Beijing Wednesday 16 May 2007
The train trip from Shanghai last night was uneventful, I even managed to sleep really well. We glided into Beijing Railway Station just before 8am. I was surprised at how pleased I felt to be back after 14 years. The station looked familiar, and I got ready to run the gauntlet of taxi drivers as I made my way out onto the plaza. But, surprisingly, unlike my arrival in 1993, I was left completely alone. The hotel is just across the road and I found it without any difficulty. My room was not ready, so I dropped off my bag and headed out for a walk. I did not plan on being gone for long, but it was over five hours before I made my way back here.
I started off in the general direction of the Imperial Palace, but with no particular plan in mind I often went down lonely looking streets just to see what was there. I passed some intriguing looking hutons; I'd love to go in for a proper look. There were not many people to begin with, but as I got closer to the main east-west avenue the signs of life increased dramatically. The big avenue looked different to how I remembered it. It wasn't just all the new buildings, it was their height that made it look so very different. Not exactly a change for the better I must say. I overshot Tiananmen Square and found myself at the north-east corner of the moat that surrounds the Imperial Palace. I did not visit the Jingshan Park in 1993 so I went in for a look, and also, I hoped, something to eat: it was about 9:00 am and I was starving. What a wonderful place it was. People were dancing, singing, exercising and even praying in the morning sun. I bought some breakfast; a big bowl of some sort of savoury stew (the only things I could identify were mushrooms and tofu). It certainly hit the spot, and all for just 3 yuan (about 50 cents). I sat in in the shade, ate my stew, and watched a group of ladies, all in matching outfits, dancing and singing. Then I explored the park, its hills and pavilions, and nice views over the Imperial Palace, and and the city further south. An interesting sight was the tree from which the last Ming Emperor committed suicide. I left my hat there and when I came back about half an our later it was still sitting next to the hanging tree. There was no smog at all, just clear blue skies. My second visit to Beijing, and, again, the weather is perfect.
I came out of the park opposite the north gate of the Imperial Palace, the Gate of Divine Prowess, which leads to the Gate of Obedience and Purity. I had not planned on visiting the Imperial Palace until tomorrow, but as I was there, I thought I might as well go in. Starting from the north, I came straight to the Imperial Garden, one of my favourite spots from 1993. But the elderly men sitting and chatting, and the ladies selling snacks, who I remember from 1993 were nowhere to be seen. The private quarters of the Great Qing Emperor, however, were just as eery as I remembered them. Elsewhere there were a lot of renovations under way, and many parts of the palace were closed. The Hall of Supreme Harmony was completely shrouded in tarpaulins, and all over the place there were big signs proclaiming "Beijing Welcomes the 2008 Olympic Games". There were large groups of Chinese and foreign tourists, so many that I avoided them if possible. After muscling my way to the front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity to take a couple of photos, I needed to get away from these noisy people. I left the main north-south axis, and went in search of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. On the way I spotted a door slightly ajar. I gave it a little shove, and it opened. I could not see anyone nearby, so I thought I would explore further. I found myself in a courtyard in front of a small pavilion. The windows were all papered over, but a small opening revealed a completely empty room with white washed walls and a dirt floor. I wonder who lived here, or what its purpose was? It was amazingly quiet in the courtyard. I sat in the shade for about half an hour and enjoyed the silence. After this peaceful interlude, I decided to head back to the hotel, as I was now feeling very tired.
I came out through the Meridian Gate and and made my way back towards Beijing Railway Station, but I soon got lost. I bought a map at a kiosk, but that did not help much as I did not know where I was. Tomorrow I am going to get a compass! I spotted a metro station and went down to get a train back to Beijing Station. What an old fashioned system compared to Shanghai and Hong Kong. The tickets are little slips of paper, like raffle tickets, with a picture of a train on it. It cost one yuan for the ticket at the window, which I immediately handed over to a sleepy looking woman at the gate. They will have to do better next year for the Olympics. The trains, however, were clean, frequent and the system was easy to navigate, there only being a couple of lines. It turned out I was just around the corner from my hotel when I got lost.
At the palace I bought a copy of the autobiography of the Great Qing Emperor Xuantong (known as Aisin-Gioro Puyi in the People's Republic of China). It will be interesting to learn more about his so-called "re-education" from Emperor to loyal supporter of the Chinese Communist Party. But for now, I'm exhausted, and its time for an afternoon nap.
