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Published: August 23rd 2006
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Tian'anmen Square
Dave with the Forbidden City in the background After being in Tianjin for two weeks we finally made it in to Beijing for two days. After settling into our hotel, we took a taxi to Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. I cannot believe that a protest ever occured in Tian'anmen. It was huge! It was also filled with "college" students who want to give a tour that really just takes you to an art gallery and not with much substance. It is like running a gauntlet just to get into the Forbidden city. Many people spoke some English. Since Dave is so tall, he stands out and is a prime target for "tour" guides.
Surrounding Tian'anmen Square are the government buildings and Mao's tomb. We did not get to Mao's tomb. Maybe next time. We crossed over the road to the Forbidden city. This place is even bigger. You must go through the outer gate into an exterior courtyard. This where a number of people go and hang out. And yet another gauntlet of "tour" guides.
We finally found the ticket office so we could get into the interior of the Forbidden City. To get a better perspective of the size, I recommend going to a
Tian'anmen Square
Looking back at the mausoleum of Mao from the Forbidden City website that shows an aerial view. We got in about 3pm. The two most famous and ornate buildings in the Forbidden City were covered in Green netting because of restoration. That is the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. They are the buildings you usually see in the pictures and movies. While I was disappointed that everything seemed to be in a state of restoration, I was impressed with the shear size of the place. Imagine that it was built for the emporer and his wife and concubines. I am guessing the emporer only used a small portion of it everyday. It was built around 1409-1420 (Ming Dynasty) seems to have been built solely to impress visitors and enemies.
The palaces are very different than what we as westerners consider palaces. There is a palace for the emporer and another for his wife to hold court and entertain. There are then the living quarters which are called palaces as well. I think there were about 20 just for the royal family. These palaces are about 2000 sq feet with every two facing a courtyard. The palaces are now used for exhibits of items from Ming
Chairman Mao
Mao's picture on outer wall of the Forbidden City and Qing dynasties. Around the perimeter are different buildings used for storing goods and money. Some were probably for servants as well.
We only had two hours to tour the Forbidden City. It was also a Saturday and there were a lot of people. We had enough time to see the main areas, listen to the audio tour for them and take a few pictures. We really should have planned a whole day there to give ourselves time to really appreciate this magnificent place. it would be nice to be able to go back after the restorations, which will be ready for the Olympics in 2008.
After learning the subway, we found ourselves in an expat area where many embassies are located. We caved and went to TGI Fridays for a drink and snack. We then did a bit of shopping which included some Beijing Olympic items and the famed Silk Market which happened to be in the same area. I almost talked Dave into buying a green military cap with the red star on it. It is what they wore during the Cultural Revolution, I think.
On a side note...We ran across some older men flying
Map of the Forbidden City
Just an idea of the size and number of buildings kites. While most people go to a large park, several decided that they wanted a challenge. The guy in the picture launched his kite over the freeway. He made it, but without a tail, the kite looked like it was going to crash and burn on the freeway.
The silk market is very overwhelming if you are not prepared. It is not just for selling silk and other fabrics, but just about anything you can imagine in the way of clothing, electronics, shoes, purses, chinese souvenirs, and such. I was not prepared and did not negotiate well for a cashmere sweater and 2 meters of silk satin. I did get them to come down a little on the price. Dave is a much better negotiator. I think it is because he can flirt with the girls a bit. He managed to get some really good deals. I will be better prepared next time.
We got up the next day and went to Mass at the British Embassy. We met Mario Garcia, Dave's co-worker that lives in Tianjin. After Mass we went to Grandma's Kitchen for lunch. It was decorated in American country. The food was good.
After
Hall of Supreme Harmony
It's a shame we could not see it. This view is from the second gate entrance just after the ticket office. lunch we took the subway to the Art Museumand the Chinese Millineum Monument. They were showing an exhibition from the Cleveland Ohio Museum of Art. It was called from Monet to Picasso. If you are into impressionism and modern art you would like it. I found several pieces that I really liked. One was called "The Secret Life" by Rene Magritte. It makes me think of how I am approaching living in China. It is hard to describe. Maybe one day I can explain. Mario found several he liked as well. Dave was enamored that the collection came from his hometown.
We worked our way back to the train station to go back to Tianjin. It takes about 1.5 hours. The train we were on actually went all the way back to TEDA where we are staying. We chose to stay in Tianjin and have dinner with Mario and one of his engineers, Vickie. We went to a restaurant called Zhuang Ma Ma roughly pronounced as Jo Mama. It was fabulous food. What I love about China is the great meals that are really cheap. This meal was about 113 RMB including beer. That is $15US.
Mario graciously
Marriage bed for the emporer and empress
This is in a hall towards the back of the city. Behind this building was a pretty garden. It was fun to imagine the royal family walking around the garden. opened his apartment to us for the evening. We spent the night and returned to TEDA Monday morning.
I have spent the last couple of days hanging out with the expat community. Today I got a tour of markets in TEDA and Tongu. I had a skirt made for me at the fabric market and needed to pick it up. I am waiting to have other things made until we have confirmation of our living here. The powers that be a getting closer to making a decision. If we stay, I may just have a whole new wardrobe made. The tailors can make just about anything. If you find a picture of something you like, they will duplicate it. I hope to have the black silk satin made into a Chinese style skirt to go with my tops.
One of the markets we went to today sells yarn as well as makes sweaters. They have some beautiful designs. Some are handmade and some are machine made. I hope to go back for some scarfs and wraps.
I hope you all enjoy the pictures. More later. Diane
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jzbasnik
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I was working and came across your blog I m impress with the pictures of China Everthing here in Ohio is fine joe