Beijing Tour Day

First, a note on the food. Granted, we have only been here a day, and we are in Beijing, not Guangzhou – but the food has been SO GOOD. Also, the guide is rather demanding that we should eat more. I may have gained 10 pounds today.

Second note is on the weather. Beijing is COLD. The temperature is in the 20s (F) and dry, so ordinarily completely acceptable weather. The wind, however, is relentless, and my feet got so numb that climbing stairs was beginning to get dangerous because I could not feel where my feet were being placed.

Despite the cold, everything has been amazing. It is truly different here on the other side of the world. Today, we began at Tiananmen Square.

(Brrrrrrr.) Police presence everywhere. That led to a tour of the Forbidden City, which is huge. Amazing that the entire complex was built for use by one person (and his concubines.)

We learned that in China, everything has a meaning, and everything has to be balanced. Everything is symmetrical. In this picture, the hill is man-made (centuries ago) because the hill to the North had to be built to balance the water to the south of the Forbidden City.

Everything symbolized something. In the USA, we simplify this and call it feng shui. In China, it is very important, even down to the colors which each symbolize something and have to be balanced. Thus, the overload of color everywhere. To my American eyes, honestly, it looks gaudy, but I’m trying to learn something about the significances. (I did think it was amusing that the guide said his mother has visited several US cities, and the only one she liked was Vegas.)

After the Forbidden City, we went 180 degrees to a rickshaw ride through the old Hutong area and then then ate lunch (a huge, absolutely delicious lunch) at a family home in this neighborhood.

This was followed by a tour of the Temple of Heaven. This was really neat because so many people (all bundled in winter wear) are playing hackey-sack, poker, dancing and singing, having fun in the park. The Temple of Heaven was the site where the emperor could get closest to heaven and offer his pagan (blood animal) sacrifices for a good harvest. The temple’s culmination, though, is this amazing architecture, everything done in multiples of nine, an open-air tower with a small pedestal in the center on which the emperor could stand to offer his prayers. It is a place designed for him to be “closest to heaven.” Acoustically, it’s amazing. Every word you say is echoed back to you. Ironic that “closest to heaven” meant hearing his own words come back to him.
We had Peking Duck (and a sample of just about everything else on the menu forced on us) for dinner. Delicious. All of it.

Oh yeah, we did try the Chinese “White Lightening.” The mandarin lessons that I was listening to had one lesson where the teacher (from Shanghai) talked about the Chinese “forced drinking culture.” I now know what she means. It’s very peculiar, unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It’s very strong alcohol, and I will not say it’s good, but I can say there is absolutely no rasp or burn with it at all. I don’t think it’s meant to be a woman’s drink. They pushed and pushed for me to try it, but pointed and laughed when I did. Then insisted I drink more. I sure hope there’s no more tomorrow!