Day 2 - 3 Forbidden City

Well, apparently a couple of Americans were attacked at the Drum Tower which is north of Tian'an men square. Seems to have been a random attack by a lone assailant who, after killing one of the americans and injuring the second, took his own life. I have not once felt threatened or concerned about safety but you can bet this has increased my alertness.

pictures and video for this postng are at the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/meyer.ethan/BeijingDay23

The Forbidden City was amazing. Huge complex of buildings, courtyards and gates. If you have ever seen chinese films such as the Last Emperor, seeing the City in person bridges the hollywood versions of Chinese history with the real thing...and brings to life what that reality could have been like. Tian'an men Square is also awe inspiring in its scale. The experience of anchoring historical events in one's own consciousness through first hand experience is one of the aspects of traveling that is most appealing to me. Being there brings to life the past and makes me feel connected to the world around me in ways that reading about it or seeing it on TV just can't do. It is also a venue for some level of marketing activities. I chatted with a Chinese University student who wanted me to take a look at the art exhibition (no purchase necessary of course haha). They seem to have trained these art students very well in English, good enough to sell the art once they get you to take a look! i did learn some interesting facts about Chinese culture such as the symbolism of red and its role in various types of ceremonies as a color of auspiciousness and luck.

After those two visits, i checked out the Hutong in one neighborhood, traditional Chinese neighborhoods made up of narrow alleys where people live and also have shops and restaurants. big contrast to the modern architecture and scale also present in Beijing. Went to a tea house and experienced a tea ceremony. Checked out some stores selling art such as scrolls.

Then i jumped in a cab over to Tim's Texas Grill to meet Brian to watch some Olympics Cycling. Tonight is weightlifting. Next week will be athletics (track and field) and Gymnastics. At this bar, one of the regulars that Brian knows is Alfred, ex-ambassador of Burundi to China who is now running a couple of businesses in import/export and consulting. Chatted with him for a few minutes before realizing that Burundi was an ex-Belgian Colony at which point we started chatting in French. He was quite a story. Fascinating people everywhere. His main business is import of aluminum and steel from China to Burundi where he has a plant that manufactures corrugated steel sheets used for roofs in housing in Africa. He has worked with African governments to try and fix the price of the product to prevent the wars and instability in Africa from increasing the price of his product and making it unattainable for the people who need it.

Last night went to a dumpling restaurant which was an excellent experience. Chinese food is excellent. Lots of vegetable options and also lots of meat if you prefer. Dessert was a tasty mango fruit and puree over a type of shaved ice that was very fluffy...a unique experience...yummy and quite tasty.

This morning i awoke at 5:00 AM, jet lag. Brian happened to be up as well so after sitting on the roof and watching the city come to life while drinkin a Tsing Tao beer, we went off to have Dim Sum at a 24 hour Dim Sum restaurant. Good stuff and entertaining people watching - a number of people were finishing their night as we were starting our day needless to say there was some alcohol inspired behavior!

Then we walked off the shrimp dumplings and egg tarts by going through the Di Tan Park. Now this is a fascinating experience. The parks fill up at 6:00 AM with all types of people, many who are older, doing all manner of exercises and activities including: tai chi, stretching, jogging, singing, dancing chinese style, chinese aerobics, badminton without the net, hackey sack and more.

The Chinese can be very intense and action/accomplishment oriented yet their culture also emphasizes harmony. Riding the bicycle around has been a great way to see this in practice. At least in Beijing, there is a lot of traffic (vehicle, pedestrians and cyclists) yet there is a fairly unhurried sense of motion. At intersections all of this traffic has a natural way of blending together. There are definitely some people that seem to be a little dull witted and unaware of their surroundings or perhaps self-absorbed due to living in such a large city with over stimulus...none the less, for the most part it seems to work. Tai Pei, Taiwan was similar as was Lima, Peru in terms of how a sense of order seemed to have evolved, but in those two cities the traffic was by far crazier, faster and more chaotic with a sense of imminent danger!

Today is about getting some exercise, perhaps some shopping and seeing the weightlifting competition tonight! It is raining here in Beijing! Add that to the 90 degree weather. :)