This morning I woke up fairly well rested and only slightly jetlagged. The day loomed hot, humid, sticky and what the locals call “foggy” — in other words, so smoggy that you can’t see much through the haze. Fairly typical for Beijing.
After a big buffet breakfast at the hotel — with both western and Chinese foods, though what I thought were chocolate croissants actually turned out to be croissants filled with red bean paste — we set out to explore the city.
A square with lots of history
Our first stop was Tienanmen Square. The huge public square is best known to us in the west as the site of the infamous 1989 massacre. But of course, if you search in China on Bing (not Google; that’s blocked here), then they’ll tell you nothing about that.
Instead, you’ll learn about Tienanmen Square as it is known to Chinese people — the site of the gates to the Forbidden City, the Parliament Buildings, and of course, the memorial mausoleum where Chairman Mao himself is on display. It was a scaled-up version of the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum in Hanoi that I saw three years ago. If I’d wanted to see Mao, I would’ve had to go at something like 6 in the morning to line up in the giant queue. Thanks but no thanks.
Howard, our guide, mentioned at one point that there are 90 million members of the Chinese Communist Party. That’s three times the population of Canada. It felt like there were nearly that many people in the square this morning alone.
The Forbidden City
Next stop: the Forbidden City, which was the Imperial Palace during a bunch of dynasties whose names I can’t remember. We fought the crowds to walk through the different buildings and courtyards, taking in the intricate roofs and archways and the stones that are worth as much as bricks of gold. The inner palace is said to have 9,999 rooms — the number 9 was lucky among royalty — and if the emperor were to sleep in a different room each night, it would take him 27 years to use them all.
After a guided tour with lots of history, we split up for some free time in the afternoon. Five of us opted to climb up to the Buddhist temple on the hill behind the Forbidden City exit. I’m not sure what it’s called, but it offered a great view of the Forbidden City and Beijing beyond — well, it would’ve been a great view if not for all the hazy smog, anyway. Laurent also paid to have his photo taken in full emperor regalia.
By then, we’d seen a bunch of temples and we were all feeling the heat, so we decided to head back to the hotel. The bus ride was an experience in itself. It took us three tries before we could push and shove our way onto one of the city buses, and I caught at least two elbows to the face, we were wedged in like sardines in the heat, and a woman stood next to me dripping her popsicle onto my shorts. I guess if you live in a country with over a billion people, you have to push and shove your way to anywhere.
To market, to market
After lunch, I needed to replace those adapters, so I hopped on the subway and made my way to Pearl Market. The multi-storey marketplace is an overwhelmingly large, maze-like centre where everything is sold. And I do mean everything. From pearls and silks, to luggage and clothing and accessories, to electronics and entertainment, each stand with its own salespeople shouting after you wanting you to buy. I found some adapters that look like they might work — here’s hoping — and I also picked up a small folding fan for the heat.
Acrobats and lights
In the evening, Colleen, Rose and I went to see a Chinese Acrobatic show. It was really something. One act after another of physics-defying accomplishments. How they get their bodies to do some of that stuff, I have no idea. But I have an inkling that we won’t be beating China in Olympic gymnastics anytime soon.
We packed into the crowded subway cars one more time to get back to the hotel. On the way, we stopped off at the supermarket to stock up on a few snacks for tonight and tomorrow. When they say “super”market, they certainly mean it. A huge underground complex with row after row of everything imaginable. I get decision paralysis in these cases; I walked around for a good twenty minutes before finally settling on some yogurt and an apple. Actually, sometimes I find the grocery stores of a foreign country to be more interesting than the tourist attractions. It’s all very well and good to see temples and historical monuments, but supermarkets give a window into how people live.
Impressions of Beijing so far: The heat and humidity are stifling, though it did cool down somewhat this evening after a spectacular thunderstorm. The sights are majestic and grandiose in that slightly disturbing communist sort of way. And there are people, people, people everywhere. I’m feeling a bit cut off from home, not just due to the culture shock and my total complete illiteracy, but also since all my email and social networking sites that I usually use to keep in touch are mostly blocked here. It’s a bit disconcerting. But, apart from that, I have to say, I do quite like Beijing; as big cities go, it’s a pretty unique one.
Tomorrow we’re off to visit some wall that I hear is pretty famous… maybe you’ve heard of it? Anyway, stay tuned for more updates!
The Pearl Market is my home away from home. I hope you didn’t pay more than 10% of what they were asking for the items you bought. I have a few vendors who I no longer have to negotiate with. They always give us the lowest price. See us coming from a mile off!