Beijin is a huge city almost fully Westernised and a bit of a disappointment. The architectural styles vary from traditional to box like Stalin-esque blocks of concrete to modern. It is the third most populated city in the world and is subject to smog pollution from nearby industry. It underwent great expansion beginning in the early 80’s and now has 6 ring roads. The predominant language spoken is a dialect of Mandarin. Translation of the name means northern capital. It contains several UNESCO sites including the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven which were built between 1406 1420. The others include the Summer Palace, the Ming tombs, the Great Wall, the Grand Canal and Zhoukoudian. On 28 October 1420 it was named as the capital of the Ming dynasty.
By now I was the only person on the tour along with a guide so we initially set off for the Great Wall but stopped for a very important visit to the jade factory. This stone is the national emblem for China and the exterior of the factory was very unprepossessing. An in-house guide briefly showed me how the jade was prepared and I was ushered into a huge warehouse full of jade jewelry offered at discount prices. At least that’s what I was told. Just the typical tourist thing.
Next up is the Great Wall which is about an hour from the city along a well made highway. Again the tourist thing: the Great Wall was a fantastic architectural feature crossing mountains and valleys. It has been said that it is the only structure on earth visible from space. There is a lot of controversy about that. The day was absolutely freezing again one of the coldest days of the year with a high wind. The tour guide paid for our admission and as the place was heaving with tourists all slipping on the ice covering I felt it wise to cut the visit to a minimum. I took the appropriate photograph and left. This seem to be much to the tour guide’s chagrin but seemed to me to be the better part of valor as I certainly did not want to slip and break a bone so far away from home. We then entered the nearby coffee house to warm up. To say the store sellers were pushy as they showed me round the antique shop attached would be a gross understatement.
After lunch we visited the Ming tombs where13 of the 16 emperors from that dynasty are buried. By this stage in the trip I was beginning to become fazed by all this information overload so my attention wandered somewhat and I did not retain all the knowledge coming from my guide who was reciting her well rehearsed speech. However the next visit was to the Summer Palace. This was stimulating with the architecture of the dynasty. I could easily picture those days of emperors and acolytes relaxing in the multicolored buildings. It is a vast ensemble of lakes gardens and palaces. It is 2.9 square kilometers of which three quarters are water. The main features are the Kunming lake and the Longevity Hill. It was burnt down during the 2nd opium war by an Anglo-French force but since has been rebuilt.
Next day the first visit was to Tiananmen Square. This is one of the largest squares in the world. It comprises 109 acres and it means Gate of Heavenly Peace. Within the square are the Monument to the Peoples Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedung. The square is notorious in the Western World for the 1989 massacre. I did not touch on that subject at all with the guide as I saw no benefit in bringing up that touchy subject.
Across the road is the gate to the Forbidden City or the winter palace. Festooned above the gate on the red wall is a huge picture of Chairman Mao Zedung. He declared the People’s Republic of China on October 1st 1949. I thought the place was exceptionally busy but the guide told me it was quiet compared with a holiday. They have 14.6 million visitors every year. It was built in 1406 to 1420 and included the Ming and Qing dynasties from 1420 to 1912. It has 980 buildings and covers more than 180 acres. The whole area is arranged with a succession of palaces each coming after a square. The outer or front court was used from ceremonials and the inner or back court for the emperor and family. In the outer court are the Gate of Supreme harmony and the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the hall of Preserving Harmony. The inner court houses the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Heavenly Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The emperor annually prays for a good harvest in the Temple of Heaven. The Ming dynasty were incredibly superstitious and made the roof of the Temple of Heaven blue to represent the sky, and the walls green to represent the earth and yellow the symbol of power. Nine was a sacred number and the steps to the Temple of heaven are arranged in 3 sets of nine. On the way through all these sacred buildings there is a round slightly elevated stone which is said to be the direct communication to heaven. I stood on it as suggested but as yet am waiting for a reply. I hope it was not the direct highway.
The last building before leaving the complex was specially built for the emperor to assess and admit his concubines through the back door. It seems this was quite accepted practice in those days. After all this sightseeing we went to a ‘tea tasting’. I do not like tea at the best of times and they did not like that I refused to buy any at their exorbitant prices. It is a different culture but I was not going to be pushed into something I did not want. The guide asked me what I did before retiring. I replied ” I used to cut throats” in an off hand manner. Her face instantly changed from an ever present smile to one of abject horror. “Yyyou used to cut throats” she quailed taking a backward step, wondering what sort of
serial killer she was dealing with.
“Yes, but I do not do that any more, you see I was a head and neck surgeon.”
The relief was palpable.
On that high note we parted company and I returned to my hotel to put my feet up before the long flight back home. So I achieved two ticks for the wish list; the Trans Siberian Railway and going round the world. But I was incredibly happy to be home.
FOOTNOTE
I would like to thank Maritime Travel of the Country Fair Mall, New Minas Nova Scotia and their partners, Exotic Tours and Intourist for organizing such a great trip. Everything went to plan and on time. For anyone wanting to go on this trip I learned the following would be helpful;
- A T shirt and shorts and slippers for the train.
- A penknife for cutting and spreading food
- toilet paper
- soap
- a flashlight
- some form of self entertainment.
I think it is noteworthy to say I never felt uncomfortable at any time despite the reports of mugging and violence which stimulated many people to say I was brave going alone. If I had a companion we would have spoken to each other and not enjoyed encountering the locals.
I would also thank my wife very much for encouraging me to do the trip before I was too old and putting up with my absence.