The Square

So, it is time for that visit.

The land of origin for the Hans.

The last trip to China was done some 10 years ago; Shanghai, Su Zhou and Hangzhou. The three girls were with us then. They were young, slim and ready for anything. Today, it is almost impossible to organise anything together. So, we have to see Beijing and that Great Wall without the girls. China has never been their first choice ; prejudiced by the sight of toilets and colossal population. But they are grossly mistaken. The nation has taken positive steps to accommodate tourism and Beijing has clear, blue skies. So clear and bright that we could not stand the glare.

I did not see haze.

Take for instant Lily the tour guide. She is supposed to be bilingual though Mandarin is the stronger lingo but she attempts to speak her best. Good change. She also assumed that many of us have decided to visit China at the last juncture of our global trotting. Why did we make it the last lap? She wondered.

The appeal is just not there; many stated. 

But History is thick here.

When you travel with strangers you will gradually get to know them quite well after after eating together, opining and waiting for one another during toilet breaks. You also learn to accommodate in the various styles of expression and learn humility. You observe and learn about their lifestyle and you then look at yourself. That is it. There was a family of 6 with three daughters. That rang a bell. 

Palace of the Forbidden City. 

Awesome and amazing. The greatness of a nation all sculptured in that building; all that had happened generation after generation; dynasty after dynasty. The stories, intrigues, pains, success, failures and aspirations all transacted here. If you ponder long enough, it is indeed a privilege to step in there. 

Lily is a trained story teller. She also implants gossips, myths and some truths in her explanation of events, buildings and characters. Some I took in, others I just put aside. But it is worth listening otherwise the trip would be too dull. 

The over passes in the background is already a story. Three links to the palace, middle for the emperor, the one on the left for high ranking officers, the one to the right for empress and concubines? Some narrations I remembered but I have forgotten many. 

Sorry but I also narrate half truths.

A city of 25 million people, Beijing can host any number of tourists. She is huge enough for that but it is not comfortable. You queue, wait and stumble into one another quite frequently. You have to be patient. So, Lily went on and on to explain mansions after mansions and what they are for. Some for the royalty to rest, supper, administer, read and a room for every occasion. After a while, the architecture looks the same and mundane. So the tourists armed with cameras peeped into the buildings and then take photos. It is so as you do not travel there for nothing, right?

Tienanmen Square is widespread and magnanimous. Official buildings, museum, palace, royal garden add that importance to the place. Parades, gatherings and official functions are hosted here and it reminded us of our very own Dataran Merdeka albeit different in size.

Lily related that the national flag is raised and taken down daily. The sentinel on duty stays for hours before a change without any movement come rain or shine. We did not get to see the exchange of guards ceremony.

The sundial placed in the palace was an indicator of time in the olden days although I am not too sure if it was first discovered by the Chinese. As I leaned against the wall, I could not but help recalling the dramas relating ancient Chinese times and the squabbles and struggles among emperors and empresses and the down line. So many sorrows. No joy.

We noticed that the tiles seem original. Apparently they have stayed good for centuries. Such commendable quality. Also, the standard hues on pillars during the Qing dynasty is yellow and shades of blue. The palace and connecting buildings seemed to be painted in the same shades.

The grounds had no trees. The emperor was afraid of assassination and disallowed any possible hiding spots for any would be killers. So the tourists also suffer together. No shade; all sun.

Notice the edges of the roof structure? Do you see figurines of animals? They must be symbols of the dog, horse, wolf, hen and so on. You know something? The more figurines posted up there the more royal the building is. So if the building is where the emperor is seated , it must have the largest number of figurines. This story intrigued me. So I took a close shot and kept the story. 

History.

So that's the Tienanmen Square.