17 July 2007
...catching up on a rainy morning... Forbidden City
Got up early 2day, not that we were trying, but with the 12 lag we are early birds every day. The plan for the day was to go to the two major cultural attractions, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. 
The heat and crowds were intense, but at the very least they local wheatear ahs a sense of humor, and I quote “Today extremely hot 102 degrees, humidity 89 %, beautiful. We walked the 2o minutes there from the hotel, waited inline to get tickets (the Tuesday “learn to stand in line“ practice sessions are working, we really DID stand in line.) The tickets were all of ¥60 , not bad for a full day destination. The scope and size of the city, it was a huge city used only by the emperor and those people who were a part of his life. Some open spaces that made you feel so tiny in comparison. Yet, the lavish attention paid to every tiny detail. 
The intricate designs and
sculptures added to each architectural detail... truly amazing! I have tried to include a sampling of different pictures to give you the basic clue... We spent hours just walking around the maze of passageways for the various “players” of the court, the numerous Temples to honor purity, prosperity, and the harvest, the gardens. The 
many stages of a concubine’s life, the selection site, living quarters, duties, all aspects prescribed by traditions hundreds of years old. They were chosen from all the girls of Beijing every three year, when they were between the ages of 7 and 14. They were trained there entire life! It did strike me as odd that it really was a city, or should I say that like modern cities it was mostly brick, stone, and wood.... trees were scarce, and strategicly placed. Tiananmen Square was a very different kind of place... check out the picture of me and Mao !
Again the scope was “super sized” but mostly one big square. We were both a bit disappointed that the Mao Museum was closed for renovation, but what can ya do. Much of the city is getting a face life for the 2008 Olympic Games , but the past several years has seen the face of Beijing changing at an accelerated pace even without the games. The population is booming as is its conversion to a more, shall I say, entrepreneurial state of mind, and all these peeps need places to live.
So entire areas of “ole Beijing” the hutongs are being torn down and planned communities built in there place... progress.
The heat and crowds were intense, but at the very least they local wheatear ahs a sense of humor, and I quote “Today extremely hot 102 degrees, humidity 89 %, beautiful. We walked the 2o minutes there from the hotel, waited inline to get tickets (the Tuesday “learn to stand in line“ practice sessions are working, we really DID stand in line.) The tickets were all of ¥60 , not bad for a full day destination. The scope and size of the city, it was a huge city used only by the emperor and those people who were a part of his life. Some open spaces that made you feel so tiny in comparison. Yet, the lavish attention paid to every tiny detail. 
The intricate designs and
sculptures added to each architectural detail... truly amazing! I have tried to include a sampling of different pictures to give you the basic clue... We spent hours just walking around the maze of passageways for the various “players” of the court, the numerous Temples to honor purity, prosperity, and the harvest, the gardens. The 
many stages of a concubine’s life, the selection site, living quarters, duties, all aspects prescribed by traditions hundreds of years old. They were chosen from all the girls of Beijing every three year, when they were between the ages of 7 and 14. They were trained there entire life! It did strike me as odd that it really was a city, or should I say that like modern cities it was mostly brick, stone, and wood.... trees were scarce, and strategicly placed. Tiananmen Square was a very different kind of place... check out the picture of me and Mao !
Again the scope was “super sized” but mostly one big square. We were both a bit disappointed that the Mao Museum was closed for renovation, but what can ya do. Much of the city is getting a face life for the 2008 Olympic Games , but the past several years has seen the face of Beijing changing at an accelerated pace even without the games. The population is booming as is its conversion to a more, shall I say, entrepreneurial state of mind, and all these peeps need places to live.
So entire areas of “ole Beijing” the hutongs are being torn down and planned communities built in there place... progress.# posted by Henry @ 7:10 PM 
