Beijing

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Our final location of the trip would be another gigantic and heavily-polluted city, China's capital Beijing. In fact, it was difficult to enjoy the city itself for both reasons - the size of the place makes walking a necessity, but the air quality ensures that said walking really isn't much fun. Fortunately the city is easily redeemd by an amazing range of superlative cultural attractions, in and around the urban sprawl.

On the first day, after a quick wander around Tiananmen Square, we visited the huge Forbidden City - with its giant courtyards and numerous splendid halls. We paid a little extra to see the extraordinary display of clocks, many sent by English merchants, presumably as part of a pointless attempt to improve trade relations. They were incredibly elaborate, but most were pretty ghastly, covered as they were with gaudy figurines and overblown decorations. The palace itself was splendid, but could have been improved with more historical context. On the second day we visited the Summer Palace, and enjoyed a long walk around the park's huge lake, breathing in relatively fresh air for a change.

Of course, no visit to Beijing would be complete without a little stroll along the Great Wall. Although I was keen to tackle one of the wilder sections of the wall, such trifling considerations as time, cost and hassle led us to the section at Mutianyu, which is highly restored but a little less touristy than Badaling. As has so often been the case, reaching this major attraction was surprisingly difficult, and I was relieved when we finally made it. The wall really is amazing - as it follows ridgelines it tends to plunge dramatically before rising at an equally steep angle on the other side. Because of this, walking the wall is anything but a stroll! It was a real shame that China's smog layer was present as always - in the sunshine the structure would look fantastic.

On our last proper day, we returned to Tiananmen Square to go and gawp at Mao's formaldehyde-soaked remains. I don't really know what to say about it. With that necessary act complete, Chris returned to our hostel for a snooze (in preparation for the unpleasant timing of his flight home) and I headed for the Temple of Heaven Park. This was yet another huge site, with considerably walking required. The park was beautiful and varied, and the ancient buildings were magnificent. A fitting end to my China experience.

Whilst the sights were memorable, my defining experince of Beijing was a bust up with a Chinese-American who rather approriately called himself 'Dragon'. I met him in our hostel room minutes after arriving on the first morning, and he generously offered to help us get to grips with the city. Unfortunately, Chris (in typical fashion) made an insensitive remark in Tiananmen Square, which Dragon took offence to. Later on, he decided to bring up the incident, and in retaliation began an argument in which he attacked the policies of the British Empire. In Chinese culture, this is highly antagonistic. The fact that we were quite happy to argue this subject was probably what annoyed him further, as ultimately he declared his refusal to talk to us anymore. He kept his word, until our final day when he claimed that he had reported us to the Chinese authorities! Even though the whole affair ended badly, I feel I gained quite an interesting insight into the Chinese way of thinking.

On June 29th I enjoyed a relatively stress-free flight back to England, which was improved by some stunning views over Mongolia and central London. Whilst I was looking forward to a few pints of ale and some Cadbury's chocolate, overall I was sad to be leaving. Of the seven countries I visited as part of my Grand Trip, China was probably my favorite of all, and a wonderful finale to the trip.

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Photos

Great Wall at Mutianyu
Near the west end, the staircase here was a real leg destroyer.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
An amazing wooden building in the Temple of Heaven Park

Forbidden City (Imperial Palace)
For 500 years this was completely off-limits to the Chinese public, let alone foreigners. It is truly a privilege to be allowed to visit.

Mongolia?
An unreal landscape, presumably the Gobi Desert.

Great Wall in the Smog
Just pretend its an ethereal mist, rather than breath-sapping pollution.

Kunming Lake
In the Summer Palace.