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Published: November 22nd 2009
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We went with a travel group to China. Our Korean Air flight from LA, via Seoul, landed in China's capital city sometime during the morning. The tour guide met the group, 30 of us, after we collected our baggage and cleared immigration. We boarded a bus and proceeded through the crowded streets to Tiananmen Square. As we walked across the huge area, he explained to us that the Chinese government doesn't like the guides, or anyone else for that matter, talking about the three Ts. These are Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen. Soldiers of the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army), police, and non-uniformed security agents are dispersed throughout the throng of people who wander about the square. The place is massive and very impressive. Chairman Mao's mausoleum sits at one end of the square and there is a Heroes Monument located in another area. There were huge TV screens with various colors which gyrated and lit up the evening. Music was playing. The place had an air of gaiety and festivety about it.
Something seemed strange. It was dark although it was only about 4:00 in the afternoon. The sun looked like a reddish-orange ball through the haze. Beijing is so polluted
that it seemed as if the place was dark in the afternoon. Our guide attributed this to the fires that the population built to cook by and to keep themselves warm. I don't understand how people can live in this type of pollution. I have traveled throughout the world and have never seen pollution this bad.
After a night's sleep, we headed for the Forbidden City the next morning. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. It was built in the early 1400s and, today, the complex consists of almost 1,000 buildings and covers almost 8,000,000 square feet. It is surrounded by a 26 foot high city wall and a moat which is 6 metres deep and 170 feet wide. It is divided into two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. It is an amazing place to visit and the scenery and architecture are beyond description. At this point, it is worth mentioning that Sun Yat-sen, who is known as the Father of Modern China, was instrumental in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and , therefore, forever ending China's rule by despots such as
emperors. Following that, China evolved into the great industrial and economic giant that she is today. China can be added to the list of other countries such as Russia and France who also got rid of so-called royal families who are nothing more than parasites and freeloaders and shouldn't exist in the 21st century.
After touring the Forbidden City, we drove over to the Summer Palace which is the largest and best preserved imperial garden in China and dates from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). I found it to be a peaceful and serene area to stroll through and enjoyed it almost as much as I did the Forbidden City.
The next morning we headed out to the Great Wall of China. This wall is 4000 miles in length and was built to protect the northern border of the Chinese empire from Mongolian attacks. It consists of a series of stone and earthern fortifications built and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century. It is truly one of the manmade wonders of the world and the day was cold and windy when we walked the section of the wall which is near Beijing. The weather didn't
keep the tourists away as there were quite a few, both Chinese and foreign, walking back and forth along the wall.
Following this we headed for the Beijing Zoo to view the Pandas. These large lovable creatures occupy a special place in the zoo and visitors crowded the area to take photos and view the animals. Small children screamed with delight at the antics of the pandas and watched as the keepers fed them. There was one section where prople were allowed in to pet the pandas.
We drove 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing to the Ming Tombs, the burial site of thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty. This site was chosen by Yongle, the third Ming Dynasty emperor, who moved the capital of China from Nanjing to the present site of Beijing. This was quite an attractive place to visit with its long walk filled with large statues of warriors, horses, elephants, camels, lions, and other attractions.
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