Tienanmen Square - Forbidden City - Hu Tong Village

Sunday, October 11, 2009

After another great breakfast...you see, breakfast is the only meal so far that Randy is 100% comfortable with. I do have to give him credit though, for as picky an eater as he is, he has tried a few new things and actually liked them! I, on the other hand, have absolutely loved every meal! The fruit and vegetables here are delicious!

So, after breakfast we all got in the tour van and headed out to Tienanmen Square. It was the 60th anniversary of the PRC. Huge crowds of people everywhere. Cindy showed us plates in the sidewalk that were opened up and used as toilets at the height of the celebration. She said they put a curtain around them, but basically you are squatting over a hole in the sidewalk. Pretty gross.


At the center of Tienanmen Square were about a dozen floats from different provinces throughout China. They were very opulent, as was everything given the nature of the celebration. Everything was decorated with flowers, which were quite beautiful even on the final day of the celebration.

After passing through Tienanmen Square, we went underneath one of the main roads in a tunnel that led to the gates of the Forbidden City. A very large red building with 3 huge arches served as the gate. I can see why it would be extremely intimidating to anyone approaching in ancient times. At the gate we were approached by several "vendors" selling post cards or maps of the Forbidden City. There were also a couple of beggars, one missing a hand and another missing a foot. These were the first beggar's we had seen since arriving on Friday evening. The Forbidden City consisted of a series of courtyards and walls into more inner, and exclusive, areas for receiving foreign dignitaries and eventually the Emperor's own dwelling where only the Emperor, concubines and unics were allowed to enter. Leaving the city, there was a beggar on a cart with terribly deformed legs. Randy gave him a 100 Yuan note and was immediately approached by a woman with a baby on her back. She didn't seem to have any outward problems like the other gentleman, so he kept telling her no. She was very persistent but eventually gave up. Very sad.

Following the visit to the Forbidden City, we went to yet another "traditional" Chinese restaurant. This one was very good, given the nature of the food. All the staff were in traditional dress. The room was decorated with traditional Chinese lamps and other red and gold (formal) decor including hand-painted tiles on the wall. Still had the "traditional" Chinese toilets - not good. Basically, a porcelain hole in the floor with a stall around it. So far, I've avoided them. Randy has too as it is impossible to read a newspaper and keep from falling over.

After lunch, it was off for a tour, via rickshaw, of a typical Hu Tong Village in the old section of Beijing. Some of the dwellings were as much as 400 years old. A sort of Ghent in Beijing. Most of the homes had no toilets and owners had to use public toilets installed by the city at various locations. We were invited into one woman's home. It was pretty small, with a little courtyard in the center with a couple of trees and what looked like 2 finches, each in their own cage. It was quaint, but dirty. There was a woman doing laundry on a washboard in the corner of the courtyard. She was very quick to smile and didn't seem the least bit worse for the wear. I have noticed there seem to be people who look like they haven't lived as hard - straight teeth, fairer skin that doesn't look as weathered, dressed more western, etc. Then there are those who would be considered peasants in the old times who are still functionally peasants now. They look like they have lived a harder life, do more menial jobs and seem less educated. The woman who allowed us into her house said, through the interpreter, that she had been laid off work a while back and had taken to allowing tours of her home to help earn money. She had some homemade liquor that was beyond disgusting. It consisted of a semi-clear liquid with snakes and other dead animals in it. Apparently, they add to the potency somehow. I'll never know.

After leaving the home we rode by rickshaw through a series of small alleyways called Hu Tong that run between the older homes. It was all very dusty and dirty due to a major push to upgrade all the old homes to electric heat instead of coal. They were digging up the dirt streets everywhere to bury the new cables. Cindy explained that all construction had been halted during last-years Olympic Games and now they were playing catch-up to complete the work.

Following the rickshaw ride it was off the the Beijing Airport. Clean, western toilets were a breath of fresh air if you can imagine that. There was a heavy fog (or smog) engulfing the airport. So much so that I asked Cindy if she thought the flights would be delayed. She laughed and said they fly when it's much worse. Our plane departed on time - China Air - and the flight was mostly uneventful. The colors inside the plane were, you guessed it, red and yellow, just like most everything. It was pretty full and we seemed to be the only Westerners there.

Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province. It has 1.11 million citizens and an area of 70 square kilometers. One of the ancient cultural cities in China, Nanchang was built as early as 201 B.C, and became a famous metropolis in the Tang and Song (618-1279) dynasties. Its geographical location made Nanchang strategically important. It was the birthplace of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

There are many tourist attractions in Nanchang, such as the Memorial Hall of the August 1st Nanchang Uprising, the People's Square, the August 1st Park, and Tengwang Tower. We should get to see most of these while we are here.

Nanchang means 'a prosperous south part of China'. Being over 2,200 years old, Nanchang is a city with significant historical relevance. As the capital city, it is undoubtedly the political, economic and cultural center of Jiangxi Province.

Nanchang belongs to the sub-tropical monsoon climate; therefore it will bring you mild and pleasant weather for almost all the year round. The annual average temperature of Nanchang is 64F. The spring is warm an rainy; the summer is hot. the autumn is dry; and the winter is snowy.

As described by the locals, "Nanchang is a beautiful city with the Gan River, the mother river of local people, traversing through the whole city. Water is her soul or in other words water carries all her beauty. Lakes and rivers in or around Nanchang bring a special kind of charm to the city. Nanchang is honored as 'a green pearl in the southern part of China' thanks to its clear water, fresh air and great inner city."

We arrived in Nanchang in a little less than an hour and were met at the airport by our next guide, Echo. She made a comment that she loved her American name and the fact that we (Americans) can pick any name we want. We went straight to the hotel because one of the girls arrived a day early. She was from a different orphanage than Lea that was only an hour away from the hotel. She is almost 3 years old and it was quite difficult for her. She cried for her "Aye" (pronounced Ah-yee) which is what the girls call the caretakers. She had been with a foster family since she was an infant and was very attached to them. Her new mom did very well, although I can't say I could have been that stoic. She has an older daughter from China so she was prepared for what to expect, but I imagine it was very hard for both of them.

After putting our stuff in our room, Randy and I went out to stock up on water and sodas for the room and then decided to call it a night......tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!