Beijing

From Wednesday through Sunday of last week, we spent our time touring Beijing, the sprawling capital of China. Having finally gone here, we feel some "completion" to our time in China - this is another place, more so than Xi'an, that is a necessary stop when one is in China. Here are some thoughts and pictures from our time here.

To begin, here is a shot of one of the goodies for sale in the night market. It was not just for show - someone was munching away on one of these sticks as I was taking this shot.

Favorite sight: Forbidden City.
Probably the best preserved example of Chinese culture and architecture, it is of little surprise that this was one of our favorites. It was amazing to see how expansive this palace was - every time we would go through a gate, there would be yet another beautiful building in front of us. We stayed for half a day, but still had time to see MAYBE half of the grounds. Through the middle of the Forbidden City is a series of large buildings that served various functional and ceremonial purposes for the emperor. They were all ornate and exquisitely restored, particularly the detail and color of the paint! On either side of this central axis lied dozens of smaller buildings and courtyards, most of which were the residences of members of the royal family and various concubines. I particularly liked the garden, because it contained many interesting rock formations and very old, rare species of plants. It was fun to walk through and imagine the emperors of old strolling through the same area hundreds of years ago.

Favorite meal: Peking duck.
Our first day in Beijing, we wanted to go out for some good Chinese food. Since the most famous food to get in Beijing is duck, we decided to go for it right away. After getting some recommendations from the internet, we picked a place a short subway ride away. It was awesome - the duck came out on a metal cart, and the chef carved it for us as we watched (and nibbled on our other dishes). For those of you who are not aware, Peking duck is a slow-roasted duck that produces a crispy skin. You eat it in small flour wrappers with crunchy veggies and plum sauce. It was a unanimous favorite, because the decor, food, and wine were all excellent. [Other notable meals: Beijing (non-spicy) lamb hotpot and the BBQ brisket at Hard Rock Cafe]

Favorite experience: Climbing the Great Wall.
What is iconic of China if not the Great Wall? This was easily Rachel and I's favorite overall from everything we did in Beijing. It was big, as expected. It was cloudy, which was also expected. But it was NOT crowded, which was a pleasant surprise. I was very happy to get some pictures of the wall without a single person to be seen anywhere. The wall represents an interesting turnabout for China - what was once symbolic of China's introverted fear of outsiders is now one of the biggest draws for foreign travelers. We took a cable car up to the top of the mountain - the wall follows the tops of mountain ridges - and walked along the top for a good 2 hours. It was an amazing experience, and one I would be happy to repeat if given the chance.

Most surreal moment: Visiting Tian'anmen Square.
This square is very new by Chinese standards - in its current form, it is less than 60 years old. It is also very big, even by Chinese standards! On all sides are huge, Russian-style buildings (including one holding Mao's body, which we did not go to see). In in the center were hordes of Chinese tour groups - easily recognizable by their matching hats and flag-bearing tour leader. It was surreal, however, being there and thinking about all that has happened in this place in those last 60 years. It was not a place that would wow you - it is far too utilitarian, in stark contrast to the nearby Forbidden City, to do that - but it is a place that conjours up images of many of the events that have considerably shaped this nation's history since 1949.

Most Chinese moment: Haggling for souvenirs in the markets.
Chinese people love bargains (well, doesn't everybody?). In the markets in Beijing, though, they take bargaining to a whole new level. The markets are full of small vendors selling bags, clothes, souvenirs, etc. to anyone in earshot. They call out in many languages to beckon you to stop and look at their goods, sometimes very aggressively. (In a short time, you get very sick of saying 'no thanks.') Once you find something you are interested in, they grab their giant calculator and punch in an exorbitantly high price. (I wonder if any foreigners actually pay that initial price?) Then, we would step in (well, usually Rachel would) with some fast-talking Chinese and wow them with our skills. After demanding more reasonable prices, we would set our price and they would refuse it. We would then put the merchandise down, walk away, and wait for them to come running after us. They were desperate to sell, and would always match our price, which was around 90% less than what they initially offered. The level to which you would bargain them down was amazing - I wonder how low we could have gone and still allowed them to make a profit!

AND

Being 'taken in' by the Chinese police.
One unfortunate moment on the trip was on our last full day, when we got off the subway and my Dad discovered that his camera was missing. It had been taken from his camera bag. After sulking over lunch, we went back to the subway station to file a report. We were taken by security down a long, dark corridor into the police office, but quickly whisked out again when we found the officers sleeping at their desks. After waiting a few minutes (long enough for them to wake up and put their hats on) we were taken back in. We stayed there nearly an hour -at first, describing what happened to them and letting them make some phone calls. They notified some colleagues in another office and we were told we had to wait for the tourist police to come so we could fill out necessary paperwork. So we waited while Rachel chitchatted in Chinese with the officers (she routinely surprised the people she met - one officer laughed because her Chinese was more standard than his own) about our vacation, the sights in Beijing, life in Sichuan, and so forth. Finally, an officer came in...but he was merely a driver. He came to take Rachel (the translator) and my Dad (the victim) to another police station to file the report. (Luckily for my Mom and I, there was not enough room in the car and we had to go back to the hotel to rest.) So they traveled to the station and were taken into a conference room. There, they replayed the specifics of the camera's theft to one official after another. The police took a detailed description of the event and all kinds of other seemingly unnecessary information - which all amounted to 4 full pages of Chinese print. Rachel begged for mercy and pleaded with the officers, exclaiming in Chinese, "we are not the thieves! Let us go!" They were not very sympathetic. Finally, the document was finished and they were ready to leave.....when they were told that they had to repeat the process, this time writing out a detailed report in English. Exasperated, Rachel worked to finish the report while they both wondered exactly why they volunteered to go through this process. Though they were simply being helpful, all involved - the police, Rachel, and my Dad - all knew that it was just paperwork and would do nothing to get the camera back. So nearly 4 hours after initially going to the police in the subway, the job was done and my Dad got a wonderful lesson about Chinese bureaucracy. The best part, though, was at the end - they got a ride back to the hotel in the back of a police van, with its lights flashing. That left quite an
impression on the bellboys!

-alan