China Part 1: Welcome to Beijing!

June 23 to June 25, 2013

On Saturday, June 22, 2013, ten days after my graduation and one day after Jason's Step 2, Jason and I drove down to So. Cal. for the flight from LAX to Beijing. (Actually, the flight was from LAX to SFO to Beijing, which was ironic because we drove seven hours to fly one hour to a place we could have just driven one hour to reach. What was more ironic was that our flight out of LAX was over two hours late because we sat on the runway in L.A. on account of the plane having no filangy. That meant that we came ridiculously close to missing our flight out of SFO, except that they held the plane for us so that when we reached S.F. we literally sprinted across the airport to board our next plane. Baba's intense irritation over the fact that they didn't even provide us one of those little airport golf carts to get us to the next gate was only one in an incredibly long list of reasons-he-has-grown-to-loathe-United Airlines-more-than-ever-before. But what I found most irritating was the fact that the lady at the gate for the flight to Beijing clarified to Baba condesencingly, as we stood panting at the gate twenty minutes late for something that was their fault, that "next time," he should make it a point to find the correct Visa in his passport before approaching the ticket counter. Classy. I didn't mind the chaos that started off our trip, except that I was worried about Baba's frustrations. I did mind the twelve hour plane ride. There's just no way, in my book, to make a twelve hour plane ride good!

Mom, Baba, Jason, and I arrived in Beijing and passed through customs somewhere in the middle of the afternoon. The lady at customs was nice, I noted. Most things in the airport were accompanied by English writing underneath. Getting our bags was easier than anticipated.

Mom, Bab, Jason at the Beijing airport in front of a cool looking piece of art in an impressive wooden case

The first thing you notice when you get to China - at least the first thing I noticed when I got to Beijing - was HOW INCREDIBLY MANY PEOPLE THERE ARE. Now, I'm from Orange County. We're not short on excessive amounts of people. But in Beijing - and also in Shanghai - everywhere you look is just a collosal, vibrating sea of people. People in cars, on motorbikes, on bicycles of all makes, models, and jerryriggings, people on foot, people, people, people. Your eyes feel accosted after a while so that going into the smaller cities, or out into the rural areas is like a feeling of peace just because of all the people your eyes aren't looking at. It's impressive and amazing and brings us to another topic: driving. I don't know what crazy balance of flow-of-traffic and don't-give-a-damn Chinese drivers have mastered, but th roads are like  an intricate, buzzing, undulating mechanical system that should have failed epically, but that somehow continues going with relatively little attention. The entire time we were in China, I saw only one accident. In my experience, drivers drive at the highest speed they possibly can (notice I did not say "at the highest speed they safely can), unless there are cameras (which there are in many places) in which case they slow down abruptly until the eyes are no longer watching. Bicycles have right of way over pedestrians; motorbikes have right of way over bicycles. Cars reign supreme. Basically, crossing the street in China involves insanely strong head-pivoting action, even stronger prayers, and an ultimate acceptance of imminent death. You know you're a true Chinaman if you can manage to stroll calmly across the street with your hands in your pockets to the sound of dozens of car horns blaring your direction, the clanging of a couple hundred bike bells hurtling directly toward you at breakneck speeds, and the warm whoosh of exhaust as cars careen past your heels and over the tips of your toes. Here is one of the largest streets we crossed in Beijing. Looking at the picture, I can no longer feel the fear I felt as I watched my family bolt into the intersection. But let me assure you, the fear was real.

This is the tail end of the bus that nearly took my life.

We spent two days (one full and two halves) and two nights in Beijing, starting with confusion at the airport during which we acquired a mini-van taxi, but then discovered that Bab's friend Tony had flown in from his home in Hong Kong to meet us at the airport. Ultimately, we all ended up snuggly in the taxi heading toward our hotel which was called Marriott: the City Wall, because of the stretch of wall out front that is part of what used to be the actual walls of the city. It was old brick and tall, but somehow so easily lost in all the 21st century bustle of Beijing. I also got my introduction to something I found to be true throughout our entire trip: the kindness of the Chinese people...at least the ones we encountered...at least to us. Standing in line for the taxi and muttering to each other about whether we were remotely in the right place (the signs had ceased to be in English and the numerous people directing traffic - in China there seem to be at least twice as many people working in each situation than is actually necessary - spoke no English). A young Chinese man in front of us turned and assured us that we were in the right line. Unprompted. I thought uncomfortably that I'm not sure most people in America would have kindly interjected like that.

The view from our hotel room was interesting because you could see the tall buildings of Beijing, like this...

...but also some of the poverty, like this:

There were people moving around and doing things in those cardboard/cloth huts down there. Some were out strolling with their kids. I couldn't tell if they lived there or were just poking around, but there seemed to be a kitchen in one of the huts.

We had dinner at a restaurant Tony took us too and ate A LOT. Peking Duck is a specialty in Beijing (which makes sense, I guess). They slice the duck REALLY thin and bring out two different types of bread. One is kind of a puff roll and the other is REALLY thin tortilla-like bread. They also bring some matchstick-sliced veggetables, like cucumber (yum!!) and some light sauces. You make little sandwhiches out of the ingredients. You also dip the duck skin in sugar and eat it. It is paper thin and crunchy and has good flavor, but is also pretty flavor. It was unique and delicious, but very rich.

The next morning, we got up bright and early and had another popular Beijing food item: stuffed bread. We ate at a dumpling place, which is another Beijing specialty, but did not actually eat any dumplings. We had this soup that was kind of milky, made out of soy juice. It tasted a little oatmeally (except it was entirely liquid) and was really delicious (but also rich) when you added a little sugar to it. The stuffed bread is this really doughy bread full of vegetables or meats. My favorite had eggplant and some other stuff and sauces and tasted a lot like Persian dolmeh.

The Dumpling Guy gives a thumbs up to dumplings.

(You can see Bab and Tony coming out the door)

The Temple of Heaven (June 23)

After checking in at the hotel, we commenced our first sightseeing adventure by visiting the Temple of Heaven. Being the first temple and place in China we visited, I was truly awestruck by the architecture, the sprawling-ness of the grounds, the culture (old and new) around the grounds, and the nature and landscaping. The Temple of Heaven grounds are expansive and traverse across one main path. There are many buildings, including places of worship, like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, and changing rooms all along the way and one large amphitheater-like area, The Circular Mound Alter, which was built to echo and carry sound across the entire grounds. (We didn't get to practice this because it was closed at the time we were there). One long, straight road leads to each complex and it is built in three different patterns. Common folks walked on the outer edges of the path. Only the emperor was allowed to walk in the center strip. The center-most strip was reserved for God alone. Throughout China, and particularly Beijing, we saw this type of road in a lot of different places, even sometimes in modern, non-historical areas. I think it has become an architectural style now.

Here we are walking along the pathway. There was a gorgeous park off to one side, all tree-lined and dewey in the foggy, smoggy weather.

The first part of the Temple that you approach along the path:

Stairs in China are amazing, particularly in Beijing. What I mean by amazing is that they are EVERYWHERE and they are no joke. They're tall and steep and these old, old Chinese people just barrel up them like it's nothing. I'm pretty sure I've never climbed so many stairs in my life.

 The architecture and grounds were so impressive. These small dragonesque figures were on the corners of the roofs of all the buildings and apparently they represent some kind of hierarchy. The more figures on the building, the higher the rank/class of the person staying within.

                                      

     

                        

We even saw a Jay Bird!

 

So many of the trees were covered with the most beautiful burls:

There was Juniper everywhere!

               

               



                








We were constantly impressed by the birds in China, beginning in Beijing. I have since read that China is the most bio diverse country outside of the tropics. Beijing had the HUGEST magpies I have ever seen. They must have different genes than our Sacramento magpies. We saw parrot-y birds with long blue tails and, later, in southern China, spotted a Cuckoo! The crows even cawed differently, with a Chinese accent. We spent  some time gallivanting through towns trying to find Mom a bird book; we were ultimately successful, and she was in a blissful state!

(This is not a bird, but there is a picture of birds above it.)

Leaving the Temple of Heaven. So many people!

Tiananmen Square (June 24)

It's time to talk about toilet paper. If you use it sometimes, and you're planning a trip to China, my best travel recommendation is that you take some of your own along. Toilet paper is in short supply in China. In fact, all toiletry paper products are generally scarce. Many bathrooms have no paper towels. Often restaurants charge for paper napkins. But unless you are in a hotel you can bet your odds that toilet paper you will not have. I don't think it's a shortage or any kind of stinginess, but rather a cultural thing, because no Chinese people seem particularly perturbed by the issue.

We also spent some time analyzing the logic behind the public toilet system, which usually forgoes those seat-like commodes we are so used to for commodes that are ground level. What I mean is that they are holes in the ground, except they are porcelain instead of dirt and you squat over them to use the toilet. Now, we women are taught at a young age how to avoid ever touching skin-to-seat in the traditional public toilet situation, so the hole toilets were not an impossible adjustment, just a little disconcerting at first if you are, as I was, concerned about the likelihood of requiring fresh pants when the whole thing is over. (You don't ever require fresh pants, by the way, the system - and physics - work marvelously). But Tiananmen Square took the cake for public restroom experiences. There, not only was there no toilet paper, and hole toilets, but the stalls only went up halfway, so that when you were standing over the toilet, you were only shielded up to your waist...luckily, you squat over hole toilets.

It was at the Tiananmen Square public restrooms that we noticed another phenomenon of the two big cities we visitied, which is that small boys pee any-which-place at any-which-time, including the conventional tree, but also the middle of the sidewalks. Babies and toddlers often wear pants with no crotch...and no diapers underneath. I noticed this less in southern China than in Beijing and Shanghai, but am not sure if it was regional, or big-city related. I tried to clear up the logic behind this practice with Tony with little success. I'm still not sure exactly how it works.

Anyway...we started out our full day in Beijing at Tiananmen Square, which turned out to be really interesting. There are a lot of military personnel and police all over the place - included on the grounds is China's capital building, so that makes sense. We had to go through a small security checkpoint to get into the square. When the guard shifts changed, we watched groups of young military guys march past in perfect formation. They were all young and attractive and tall and I'm pretty sure they are the upper echelon of guardage.

There's a huge screen outside of the capital building that flashes up different things, including, according to Tony, government "messages" (propaganda?):

You can see the capital building in the background here:

The Capital:

We also saw the building where Mau was laid to rest (or whatever). There's an insanely long line outside the building, because each day, they lift him up out of the vault for people to view and then lower him back down in at the close of the day.

The Square is at one end of the beginnings of the Forbidden City, so we headed across the Square toward an underground tunnel that got us to the other side of the street where the Forbidden City begins. At one point we walked through this huge group of school kids who were evidently there on a field trip. The kids were MESMERIZED by us, particularly by Jason (I think his hair color really gave a lot of Chinese people a kick). They wanted to take pictures of us, so they did, and then we wanted to take a picture with them, but every time we tried to tell them that and stood next to them, they kept shimmying out of the picture so they could take more pictures of us. It was beautiful and funny and also made me realize what monkeys in a zoo must feel like. A couple little boys really wanted to get a picture with Jason, and then this little girl also took one with him. It was adorable and I wish I had snagged the picture myself, but she moved away too quickly. I think they were mildly freaked out, but also determined to take the risk. Small groups of them kind of followed us around the square after that and any time we would stop to take pictures of ourselves, they would stealthily snap a few shots too. I did get one picture of a man who wanted to take a picture with Jason. He was cool because afterward, he smiled and shook Jason's hand vigorously.

This is a monument to Mau. There are soldiers who stand watch there all the time. Jason also noticed that around this area, there are fire extinguishers placed at regular intervals. He surmised that maybe they are there to discourage and/or snuff out any protesters who might set themselves on fire.

I had to put this picture in because it cracks me up how Baba looks like he is purposefully and determinedly walking in the distinct opposite direction from us:

And here we all just look horribly clueless:

(Forgive my hair, the humidity had combined with the smog and the fog to create a work of staggeringly unfortunate proportions).

Tianenman Square and the Forbidden City were probably the busiest places we went. There were lots of tourists, but most of them still seemed to be Chinese. Jason was impressed by this basketball field on the way to the Forbidden City, which was built on grass.

It turns out it was a military training or workout area:

And then we reached the Forbidden City, and, like cattle (or commoners), we flowed through the gates toward the Imperial Palace...

The Forbidden City (June 24)

The Forbidden City is magnificent in its expansiveness. You know it's a city going into it, but not until you traverse the grounds between the gates do you realize that it really is the size of a city. Every time you think you have reached the actual rooms, you find out you are still between entry gates. And once you do reach the main grounds, there are numberless corridors that lead off down other hallways to other rooms. The architecture is fairly homogeneous, but the emperor practically had a room for sleeping or changing or washing or waiting every ten steps so there are small buildings everywhere. There are more stories steeped into the walls of the Forbidden City than I think any of us will ever know again, stories that I long to know. And because we were traveling at breakneck speeds in order to make it to the Great Wall, we missed a lot of the stories that are known. Nevertheless, despite the impression it leaves, it is not a place I would feel the need to visit again, given all the places roaming about the world that I have yet to see. I found the Summer Palace to be a more beautiful setting and the natural beauty of China even more intriguing still.

(No, that's not me in the lower, right corner. But I'm mesmerized by her shoes!)

More architecture:

The gardens (which in China does not mean flowers and things, but landscaping done with rocks and trees and, sometimes, buildings.):

(Yes, that's Tony...I don't know the chica).

(I don't know this guy either, but he wasn't really concerned about being in my picture.)

More burl.

The gardens concluded the Forbidden City for us, although we did run around down some random corridors for a while. We left by what actually turned out to be the front gate where 21st century China greeted us with the bustle of horns.

We unfortunately never got to ride in any of the extremely janky, incredibly awesome bicycle-esque taxis that are ubiquitous in the cities, but I snagged a picture of one of my favorite varieties:

The Man of Steel outside The Forbidden City:

The moat (kind of):

...And then we were off to the Great Wall, which turned out to be my favorite attraction in China. Next time, I'll also tell you about Mr. Mark Lee, Taxi Driver Extraordinaire; Beijing yogurt drink; and the Emperor's Summer Palace...

-R.E.A.