The Capitol

Kelby

Hello all! Sorry for the late post. Since arriving in Beijing yesterday, the Sisterhood has been very busy.

We got to Beijing at around 7:00 yesterday morning via sleeper train. The experience was a lot better than the previous train considering the later time. We then met our tour guide - Kelly to my surprise - in the main area of the station. The main area was an interesting sight to see: police at every corner, soldiers at every entrance, police cars driving through the halls. As you can imagine, we were shocked.

When exiting the station, the streets of the city appeared the same. Kelly told us the government was in the midst of a meeting, therefore the security is intense for the time we are here. Kerry brought us back to the hotel, where we changed, stores our suitcases, and packed our bags for the day.


Beijing is full of history, considering it has been the capitol of China for many dynasties. We first saw Tiananmen Square, the famous are of the city where protests were held in the late 20th century. Unfortunately the square was gated due to the government meetings, but the sight was not any less impressive.

We then made our way towards the Forbidden City. The Palace was built for the emperor/empress of China for its last two dynasties. The Palace was made so that the emperor and those close to him would never have to leave the walls. In fact, the emperor was never allowed to leave the walls of the city. I first see the great red walls, arched ceilings, and then the bold face of Mao Zedong. I was, and still am, a little confused as to why he is up there considering he was not an emperor, but the painting was nice.

There were multiple buildings within the city used for different people and purposes, such as separate buildings for the emperor, empress, and concubines. The floor of The Palace is 25 feet deep, and all made of stone (the emperor did not want any underground tunnels to be built). It was hard to believe that one place so big was created for a single person - even more shocking than the Terracota Warriors being built for one person.

We proceeded to walk out of the city, have lunch, and venture to the Capitol Museum. There we would learn about the history of Beijing, why it is such a dominant city in China and the world, how the capital was named, etc. We then went back to the hotel and went to bed... it was a long day.

Although the people here don’t show it, the pride in the City of Beijing is overwhelming. The Chinese know their history is unlike any other country’s history, how it has built (and continues to build) it’s history for thousands of years. This nuance of pride I cannot explain, for I come from a country that is so new. What I do know is that we are all fascinated in the history of China, despite our differences, and I’m excited to learn and understand more about her.