A Forbidden Adventure

Oh man! If I had about two hours to spare and no danger of getting carpal tunnel, I would sit here and tell you about everything I did yesterday and gush to my heart's content... but alas I cannot.

Yesterday was my first full day in Beijing and my first day to adventure entirely independently and I certainly took advantage of that fact. i was exceedingly lucky in that yesterday the Gods smiled on me and decided to allow me one day of blue sky and sunshine on the day that it would be most advantageous. The city looked beautiful with light everywhere and the air feeling clean. Of course the one day I should have worn sunblock... I didn't and I got a little sunburned. Oh dear Anyway, I'll list the highlights.

* Took the packed subway to Tiananmen Xi, and I am not exaggerating when I say packed. There was no need to grab onto anything I was squeezed in so tight, but it was still cleaner than NYC and less sketchy overall.

*When I was standing infront of Tiananmen I had some of my first culture shock moments. A young woman grabbed me and asked to take a picture in broken English. Well the same thing had happened about 5 minutes before when a couple wearing matching shirts and hats had gotten me to take a picture of them with Mao and they returned the favor. I agreed but instead of handing me her camera, she linked arms with me and pulled me into the shot. Alex said it would happen but it was strange when it did. I tried to make it a reciprical relationship and asked for her name and a picture, but she was not enthusiastic. I was just another site to take a picture with "Photo with a Westerner"

* Well I went through the gate of Heavenly Peace (which was enormous) and almost passed on the chance to reach the top, but I decided it was worth the $3 American and submitted myself to checking my bag and getting frisked. It was one of my favorite moments of the day. The sky was blue and there was a wonderful breeze and I could see all of Tiananmen and the Forbidden City stretched out infront of me. It was a peaceful moment until I stepped inside and was slammed with video and audio of Mao making speeches, but I think that the prpoganda was important to keep in mind.

* Okay, I've been to palaces in Europe and tons of historic sites ( I practically live in Colonial Williamsburg) but this was by far one of the most impressive and beautiful sites I've ever visited. In my opinion the architecture was goregous: bright red walls, white stairs and bridges, rooves that are layered with golden-colored tiles and that are individually painted with colorful dragons underneath. The corners of all of the rooves and gates in the entire palace have little beasts perched on top to keep the tiles from falling and to designate the rank of the buildings. (Everything is about rank, the buildings you enter, the bridges you cross, and even the parts of pavillions you can walk across are all limited by rank) The city is symetrical but every courtyard is an individual experience.

Some of my top spots (Probably not named correctly because they're all called the Hall of Heavenly Supreme grand happiness and Longevity or something to that effect)
* The concubine quarters (right next to the bridal chamber of the Emperor and Empress) with the exhibit on their lives and the famous dramatic stories

* The imperial Garden with a mountain constructed on strange rocks from all over China and a georgeous pavillion on top. There were Koi ponds and "poetic halls" for the emperors to write in.

* The three floor Chinese Opera stage painted bright turquoise.

* The jade statues about ten feet high that took three years to transport from the palace. The same room also had a constellation globe that was breathtaking (yay Astronomy!) The Nine dragon screen was my other favorite treasure

*The "Crystal palace" that was being constructed when Puyi was finally evicted from the Palace. The walls were supposed to be aquariams but now it stands as a white marble skeleton in the middle of a large courtyard. Eerie but lovely.

* The snack store that sold Fahrenheit crackers that said "Wo you wo de young: and where I located the sole Diet Coke in the place.

* The "Palace of Abstinence" that an emperor constructed because he was too lazy to go to Tian Tan and that was right next to concubine quarters. Hmmmmm

* The deserted alleys that had sprouted wildflowers and grass that were also growing on a few of the rooves

* The frescos painted in one of Cixi's many rooms but that still are incredibly intricate and beautiful

* The main Palaces and gates are too impressive and huge to descirbe in detail but they were beyond goregous.

*When I finally left I summoned the strength to climb all the way up to Jinshan park to overlook the hutong districts, the Forbidden City, and most of Beijing. It was stunning. I took a cab home and was furiously writing until Dad came home and said his coworker Greg was waiting in a van downstairs to take us to dinner.

* It's hard to describe the bond between ex-pat families who have gone on tours together, but this family has known me since I was a baby and they were more than happy to watch American Idol with us and serve us dinner even thoguh it's been years. We gossiped about old friends and I offered their daughter Jennifer a chance to visit W&M over some delicious Chinese food before we finally had to head out.

What a beyond perfect day, I wish I could say more about it but I should get started on my day today. Today I'll be researching but I'm psyched about that too. Wish me luck!