Beijing really is a captivating city. There is so much history here that it could truly battle Rome and Paris for a title. I do suppose that Marco Polo and the Chinese have argued about a few things already- such as the invention of pasta (we Italians know that the noodle came from the mediterranean zone, right?!). So, it is scary to think that almost 20 years ago the pro democracy rallies in this square dominated the news. We have heard so many conflicting reports, and it is near impossible to find data here on the web. I had to ask a friend from home to copy and paste info from wikipedia for me. In fact over a million people in China sit in front of computers every day, censoring lots of information that doesnt jive with the official information. Anyway, ranges estimate between 500 and 3,000 students and protestors who died over the course of two days. Ironic that the gate between the square and the palace is called the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
One of the stupendous results of China's booming economy ("to be rich is glorious" said Deng Xiaoping) is the prolific amount of Chinese tourists on the move. It is hard not to notice them when they line the palace walls, red caps in unison. I will admit, on this trip, with 76 students at a time, we followed a little green flag! AUGH!
The big round pagoda is the Temple of Heaven. The emperor used to go there to pray for a good harvest. We are lucky that the Olympic games are quickly approaching. Many beautiful monuments, like the T of H are being repainted, refurbished and generally cleaned up.
The miniature city photo is a clip from the Urban Planning Museum. It was a 1:1000 scale model of the city. It helped me to understand the North South axis that Beijingers talk about to explain the orientation of the city. One axis runs from the bell tower north of the palace, through the Jin Shan park north of the palace, and down through the palace. Everyone's address or description of their location in the city is somehow relative to the axis. The doorway image was shot in a
hutong- a small niehgborhood area near the Forbidden City. These neighborhoods date back hundreds of years. Four homes share a courtyard and a community is born. These hutongs are "dying out" so to speak as the city knocks them down to build modern buildings. Many Beijingers love their space and don't want to move into government provided housing. However, the old people we interviewed there cited that no young kids want to live in the hutongs anymore, without technology, much privacy, or even steady flows of heat. However, we did notice some happy birds, fish, and turtles in the hutong courtyards. These are the three traditional pets for a Beijinger.
It seems to me that the Chinese are obsessed with heaven. Considering that they are a atheist nation, it is quite a paradox. The Forbidden City has 9,999 rooms. Only heaven is graced with the perfect number of rooms- 10,000. Notice the carvings on the stone pillars surrounding the Temple of Heaven- whispy clouds. When you think that a culture can be defined by it's art or art defined by a culture, it makes sense. You wouldn't see cloud carvings in Versailles, would you?
Beijing really is a captivating city. There is so much history here that it could truly battle Rome and Paris for a title. I do suppose that Marco Polo and the Chinese have argued about a few things already- such as the invention of pasta (we Italians know that the noodle came from the mediterranean zone, right?!). So, it is scary to think that almost 20 years ago the pro democracy rallies in this square dominated the news. We have heard so many conflicting reports, and it is near impossible to find data here on the web. I had to ask a friend from home to copy and paste info from wikipedia for me. In fact over a million people in China sit in front of computers every day, censoring lots of information that doesnt jive with the official information. Anyway, ranges estimate between 500 and 3,000 students and protestors who died over the course of two days. Ironic that the gate between the square and the palace is called the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
One of the stupendous results of China's booming economy ("to be rich is glorious" said Deng Xiaoping) is the prolific amount of Chinese tourists on the move. It is hard not to notice them when they line the palace walls, red caps in unison. I will admit, on this trip, with 76 students at a time, we followed a little green flag! AUGH!
The big round pagoda is the Temple of Heaven. The emperor used to go there to pray for a good harvest. We are lucky that the Olympic games are quickly approaching. Many beautiful monuments, like the T of H are being repainted, refurbished and generally cleaned up.
The miniature city photo is a clip from the Urban Planning Museum. It was a 1:1000 scale model of the city. It helped me to understand the North South axis that Beijingers talk about to explain the orientation of the city. One axis runs from the bell tower north of the palace, through the Jin Shan park north of the palace, and down through the palace. Everyone's address or description of their location in the city is somehow relative to the axis. The doorway image was shot in a hutong- a small niehgborhood area near the Forbidden City. These neighborhoods date back hundreds of years. Four homes share a courtyard and a community is born. These hutongs are "dying out" so to speak as the city knocks them down to build modern buildings. Many Beijingers love their space and don't want to move into government provided housing. However, the old people we interviewed there cited that no young kids want to live in the hutongs anymore, without technology, much privacy, or even steady flows of heat. However, we did notice some happy birds, fish, and turtles in the hutong courtyards. These are the three traditional pets for a Beijinger.
It seems to me that the Chinese are obsessed with heaven. Considering that they are a atheist nation, it is quite a paradox. The Forbidden City has 9,999 rooms. Only heaven is graced with the perfect number of rooms- 10,000. Notice the carvings on the stone pillars surrounding the Temple of Heaven- whispy clouds. When you think that a culture can be defined by it's art or art defined by a culture, it makes sense. You wouldn't see cloud carvings in Versailles, would you?
