The buildings here are big, really big. They mirror China’s ambition and rise to power. In all my travels, I’ve never seen roads in the heart of the city so large. Their size tells a tale of newness. The first thing you ask yourself as you drive the first ring road is, “Where is the old part of the city?” This is an ancient city. Yet, a glimpse of its age and history can’t be seen. They’re there, hidden behind sky scrapers, tucked between massive projects, staring up at construction cranes.
In my early 20s I read somewhere that you’re not a serious traveler unless you’ve done China or India. I couldn’t grasp this idea. The only places I’ve been were Manila, Winnipeg, and the surrounding areas around the muddy city. Now, I get it. The crowd here is thick. It takes patient and a lot of assertiveness to get things. I now fully understand the pushiness of the elder Chinese living in Vancouver. You need to be aggressive, otherwise the crowd tramples on you.
Yesterday we saw The Forbidden City. It’s massive. The scale fits that it was the home of Emperors. The big buildings have been restored. They have been given fresh lick of paint, but the charm of the Forbidden Palace lies in the small buildings that housed the concubines and empresses
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3 comments:
Hey! Write more on here! I quit facebook 6 months ago and want to know about your shenanigans in my homeland!
Hi Sandy! I was totally looking for you in FB. Now, I guess I can't stalk you online. Beijing was awesome. They offered me a permanent position, but I'm pretty happy here in Van so I turned it down. I might go back there next summer though. The kids are super fun and the school gives you freedom to teach the curriculum. I posted pics of Beijing in FB, but I'll post some here too.
Btw, nice to hear from you.
Yah, I'm moving backwards with all this social networking stuff. It's too much for my sanity, I'm kickin' it old school with my communications these days! Cheers!
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