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DRAGON DOG |
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 Sonya meets children on Tiananmen Square. © 2007 Ravay Snow |
She ran up to some children. "I'm looking for a dragon to dance with at the Chinese New Year festival. Where can I find one?"
"H-m-m. Maybe at the Summer Palace or the Temple of Heaven," one of them replied. "Dragons like wide open spaces."
"See that man standing beside a van?" the other child asked. "He's taking visitors to the palace right now. You can join them."
"Thanks!" Sonya dashed to the tour van and jumped in. The group rode into the countryside.
"The Summer Palace was the emperor's home away from the busy city," the guide explained when they arrived there. "You can roam the grounds on your own for the next two hours."
Sonya ran down pebble paths through beautiful flower gardens and around a large blue lake. A roofed passageway, called the Long Corridor, connected some buildings.
She admired the paintings on the ceiling. They showed lovely scenes of the area that told stories.
 The emperor went to the Summer Palace to escape the busy city. © David Muenker |
At the lakeshore, she jumped on a boat.
"How odd. This boat doesn't bob in the water!" she woofed.
"That's because it's the Marble Boat," a girl commented. "Empress Dowager Cixi had this boat built of stone."
"But it can't go anywhere!" Sonya exclaimed.
The girl shrugged her shoulders.
 Made of marble, this boat stays in one place. © David Muenker |
Back in the van, the guide announced, "Our next stop is the Temple of Heaven."
"I sure hope I find a dragon there," Sonya sighed.
"The temple grounds are twice the size of the Forbidden City," the guide said. "Please stay together."
The group stopped at the Altar of Heaven. Three tall tiers of white marble formed it.
"The altar was used to worship heaven on the winter solstice," the guide explained.
"The winter solstice is the longest night of the year," a young boy whispered in Sonya's ear.
"And it is the shortest day," Sonya proudly replied, letting him know she already knew about the winter solstice.
They walked through the lovely grounds to the majestic round Temple of Heaven. It stood on top of a marble base. They climbed a long flight of steps to the entrance.
Sonya's eyes widened when she stepped inside. Twenty-eight pillars rose from the floor to the ceiling. She felt like she was in a forest of huge trees.
 The Temple of Heaven is majestic. © David Muenker |
"The four posts in the inner circle represent the seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter," the guide said.
"The middle circle represents the 12 months of the year. And the outer circle represents the number of shichen in a day. In ancient China, people divided the day into 12 shichen."
"Shichen were equal to two hours," the young boy told Sonya. "The ancient Chinese day had 12 shichen."
"Like our day has 24 hours," Sonya beamed.
Bright red, gold, green and blue designs decorated the pillars and ceiling. Ceremonies were performed at the Temple of Heaven for good fortune and bountiful harvests.
Sonya looked behind the imperial throne and around each of the 28 posts. There still was no sign of a dragon.
On the way out of the temple grounds, the group stopped at Echo Wall.
"Listen closely," the guide advised them. He walked to the other side of the circular wall and whispered, "Can you hear me?"
"I can hear him!" the young boy exclaimed.
"Me, too!" Sonya jumped up and down.
Everyone in the group took turns whispering. When it was Sonya's turn, she softly barked, "Where will I find a dragon to dance with at the Chinese New Year festival?"
Her ears stood up with surprise when the Echo Wall answered.
"Go to the Great Wall... the Great Wall... the Great Wall..."
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and wildlife of this World Heritage Site.
Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.
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Photographs ©2005-2008 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2008 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2008 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
