Our Trip to China...Tianamen Square and The Forbidden City

Cicely and I finally took the big trip we've been anxious to take since we moved to Japan - we just didn't want to go until we'd seen everything here locally. So here it is, our trip to China! Much of the trip was financed with our Tax Stimulus check - which, ironically, is designed to stimulate the U.S. Economy - not our major global economic rival ;o)



The very first thing we noticed (immediately after leaving the airport) was how heavily polluted Beijing was - here we are in Tianamen Square - that haze isn't the extreme heat, it's smog. Breathing was a joy - I'm sure the visiting Olympic athletes will appreciate the clean air in August ;oD



One of the unique experiences of being in the U.S. Military and visiting a potentialy adversarial country is the added attention we got, both at the Airport and around town. My Visa application had my occupation on it, and our tour guide (who's company has a contract with the U.S. DoD MWR tour company) was used to the attention - he pointed out the gentleman in the shorts and white t-shirt to my right - notice the earpiece in his ear. He's part of the Chinese secret police.






If you recall your world history, you'll remember the 1989 Cultural Revolution characterized by the student stopping the PLA (People's Liberation Army) tanks at Tianamen Square (see above left pic). The intersection on the right is that same spot today. When I hear the word "Tianamen", that's the image that's burned in my head - only this weekend did I realize that Tianamen Square is the largest city center in the world, not just a spot for an historic protest. It's very much like the Mall in Washington D.C., Trafalgar Square in London, or Red Square in Moscow.




The Forbidden City is aptly named because of it's use as the historic residence of the various Chinese Emperors from it's completion in 1420 until the last Emperor was ovethrown in 1911; commoners were never allowed inside. After walking through the Gate of Heavenly Peace (the first pic of this blog), we came to the Meridian Gate - where the Emperor received official visitors. Notice the PLA soldiers on the right - these guys were all over the city - very Cold War-ish.




Next came the Gate of Supreme Harmony - hopefully, you can grasp the size of this place - it seemed like there were endless gates, and the walking never ended.






Here is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. This is the largest of the buildings in the Forbidden City and where the Emperor conducted major ceremonies.






Many of these buildings start to look alike, but to get an idea of the magnitude of their size. Here are the Marble stairs up close.





The Hall of Preserving Harmony, which was the actual residence of the Emperor and Empress.



Just in case you're wondering what's inside these massive buildings, they're all pretty much the same. Giant rooms with a throne for the Emperor in each - without TV, the internet, and modern entertainment, all he had to do was eat, drink, and give orders...so there wasn't much reason for anything else in these huge buildings.





At night, the Emperor and Empress slept in separate quarters - here is the Empress' bedroom. The bed and the silk covers are all original - still in pretty good shape too. The Emperor's room, had a huge bed too, and 25 single beds, each with a different concubine - variety is the spice of life ;o)





Finally, we finished the length of the Forbidden City - here is Cicely outside the North Gate, by the surrounding Moat. It's similar in design to the Japanese Imperial Palace in Tokyo, but much, much bigger. Fortunately, or tour guide had our driver meet us so we didn't have to walk back ;o)



After the Forbidden City, we took a trip to the outskirts of Beijing, to see the Emperor's Summer Palace. It's a relatively small place on a lake, but noticably cooler in temperature.






After that visit, our first day was coming to a close, so for dinner, we had the traditional Peking Duck - remember the movie 'A Christmas Story'? It looked like it was smiling at us! After being served, we were given a certificate saying it was duck number 622,075 since the restaurant opened in 1864. I've never had a death certificate with my dinner before.