One Day in Beijing

Under the cover of darkness, in the quiet morning we made our escape to the airport. Christmas Eve had never before seemed so adventurous and despite an onset of the flu, I was eager to discover what awaited me in the ancient city of Beijing.  Upon our arrival, we were greeted by our tour guide for the next few days, David.  A native of China, David's English—like his walking pace—was quick and abrupt.  Perfunctory greetings were exchanged with David and the other member of our group, Corrie, before heading to our hotel.

Our "4-star" hotel was not quite the establishment we not only hoped for, but also paid extra to enjoy.  The smokey lobby provided a sneak-peek into what we could expect from our rooms, and we were skeptical about the rating system. Perhaps, the hotel was rated 4 stars out of 10. To our disappointment, our lack of confidence about the rest of the building was right on target and our relaxing Christmas vacation was consequently corroded—just like our bathroom sink.

After dropping the bags and our expectations at the hotel, we headed to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  During the Ming Dynasty, Tiananmen Square acted as the front door to the Forbidden City and provided a place for the announcement of each new emperor and empress to the common people.  More recently, Tiananmen Square has become well-known for the many protests that have culminated within its walls.  Most notably, were the protests of 1989 in which 100,000 people gathered to mourn the death of Hu Yaobang, a pro-democracy official, and voice their request for democratic reform and economic liberalization.  The swelling of the crowd forced PRC (People's Republic of China) officers to bring in tanks in an effort to clear out the protestors.  The results of the military's tactics left many civilians injured or dead. However, the controversy lies in the number of deaths reported.  According to PRC government officials, 200-300 people were killed. However, Chinese students and the Chinese Red Cross reported the numbers to be closer to 2,000-3,000.  The exact numbers still remain unknown today, and even David (our tour guide) was unsure of the events that unfolded. Claiming to be too young to experience the devastation firsthand, he only recalls what he was taught in school—admittedly, a very biased account.  

Looking toward the entrance to the Forbidden City

As with any old city, cranes and construction equipment are out of place, yet inevitable.

Monument to the People's Heroes

After galavanting around Tiananmen Square for a bit, David was anxious to move on to the Forbidden City—the home of past Emperors from the Ming through Qing dynasties for almost five centuries.  Entering the Forbidden City is a daunting task as it is the largest surviving palace complex in the world.  At 7,200 acres, the palace consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms.  With so much space, a person could stay in a different room of the palace every night until they were 24 years old!  The beautiful buildings are a grandiose example of traditional Chinese architecture and have influenced many other buildings in the city since their completion in 1420.  With so much of it still intact, it is not surprising that the Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 and now houses the Palace Museum.  

Walking through the palatial palace grounds is an all-day adventure unless, of course, you're with David.  On a mission to make good time, David kept up a swift pace throughout the tour. I, however, was determined to leave with an adequate number of pictures and lagged behind the group through the first 1/3 of the palace.  Eventually, the buildings were indistinguishable and the ice cold wind had me praying for an end.

   

The entrance to the Forbidden City with a pompous painting of Chairman Mao Zedong.  Chairman Mao is loved by many Chinese and hated by others for his founding of the People's Republic of China and his influence in the Chinese communist party.

Because yellow is the color of the Emperor, all but 2 buildings within the palace have yellow-tiled roofs.  The library's roof is black, the color of water, to prevent fires from burning its books while the Crown Prince's residences have green tiles to symbolize and promote growth.

A partial view of the expansiveness of the palace seen by the never-ending roofs in the horizon.

After completing our lightening-fast tour of the Forbidden City, we visited the first of many tourist traps during our trip.  David, knowing we needed some rejuvenation and hoping for some commission, took us to a traditional Chinese tea house for a demonstration and tasting. Because we were unaware of the trap that awaited us, we were excited to learn about the many healing powers and benefits of Chinese herbs.  For any ailment or improvement you can think of there's a tea.  With just a few sips a day, a person can become smarter, more beautiful, and overall better than their neighbor.  After our demonstration we were led into the gift shop to choose from an array of overpriced, but beautifully packaged tea leaves and cups. Luckily, our tea tasting made us smarter so we dodged the trap and left with money in our pockets.  

Our first night ended with a tantalizing spread of Chinese dishes at a local restaurant and an impressive acrobat show.  The children in the acrobat show (all under the age of 20) were incredibly bendable and full of dare-devil stunts. Jugglers, tight-rope walkers, and amazing bicycle riding skills littered the show and renewed my resolve to practice yoga.  Had I seen the acrobats prior to tasting the tea, I would've believed in the magic powers of the leaves and handed over all my yuan.