So, our trip to Huang Shan was less than exciting...why? Because we didn't actually get up the mountain at all. Waking up in the morning to a torrential downpour wasn't really that encouraging, but then walking out in the rain was even less so. The first day there we went to visit two 400-year-old villages, Xidi and Hongcun. Both were pretty similar, but the style in which the villages were built were fascinating. Both had pretty interesting drainage systems that may have worked 400 years ago, but now were pretty obsolete. In fact, the downpour became so horrendous that the streets of Xidi became a fast-flowing river. A few of us gave up on the stupid plastic shoe covers, and waded forward barefoot. The water was actually really cool, and while I enjoyed wading through the water, I'm not sure the same could be said for everyone else.
The villages are both UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, and both display excellent examples of very sophisticated (for the time) architecture and design. The drainage systems were basically aqueducts that flowed throughout the whole village, and carried water in a constant, rapid flow downwards. These also served a dual purpose, used for fire prevention. The villages had been built following a number of other villages that had tragically burned to the ground due to fires and lack of efficient fire prevention techniques. These aqueducts were especially placed within both Xidi and Hongcun in order to prevent similar disasters. Also in the villages were wood, brick, and stone carvings that were incredibly intricate, though much of it had been defaced during the Cultural Revolution. Hongcun in particular was unique, as it was supposedly modeled in the shape of a water buffalo. The drainage system that ran throughout was the buffalo's intestines, a large lake in the middle of hte village was the buffalo's stomach, and two vast, ancient trees marked the buffalo's horns. In front of the village was a huge man-made lake with a beautiful bridge leading to the village (Nanhu Lake). This lake is a miniature replica of Hangzhou's famous Xihu Lake, which we regrettably will not be seeing.
Unfortunately much of the village experience was dampened as within the ancient houses people had set up tourist traps and small shops peddling useless trinkets, which felt like somewhat of a bastardization of the whole UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site essence. But still, they were a unique experience, and the rain and street river was enough to make it something out of the ordinary. For now, I will have to cut this post short, but blogger now officially works in China, meaning later I will be able to put up pictures directly.
Time to go meet Nina Zhang at the subway. Peace!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Okay. We Really Hid In a Windowsill
So now, we are in Shanghai. The train ride was again pretty nice, but it was a relief to get off the train...too many weird people staring at us. One man seemed so intrigued by our Scrabble game that he looked as if he was trying to understand the words on the board simply by willing it. Anyway, Shanghai is by far the group's favorite city, and I could officially live here now that I know how to work the subway stations.
The first day in Shanghai was the best day ever. We went out with a family friend's nephew to see the Bund, and the Huangpu River. The river splits Shanghai in half, and on one side you can see the Bund, which was previously occupied by many foreigners working in banks. Their legacy can still be seen with the huge row of Western buildings from what was probably the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We walked by the Pearl Tower, which we will be visiting at a later date. But the best part of the day was when we decided NOT to buy umbrellas--we thought, 'hey the rain isn't going to get much worse than this.' This was not the case unfortunately, and rain went from drizzle to torrent in an instant. Our guides took cover with a huddle of people underneath the entrance of a tall building, but there was no room for us, so we followed Shacka's lead and leaped onto a windowsill, and took cover there. This plan however, fell to pieces quickly, as the wind turned against our favor, and brought the rain in our direction. THEN, the rain turned to rain + hail, so super fun for us. Antonio ventured off to get a better look at our surroundings, leaping from windowsill to windowsill in order to maximize dryness. He eventually discovered an entrance to an underground parking garage that we all moved towards, and hid under. Antonio Bear Grylls'ed his shirt, as did Alex, and we waited for quite some time before our friends came out to find us.
We walked out from the underpass only to learn that we had to get on a boat to get home. After getting off the boat, we walked around aimlessly, failing to hail cabs because of our sponge-like state. We eventually got on a bus, and walked from our stop to a subway. Cold ensued, along with people avoiding us like the plague. In any case, we eventually got back, and that was our day. We ordered Pizza Hut, because that was the easiest thing to order, and it was surprisingly good, compared to our last encounter with pizza, which made Alex puke.
Thank god we're all fine. No one is sick, Diarrhea has been conquered, and Shanghai is the coolest city ever. Today my friend Xia Ming (self-named Jack) took us around Nanjing Road, which is a huge western-style shopping district with malls and huge department stores. Then we headed to Cheng Huang Miao, which is a huge street-market area with real stores and a STARBUCKS. Then we pretty much wandered around until we found this awesome cheap street bazaar area. We bought...stuff...in...medium quantities...yes. Now we're leaving for a market to get Alex deoderant because he is the stinkiest person in the world. Also he is ugly, so I will buy him handsome cream.
The first day in Shanghai was the best day ever. We went out with a family friend's nephew to see the Bund, and the Huangpu River. The river splits Shanghai in half, and on one side you can see the Bund, which was previously occupied by many foreigners working in banks. Their legacy can still be seen with the huge row of Western buildings from what was probably the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We walked by the Pearl Tower, which we will be visiting at a later date. But the best part of the day was when we decided NOT to buy umbrellas--we thought, 'hey the rain isn't going to get much worse than this.' This was not the case unfortunately, and rain went from drizzle to torrent in an instant. Our guides took cover with a huddle of people underneath the entrance of a tall building, but there was no room for us, so we followed Shacka's lead and leaped onto a windowsill, and took cover there. This plan however, fell to pieces quickly, as the wind turned against our favor, and brought the rain in our direction. THEN, the rain turned to rain + hail, so super fun for us. Antonio ventured off to get a better look at our surroundings, leaping from windowsill to windowsill in order to maximize dryness. He eventually discovered an entrance to an underground parking garage that we all moved towards, and hid under. Antonio Bear Grylls'ed his shirt, as did Alex, and we waited for quite some time before our friends came out to find us.
We walked out from the underpass only to learn that we had to get on a boat to get home. After getting off the boat, we walked around aimlessly, failing to hail cabs because of our sponge-like state. We eventually got on a bus, and walked from our stop to a subway. Cold ensued, along with people avoiding us like the plague. In any case, we eventually got back, and that was our day. We ordered Pizza Hut, because that was the easiest thing to order, and it was surprisingly good, compared to our last encounter with pizza, which made Alex puke.
Thank god we're all fine. No one is sick, Diarrhea has been conquered, and Shanghai is the coolest city ever. Today my friend Xia Ming (self-named Jack) took us around Nanjing Road, which is a huge western-style shopping district with malls and huge department stores. Then we headed to Cheng Huang Miao, which is a huge street-market area with real stores and a STARBUCKS. Then we pretty much wandered around until we found this awesome cheap street bazaar area. We bought...stuff...in...medium quantities...yes. Now we're leaving for a market to get Alex deoderant because he is the stinkiest person in the world. Also he is ugly, so I will buy him handsome cream.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
We hit inside a windowsill
I'm finally going to update TO the day the events that have passed since I last posted in Luoyang. From Beijing we took a sleeper car to Zhengzhou, and it was a pretty awesome train ride, considering we spent all of it sleeping. The car was surprisingly comfortable to all, and the trip seemed quite short in our deep slumber.
From Zhengzhou we had our driver Mr. Li take us to the Shaolin Temple on Song Mountain. Legend has it that a great Indian king first established this temple after having stormed out of Nanjing, greatly displeased with his encounter with the emperor. He found Song mountain, and saw that within one of its little valley-like dips was a most beautiful site, and decided to spend his time improving on the little temple that already existed. I think it was said he spend something like 9 years there. The beginnings of the many Shaolin Temples as a training ground for Chinese gong fu is said to have originated at this temple, when the master locked himself in and would not admit any within to take as disciples, until one man stayed outside waiting on end through a terrible blizzard. It is said that the master's will was so adamant that he told the student he would only accept a disciple when the blizzard rained blood. Subsequently, the student took out his sword and hacked off his arm, spewing blood into the air, and was finally allowed into the temple. Now, as grisly as this may seem, the story is meant to show the level of dedication necessary for one to truly ascend to the level of master, in both being a monk and a martial artist.
The temple was actually pretty interesting, but there was a shortage of gong fu masters. Although I was able to catch a glimpse of a few actual monks, not just students in training, and their display of flexibility and precision was more than impressive. We also ventured into the actual temple (before was simply a training ground) and saw an array of a whole mass of pagodas erected in honor of many important monks who had resided at the temple. It was a most fitting subject for photos and such.
After the Shaolin Temple we went to the Longmen Grottoes outside Luoyang. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was probably the most amazing thing I've seen thus far. A collection of small caves and grottoes dug into a mountain wall, the site was a legacy of the first Buddhists to live in China. Many similar Buddhist grottoes can be found in India. The grottoes all depict Buddhist figures, either bodhisattva or Buddhas themselves, along with guardians and decorative ornaments. Many of the statues are defaced however, and I learned by eavesdropping on a Chinese tour that it was the work of many Emperors who were devout Taoists, and thus commissioned the destruction and defacing of a huge majority of the works at Longmen. The most memorable part of the grottoes was the massive work at the highest point, in whcih it depicted five Buddhas sitting side by side, each of which was carved out of an entire slab of the mountain. Towering above us, these five Buddhas were an amazing statement of their architects' labor, devotion, and mastery of their craft. Added to our enjoyment of the site was the previously made sarcastic question (you know us), "Where is your Mt. Rushmore?"
After Longmen, we stayed in the nearby city of Luoyang, which was historically the capital of China for many years. The city was pretty nice to look at, and had a large soccer stadium we could see from our hotel, which was a four-star hotel with extremely luxurious amenities (including an all-glass bath which could be seen from within the room, a digital climate control panel on the wall, a computer with broadband, and a faucet beside the sink specifically for drinking water). I'll let you all guess at how much it cost us a night.
Ok. It was...12 dollars per person per night. Which may be why we are slightly disenchanted with our current arrangement :(
After Luoyang, we left to see the bai ma si, or White Horse Temple, which was the first Buddhist temple established in China. It is more important because of its legendary role in the enlightenment of Buddhists in China. If any of you have heard of the story Journey to the West, known as shi you ji in Chinese, its most memorable character is the Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Son Goku in Japanese...familiar?). However, Wukong's task was to protect a monk, Tang Seng, in his journey to retrieve sacred scrolls from the Western edge of the realm. It is said that Bai Ma Si was his starting point, and his ultimate ending point, when he retrieved the scrolls and brought them back to the temple.
Going back to Zhengzhou...I'd rather not remember the ridiculous show we saw....It was a variety show, but suffice it to say that everything was absolutely ridiculous, and incredibly unentertaining besides a segment which is called za ji, or Chinese acrobatics. We watched a girl balance menorah-esque candleholders in her mouth, hands, and feet, while contorting herself in absurd positions. Then, we watched a girl lay down with her legs upright, and balance HUGE, heavy jugs, and spin/flip them in every direction with only her feet. After that, she moved towards spinning a jug with a little child on it, and then spinning the child herself.
Damnit. I have to go, so this will have to wait until later. Peace.
From Zhengzhou we had our driver Mr. Li take us to the Shaolin Temple on Song Mountain. Legend has it that a great Indian king first established this temple after having stormed out of Nanjing, greatly displeased with his encounter with the emperor. He found Song mountain, and saw that within one of its little valley-like dips was a most beautiful site, and decided to spend his time improving on the little temple that already existed. I think it was said he spend something like 9 years there. The beginnings of the many Shaolin Temples as a training ground for Chinese gong fu is said to have originated at this temple, when the master locked himself in and would not admit any within to take as disciples, until one man stayed outside waiting on end through a terrible blizzard. It is said that the master's will was so adamant that he told the student he would only accept a disciple when the blizzard rained blood. Subsequently, the student took out his sword and hacked off his arm, spewing blood into the air, and was finally allowed into the temple. Now, as grisly as this may seem, the story is meant to show the level of dedication necessary for one to truly ascend to the level of master, in both being a monk and a martial artist.
The temple was actually pretty interesting, but there was a shortage of gong fu masters. Although I was able to catch a glimpse of a few actual monks, not just students in training, and their display of flexibility and precision was more than impressive. We also ventured into the actual temple (before was simply a training ground) and saw an array of a whole mass of pagodas erected in honor of many important monks who had resided at the temple. It was a most fitting subject for photos and such.
After the Shaolin Temple we went to the Longmen Grottoes outside Luoyang. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was probably the most amazing thing I've seen thus far. A collection of small caves and grottoes dug into a mountain wall, the site was a legacy of the first Buddhists to live in China. Many similar Buddhist grottoes can be found in India. The grottoes all depict Buddhist figures, either bodhisattva or Buddhas themselves, along with guardians and decorative ornaments. Many of the statues are defaced however, and I learned by eavesdropping on a Chinese tour that it was the work of many Emperors who were devout Taoists, and thus commissioned the destruction and defacing of a huge majority of the works at Longmen. The most memorable part of the grottoes was the massive work at the highest point, in whcih it depicted five Buddhas sitting side by side, each of which was carved out of an entire slab of the mountain. Towering above us, these five Buddhas were an amazing statement of their architects' labor, devotion, and mastery of their craft. Added to our enjoyment of the site was the previously made sarcastic question (you know us), "Where is your Mt. Rushmore?"
After Longmen, we stayed in the nearby city of Luoyang, which was historically the capital of China for many years. The city was pretty nice to look at, and had a large soccer stadium we could see from our hotel, which was a four-star hotel with extremely luxurious amenities (including an all-glass bath which could be seen from within the room, a digital climate control panel on the wall, a computer with broadband, and a faucet beside the sink specifically for drinking water). I'll let you all guess at how much it cost us a night.
Ok. It was...12 dollars per person per night. Which may be why we are slightly disenchanted with our current arrangement :(
After Luoyang, we left to see the bai ma si, or White Horse Temple, which was the first Buddhist temple established in China. It is more important because of its legendary role in the enlightenment of Buddhists in China. If any of you have heard of the story Journey to the West, known as shi you ji in Chinese, its most memorable character is the Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Son Goku in Japanese...familiar?). However, Wukong's task was to protect a monk, Tang Seng, in his journey to retrieve sacred scrolls from the Western edge of the realm. It is said that Bai Ma Si was his starting point, and his ultimate ending point, when he retrieved the scrolls and brought them back to the temple.
Going back to Zhengzhou...I'd rather not remember the ridiculous show we saw....It was a variety show, but suffice it to say that everything was absolutely ridiculous, and incredibly unentertaining besides a segment which is called za ji, or Chinese acrobatics. We watched a girl balance menorah-esque candleholders in her mouth, hands, and feet, while contorting herself in absurd positions. Then, we watched a girl lay down with her legs upright, and balance HUGE, heavy jugs, and spin/flip them in every direction with only her feet. After that, she moved towards spinning a jug with a little child on it, and then spinning the child herself.
Damnit. I have to go, so this will have to wait until later. Peace.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Writing From Luoyang
First, a Beijing Wrap-up:
Following the Forbidden City, we saw...
- An old Qing Dynasty palace in Old Beijing that was converted into a Tibetan Temple. Home to one of the largest standing Buddhas in the world, this place was a wonderful place to go if you're looking to really learn about the history of Beijing and for a look into different sects of Buddhism. The statue itself was 18 m from the ground up, and underground it went 16m beneath to support its gigantic weight. It was absolutely enormous, and carved from a White Sandalwood Tree.
- Beihai park, which translates to "North Sea." This misnomer (because it's a lake) came about when the Mongols traveled through China, and having never seen a sea before, believed many lakes in China to be seas--Thus, in Beijing there are North, Middle, and South "Seas." The North Sea was a pretty nice place to visit--there was a lake of course, which was wonderfully pleasant to walk through, and we encountered some pretty cool street performers, who were using giant traditional brushes dipped in water to draw pictures and write calligraphy. One saw Alex's curly hair and was fired up into creating a striking likeness of him on the street, which he labelled "Ou Zhou Xiao Huo" which means "Little European Chap." After this, we discovered what has recently overtook San Li Tun (A well known bar district) as the most popular nightlife hotspot, Shi Cha Hai. Bars lined the side of a gorgeous lake, and even at night you could take a boat out and row across. We later returned there to have dinner by the lake, and then visited a few bars (including one called "Sex and Da City" with a terrible misunderstanding of pole dancing...as they were clothed) before undertaking the painstaking job of catching a cab back to the hotel. In fact, I do believe two Chinese girls said "Fah-cka you!" in response to some yelling on our part when they stole a cab from us.
- Cixi's Summer Palace. This place was GORGEOUS. Although the history is pretty depressing behind it. During the Qing Dynasty, Cixi started out as a concubine, and made her way to the top of the ranks (hmm...pun...intended?) and ended up as "favorite concubine." Though her job may have been basic, her mind was not--Cixi gave birth to the next heir to the throne, and thus Favorite Concubine became Empress Dowager Cixi, mother to the Emperor, and perhaps one of the most powerful political influences in the Imperial Court. Cixi (if im not mistaken) was the one who organized and began the Boxer Rebellion at the close of Manchu rule in China, a movement that sought to wipe out all foreign influences. In any case, she decided she liked herself so much that she would build a gorgeous summer palace on this beautiful lake. And it was absolutely gorgeous--huge all around, and in fact we couldn't walk it all the way, but there is even a massive temple at the very top ( the highest point). There is a famous bridge called Shi Qi Kong Qiao (17 Arches Bridge) that quite literally has 17 arches underneath it, but is a gorgeous marble white. Unfortunately, I heard from some people there that the original plans for the area had been for some military establishment, so it seems like Cixi perhaps overestimated the opportunity cost of her leisure time there (oh yes, I know my Econ).
- The Old Summer Palace. This place was a formerly beautiful palace that was constructed with many foreign influences(French, British, Italian). The palace holds examples of architecture from all of these European countries, as they were designed by Europeans and built by Chinese after the Qing Imperial Court allowed foreign influences to enter china in order to quell the unrest in the people (Qing Emperors were Manchu, not Han Chinese, and thus received little legitimacy from the common people). However, when the Anglo-French Allied Army tore through Beijing, they burned down all the Chinese structures, and left the European ones to crumble, as the latter were stone while the former were wooden. This place is still beautiful, even in its ruins, and was left by the Chinese government as a reminder to the people of a period when a then 4000 year old social order finally crumbled in a crushing cultural embarassment. It is heavily charged with remembrance and regret, and though is largely unappreciated for its true nature, holds a great deal of meaning to those that understand the history.
- Wangfujing Bazaar/Market. Here was the haggling, the yelling, the bargaining, and the hair-pulling of the trip. We strolled around this multi-story marketplace and went from stand to stand as people solicited us for products. And by us I mean the white people. A short summary of the catcalls we heard:
to Alex and Shacka:
- Handsome boy, buy shirt
- Nice boy, want pants?
- Sexy boy, wearing shorts
to Rachel:
- Skinny jeans for you!
- Nice lady, buy shirt!
- Pretty lady
- Nice girl
- Beautiful girl
- Tshirt, lady?
Basically hilarious. Anyway, I have to go, but I suppose the next post will be about the city we are in now, Luoyang. This city also holds a great deal of history, and in fact was the capital of the Chinese empire for quite some time. Many things are said to originate here, including the beginnings of Chinese wine. Great generals from the Three Kingdoms period also resided within this city, and the Fall of the Han Empire took place here, when a twisted man, Dong Zhuo, overtook the city and manipulated the still young and vulnerable heir to the throne to take control of China. More to come later, dwell on all that history for now~
-Morg
Following the Forbidden City, we saw...
- An old Qing Dynasty palace in Old Beijing that was converted into a Tibetan Temple. Home to one of the largest standing Buddhas in the world, this place was a wonderful place to go if you're looking to really learn about the history of Beijing and for a look into different sects of Buddhism. The statue itself was 18 m from the ground up, and underground it went 16m beneath to support its gigantic weight. It was absolutely enormous, and carved from a White Sandalwood Tree.
- Beihai park, which translates to "North Sea." This misnomer (because it's a lake) came about when the Mongols traveled through China, and having never seen a sea before, believed many lakes in China to be seas--Thus, in Beijing there are North, Middle, and South "Seas." The North Sea was a pretty nice place to visit--there was a lake of course, which was wonderfully pleasant to walk through, and we encountered some pretty cool street performers, who were using giant traditional brushes dipped in water to draw pictures and write calligraphy. One saw Alex's curly hair and was fired up into creating a striking likeness of him on the street, which he labelled "Ou Zhou Xiao Huo" which means "Little European Chap." After this, we discovered what has recently overtook San Li Tun (A well known bar district) as the most popular nightlife hotspot, Shi Cha Hai. Bars lined the side of a gorgeous lake, and even at night you could take a boat out and row across. We later returned there to have dinner by the lake, and then visited a few bars (including one called "Sex and Da City" with a terrible misunderstanding of pole dancing...as they were clothed) before undertaking the painstaking job of catching a cab back to the hotel. In fact, I do believe two Chinese girls said "Fah-cka you!" in response to some yelling on our part when they stole a cab from us.
- Cixi's Summer Palace. This place was GORGEOUS. Although the history is pretty depressing behind it. During the Qing Dynasty, Cixi started out as a concubine, and made her way to the top of the ranks (hmm...pun...intended?) and ended up as "favorite concubine." Though her job may have been basic, her mind was not--Cixi gave birth to the next heir to the throne, and thus Favorite Concubine became Empress Dowager Cixi, mother to the Emperor, and perhaps one of the most powerful political influences in the Imperial Court. Cixi (if im not mistaken) was the one who organized and began the Boxer Rebellion at the close of Manchu rule in China, a movement that sought to wipe out all foreign influences. In any case, she decided she liked herself so much that she would build a gorgeous summer palace on this beautiful lake. And it was absolutely gorgeous--huge all around, and in fact we couldn't walk it all the way, but there is even a massive temple at the very top ( the highest point). There is a famous bridge called Shi Qi Kong Qiao (17 Arches Bridge) that quite literally has 17 arches underneath it, but is a gorgeous marble white. Unfortunately, I heard from some people there that the original plans for the area had been for some military establishment, so it seems like Cixi perhaps overestimated the opportunity cost of her leisure time there (oh yes, I know my Econ).
- The Old Summer Palace. This place was a formerly beautiful palace that was constructed with many foreign influences(French, British, Italian). The palace holds examples of architecture from all of these European countries, as they were designed by Europeans and built by Chinese after the Qing Imperial Court allowed foreign influences to enter china in order to quell the unrest in the people (Qing Emperors were Manchu, not Han Chinese, and thus received little legitimacy from the common people). However, when the Anglo-French Allied Army tore through Beijing, they burned down all the Chinese structures, and left the European ones to crumble, as the latter were stone while the former were wooden. This place is still beautiful, even in its ruins, and was left by the Chinese government as a reminder to the people of a period when a then 4000 year old social order finally crumbled in a crushing cultural embarassment. It is heavily charged with remembrance and regret, and though is largely unappreciated for its true nature, holds a great deal of meaning to those that understand the history.
- Wangfujing Bazaar/Market. Here was the haggling, the yelling, the bargaining, and the hair-pulling of the trip. We strolled around this multi-story marketplace and went from stand to stand as people solicited us for products. And by us I mean the white people. A short summary of the catcalls we heard:
to Alex and Shacka:
- Handsome boy, buy shirt
- Nice boy, want pants?
- Sexy boy, wearing shorts
to Rachel:
- Skinny jeans for you!
- Nice lady, buy shirt!
- Pretty lady
- Nice girl
- Beautiful girl
- Tshirt, lady?
Basically hilarious. Anyway, I have to go, but I suppose the next post will be about the city we are in now, Luoyang. This city also holds a great deal of history, and in fact was the capital of the Chinese empire for quite some time. Many things are said to originate here, including the beginnings of Chinese wine. Great generals from the Three Kingdoms period also resided within this city, and the Fall of the Han Empire took place here, when a twisted man, Dong Zhuo, overtook the city and manipulated the still young and vulnerable heir to the throne to take control of China. More to come later, dwell on all that history for now~
-Morg
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Diarrhea > Us
So the posts are kind of spread pretty far apart, mainly because we've had no time to rest in the past few days--We've been jumping from place to place. The past few days, we've had a new guide with us. Before, we were accompanied by a son of a family friend, Zhou Wenbing (Fred for short), who we discovered played WoW and had a level 70 undead mage, who he took a screenshot of and showed us on his awesome transforming (seriously) cell phone. We was nonchalant and completely apathetic, but he let us do whatever we wanted which was pretty cool. Also, we underestimated his understanding of english, which we found was way more than we thought when he laughed as I exclaimed at a car that we cut off "FUCK YOU MOTHAFUCKA!"
Anyway, the past few days we have been led by the daughter of another family friend, who is timid, mousey, and much like any common asian girl you might imagine. Her name is (last name?) Xiaoye, but we call her Samantha. Our driver's name is Mr. Sui, but we call him Sheldon. Anyway, on to the narrative.
Diarrhea is taking over our bodies like the the flu in Magic Johnson(perhaps not the best analogy?). The only two left unafflicted are Shacka and Antonio, Shacka probably because of his beard and white-man-devil-magic and Antonio because of his daily four simultaneous doses of Imodium (healthy?). But we've still been able to get through to some pretty awesome places.
From where we left off, we went to the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square, which are across the street from one another. Tian'anmen Square, of course, would be most recognizable probably from the images of the Tank Man during the Tian'anmen Incident (I choose not to say Massacre, because it's depressing). But the square itself is massive, and can hold about 1 million people (i think, maybe more). In the middle is a column-esque monument with carvings at the bottom depicting the CCP's struggle during the Revolution. From Tian'anmen you can see the giant portrait of Mao hanging above the central entrance to the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City is the area that was built to house the Emperor and his enormous court, consisting of 9,999 houses. The original construction stopped at 9,999 because it was believed that only the Jade Emperor (ruler of the Heavens) had 10,000 buildings in his court. As a side-note, 10,000 is denoted by the word "wan" and is an important number in Chinese culture. It is the largest commonly used unit, and many times is used to express longevity--"wan sui" means long life.
The city is massive, and its buildings even more so. The first building we saw was the site upon which Chairman Mao stood when he first addressed the Chinese people and issued his famous speech, wherein he bade the commoners to stand up, and marked the beginning of CCP rule. Unfortunately, a lot of the buildings were undergoing renovation, so we were unable to enter. However, we could see the famous Dragon and Pheonix steps--Slabs of marble going up along the sides of steps that depict nine dragons floating among the clouds, atop the Five Sacred Mountains of China (One of which we will be climbing), and the bottom shows the waters turning beneath. We couldn't really walk through the entire city, or at least, we didn't because we were super-tired. However, we did take a walk through the Hall of Clocks, which is basically another hall converted into a museum for the clocks found within the Forbidden City. Clocks within were of both Chinese and European origins, and some of them were incredible. For example, one had a small automated man who was able to write Chinese calligraphy--eight words in total--on two sheets of paper.
That about wraps it up for the Forbidden City, and now Alex wants on the computer, so I suppose the rest will come later. PEACE
Anyway, the past few days we have been led by the daughter of another family friend, who is timid, mousey, and much like any common asian girl you might imagine. Her name is (last name?) Xiaoye, but we call her Samantha. Our driver's name is Mr. Sui, but we call him Sheldon. Anyway, on to the narrative.
Diarrhea is taking over our bodies like the the flu in Magic Johnson(perhaps not the best analogy?). The only two left unafflicted are Shacka and Antonio, Shacka probably because of his beard and white-man-devil-magic and Antonio because of his daily four simultaneous doses of Imodium (healthy?). But we've still been able to get through to some pretty awesome places.
From where we left off, we went to the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square, which are across the street from one another. Tian'anmen Square, of course, would be most recognizable probably from the images of the Tank Man during the Tian'anmen Incident (I choose not to say Massacre, because it's depressing). But the square itself is massive, and can hold about 1 million people (i think, maybe more). In the middle is a column-esque monument with carvings at the bottom depicting the CCP's struggle during the Revolution. From Tian'anmen you can see the giant portrait of Mao hanging above the central entrance to the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City is the area that was built to house the Emperor and his enormous court, consisting of 9,999 houses. The original construction stopped at 9,999 because it was believed that only the Jade Emperor (ruler of the Heavens) had 10,000 buildings in his court. As a side-note, 10,000 is denoted by the word "wan" and is an important number in Chinese culture. It is the largest commonly used unit, and many times is used to express longevity--"wan sui" means long life.
The city is massive, and its buildings even more so. The first building we saw was the site upon which Chairman Mao stood when he first addressed the Chinese people and issued his famous speech, wherein he bade the commoners to stand up, and marked the beginning of CCP rule. Unfortunately, a lot of the buildings were undergoing renovation, so we were unable to enter. However, we could see the famous Dragon and Pheonix steps--Slabs of marble going up along the sides of steps that depict nine dragons floating among the clouds, atop the Five Sacred Mountains of China (One of which we will be climbing), and the bottom shows the waters turning beneath. We couldn't really walk through the entire city, or at least, we didn't because we were super-tired. However, we did take a walk through the Hall of Clocks, which is basically another hall converted into a museum for the clocks found within the Forbidden City. Clocks within were of both Chinese and European origins, and some of them were incredible. For example, one had a small automated man who was able to write Chinese calligraphy--eight words in total--on two sheets of paper.
That about wraps it up for the Forbidden City, and now Alex wants on the computer, so I suppose the rest will come later. PEACE
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