- Beijing
- 23 June 07
- Travel
- 8 Comments
I've just come back from a work-related flying visit to Beijing. My overall impression of the city is of underwhelment and uninspiring - and that's being charitable. I had expected to find more heart and soul - instead it was drab and grey, incessant modernisation at work. There was nothing to really distinguish it from a myriad of other dull metropolises around the globe. Perhaps the pollution and smog is its greatest claim to civic fame - and yes it was bad, visibility down to about 150 metres. I pity the endurance athletes at next year's Olympics - perhaps if they start simulation training by connecting a hose to the end of the exhaust pipe of a car and breathing from the hose they'll be a chance of medalling.
The only chance for some sightseeing was to take a long walk around the nearby landmarks from where I staying - Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen was about 2 kilometres away and they say the way to do it is to start at the two massive gates (Qianmen) at the southern end of the Square. These are impressive and large structures, which you walk through to get to the Square proper. Unfortunately the smog was so bad that it was next to useless to take any decent panoramic photos. Nonetheless, the doors to Qianmen were of sufficient interest to warrant a photo, pass through these doors and through the arch and proceed through the next gate and then we get to the Square itself.
The first thing one encounters in the Square is Mao's mausoleum. It wasn't open when I arrived as I'd started my walk fairly early and I didn't really feel like waiting and going in an paying homage to a body still lying in state. A few snaps of the sculptures glorifying the great revolutionary was enough for me.
Flanking each side of the Square are a couple of socialist design icons in the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China - one has to seriously love the aesthetics of socialist livery with its chic militaristic symbols.
There would've been several thousand people in the Square at any point when I was there at about 8:30am, still it looked empty given that a million people can quite easily congregate there. Leaving the Square behind, I walked through the underpass to the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where imperial and communist leaders alike viewed the troops under their command. Mao's portrait still hangs there, above the central gate.
Pass through those gates and you end up in the Forbidden City - the impenetrable line between the imperial household and the general population. The palace complexes are a maze of 9999.5 rooms spread across 720,000 sq metres. Naturally a rolling restoration program is in place to preserve the various buildings. I was particularly interested in some of the textural/architectural intricacies of the buildings as that shitty smog was still thick as thieves.
Seriously, after walking around for close to 5 hours I was starting to fade badly, and decided to get back to the hotel and refresh.......and get some decent air to breathe. Refreshed, I braved the outside world again, and walked through the commercial retail area, which was pretty generic to what comes to expect in shopping malls. Apart from a small alleyway where there was a collection of market stalls/food outlets catering to tourists and locals alike. Here you could buy food and kitschy souvenirs. Temptation got the better of me and I bought some souvenirs (read shit - such as a couple of Mao caps, kites and Christmas baubles).......I did draw the line at being tempted by the scorpion or seahorse on skewers as an afternoon snack (yes call me gutless).
Well that's a wrap from me from Beijing - your foreign correspondent will get back to what he does best (drawing) very shortly. <<Older Main Newer>>
comments
Not skewered SEAHORSES! They are becoming extinct at my place. I enjoyed seeing through the smog at your snapped textural intricacies
Go for a bush walk and clear those lungs!
Posted by AnonyBird on 24.06.07 at 12.27pm
Thanks for the clear-eyed (weeelll, can you say it was ‘clear-eyed’ with all that smog?), certainly unsentimental tour, Detlef. I laughed out loud at those scorpion skewers. Great photos of the detailing…. You know, I have the same feeling about the smog in LA when I visit. My parents, my sister and her children live there and I can’t help but wonder what’s happening to their lungs over time… especially the kids. (Shudder.)
Posted by Roz on 26.06.07 at 07.43am
Woot! You’ve been awarded a Thinking Bloggers Award!
love
http://mybadart.blogspot.com/2007/06/covetted-thinking.html
Posted by The Unknown on 29.06.07 at 04.34pm
Cool photos! I have a yellow version of the red bumps you shot.
Posted by Willie Baronet on 01.07.07 at 08.35pm
Wow…great photos. I’d love to see China someday (my dad is Chinese).
Looking forward to more of your drawings too, of course.
Posted by bookyeti on 20.07.07 at 10.17pm
The patina of the city is beautifully captured in your photos. I can’t blame you on your gutless reaction to the local cuisine. It would be my reaction as well.
Good to hear from you.
Posted by ottoblotto on 29.08.07 at 01.39am
agreed. to really enjoy china you need to get out of beijing as these pictures will testify.
...dave
Posted by dave on 13.10.07 at 10.50am
Depends on what you’re after as a tourist. If you want to see historical artifacts and stuff Xian is better. If you’re after beautiful scenery and hikes Guilin is better. If you want to shop Shanghai/HK is THE place to go.
And Hong Kong flights are expensive because it’s treated as “international” due to the fact that Hong Kong has its own customs and immigration control. If you really want to go and you’re up for it the train is less than half the price of a coach-class air ticket for a first-class sleeper and takes approx. 24 hours. Additional plus sides include the fact that Customs is much more relaxed, luggage restrictions are not present (bring as much liquid as you want! Carry on twice as much as on a plane- there’s room for it all!)
Posted by werbemittel on 30.07.09 at 08.32am