A Day in the Orient

Rainy days and Mondays…. what a perfect combination for taking a day off from work. Last weekend our time at Heath was spent dealing with leaks alongside the roof and fireplace. Rain can take its toll by putting a damper on activities so, gardening, planting and barbecuing were completely …. if you’ll pardon the pun…. “a wash out”!!!

After painstakingly repairing the roof and doing a lot of clean-up it was now time to report back to work. I wasn’t having it, and needed an entire day off so, I headed to the District to find where Asia meets America. First stop was to the Freer/Sackler Galleries to see the Empresses of China’s Forbidden City, 1644-1912.

The focus on the last imperial dynasty of China {Qing} is on the primary duties of the empress or consort to the emperor. For 268 years the male officials who wrote court history recorded virtually nothing about the accomplishments of these women. To unlock the hidden aspects of their lives we must examine the materials goods they possessed such as attire, furnishings, portraits and devotional objects.

The East Glorious Gate to the Palace of Longevity and Health.

Fine dining on the road- Empress Dowager Chongqing spent tem months of each year living outside the Forbidden City. She made nearly thirty trips to Chengde, an imperial resort north of Beijing . This lacquer with gold on wood was portable tableware for elegant dining.– And an Ewer with dragons and clouds made of gold alloy.

Staying in theme we headed to Graces Mandarin restaurant at the National Harbor for a delicious lunch of Salt & Pepper Shrimp, Crab Fried Rice and a crisp cold glass of Santori Pinot Grigio.

Stay stylish,
Kathleen