Tian’anmen Square & the Forbidden City – Beijing – PRC – September 2018

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beijing, Chinese cuisine, Eggplant, Forbidden City, GuGong, Lavender Gardens, People's Republic of China, prc, Tian'anmen Square

A great way to start my return to China

I start off leaving from Canberra and arrive at Sydney Airport from Canberra for five weeks in the ‘Middle Kingdom’ and because this year [and last] I achieved Qantas Platinum Frequent Flyer Status I take my friend Jon and I into the First Class Lounge.  On our last occasion we saw a famous movie star so that was pretty cool and on previous occasions I really look forward to ordering scrambled eggs, hash browns and sourdough toast but since becoming a vegan, eggs are out so it was delicious sourdough, hash browns and avocado and…a glass of champagne!Before I leave for any overseas holiday, I do a lot of research about where I want to go and then type out a full itinerary which includes details of places to visit/who I will see/my driver [if there is one]/costs and accomodation details.  My friends who travel with me love it because all details are in one document and it might include a map and a link to the place we intend to visit.  However, I do always leave time for resting as that is just as important to me as sightseeing.  This time was no different…a complete itinerary.We arrive in Beijing nearing midnight and I had booked an Airbnb in Sanlitun [area that is know for the location of many embassies and lots of restaurants and bars].  Our accommodation was great and the weather was amazing the next day; skies were blue [surprisingly]…but so welcome as we had great views from our apartment.Our first day and evening we went for a walk around the local area and saw some great buildings; some I had not seen before in the two years since I had been to Beijing.Our second day, I had arranged a private driver, one I used when I lived in Beijing, to pick us up to take us to the Forbidden City.  Both Jon and I had been to there separately before, but I really wanted to go back and walk slowly through and see things I had not seen before.  It was worth it as we arrived early and our fabulous driver Mr Mike had already booked us tickets so there was no need to line up; just arrive show our passports and in we went and as can be seen from my photo so did thousands of other visitors.But before we arrived, cars are not allowed to stop on Chang ‘an Jie [street] alongside the Forbidden City or Tian’anmen Square so we parked some distance and after going through security screening (and seeing the long line of Chinese to visit the body of Chairman Mao at his Mausoleum) we entered Tian’anmen.

Looking across Chang’an towards the Forbidden City is the iconic painting of Chairman Mao and also the People’s Liberation Army guarding the Chinese national flag (the former paramilitary flag guards transferred to the PLA in January this year, having guarded the flag since 1982).So as I said, we entered the Forbidden City and walked about a couple of hours.  It is a former imperial palace; so impressive and really you could spend days there looking at the individual rooms containing jade, jewellery, wooden structures etc.  Or like me, just loving walking around the ancient buildings because it has such an incredible history having taken fourteen-years to complete by over fourteen-million workers and the fact ordinary people were not allowed to enter without permission! I love hearing the provincial Chinese talking when it is their first visit to such an amazing place they thought they would never access.And one of my favourite sites is the rooftops..Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious Chinese lunch of eggplant [of course], sautéed cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, a tofu dish [that didn’t look all that good but was absolutely delicious], string beans and mushrooms and duck pancakes for Jon.  And a bottle of New Zealand white wine brought by a dear Chinese friend.

What a great way to start a five week holiday in the Middle Kingdom…so until next time!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tian’anmen Square – Beijing – PRC – 2010 – 2013

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beijing, prc, Tian'anmen Square

A must see in Beijing… ‘Tian’anmen Square’

So…every visitor to Beijing really must visit Tian’anmen Square.  It’s definitely up there as the top five ‘must see’ with the Great Wall of China and The Forbidden City.  I think from a history point of view, the square is probably best known for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, which was a pro-democracy movement by Chinese students which ended on 4 June 1989 with the declaration of martial law by the government and the shooting of, it is said, several thousands, of civilians by soldiers.  These numbers are, of course, unconfirmed by the Chinese who have said that there were only a few hundred deaths.  There are many really interesting books to read on the square and the massacre of 1989 and I have read many which have been incredibly sad and I still find it amazing to read that the student demonstration was peaceful and they were demonstrating about freedom of speech and press and I think from memory the demonstrations [and hunger strikes] started from the death of a particularly loved senior Communist Party member and some incorrect reporting in the Chinese newspapers.

I, like many millions of people around the world will always remember the lone protestor in front of a line of tanks along Chang An Jie (Chang An Street).  However the square does have many other memorable events and one is the day in 1949 when Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China.  Reproductions of the photograph of Mao announcing the republic is still sold around China.

(photo from http://www.huckmagazine.com)

(photo from http://www.wikispaces.com)

It’s an easy place to get to; it’s by subway [or taxi] and you have to go through security checks to get onto the square and taxi cabs cannot stop along Chang An Jie so you must stop a little further away and walk.  There are always Chinese plain clothes officers walking around the square and I have been told many times ‘when you are on the square, don’t talk about 1989 or mention anything to defame the Chinese Government’ or you will be arrested.  I mean I think the bit about defaming the Chinese Government might be true for anywhere in China but in relation to the square, I have seen some of the plain clothes officers but was not sure if it was true about being arrested until I read in 2014 about a UK BBC journalist arrested after attempting to broadcast on 4 July, the anniversary of  4 July 1989.  Off into a police van he went and the entire process was filmed and of course put onto the net.

But all those things aside it really is an amazing place to step foot on.  The huge square is flanked to the east by the National Museum of China…which is truly beautiful inside with sensational exhibitions…photo identification is required to enter (get there early the lines are long in the summer heat) and …

the Great Hall of the People to the west.

I was fortunate enough whilst working in Beijing to visit the Great Hall of the People during a visit by the Australian Governor General who was met at the Hall by Chinese President XI Jinping.  This for me was a truly memorable afternoon and whilst I did not personally meet the Chinese president (I have been fortunate to meet and share a glass of champagne with the Aussie GG), I was very close to him and snuck a few photos.

Chinese children were lined up outside the Great Hall and were shouting and waving flags for both the GG and President.

I was also fortunate enough to go into the Great Hall on two occasions, once whilst the Australian Prime Minister was visiting (and had lunch there).

So my second time to see the inside of the Great Hall was during the visit by the Australian GG – it is a beautiful building and I also got to see the Chinese President’s wife – also beautiful.

But back to the square, there is also Qianmen (Front Gate) to the south…

and Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City.

The square also contains the monument to the people’s heroes of the revolution

and the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (with Mao’s embalmed body..well I am still a little unsure of this as I have been there after lining up for over forty-minutes at 7.30 in the morning…the body is ‘very’ wax like, but who knows!!!

The square is especially wonderful to visit at sunset for the lowering of the flag and after that access is forbidden; with police guarding to ensure no access.

I recall taking some visitors to the square in 2011 which was the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party where there were temporary monuments marking the occasion and of course thousands and thousands of people.

It’s an amazing experience stepping foot on Tian’anmen Square and in particular on 1 November which is the Chinese National Day where you will bump into literally hundreds of thousands of Chinese and foreigners [but mainly Chinese] all there to celebrate National Day…on this day, I will only ever go there once – way too many people!!  But wonderful to see people out celebrating their national day!

Tian’anmen Square/Olympic Park and Ghost Street at night – Beijing – PRC – 2010-2013

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beijing, Beijing at night, china, Olympic Park Beijing, prc, Tian'anmen Square

Beijing at Night

No matter where you are in the world, sightseeing during the day is always completely different from night when the lights are on.  This is particularly so with one street in Beijing.

Ghost Street as it is known to both Chinese and expats (or Gui Jie 簋街) is a street in Beijing that is renowned for its great restaurants and thousands of Chinese lanterns hanging from buildings and trees.  It’s nice to walk along the street during the day but at night when all the lantern are lit it’s quite beautiful.

So where does the names ‘Ghost Street’ come from…it actually relates to the character for Gui (簋) as it refers to a round-mouthed bamboo container for food. The name is frequently mistaken for a similar sounding word, meaning ‘ghost’, so many refer to the street as ‘Ghost Street’.

Ghost Street is a 24-hour celebration and home to more than 200 restaurants.  There are so many different styles of Chinese food that can be tasted; from spicy food to Peking duck.  My favourite restaurant is an old courtyard home called Hua’s Restaurant (Hua Jia Yiyuan) which has great food but also the ambience of the restaurant is beautiful.

A little further down the well known street of Dongzhimen Nai Da Jie where Ghost Street is located, you will come to the famous street Chang’an Jie where Tian’anmen Square is situated along with the Forbidden City.

These are also a wonderful sights to see at night.  Tian’anmen Square is closed off at night with police patrolling to ensure no-body walks on the square, but prior to its closing, Tian’anmen has the lowering of the flag which occurs every night at sunset (as it does at sunrise – but that was way too early for me to attend).  A great sight to see with Chang’an Jie closed off for the soldiers to cross the road and lower the flag.

Olympic Park in Beijing is really pretty to see at night with the National Stadium or Birds Nest, the National Aquatic Centre or Water cube and the multi functioning broadcasting tower all lit up.  It is very different (perhaps a little bland) during the day so I preferred visiting in the evening.  The stadium is lit up in vibrant yellow and red and the water cube changes colours every few minutes. The water cube was used for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water-polo during the 2008 Olympic Games and after the games, the centre was turned into a large water recreational centre which is open to the public.

The National Stadium was designed by Swiss architects with artistic input from Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei (an amazing person who has spent time imprisoned in China for his outspoken views on the Chinese governments stance on human rights and democracy).

(photo from http://www.theguardian.com)

The stadium hosted the main track and field events for the 2008 Olympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies and will be used for the 2022 Winter Olympics.  But today the stadium is not used a lot apart from hosting sightseers and it has hosted a few football games but in the main it is vacant.

At the south of Tian’anmen Square is a gate which once guarded the southern entry into the inner city. Although so many of Beijing’s city walls were demolished, Qianmen remains an important geographical marker of the city and can be seen from the rooftop of one of Beijing’s great western restaurants (Capital M) which is owned by an Aussie lady from Melbourne.

And one time of the year that is incredible in Beijing, and a period you have to be out walking the streets, is Chinese New Year.  Such an exciting time for Chinese and visitors.  Over about a twenty-three day period there are fireworks going off every night and they are just incredible (and so noisy).

And during the day, as I mentioned, Olympic Park is very different!!