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Asia » China » Beijing » Forbidden City
April 27th 2014
Published: May 3rd 2014
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We awoke to meet our final full day in China where the bus picked us up promptly at 8 am and we were on our way to Tienanmen Square. We made our way across the busy boulevard that bordered the square. In the distance we saw the huge painting of Mao Tse Tung that hangs on the red gate leading to the Forbidden City. Every four years or so a prominent painter in China will render a new painting for the square. This one shows him smiling. If some future painter should ever need any inspiration he need only visit Mao at his tomb in Tienanmen Square where he can be viewed through his glass casket. A team of four doctors ensures that his remains remain perfectly preserved.

Arnold took us to the center of the square, in fact, to the spot he identified as the center of China. He noted that all societies view their own homeland as the center of the world. Maps in Great Britain show England and its prime meridian at the center of the world. Maps in the USA show the world centered about it. And maps in China are no different. We were standing on the meridian that went through the center of Tienanmen Square and continued on down the center line of the Forbidden City.

Arnold noted the high police presence in Tienanmen Square; and, some of the policemen were armed. This is a new occurrence since an act of terrorism killed many innocent people in the square. And Arnold told us before we got off the bus, that if by chance we were to see an incident in the square, it would be best to avert our eyes, turn our backs and under no circumstance should we take pictures of what we might see. He said that in the late 1990’s he was guiding a tour group through Tienanmen Square when three demonstrators unfurled a yellow banner of a faction opposing the government. It wasn't long before a policeman came over to tell Arnold that one of the people in his group had taken a picture. Arnold turned around and gave the group a hard stare, and they were all shaking in their boots with that expressive innocence of a child claiming “We didn't do it!” Arnold challenged the policeman saying that no one in his group would do such a thing. The policeman then pointed at the two culprits, “Them. They took the picture.” A street vendor who acts as eyes and ears for the police confirmed that he had seen it too. And Arnold realized that these two were not in his group; but, they had been standing nearby and been eavesdropping on his commentary. The policeman said fine, but he’d need him to translate. The two turned out to be Australian students. Arnold explained to them that what they had done was not permitted and the policeman wanted the film in his camera. “No!” said the student with the camera, pleading, “All of my pictures from the Great Wall are on that film.” “I don’t care,” said Arnold. “Give him your camera.” Arnold explained it this way to him, that if he didn't comply, then it would be likely that all of them, the two students, Arnold, and his whole tour group would be detained for 30 days, and they wouldn't be in 5-star accommodations! Reluctantly the student surrendered his camera, where upon the soldier pulled the film out exposing it in the bright Beijing sun, and then handed the camera back to the dumbstruck student. You may take pictures of the policemen, but best to do it from a distance. You should not go up and try to have your picture taken with a policeman, and if you do try that, you definitely shouldn't flash the peace sign. The subject of Tienanmen Square is a sensitive one with the Chinese, because of their feeling that western journalists only presented a one-sided view that tended to sensationalize the overwhelming force used that day. Never covered in the western press was that, preceding the headlines reporting atrocities, numerous police had been killed by the protesters.

Approaching the Forbidden City Gate Arnold pointed out the tallest flagpole with the largest flag in China, flying at one end of the Square. Its red field is adorned by 5 yellow-gold stars.

We had to take an underground passage way to get over to the gate, and once there, learned that this gate was one that led to another gate that was the actual entrance to the Forbidden City. All of the building were very impressive and ornate with the double sloping Oriental roofs and dragon carved eaves. Arnold gave us some time to visit a 4-star “Happy House”, which I was very grateful for, that is, until I actually saw the 4-star “Happy House”. Sure enough, at the entrance of the “Happy House” was a bronze plaque proclaiming it as a 4-Star restroom? According to Arnold, a 5-star rating is warranted if at least half of the stalls are western style, and it goes without saying that it must be clean and provide toilet paper. 4-star means that there are at least 2 stalls that are western style, and it should be clean and provide toilet paper. In this case, there must not be anything about roominess, because the stalls were 3-feet by 3-feet; and, while there was a dispenser for toilet paper, there was in fact no toilet paper. This “Happy House” did have two western style handicapped toilets; while, the seven remaining toilets were all squatters. 3-star ratings require one western style toilet, with conditions degrading from there.

The front part of the Forbidden City was for government purposes, pomp and circumstance, the buildings meant to awe and intimidate those invited inside. Commoners of course were forbidden to enter, hence the name. The primary building of the complex was the large government building in the center. You can tell by size, roof-style and the number of ornate dragons in the eaves the prominence of each building. There was a huge courtyard between the government portion of the Forbidden City and the Emperor’s residence. Dragon gargoyles adorn the top of a rectangular perimeter within this courtyard. Arnold says that when it rains a lot all of the dragon heads have water spurting out of their mouths; but, he added that he’d only seen that happen once.

Arnold told how the emperor had his bedroom, and his queen had her bedroom (but that the king didn't spend much time there), and most of the buildings in the Emperor’s residence were for his concubines. And the emperor needn't bother going to be with a concubine of his choosing. He had a eunuch who would do that for him, and others who would listen outside his door and record what went on, just in case an heir to the empire might result. This way there would be documentation that the emperor was the father, and any son that resulted would be rightfully in line to someday become emperor. To become a concubine, you needed to go to a concubine school of sorts, to learn proper serving etiquette for the emperor, to learn what you can and can’t say, what you can and can’t do, to learn what he likes and doesn't like. Any transgression could result in the loss of your head, solely at his discretion. Normally, when the emperor entered the courtyard, a eunuch would precede him and announce his coming so that all present could pay him the proper respect. One emperor thought it would be fun to enter the courtyard unannounced. He came in, and all but one noticed him immediately; but, that young concubine in training hadn't seen him. She thought that everyone was playing a joke by bowing down to her, as if she was royalty, and she said, “You don’t need to bow down to me. I’m not the queen yet!” She soon realized her transgression when nobody laughed. But the emperor was so impressed by her ambition and beauty, that he elevated her to a much higher position as a courtesan.

There are many national treasures in the Forbidden City. One of the sore spots between China and Taiwan is that when Chang Kai Check abandoned China and fled to Formosa, he took with him many of the major treasures from the Forbidden City. Arnold noted that China longs for the day that that former island of China is reunited with the mainland, and the national treasures placed back in the Forbidden City.

We went to a more western style buffet for lunch (e.g. no more Lazy-Susan), at the 5-star hotel that the half of the Viking cruisers were staying. It seemed to be their way of easing us off of the Chinese food for our return home tomorrow. After a light dinner at our hotel, served buffet style as lunch had been, Sharon went to the Beijing opera without me. She enjoyed it and said the translation presented in Chinglish subtitles was sometimes hilarious. One that she remembered said, “Please don’t disturb my infant son while he’s pissing.”

The Beijing Opera is not Opera as we know it in the West but it is a traditional Chinese Entertainment with music, acting, mime, and acrobatics. The music part may be pushing it since it's sung in a very high pitch and very loud so that it could be heard over the crowd which would normally be eating and talking during the performance. Luckily the escort had explained the 3 scenes we'd be seeing on the way over.


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