Beijing, Peoples Republic of China

 

We then flew from Xi’an to Beijing, a city of over 20,000,000 people.

The day started as a typical tourist day in Beijing.  We drove to the Great Wall – We learned that after Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, united China in 221 BC, he linked the walls protecting the northern frontiers and rebuilt many sections known as the 3,000 mile Great Wall.  The modern Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).  This magnificent wall was built on high mountains utilizing the geology of the areas to help with the protection from the Mongolians to the north.  The UNESCO has listed the Great Wall as a world cultural site.  Ann wanted to buy the requisite T-shirt. The vendor insisted she buy this Particular one, saying, “You very big lady.”

 

 

 

 

 

Next we went to the Forbidden City, now referred to as the Palace Museum – it is located in the middle of Beijing and is the former palace of the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.  It is the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden structure in the world.  First built in 1406, it is the place where 24 emperors were enthroned.  Occupying an area of over 63,000,000 square feet, the Palace has almost 10,000 rooms.  In 1987 the UNESCO listed the Palace Museum as a world cultural site. It was fun to people watch here.

Next on to Tian’anmen Square – it is the largest square in the world.  The Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution are located on the eastern side and the Great Hall of the People on the western side.  Mao’s tomb is located on the southern side, and across the street to the north is the Forbidden City.  This is also the site of the uprising in 1989 as the Chinese Army put down a revolt by the youth. Our group also got into trouble.

The square was closed for the day for two days due to high level Communist Party meetings.  We went through security and were able to walk on the street adjacent to the square on the east side.  We went separate ways after agreeing to a meeting place.  As we were congregating again, Party officials told our tour guide we needed to leave right now!  Our guide argued with him, but we were “kicked out.”

After a Peking duck dinner, we went to the Peking Opera, which was a real treat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temple of Heaven – is located in southern Beijing and was built in 1420.  It was the site on which emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties offered sacrifices to Heaven, and prayed for rain and a good harvest.  The Hall of Prayer for a Good Year is the main building of the Temple of Heaven and is listed as an UNESCO world cultural site. It is located in a large park, where many people gather to play, sing, dance, exercise, and hear speeches.  We enjoyed walking through the park grounds watching the Chinese, many of them elderly, celebrating life.

 

Impressions of China-Completely different from the China of 1990, when Don first visited there was abject poverty and millions of bicycles.  The Chinese were unable to access their own treasures.  Often at the above sites we were the only ones present, except for security.  Now there are 5,000,000 cars in Beijing with incredible traffic issues.  The cars and the hotels are often very upscale.  Of course we only saw what they wanted us to see.  Above are acontrast of two pictures taken in China, one in 1990 and the other in 2014.

Something to think about:  What does China’s one child policy actually look like?  Each person is an only child, with no aunts, uncles, or cousins. You would have no brothers or sisters in-law, nor nieces or nephews. You would have only one child and one grandchild. How would this policy impact your quality of life?

 

We have been on the fringe of an international story, the missing Malaysian Airliner.  We heard about it shortly before we left Beijing for Singapore, the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. So, we were going in the opposite direction.  However, our ship was sailing along the coast of Vietnam in the South China Sea, where the search began.  Then several days later, when the search moved to the Strait of Malacca, that’s just where we were sailing.  Hopefully, the plane will be found soon.