Stepping out in to our first morning in Beijing, we were met with cool, crisp air. This came as a pleasant surprise as most of us had been expecting our long day to be hot and humid. A short walk along Dongjiaomin alley, the namesake of our hotel, we arrived at Tiananmen Square. Standing amongst thousands of visitors, most native of China but not of Beijing, we observe the National Colors rise above the square, with the National Anthem playing over loudspeakers and the sun shedding it's first light onto the city. Following a quick stroll around The Monument to the People's Hero and a few photos , we head back to the hotel.
The breakfast buffet at the hotel was unlike any breakfast I've had. The majority of the dishes served I would have thought to be categorized as dinner. Despite my lack of understanding, the food was delicious nonetheless.
Following breakfast, we head to The Forbidden City. This, of course, was preempted by the obligatory picture with the massive portrait of Chairman Mao by Chang'an Avenue. As we passed through The Gate of Heavenly Peace, one cannot help but to be taken aback by the scale of the emperor's compound. We're greeted by our guide, Mr. Liu, who presents solely in Mandarin while Dong Laoshi translates.
Each step forward brought us closer to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the structure that houses the Dragon Throne, from which the Emperor ruled over his subjects. Squeezing through the crowd to catch a glimpse of this chair, we moved on to the Imperial Garden. Just by looking down at the ground and seeing the intricate inlaid artwork made of pebbles along the walkway, it is easy to recognize no expense was spared when designing the place.
Reaching the end of The Forbidden City, we proceeded North to Jingshan Park, which roughly translates to scenery mountain. Reaching the top of the mountain, we were certainly presented with a view. With the cool western breeze blowing, we took a moment to rest and take in the scene of the old capital.
We next found ourselves at the Courtyard Institute having tea. The Institute was set in a rustic residential area led by Matthew Hu. Here, we learned about Beijing through the dynasties and how modernization and urbanization have shaped the lives of those in the city. Following the lecture, Matthew led us on a walking tour of various residential areas. One such area was the Guojhizian community. Within the 0.19sqkm, there were over 2,000 families comprised of 6,300 people. While statistics like such could be easily be achieved by high rise apartments, the homes of this community were only single story. Seeing a cramped conditions these people lived in certainly shed some light on the social welfare of the less fortunate in China.
Concluding the tour, we decide to head to the Confucius Temple and Imperial College before calling it a day. Students were given free time to roam the grounds and learn about the old scholar.
The day that started at 5am and ended at 5pm seemed to have flew by. Capturing in all the new sites and sounds, it's hard to believe we're actually half way around the world. Our group of 16 students stuck out like a sore thumb as we toured the city; the natives certainly didn't let us forget as many of us were asked to be in pictures with them given the novelty of having a photo with a foreigner. The day was quite an introduction to the city considering it was our first full day. As this program continues, we should all hopefully be able to better adapt to our surrounding.
Photo: 2014 Dialogue group with the Chairman at Tiananmen Gate
The breakfast buffet at the hotel was unlike any breakfast I've had. The majority of the dishes served I would have thought to be categorized as dinner. Despite my lack of understanding, the food was delicious nonetheless.
Following breakfast, we head to The Forbidden City. This, of course, was preempted by the obligatory picture with the massive portrait of Chairman Mao by Chang'an Avenue. As we passed through The Gate of Heavenly Peace, one cannot help but to be taken aback by the scale of the emperor's compound. We're greeted by our guide, Mr. Liu, who presents solely in Mandarin while Dong Laoshi translates.
Each step forward brought us closer to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the structure that houses the Dragon Throne, from which the Emperor ruled over his subjects. Squeezing through the crowd to catch a glimpse of this chair, we moved on to the Imperial Garden. Just by looking down at the ground and seeing the intricate inlaid artwork made of pebbles along the walkway, it is easy to recognize no expense was spared when designing the place.
Reaching the end of The Forbidden City, we proceeded North to Jingshan Park, which roughly translates to scenery mountain. Reaching the top of the mountain, we were certainly presented with a view. With the cool western breeze blowing, we took a moment to rest and take in the scene of the old capital.
We next found ourselves at the Courtyard Institute having tea. The Institute was set in a rustic residential area led by Matthew Hu. Here, we learned about Beijing through the dynasties and how modernization and urbanization have shaped the lives of those in the city. Following the lecture, Matthew led us on a walking tour of various residential areas. One such area was the Guojhizian community. Within the 0.19sqkm, there were over 2,000 families comprised of 6,300 people. While statistics like such could be easily be achieved by high rise apartments, the homes of this community were only single story. Seeing a cramped conditions these people lived in certainly shed some light on the social welfare of the less fortunate in China.
Concluding the tour, we decide to head to the Confucius Temple and Imperial College before calling it a day. Students were given free time to roam the grounds and learn about the old scholar.
The day that started at 5am and ended at 5pm seemed to have flew by. Capturing in all the new sites and sounds, it's hard to believe we're actually half way around the world. Our group of 16 students stuck out like a sore thumb as we toured the city; the natives certainly didn't let us forget as many of us were asked to be in pictures with them given the novelty of having a photo with a foreigner. The day was quite an introduction to the city considering it was our first full day. As this program continues, we should all hopefully be able to better adapt to our surrounding.
-by Hochiang Wang
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