I took a few hours before class today to pop down to Beijing to see Tian'anmen Square. Haiyan had recommended a traditional culture exhibit at the National Museum, but I spent most of my time wandering around the front part of the Forbidden City looking at the people looking at the Forbidden City. I didn't go in yet because it is an all day affair and I only had an hour or so.
No eave and corner of Tian'anmen architecture is unmajestic and under-whelming
The first gate of the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), which is the most popular site on the four corners of Tian'anmen Sqaure (Gate of Heavenly Peace).
Now I have my own Lion Head with Mao in the background shot.
Before entering the main gate of the Forbidden City you can dress up like Qing Dynasty empresses/ors. These girls giggled as they tripped about on the crazy platforms that the royal ladies once wore. They look like fat ice skates. People gather around the photo set up to laugh at those that get their pictures taken in costume. The robes are only front facing, so when the wind blows you can see their blue jeans. That's the rearend of a really gooofy looking horse dummy. If your a boy they wheel it out so you can straddle it in your picture.
For some reason there were many astro-turfed basketball courts in front of the Forbidden City. These soldiers kept queing up, then getting out of que, then slapping each other around, and most of them were laughing and being very un-soldier like.
All babies in this city are by law to be over bundled even when its not that cold outside and to the point of immobility.
Looking South to the Monument to People's Heros, which I didn't get to before being overtaken by 2 female English students from Xi'an outside of the National Museum. They smiled and asked me where I was from and charmed me into conversation. Then they ushered me into a art gallery gave me jasmine tea in a dixie cup and showed me every single piece of art and explained thoroughly its relevance to Chinese culture. The art gallery was empty when we went in. But after awhile I turned around to find I was not alone. Other students had found other foreign tourists and were showing them every piece of art work as well. I bought a silk painting of 2 Peking dogs (Its the year of the dog, they stand for honesty and luck (I notice that nearly everything stands for luck)) for my grandma's birthday (she has a hundred dogs). Its cool though, I got the girls mobile numbers and an offer to see the district were they live. I think this was because I will be living here instead of passing through.
So all that was in the span of an hour!
