Wow, I really am in China...

Today I headed out to do some sightseeing. I caught the subway over to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Up until this point, I never really felt like had gone to another country. China is so full of western culture, especially where I work, that it is very easy to forget that this is not an American city. In the building where I work, I can have breakfast at Starbucks, lunch at KFC, see an American movie in the afternoon, and then pick up some ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery before heading home. Tiananmen is the number one sight to see in the city to see the China that has been portrayed in history books and movies (well at least Big Bird Goes to China).
Once stepping off the subway into the massive public square, you immediately see this:




This is the entry to the square. The portrait is Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China and once chairman of the China Communist Party. The Chinese people greatly respect and revere him. His preserved body is enshrined in a mausoleum and you can walk through and view it. I skipped that exhibit but it is undeniable the effect this man had on modern China.

Here are some facts about the Square:


It means gate of heavenly peace.


The square covers 100 acres.


Most people outside of China know it as the site of a tragic riot in 1989.

Just beyond this gate, lies the Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Now, it is the palace museum. For 100 yuan (about 15 dollars) you can tour the palace. For an additional 100 yuan deposit, you can get an audio tour guide that is gps enabled to go on and off when you pass certain historical sites within the palace compound. After returning this, you get the deposit back at the end of the tour.

Here are some pictures and information:

The stairs lead up to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, one of several throne rooms. And no, it isn't raining. It was actually a very sunny day. Don't know why this picture looks that way. The umbrellas are actually for the sun.


A closer view of the previous picture.


A lion statue. Lions are symbols of good fortune, which is why you often see replicas of these statues outside casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada to attract the Asian gambler.


One of the throne rooms, you couldn't actually go inside. You had to stand behind a rail outside the room. I believe this was in the palace of heavenly purity.


Any guesses what these big bronze cauldrons are? They are fire extinguishers. They were positioned outside all the major buildings of the palace. During the time of Imperial rule, these would be filled with water so that if a fire broke out, soldiers could quickly extinguish it. During winter, to keep the water from freezing, charcoal was burned underneath them. My question was, what if the charcoal was what caused the fire?



The final section of the tour was the Palace Garden. The emperor would often use this area to write and relax.

This manmade mountain was a spot that the emperor and empress liked to climb and enjoy the view.

So there you go, a Chinese history and culture lesson. Tune in next month for a visit to the Beijing Zoo.