Waking up in China . . .

China…
In the pictographs of the Chinese language, the symbol for China is a combination of two characters, the one for “center” or “central” and the one for “country.” This symbolized the ancient cultural thought that China is the center of the universe. =) Scientific reality aside, I have respect for this country from the mere perspective of age. Vast cities were being founded and ornate architecture was being created in China before Christopher Columbus was out of diapers. The industrial spirit of the Chinese is indisputable.

There’s not much to tell about the first two days of the trip. We crossed the international dateline somewhere during the first loooong flight, and arrived in Beijing at 11pm of Tuesday when we had left on Monday. Our tour guide, Lee, met us at the terminal. He is a friendly, wiry man who speaks English very well. He’s been teaching us everything, from Chinese history, to the language, to discussing current events. It’s been so great!



Wednesday dawned, and we prepared for our first day of touring. The sun was bright, and it was forecasted to be 98, though it only ended up being about 93 degrees. I knew that I would be learning a lot during this trip, but I absolutely wasn’t prepared to be won over so quickly! Our first stop was the “Heavenly Peace Gate” more commonly known to us in the west as Tian’an Men. There were many walls constructed around the city of Beijing at one time. Chinese culture is more a defensive culture than an aggressive, conquering culture. Walls need gates, so many ornate buildings were built to allow passage in and out, and stop unwanted intruders.
Our little band moved through the square as we stopped to admire the many buildings and monuments. Mr. Forman went closer to get a picture, and was stopped by a green-suited policeman and asked for his passport. I guess the guard thought he looked like a journalist! Lee explained that his tour guide flag showed that he had a permit to be inside the square, and that it was best to stick close with him.
By the time we got to the entrance to the Forbidden City, we were excited, sweltering, and thirsty. Mr. Forman bought us bottles of water that had a solid core of ice. The forbidden city was amazing. Building after building, it seemed like the city kept on going and going. Lots of stairs, lots of temple-looking buildings.