The People's Republic - Exploring the Capital
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| Flag - Map of the People's Republic of China |
I travelled to mainland China in 2014, when still in school. Staying in Calcutta is certainly not an advantage for a traveller like myself, as the city provides limited international connections. There was one flight operating directly from the city to Kunming in mainland China, which is just two hours away. The People's Republic is a Communist ruled one party dictatorship, which they fondly refer to as a democracy. I was too young to understand geopolitics when I visited, but I thoroughly enjoyed China without getting its political angle involved. But for now, we'll just look at Beijing (formerly Peking), China's grand capital and the seat of its power and might.
We flew out of the city on China Eastern Airlines' late night flight to Kunming. It was a two hour journey on a 737. Upon arrival at Changshui International Airport, we cleared immigration and took our onward connection to Beijing Capital International Airport, six hours away. We landed at midday, after eleven hours of transit.
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| Beijing is beautifully modern to look at |
Early next day, the tours began. Of course, any trip to China must include the Great Wall and this was exactly where we were headed on day one (two actually, if you consider the day we flew in). Before that happened however, Thomas Cook took us to a Chinese silk factory, where impatient Chinese sales girls tried to sell us some of the cloth. The quality was fine, but I was inclined to save my money for Great Wall souvenirs that I wished to purchase later that day. I politely bought a silk handkerchief, much to their collective relief, before climbing back onto the coach. Beijing is the best destination to visit the Great Wall of China. Most famous sections of the Great Wall are located in its suburbs. This includes the preserved Badaling and the Mutianyu, renovated Juyonguan, Jinshanling and Gubeikou. All of these places are within one to two hours away from Beijing.
In Chinese history, Beijing was not only one of the ancient capitals, but also one of the most strategic and important cities in the north. It was therefore suitable to defend this city by building the Great Wall here and rulers did just that. The Wall extends for 356 miles in this part of the Chinese mainland.
Arriving at the historical place, it took a pair of strong legs to climb up the hundred steps leading up to the massive structure. When on the top, it stretched for miles on either side. The Chinese government has, in recent decades begun monitoring the wall due to tourists taking stones off the Wall, eventually causing damage.
I began walking along, taking little steps across the vastness of ancient Chinese perfection. The wall, at places, was interrupted by small two storey building like structures that it ran right through, which may have been watch towers for the emperor's guards. I made my way up one of these structures to be rewarded with a magnificent view. At places, the wall had steps and curves as it bent and climbed the small hills it was built upon. Climbing the Great Wall is no easy task.
Although we were not given a chance to visit, there are places like Jiankou where the Great Wall runs wild. Here, it hasn't been reconstructed and the structure lies in ruins. It may not be wise to traverse the wall at these places, however, it is a treat for the camera.
Back in Beijing, we nursed our swollen legs, only to be called upon again next day for a visit to the city's classic tourist draws - the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City was a scene straight out of a Bruce Lee film, with brilliant carvings and ancient Chinese temples. For a moment, it seemed as though we had arrived at a city of the past - in a country still ruled by ancient and glorious dynasties.
The Forbidden City (紫禁城) is, simply put, a palace complex which served as the seat of power from the Qing to the Ming
Dynasty. After being home to emperors from 1420 to 1912, it was turned into a palace museum in 1925 when China became a Republic. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. It once was a seat for Taoism, but today, the only occupants are hordes of tourists who arrive here each year to bask in history. The entire complex is divided into an outer and an inner part. If you're interested, you can always visit the Wikipedia page.
The other great place to visit in Beijing is the Tiananmen Square (天安門廣場), which is located just near the Forbidden City, which actually lies to its north and to which it is separated by the Tiananmen or "Gate of Heavenly Peace". This square bears greater significance to the reign of the communist government. It is here that one finds important constructions like the Monument of the People's Heroes, the National Museum and the Mausoleum of Mao Zhedong. The Great Hall of the People, where official Chinese Communist Party gatherings are held and Chinese premiers meet world leaders on state visits, is also located here. The Tiananmen Square turned red in June of 1989, when a pro - democracy movement was met with violent protest by the Chinese forces, ordered by the government. This event, popularly known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, is famous outside of the country. Domestically, however, information regarding this incident is carefully censored. The best memory I can gather of this is of a CNN video I saw of a man vs. a Chinese tank.
The Tiananmen Square is best visited twice - once in the day and once again at dusk when the lights are turned on. Large portraits of Chinese leaders with the seal of the Chinese government don the sides of the official buildings. It is certainly a wonderful sight to look at.
That evening, we got to see Beijing's Olympic Village which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. Entry is restricted, or so we were told by our guide, however, we did catch a glimpse of the Olympic Village and the swimming arena from beyond its walls.
To conclude a short trip to Beijing, one could pay a visit to the Summer Palace - again, a remnant of Chinese empirical marvel. It was an imperial palace in the Qing dynasty, and is a wonderful cluster of lakes, gardens and palaces, spanning 2.9 kilometres. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Having heard quite a lot about Chinese tea culture, we were not disappointed when we learnt that the Chinese take tea after each meal to wash down the grease from the food and remain slim. Cathy, our guide even happened to tell us it was their national beverage. The disappointment in its true sense, however, came to us in the form of a revelation. As a resident of the city of Calcutta, I used to love local Chinese cuisine - the kind available in the city's food outlets. It was only in Beijing that I happened to realise that Chinese cuisine is actually much unlike what I had tasted so far. Food of Chinese origin was Indianised here, to result in a delicious variation which I was unwilling to sacrifice, even in exchange of the real Chinese cuisine.
On the eve of our departure, we had a chance to visit the Temple of Heaven, incorporating some of Beijing's most sacred buildings, dating back to 1420.
In Chinese history, Beijing was not only one of the ancient capitals, but also one of the most strategic and important cities in the north. It was therefore suitable to defend this city by building the Great Wall here and rulers did just that. The Wall extends for 356 miles in this part of the Chinese mainland.
Arriving at the historical place, it took a pair of strong legs to climb up the hundred steps leading up to the massive structure. When on the top, it stretched for miles on either side. The Chinese government has, in recent decades begun monitoring the wall due to tourists taking stones off the Wall, eventually causing damage.
I began walking along, taking little steps across the vastness of ancient Chinese perfection. The wall, at places, was interrupted by small two storey building like structures that it ran right through, which may have been watch towers for the emperor's guards. I made my way up one of these structures to be rewarded with a magnificent view. At places, the wall had steps and curves as it bent and climbed the small hills it was built upon. Climbing the Great Wall is no easy task.
Although we were not given a chance to visit, there are places like Jiankou where the Great Wall runs wild. Here, it hasn't been reconstructed and the structure lies in ruins. It may not be wise to traverse the wall at these places, however, it is a treat for the camera.
Back in Beijing, we nursed our swollen legs, only to be called upon again next day for a visit to the city's classic tourist draws - the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City was a scene straight out of a Bruce Lee film, with brilliant carvings and ancient Chinese temples. For a moment, it seemed as though we had arrived at a city of the past - in a country still ruled by ancient and glorious dynasties.
The Forbidden City (紫禁城) is, simply put, a palace complex which served as the seat of power from the Qing to the Ming
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| The Forbidden City never fails to impress |
The other great place to visit in Beijing is the Tiananmen Square (天安門廣場), which is located just near the Forbidden City, which actually lies to its north and to which it is separated by the Tiananmen or "Gate of Heavenly Peace". This square bears greater significance to the reign of the communist government. It is here that one finds important constructions like the Monument of the People's Heroes, the National Museum and the Mausoleum of Mao Zhedong. The Great Hall of the People, where official Chinese Communist Party gatherings are held and Chinese premiers meet world leaders on state visits, is also located here. The Tiananmen Square turned red in June of 1989, when a pro - democracy movement was met with violent protest by the Chinese forces, ordered by the government. This event, popularly known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, is famous outside of the country. Domestically, however, information regarding this incident is carefully censored. The best memory I can gather of this is of a CNN video I saw of a man vs. a Chinese tank.
The Tiananmen Square is best visited twice - once in the day and once again at dusk when the lights are turned on. Large portraits of Chinese leaders with the seal of the Chinese government don the sides of the official buildings. It is certainly a wonderful sight to look at.
That evening, we got to see Beijing's Olympic Village which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. Entry is restricted, or so we were told by our guide, however, we did catch a glimpse of the Olympic Village and the swimming arena from beyond its walls.
To conclude a short trip to Beijing, one could pay a visit to the Summer Palace - again, a remnant of Chinese empirical marvel. It was an imperial palace in the Qing dynasty, and is a wonderful cluster of lakes, gardens and palaces, spanning 2.9 kilometres. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Having heard quite a lot about Chinese tea culture, we were not disappointed when we learnt that the Chinese take tea after each meal to wash down the grease from the food and remain slim. Cathy, our guide even happened to tell us it was their national beverage. The disappointment in its true sense, however, came to us in the form of a revelation. As a resident of the city of Calcutta, I used to love local Chinese cuisine - the kind available in the city's food outlets. It was only in Beijing that I happened to realise that Chinese cuisine is actually much unlike what I had tasted so far. Food of Chinese origin was Indianised here, to result in a delicious variation which I was unwilling to sacrifice, even in exchange of the real Chinese cuisine.
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| Chinese culture is older than China itself |
On the eve of our departure, we had a chance to visit the Temple of Heaven, incorporating some of Beijing's most sacred buildings, dating back to 1420.
Then however, we arrived at this vast station in Beijing and had to wait for almost an hour, after which a high speed train pulled onto the platform. This was our transport to the city of Xi'an. We set in and set off for the next leg of our Chinese trail, but that will of course, be another story.
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