The Horst Family is Growing by 4 Feet: Day 5

Before we traveled to China we were fortunate to be able to WeChat with Wen on several occasions. For those that do not know, WeChat is an instant messaging/video call/voice call app that over half of China uses. During one of these calls we asked Wen if she would like to visit Beijing and she give a big YES! Fortunately, we were able to do the Beijing portion of our trip after we adopted Wen, but before we picked up Carter. It gave us some extra time with just Wen, and honestly, it wouldn't have been nearly as exciting for a 2 year old. One thing that we have been learning about Wen, as her personality comes out, is that she really has a great sense of humor. Also, she is ambidextrous, but predominately uses the left. She can write Chinese with both hands at the same time!

Enjoy some of our sightseeing photos.

This is the North Gate of the original wall that surrounded Beijing. Chairman Mao tore the wall down, but left the gate.

Tieneman Square with the portrait of Chairman Mao in the background. Our US Secretary of State was scheduled to be in the square the day after this. This square can hold over 500,000 people and still has room for a few tanks.

Beautiful children in front of the monument to those who fought in wars. This monument was one of Wens' favorite things in the square.

And we're climbing the stairway to Heaven....In front of the Temple of Heaven near the Forbidden City. This is where the emperor would pray for good harvests.

The park surrounding the Temple of Heaven is huge, over 700 acres. This is a place for people to gather and socialize and for some picture taking for tourists like us.

Small groups of 2 or 3 gather with larger groups of 30 - 40 people with similar interests. Here people were playing a two string instrument and singing traditional songs.

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting....We saw groups with swords, poles, and just practicing moves.

It wasn't the Boot Scootin' Boogie, but Jodi was participating in a line dance of sorts. Large groups of people dancing together. Also couples were dancing in large groups.

All of the adoring fans...Our family attracts some attention when we move around. For many in China a trip to Beijing is a once in a life time 'bucket list' event. So many people we encountered were not used to seeing anyone who wasn't Chinese. Seeing a foreigner is as exciting as seeing these ancient sites.

For the most part we smiled and played along.

The Summer Palace: The last empress renovated this huge park for her own personal use. Now it is open to the public. Beautiful place on a serene lake.

This is in the Guinness book of world records as the longest continuous work of art and is over 800 meters long and features mostly ancient Chinese stories in the paintings.

An emperor had this marble boat built as a symbol that China is stable and cannot be over turned (the boat has a foundation). The stained glass windows were added later after China began opening up to overseas business.

Many groupings of men were just playing cards or traditional games. This is Chinese Chess. There is no queen, the King is the most important figure in this game.