Beijing - Part I

Beijing surprised me in its ability to convey and blend a sense of antiquity with modernity – far surpassing Kunming in both these categories. I decided to fly to Beijing, as taking a train would take several days from Kunming and leave no time in the city. I arrived in the airport’s Terminal 3 which was completed only months ago and is famed as a structural marvel, not for it’s design, rather its rapid completion. From inception to completion, the entire project took only three years, which when contrasted to the years of ongoing construction on Heathrow’s new terminal – it truly is a marvel.

I hopped on a convenient shuttle to downtown and followed the instructions from my hostel, having no trouble finding my way. This mix of old with new was immediately obvious as my shuttle ride revealed the flashy, towering skyscrapers of the city, then left me off on the edge of a Beijing hutong where my hostel was cozily nestled. A hutong is a historic courtyard neighborhood, many of which have survived Beijing’s modern facelift, though the majority have sadly been sacrificed to make way for the new. When walking through a hutong neighborhood, it feels like you're in a labyrinth of narrow alleys. The doors to each courtyard home are red and adorned with golden, dragon-faced knockers and if you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse into one of the homes, it like a secret world of old China hidden within the big capital city. The Lotus Hostel occupies a restored courtyard home in a hutong neighborhood, not too far from Tiananmen Square.

Thursday morning I awoke early, eager to explore this famed capital with my sights set on the Forbidden City. My first daylight observation was the heavy layer of smog hanging over the city. The smog was so thick and unlike any pollution I’ve encountered, the closest thing I could relate to is Fairbanks ice fog or when smoke from nearby forest fires blows into town. On my way to Tiananmen Square, I passed the new, dome-shaped National Theater and couldn’t even bring myself to shoot a photo as it was obscured by thick smog. The weather report called for clear skies and while I could sense where the sun was overhead, it was only a vague presence. I can now relate to the athletes who are concerned about competing in these conditions during the Olympics. Just the thought of running a marathon in such heavy smog makes me ill. A downpour of rain several days later brought most of the pollution to the ground and I could actually see blue sky and clouds, giving me hope that with some luck, the conditions will prove ideal for the games.

As I neared the entrance to the Forbidden City, through the smog I could make out outlines of people… thousands of people. Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world and in person it really is huge. Due to the national holiday on Thursday, this immense square was completely packed with Chinese tourists. It was shoulder to shoulder as I wedged my way for a peak at Chairman Mao’s portrait on the north side of the square. Viewing his enormous face that peers over the square and all the people, I was overwhelmed with emotions of confusion, anger and awe. No other leader in recent history has done so much for his people and at the same time, taken so much from his people.

Too overwhelmed by the massive holiday crowds, I took off to wander the streets of Beijing and visited the Temple of Heaven. The temple grounds are situated within a large, peaceful park that was historically a place where the Son of Heaven came at winter solstice to pray for a bountiful harvest. The main circular temple is perhaps the greatest symbol of Beijing and it’s simplistic form, grand presence and lavish surroundings make it easy to see why. One downfall of being a foreigner in a sea of Chinese tourists is that I soon became a tourist attraction myself. While I was trying to relax near the temple and soak in the architecture, I was approached by dozens of people with their cameras. At first I thought they wanted me to take their photo, but no – they wanted me to be IN the photo, posing with them. I suppose it’s not all that surprising as Chinese have a tendency to get their picture taken in-front everything imaginable, so being foreign and different, I was just another prop to pose with. From then on, I kept mobile.

The rest of my Beijing adventure is coming soon... I promise. You may have heard about the devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan Province this afternoon. While Yunnan borders Sichuan, many people here in Kunming felt the quake. I was most likely climbing the stairs of a teaching building, on my way to class and did not notice the tremor. No where near the magnitude of disaster as what's happened in Myanmar, the issue of safety here does concern me at times. Most all buildings on our campus have barred windows and the dormitory that I live in has bolted windows that only open a few inches to allow for slight air circulation. At night the building is locked by our 24-hour guard who isn't always around. If there were a major earthquake or fire here, I would have to break some windows. If disaster struck while I was teaching in a building with barred windows, I don't know what my fate would be nor that of my students.