Beijing 北京

My time in Beijing was quite amazing. One can immediately notice the differences between Shanghai and Beijing. As a coworker said, "Beijing belongs to history and Shanghai belongs to the West." Beijing is more conservative, the seat of the government. Its history is linked to China's past of emperors and the relics they left behind. In contrast, Shanghai is more metropolitan with endless high rise buildings, luxury cars, and immigrants from all over China. When I asked my coworkers about what they thought of Beijing they said "I don't like it" in the same tone if you asked me what I think about Kansas. There was a bit of arrogance in their tone, kind of like "we are here and they are not here." Even the accents contrast one another where many native Shanghainese also speak shanghaihua  or Shanghai language. Another striking difference was in how people looked. In Shanghai you have many more complexions in the darker hues and it seems like everyone is skinny in Shanghai. In Beijing more people have fair complexions and also I noticed more people from Xinjiang, which is an autonomous province in China, which is home to the Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic groups. I also noticed more chubby people. I think I will have to return to Beijing to buy clothes. :)

Enough with the comparison because I could go on for a few more paragraphs. So, the weather in Beijing was COLD! Beijing is much further north than Shanghai, so they have a real winter. As long as the sun was out I could handle the weather with my thermals, scarf, beanie, gloves, and sweater. People would stare at me, but I did not care because the weather was just too much for me. I can definitely say I will NEVER move somewhere that goes below 65 degrees in the winter.

I visited the Forbidden City , Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Bird's Nest and the Great Wall. I think by far the Great Wall was the most amazing experience. I enjoyed visit all of the other relics, but they could not compare to the grandeur of the Great Wall. I went to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Part of this section has been restored, but I walked so far that I went beyond the sign that says, "forbidden beyond this point." There is the option to take a trolley to the top of the mountain and then walk the wall, but we decided to take the steps all the way up. That was not as hard as I thought it would be, but it did require a couple of breaks. The first part of the wall was not too challenging to walk. The later half of the wall started to become challenging and there were sections where I had to be on all fours to prevent me from falling backward off of the stairs. After a series of huge steps you come to an area that has a sign, which says you should not go any further. We continued to trek even further and we got to a point where the wall had not been restored. parts of the wall had collapse, there were trees and shrubs, and no more bricks making a path. I think it took about 3 hours to walk from beginning until we stopped and maybe another 20 minutes to get back...much easier to go down steps, but by them my legs were dead.

The Forbidden City wasn't really that amazing. There are not many artifacts to look at because they were taken to Taiwan. It was a large place, but it all looked the same. Perhaps I should have gotten a guided tour. There is a park behind the Forbidden City, which offers an amazing view of the city and the Forbidden City.

The Summer Palace was an all day event and it was beautiful. Tons of trees, pathways, and scenic views. It was like a large park with a few cultural relics.

The Temple of Heaven was beautiful and has been into somewhat of a park. you can see similar architecture to the Forbidden City. Many people come here and do taichi-like things or you see them praying near the pine trees. It was an interesting place because it had use during the last dynasty, which ruled until the early 1900's.

The Olympic area was interesting, but not enough to really care if you miss it. The stadium was great, but nothing mind blowing. It was an interesting area filled with locals hanging out, Chinese tourists, and tons of people trying to sell you souvenirs from the 2008 olympics.


I will post pictures soon. I need to wait until I am somewhere that has better internet connection.

China's Absurdities AKA The Differences that exist in China (more PC) #2

I am not too sure if it is the shoddy plumbing in China or the hearty bowel movements of Americans, but it is more common, than not, to see a sign that says, “please do not put paper in toilet!” As the usual case, you only see this as you are having the most exquisite symphony of water splashing beneath you. What do they mean no paper? What the malarkey!!!

In addition, bathrooms regularly do not have toilet paper, or paper in general within the confines of what one would call a “bathroom.” At the finer establishments you might be safe, but if you decide to venture out for some down home cookin’ then you might fall victim to societal differences. Be sure to care spare toilet paper!

Fellow Americans, I must tell you, the toilet is not just a toilet. It is a throne. It is a zone of pure ethereal bliss. In China this does not exist and we must wage a cultural war against this. My little brown babies need to be accompanied by warm thickets of toilet paper.

This is a fight against immorality!

On a lighter note, don’t look in trash cans next to the toilet because you will find white paper with brown stripes

再见！！！