31/05/08 to 14/6/08 Rashmi Rastogi
Day 6: 5th June 2008
China is a country with a proud history and a promising future. Actually, no country stirs the heart and the imagination quite like China, which is filled with thousands of years of history and offers a unique and subtle blend of culture, heritage, traditions, natural splendor and folklore. The discovery of ‘Peking Man’ was the first evidence of the existence of early human life in China in 500,000 BC. Since that time, through many dynasties, China has developed into the modern state that it is today. China is situated in eastern Asia on the west shore of the Pacific Ocean, with an area of 9.6 million square km. China’s continental coastline extends for about 18,000 km. And its vast sea surface is studded with more than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan and Hainan are the largest.
China has beautiful scenery, with mountains and ranges, highlands, plains, basins and hills. The highlands and hills account for 65 percent of the country’s total landmass and there are more than 2,000 lakes. The highest mountain peak is Qomalangma (Everest), the highest in the world, 8848 meters above sea level; the lowest point is the Basin, 154 meters below sea level. China lies mainly in the northern temperate zone under the influence of monsoon. From September and October to March and April the following year monsoon winds blow from Siberia and the Mongolia Plateau into China and decrease in force as they go southward, causing dry and cold winter in the country and a temperature difference of 40 degree centigrade between the north and south. The temperature in China in the winter is 5-18 degree centigrade lower than that in other countries on the same latitude in winter. Monsoon winds blow into China from the ocean in summer, bringing with them warm and wet currents and thus rain.
China with its recorded history of 5000 years, was one of the world’s earliest civilizations. China was one of the countries where economic activity first developed. As early as 5,000 or 6,000 years ago, people in the yellow river valley had already started farming and raising livestock. In the 21st century BC., China established a slave society with the founding of the Xia Dynasty, thereby writing a finale to long years of primitive society. In 221 BC. Qin Shihuang established China’s first centralized autocracy, the Qin Dynasty, thereby ushering Chinese history into feudalism, which endured in a succession of dynasties until the Opium War of 1840. The Bourgeois Democratic Revolution of 1911 led by Sun Yat-sen toppled the rule of the Qing Dynasty, putting an end to more than 2,000 years of feudal monarchical system.
After World War II, the Communists under Mao Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China’s sovereignty , imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. The People’s Republic of China was founded on October 1st 1949. China was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After 1978, his successor Deng Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision making and output quadrupled by 2000. Political control remain tight even while economic controls continue to be relaxed. Today, China is implementing reforms and open policies, and has established a socialist economy.
There are 56 Ethnic groups in China. The Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group, where some 91.5% of the population was classified as Han Chinese (~1.2 billion). Besides the majority Han Chinese, China recognizes 55 other "nationalities" or ethnic groups, numbering approximately 105 million persons. The major minority ethnic groups are Zhuang (16.1 million), Manchu (10.6 million), Hui (9.8 million), etc.
After brief introduction of China let us now proceed to Beijing. Beijing , the capital of China is an old cultural city. As the capital of the people’s Republic of China, Beijing is the nation’s center of government, economy, culture and international activities , as well as serving as a transportation hub to the entire country. The city has palaces , museums, temples and monuments and streets filled with imperial pomp and contemporary energy. Its major attractions include Forbidden City (former imperial palace), Tiananmen Square (the biggest plaza on earth), the Temple of Heaven.
Our local guide told us that taxi drivers are supposed to be polite to you. They have to wish you while you board the taxi and thank you when you leave the taxi. If they do not do so, you don’t pay the fair.
A corner tower of the Forbidden City, located at the middle of Beijing.
Panorama view of the Forbidden City, home to the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
After reaching Beijing we headed straight for site seeing to the Forbidden city.
Forbidden city is named such , as entry to the common man was forbidden. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall are 9,999 rooms. The wall has a gate on each side. Forbidden City in Beijing is where 24 chinese emperors ruled China for 500 years. Also known as the Imperial Palace Museum or Gugong, the Forbidden City was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Quing Dynasties carried out their administration and lived. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide. Now it is open to the public, where people can see the great traditional palace architecture, enjoy the treasures kept in the palace, and learn of the legends and anacdotes about the imperial family and the court. Forbidden city is a huge area about 3 km and it takes about 3-4 hrs walking.The guide was good and explained the significance of the buildings. We entered the Forbidden city from one end and came out from the another end.
When we emerged from the other side, we saw the Tiananmen square. Tiananmen Square forms the absolute center of Beijing. It is the biggest square in the world and can hold more than one million people. North of it the Tiananmen Gate, which leads into the Forbidden City, west of it the Great Hall of People, south of it is the Qianmen Gate and east of it is the Museum of Chinese People’s Revolution. This square is known for its demonstrations , protest movements and revolutions. The Flag raising ceremonies at sunrise and sunset is a spectacular view indeed.
Tiananmen Square as seen from the Tian'an Gate
We also took a ride to the old Beijing city on a cycle rickshaw. The old city of Beijing is just like any town in India. Small houses, clothes drying outside, people sitting and eating outside.
After the extensive walk we were totally exhausted, the whole body was aching. Checked in at the hotel. Went off to sleep, hoping for a new fresh day tomorrow.
Day 7: 6th June 2008
Next day , after breakfast in the Hotel, we left for the Jade factory. Jade, a precious stone having greenish color, is available extensively in China.
Bona Jade Store factory is located at the northern suburb of Beijing in China. It lies near the seventh exit of BaDaLing expressway, and looks likes a pearl inlaid on Chinese ground. Bona is one of the largest jade stores in China, combining mining, manufacturing and selling, and dealing with medicine and silk as a sideline. The sale area covers about 6000 square meters, and has a big parking-lot covering about 8000 square meters. The sales hall, which can accommodate several thousand customers, and was divided into two stories, selling more than thousand kinds of jade ware that can embody thousands of years of Chinese culture. Those gorgeous products are not only the ideal decorations for companies and houses, but also the best presents for your friends and relatives, such as necklace, ring, earring and pendant.
There are many stories related to jade. The Chinese love jade because of not only its beauty, but also more importantly its culture, meaning and humanity, as Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) said there are 11 De (virtue) in jade. 'The wise have likened jade to virtue. For them, its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound, which it gives forth when one strikes it, represents music. Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountain and of water, represents the earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents chastity. The price that the entire world attaches to it represents the truth. To support these comparisons, the Book of Verse says: "When I think of a wise man, his merits appear to be like jade." Thus jade is really special in Chinese culture, also as the Chinese saying goes "Gold has a value; jade is invaluable."
It was our 42nd wedding Aniversary. I purchased a Jade bangle for self and four Jade lockets.
From the Jade factory, we proceeded to Bedaling to the Great Wall of China.
‘You are not a man if you have not been to the Great Wall.’ So the saying goes in China. The Great Wall, it is said, is one of the few objects on earth visible from space and moon. It belongs not only to China, but is part of the cultural heritage of the whole world. The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China. It extends to the Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province in the west to the mouth of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province in the east. Construction of the Great Wall started in the 7th century B.C.. The vassals states under the Zhou Dynasty in the northern parts of the country each built their own walls for defense purposes. After the state of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. , it joined the walls to hold off the invaders from the Xiongnu tribes in the north and extended them to more than 10,000 li or 5000 km. This is the origin of the name of the ‘10,000-Li Great Wall’.
With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections of the great wall are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared. The Great Wall was renovated from time to time after the Qin Dynasty. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, and took 200 years to complete. The Wall we see today is almost exactly the result of this effort.
Apart from its magnificent construction, the view of the Great Wall is wonderful especially in spring. To the northwest and north of Beijing, a huge, serrated wall zigzags its way to the east and west along the undulating mountains. What lies north of Beijing is but a small section of it. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. The Bedaling section of the Great Wall, an hour’s drive north of Beijing, has been restored and is a popular spot for tourists foreign and Chinese. The Bedaling section is made mostly of marble blocks, with an average height of about 24 feet. The roadway along the top is wide enough (~20 to30 feet) for ten soldiers to walk abreast. Much of the roadway on top of the wall, beyond the Bedaling restored area, is overgrown with bushes and trees making passage difficult. Sections of the wall were built with locally-available materials: tamped earth, stone, tile, brick, marble, and timber. The Qin Dynasty section involved 300,000 soldiers plus conscripted laborers and convicts. In 555 A.D., another section was built using about 2 million laborers.
Great Wall of China
We took a rope trolley (4 persons per trolley), which took us through the lush green hills to the great wall. The trolley ride was approx. 5-7 min. We spent a good hour roaming the Great Wall of China. Afterwards we returned to the base camp on the rope trolley and shopped.
From the Great Wall, we went to the foot of the hill for visiting Enamel factory and thereafter for Chinese Lunch. At the factory, the entire process of enamelling was explained to us. From the attached shop, I purchased a red enamel bangles. Red color is preferred in China. It was a sit down lunch, vegans and non vegans were given separate tables. Beer and soft drink (one glass per person) was free. More than that one had to pay.) Chinese food tastes much better in India. In China it was quite bland. You are given a small plate or a deep bowl in which you eat one item after another using chopsticks or fork. There was rice, potato fingers, chop suey etc. The guide also served a local hard drink looked like Vodka, colourless. Everyone took in their small glasses. I thought I’d sip a little for taste. Later, I learnt that it was 49 % alcohol. Even a small sip left my head reeling.
The Temple of Heaven in Beijing
After Lunch, we went to theTemple of Heaven. Although there are many temples in Beijing, the Temple of Heaven , situated in the southern part of the city in Chongwen district, is unique. As famous as the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, it is a ‘must’ for every visitor. In ancient China, the emperor was regarded as the ‘Son of Heaven’, who administered matters on the earth on behalf of the heavenly authority. To show respect to heaven, ceremonies for sacrifices to heaven were extremely important to the emperor. The temple was built for the worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests. An interesting and famous place to visit is called Echo Wall owning special feature. The wall encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven. Its perimeter is 193 meters. If you and your friend stand at the east and the west roots of the wall respectively and you whisper a word, then your friend will hear clearly what you say.
We also went to a Pearl Factory. In addition to pearls they were marketing beauty products made out of pearls. Our colleagues were interested in shopping, so our local guide left us at a local mall were we could shop for an hour and half. Shopping in China is a crazy affair. They are just after you, will reduce the price to almost 10 % its origin price. One really does not know what one is getting into and purchasing. We roamed a little and were afraid of being robbed or something, hence we came out of the mall and looked around. After visiting the factories and shopping malls, we find that Chinese are also good in Sales apart from manufacturing.
After the shopping, we went for the Kung Fu Show, which was of two hours duration.
The Kung Fu Show
The Story A young boy, brought by his mother, enters the temple of Kung fu and trains to become a monk in the Kung Fu tradition. The master begins the boy's apprenticeship, giving him the name "Chun Yi", the Pure One. As he grows and develops, he learns the physical skills of Kung Fu. He also learns that he must withstand temptations and distractions along the way, and throughout his life in order to maintain his discipline and Kung fu focus. Chun Yi meets the challenges, falls for and overcomes temptation and finally attains the honor of being named Master, becoming a wise teacher for the next generations.
After the show and dinner, we returned to the hotel. Next morning we left for Xian.
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