So here I am, finally in China! I arrived at Beijing airport yesterday, around 3:30 pm local time, and the weather was nearly identical to that in Manchester - grey and dreary! However, it was a fair bit warmer (hopefully its just short sleeves and shorts from now on). It's hard to tell whether the murk is moisture or pollution, but I haven't seen any blue sky yet! I seem to have landed on my feet with the hostel - Its frindly and has a nice atmosphere, and a good cafe too. I'll probably end up eating here quite a lot, as the restaurants I've seen either look posh or taiored to the locals. Today I got up bright and early and headed for Tian'anmen Square. Not your average public space, I can tell you that much. A vast paved square surrounded by huge soviet-esque buildings. And thousands of people milling round (or queueing to enter Mao's mausoleum). After a brief wander around the square and the southern gates (and after posing for a photo with a chinese guy and his baby...), I headed south towards The Temple of Heaven (or Tiantan). The temple is set within a big green space, and I've got to admit it is pretty impressive. Constructed solely from wood and without using any nails, it's very imposing. Unfortunatley not 580 years old (when it was first built), as it was struck by lightning in 1889. It was rebuilt to resemble the original exactly, and it's probably been repainted a few times since, but it is still an impressive sight. There's a number of other interesting buildings in the complex, and I spent a good 2 and a half hours wandering. I then walked back to the hostel to rest my weary legs (I think I probably walked around 12km today!). I've booked onto a tour to go to one of the less visited sites of the Great Wall tomorrow, which means a nice bright start at 6:20 tomorrow. I'll try to update the blog tomorrow (unless the wall is really boring), so watch this space