After our flight from Xian to Beijing we met our city tour conductor Alicia. Alicia sort of typifies the young generation in the cities. She is naturally well connected to different social media and is not unlike any woman coming out of college in the US.
There are three major stops that you have to make in Beijing. The Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Tiananment Square. Our fist stop was Tiananment Square which is much more expansive than you think when looking at it on your TV. The size of this area is awesome and the painting of Mao still faces the square. As a side note, the picture of Mao is a real painted portrait. It is replaced by a freshly painted portrait every couple years. For someone my age, you remember the military parades with the tanks and missiles rolling by and Mao watching from the balcony. It sends a chill up my spine when I remember those sabre rattling times. Make no mistake, China is a military force that will have to be reckoned with in the future. Speaking of Mao, he is still on display at the square but we did not want to wait in line for a look at him. Allicia told us he is slowing shrinking and does not look so good these days.
The next stop on our trip was the Forbidden City. The home of the Emporers. This massive complex is a series of buildings that when originally used was not access able by the public. If I could add an audio of Allissa's information about the history of the Forbidden City, it would last for hours! It must have been quite a life inside this complex. Concubines and eunuchs all over the place. The Emperor usually had 30 or so concubines in his stable and he would pick from them whenever he wanted company. When chosen the concubine would bath and prepare her self. She would then be carried naked to the Emperor by a eunuch to make sure she was not concealing any weapons. Distrust and deception was running rampant during these days. I felt like I was living a Chinese version of Shogun.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Hutongs which is an old Chinese community. Streets and alleyways meander through this section and some of the homes have been in the same families for many generations. We stopped in and visited a family who have lived in the same house for many years. The house is small but very adequate for them. The husband teaches Karate and has a nice collection of swords on the wall next to the flat screen TV. The oldest Son is now teaching Karate in Houston. It is not that much different than a row house community in my old hometown.
We also had a chance to stop by a cloisonne factory. You will see a lot of cloisonne in the Chinese Emperor's palaces and the art is truly remarkable and detailed. For those not familiar with cloisonne here is a quick explanation. You start with a copper bowl, vase, plate, etc. An artist then cuts very thin pieces of copper and attaches it to the base object with glue and then solder in a design they have determined. Then the design is filled in with powdered glass and fired in a kiln. When all the color is added, the object is sanded and polished until you have a work of art. Sounds easy but it is not and each object requires hours of work. According to workers I spoke with, it is a dying art as young people do not want to follow the paths of their artisan parents. I bought a beautiful bowl that I marvel at every time I look at it.
Next Stop....The Great Wall
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