The driver lets us off on a side street, and we begin our walk to Forbidden City. Lili has a blue umbrella, and we are told to make sure we follow the umbrella.
Forbidden city is so called, as it's where the Emperor, Empresses and his 200 or so concubines lived. The cocubines and the Empress were not allowed out of Forbidden CIty, and the common people were not allowed inside. The city was self contained..so they had all they needed inside...The Emperor had 3 office buildings inside and the other government officials would meet him there in the days. They loved outside the forbidden city. The buildings were all handmade and handcrafted. They city has actually been rebuilt a few times, due to fires. Inside, there are huge urns that were used to hold water for fighting fires. Huge incense burners were also common. Everything in the Forbidden city is symbolic. The number 9 was symbolic, so the door to the city, had 9 rows, 9 columns of gold balls..there were 9 animals on the roofs of the buildings, etc.. Each animal was symbolic, but without a tape recorder, i didn't stand a chance of remembering why. The rooftops colors were also symbolic.. The buildings the emperor lived in was gold for power. The empress building was red, for beauty. Some rooftops were bell shaped and some were flat...a think bell shaped for going up to heaven?...Look it up as i can't remember....So enough history...
The crowd is unbelievable...and i do believe every single inhabitant of Beijing is on tour today. There are huge tour groups...Unlike us, each group is easily identified...some are wearing orange hats, some yellow hats, some burberry hats, some same Tshirts, some following tourguides with huge flags...and it seems they came by the bus loads....May 1 is their labour day and the start of their holiday season, so everybody making use of the 3 day weekend.... Taking pictures without people in it, is not possible, so you just have to take your pictures and hope that you succeed in capturing the right thing. Being crowded is not too bad, but it's the pushing that sucks. I think it's just their culture...they don't form lines...they just push and force their way through....unbelievable....
Lili says we can wait for the driver to pick us up or we can walk to Tian'anmen Square... we decide to walk...so did tons of other people.... From what i gather, it's just a big square, with a huge picture of the Emperor..This is where i thought i was about to be trampled.. At one point, we were moving from spot to spot by the crowd just pushing up through. Then we had to go down steps as if we were going into the subway..I thought for sure this was the end...Crowded, dark...and all in the name of sightseeing...
Next stop, Chinese School of Medicine...Of course this part is a freebie from the tour company. We get to attend a lecture by Chinese doctors, and have them take our pulse and summarize our medical conditions based on that...Hopefully you will buy the medicine they recommend...hence the tour companies make money... The old lady in my group seems to think she is at a real doctor, as she keeps trying to make them understand the problems she is having with her feet. The medication she is on, isn't working, it's hurts to walk, and she has a lot of walking in store as she is on a world tour. So, the rest of us, wait, and wait, and wait, while she keeps going, on and on and on...It doesn't look like we will be leaving here anytime soon. SHe is done? It's only been 1/2 hour!!! The rest of us breeze through in like 5 mins. I buy the red fruit (antioxidant), and the chrysanta flowers (forget what it's good for now)... Now the old lady is complaining, as the medicine they propose cost her $78 US!! I told her that she didn't have to buy it...and don't forget, they are not medical doctors...And she has the nerve to apologize for taking long!!!
Pearl Market...another commission stop for the tour company. We get a brief talk on how pearls are gotten from Oysters.... We have to guess how many pearls are in this one oyster and whoever comes the closets, gets a pearl. I won...and she dug the pearl out of the oyster and placed in my palm. Great, now my hand is stink...I think i put the miniature pearl in my pocket...have no idea where it is now...Now we get to buy the finished products.. I was all ready to buy my mom a pearl bracelet, and the Korean lady says you can get them so much cheaper in Shanghai... so i cancelled the transaction. I know the saleslady was livid... Oh well....
We are off to lunch...again, organized by the tour... The restaurant has a gift shop...another chance for the tour company to make more commission... Lunch is awesome... I finally tried fish in China and it was great.. Crispy, in an orange sauce, and can't even explain it, so see for yourself...
The gift shop was small, and not much of interest to me...i bought a bangle was all... We are off again...heading to the Temple of Heaven..... This is where the Emperor would come and pray for the harvest... The top of these buildings are blue...signifing the heavens...and they are round shape...going up to heaven, is the significance if i remember... The buildings are a lot like the ones from Forbidden City, so not much new to marvel at... The crowds are unreal...
Summer Palace.....the last tour stop....
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