May 3-4 Beijing

One of the arrow/lookout towers on the walls of the Forbidden City

[Ni hao from Kazakhstan! Until today we have been within the Great Firewall of China so I am writing this from Almaty.]

So ..... We are about in the swing of being on the road again albeit a very different road with very interesting and different challenges not the least of which have been language and not being able to communicate with the outside world via the 'internet'! Minor issues .... what am I saying!?!

But to backtrack a little ........ After what seemed like an endless wait and after a mostly sleepless scrap of night then a ridiculously early morning start, we lifted off from Tulla airport less than two weeks ago and were hurtling towards China and ancient places westwards. We didn’t put our head on the pillow until about 2am AEST - almost 24 hours later. But that’s the 'joy' of travelling anywhere from Oz. 

The entrance gate. The colours - blue for heaven, gold for the Emperor, red for luck and green for the people.

One of the inner palaces. This was a quiet day but normally 80000 people visit per day

This needs no words of explanation. It is simply stunning.

The very next morning we were wandering through the Forbidden City - what a contrast of scenery - and culture! Halls, pavilions and palaces surrounded by a huge moat. It is as amazing, as awesome, as decadent and overwhelming as I had been led to believe - and then some. The beauty, almost everywhere you look, is glorious to the point of obscenity. The period that produced such a magnificent citadel of structures and social order is hard to imagine, but it was not so dissimilar to other parts of the so-called known world. Then the socialist era, the new dawn of the people, dashed those physical and cultural structures - apparently (she says a little tongue in cheek). In the end, the gap between extreme wealth and privilege and the masses is almost as great today as it was dating back centuries - only there are more wealthy people now! However .....

A rook perched on the dragon's heavenly sons. 

The lovely entrance to the concubines' palaces. Theirs was a quieter more tranquil space.

Eye-popping decorative carvings were everywhere you looked.

Everywhere - roofs, gates, objects were decorated with great meaning. Each corner of all the roofs were decorated. One which took my eye had a dragon at the very tip and nine 'sons' lined up behind. We saw glorious jade ranging in colour from white through yellow, coral and deep red, from purple, blue, grey, green to black - even banded, reminiscent of our own beautiful jasper. All carved meticulously into a myriad of shapes and characters. And in one of the concubine's palaces we saw an exquisite carving of a Buddha in pure clear crystal. The following day we saw ornamentally  carved jade vases taller than a man, and among other jaw-dropping pieces, a large pink jade water fountain supporting a whopping sphere of the same delicate pink jade on top of its flow. 

Turning a corner we were confronted with an enormous incense-burner used for celebration days and ceremonies. I must add that these celebrations were only for the Imperial household and the ‘staff’. 20,000 eunuchs were employed in the Forbidden City. Why eunuchs? Because no man was allowed in the Forbidden City other than the Emperor. The concubines' palaces were beautiful but it could be a very lonely life. Individual girls, for some of them were prepubescent, often spent time alone and might only see the Emperor once a year.  We were surrounded by grandiose but also the practical. For example large copper vats were placed around the palaces. These were used to store water in case of fire. In winter hot charcoal could be put underneath to stop the water freezing. One vat we saw was made with gold - an ingenious way of hiding gold from invaders.

Copper vats used to store water in case of fire

An enormous incense burner used for celebration days and ceremonies

 A large ancient ink cake intricately carved with numerous deer each one unique - 1.5x12.3 cm

Traditional poetry carved into the stone of the walls in the concubines section

The beautiful teahouse in the Emperor’s garden designed to capture any cool breezes.

What are we eating did I hear you ask!? Well let me tell you it has been pretty scrumptious and the company salubrious - first morning we were invited to dine with a visiting monk! Daily smorgasbord breakfasts at which we have both exercised impressive restraint I think. Favourites for me have been fried rice with steamed veggies, natural yogurt and fruit, but the selection is extensive from the continental, American, British through to all manner of Chinese dishes cooked to order on the spot. And this is supposedly a 3-star hotel!? This morning I sampled the rice congee - hen hao, I like! Topped with chilli and pickled veggies. Ah the endless variety of food!

We watched an expert carve up about 20 ducks for the famous Beijing Duck. Fascinating!

Our hotel, the Kapok, is perfectly situated in the centre of the city so there’re lots of choices of where and what to eat - we’re yet to try the Beijing duck, although we have watched it being prepared, but have decided against ‘slippery manure’- no idea what that is - and the fried ducks’ heads in blood, and ‘mountain bacteria’ and the fried ‘enema’ and similar mysterious delicacies. What we have tried has been delicious and cheap - deep-fried lotus root, and my favourite pickled soybeans and shredded pork which was delicious! I am proud to say that I am surviving using chopsticks alone - you’d have to know how I struggle with these at home to appreciate how clever I feel. When in Rome I say!  But for now, zai zian!

Locals illegally fishing in the deep man-made moat surrounding the Forbidden City