BEIJING - FORBIDDEN CITY AND TIANANMEN SQUARE

---

04.11.08

In the morning the bright lights are all gone and the city is wrapped in a thick cloud of pollution. We have never seen anything like that, and I really hope we'll never get to see it anywhere else. It's so horrible that no picture can describe it.
Today it's 2 months since we left London!
We experience the buffet breakfast of the hostel and we go out to walk to the Forbidden City. The grandiose emperors' palace is probably the most crowded place in Beijing. For now we ignore Tiananmen Square, we turn our faces looking at the gigantic portrait of Mao and we walk under the Gate of Heavenly Peace. From the gate Mao proclaimed in 1949 the People's Republic.
To reach the entrance of the Forbidden City we pass also the Duan Gate and walk together with thousands of people to the Meridian Gate. Along all this way all sorts of souvenir vendors, tourist guides, sellers and promoters. If the Chinese will try to sell you anything all over China (and all over the world) in any way, here they try their best. They stick to you like glue. A girl with glasses and in tracksuit, very popular among Chinese, managed to take us to a painting exhibition hall where she showed us all kinds of traditional paintings and desperately tried to sell us some.
We managed to escape empty handed and finally entered the palace's gate. The visit to this incredibly vast complex takes us most of the day. Even if partly rebuilt and continuously restored, it keeps an incredible beauty, particularly in the non official part,. Where the private life of two dynasties took place. The front part of the complex is centred on three halls, one after the other. It's not possible to enter any of the halls but you can have a look inside from the doors where all the people dwell. All the big building and the immense spaces disappear in the rear part of the city, and make way to the Imperial Garden. Here the atmosphere changes completely. This is a true Chinese garden, with trees with curling branches, rocks, and small timber buildings.
When we finished our time within this magical walls we paid visit to Tiananmen Square. Now that we exited the Forbidden City we realize how thick is the smog in the air. Even buildings within 50 meters seem to be behind a foggy glass. It's worse than we expected.
We have a walk through the Foreign Legion Quarter without finding any particular interest in it.
Before heading back to the hostel we stop for some good Chinese food and we leave with full bellies! Now we are back in our room and we can't help but noticing this horrible habit that Chinese people have to snort then spit all the time making a disgusting noise. Every country has its traditions!
Most of the guests here at the hostel are Chinese, and actually also the large majority of tourists around are Chinese. Tomorrow we'll make an excursion to the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall that will take us all day. Even if we already had a quick view to the Wall from the train to Beijing, we're very excited, and hope we won't be disappointed!

---