visited the Wall, and the low sun made the hills and valleys beatifully modelled for photography. The town of Badaling is visible in the valley of this picture, nestled amongst the surrounding hills which seemed to us a defence in themselves.