101
our final evening
embarrassing
in Peking, this led to the rather
extreme of the Swissotel opening up the brand
new karaoke lounge just for us three days before it was due
to open to the public. This was also a rather sobering
reminder of what happens in a country where the
Government's fiat runs supreme.
29.
I thought that there was a reasonable balance
between formal briefings and sightseeing, although the trip
to Chengde was a bit tiring: over five hours each way on
Chinese roads! As this was my first trip to Peking, I was
delighted to have the opportunity to 'do' the Forbidden
city,
the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall,
and was sorry that the Temple of Heaven had to be omitted
from our programme due to time constraints.
j-china