Last Day in China and It's a Good Thing

I think God is telling me party over, time to go home. This morning I left the hotel around 9:00 a.m. after getting directions on how to walk to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Supposedly it was about a 20 minute trek... I really wasn't up for coping with a crowded metro....

My first warning that perhaps the day would not go exactly as planned was when I made the mistake of ordering an egg McMuffin from a McDonald's along the way, and it came covered with ketchup! I took one bite and threw the rest away. Don't eat at McDonalds in Beijing!

Turning right at the Beijing Hotel, I was once again on my way. Apparently, I attract strangers!! A man on my left struck up a conversation. He was about my age,seemed nice enough, and turned out to be a retired teacher of calligraphy and painting at the University. He was on his way to an art show exhibiting students' work. At least that's what I believed. Yes, he was walking in the direction of the Forbidden City... the art exhibit was on the way. The next thing I knew, I was walking into a shop with original scrolls covering the walls. My new friend started to explain a few of the pieces when a tall, young man interrupted and continued to do the talking. He was very animated and his English was great. He was one of the students and his original scrolls of the Four Seasons were beautiful. He had a running commentary of many of the other pieces as well, and I truly enjoyed his explanation of some art representing the wisdom of Confucius.

Of course, today being the last day of the exhibit, everything was half-price. I could buy his original work, "his very best work", '7 layers of work"....
It was very beautiful... John, I can hear you groaning right now,and saying,
"Oh,no... you didn't do it!" I admit it, I felt cornered... he really wanted to sell me all 4 seasons, and I told him I couldn't afford 4. O.K. he could sell me two seasons, his very best work!! One thing I have learned and do believe is that Ying and Yang are very important in China, and it is bad luck to break up a pair! Well, it is original art, and it is very beautiful, and he told me I would give him confidence if he knew his art was hanging in America. Anna, Sam... how would some beautiful Chinese scrolls look in your apartment???

Leaving the shop with two scrolls under my arm, I could feel my blood pressure higher than normal. My 'so-called' friend accompanied me what was at least a mile to the entrance of the Forbidden City. The crowd entering the area was thick and ticket lines were long. As expected, a young Chinese woman appeared and asked to be my guide. If I were going to get anything out of the Forbidden City, I knew I needed some help. So, I said goodbye to the professor??? and hello to Sunny (Give you a sunny day). I told her I only wanted a one hour tour. Part of the deal was that I had to purchase her admittance ticket in addition to my own. Unfortunately, one of the 50 RMB bills I gave her to purchase the tickets, was fake!! I couldn't believe it... So far, I'm up to 250 counterfeit RMBs...

Sunny spent a long time in the toilet before we got going, and I wondered if she was feeling so sunny. It was so hot, and the buildings are so spread out, and there were so many people that I really didn't care if I saw where the emperor slept or not. She told me a few things about the place, but I was rapidly losing my energy, and wanted out, forbidden or not! So, we retraced our steps, Sunny leading me out of the gate and into Tiananmen Square. I took a few pictures of Mao, tried to imagine students demonstrating in front of the flagpole and then was relieved to say goodbye. Can you believe I was happy to be going down into the metro!!! Shows you what kind of state I was in...
I had to be back at the hotel by 1:30 for a Tour of the Hutongs!

Hutongs are a maze of old neighborhoods throughout old Beijing. The guide said that if all of the streets of the hutongs were connected the length would surpass the length of The Great Wall! A couple from Israel were my companions. The tour included a visit to the drum tower. 12 people beat a series of huge drums to help people keep track of time. We also enjoyed a tea ceremony and a pedicab ride. All very nice, but clearly created for tourists. Having spent extended time in Yuyao, I appreciate that my experience there was a true slice of life and not one created to make money!

As the sun was setting, I took a stroll down a few side streets not far from the hotel and ended up enjoying a plate of Chinese broccoli, beef and rice as my final dinner in China. A glass of The Great Wall white wine tasted very good!

And now it's time to pack and see if I can squeeze all my treasures into the black duffel bag! I leave the hotel tomorrow morning at 5:30 to begin the 22 hour trip home! I leave on the 14th and get home on the 14th! And I will be glad to be there.

Xai Jian!
Joan



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Location:Destination Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square