After Seoul, South Korea we headed to Beijing. I have been thinking about what China would be like every day since my visa arrived. I was not disappointed.
Our entry was much easier than I would have guessed. Customs/Immigration officers were friendly, and quick. There was even an electronic panel at the customs booth asking "how was my service?"
Our Hotel was located in downtown Beijing, near many of the foreign embassies. That was a sight. The Embassies built ornate walls surrounding the compound. The Chinese then built barb wire fences 3 feet around those ornate walls. Both countries put armed guards on site. I guess the Chinese don't want people ion the Embassies either.
Our first site seeing trip was to Tiananmen Square. The Square is know world wide for the 1989 protest. Around China, it is knows as the world's largest square, outside of the Forbidden City. Our guide, Joan told us most do not know of the protest since it is not in the history books, and any reference online is blocked (I tried). Also free speech, free press, facebook, and blogging (this page included) are all blocked. So in essence, that didn't happen to the Chinese. A tree falls in the woods....
me at the square...
After we toured the Square we headed to the Forbidden City. A massive city that housed the emperor, his guards, family, etc... We toured the city for around 2 or 3 hours, and saw only a small fraction of the campus.
Entrance to the Forbidden City. Famous Picture of Chairmen Mao. Fun fact: the change the picture every few years and show a different picture and of Mao at a different age. Kind of like the different Elvis stamps.
A view of the Forbidden City. The city is about twice as wide. Even from the hilltop where I took this picture I couldn't capture all of it.
After the Forbidden City, our guide took us to see a Kung Fu show at the Red Theater. The 90 minute show chronicled the life of a young monk from childhood to warrior. Along the way performers danced, broke boards, metal poles, and other amazing feats of strength and agility. The show was a great end to a long day.
The Red Theater
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