Sunday, April 23, 2006
April 23: Mao, Forbidden City, and a Buddhist Temple
This morning I stumbled out into the courtyard looking for a computer (to check my email - I'm prone to email withdrawals) and ended up meeting Katie, an American girl working for an NGO. She's on a mission to report on some projects the NGO is running in this country. Katie Chapman, if you are reading this, you should know that I verified that you do not have the same last name.
Anyway, Katie & I were both looking for food, and ended up going out to the Forbidden City together. She was gung-ho to see Mao's embalmed, lifeless body. The great leader rests in a big, imposing, scary-looking building on the south end of Tiannanment Square. It is said that some important people in China regretted putting the building there in the first place (for instance, Deng Xiaoping lamented about it in 1980), but it'll never go away since no one dares get rid of it. Visiting Mao's body seems to be the Chinese equivalent of going to Mecca. Katie wanted to check it out. I didn't disagree. When else do I get to see an embalmed communist?
The Chinese love Mao. They buy flowers on the way in, leave them inside, and I am thinking that the entrepreneurial Chinese recycle the flowers the next day for the next batch of pilgrims. Mao himself is a creepy sight. He's mostly covered up - all you see is a lifeless, waxy face. The whole thing is a bit surreal (though I quietly used the word "romantic" at the venue itself, causing much laughter). I feel closer to some sort of communist deity now that I've seen the stony cold cadaver of a dictator. However, I would have preferred to see him not covered up, but instead wearing the classic Mao suit. The ultimate fashion statement for a dead commie.
Mao himself is flanked by two guards, standing ramrod straight (probably for hours). These guys looked about 20 years old and I wonder what sort of army favours they have to give to guard this particular relic. I'm sure they feel very special doing it. The envy of all their army friends.
Oh, and apparently the people who embalmed Mao were the same people who embalmed Ho Chi Minh (another wonderful specimen of a benevolent, peace-loving leader). There's also a rumour (in my guidebook) that during the embalming of Mao's ears fell off and had to be glued on. MmmmmMao!
Anyway, just north of there is Tiannanmen Square, aka. Tanks vs. Students, 1989. North of there still is Tiannanmen Gate, with a gorgeous picture of the very sex Mao looking at the world lovingly, with his two eyes and gigantic mole. North still is the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City was the home of Chinese emperors for hundreds of years, and was indeed forbidden to ordinary peasantry. Today, it is effectively a museum of Ming and Qing ("Ching") Dynasty relics. They say you should spend a whole day here: I say, nonsense. We did it in three and I don't think we missed out on very much. The whole place is massively crowded with tourists and a bit painful in that way. At least they have nice bathrooms: the plaques say they're four-star. I inspected: there was music and it was unnaturally clean for Chinese public toilets.
Sometime later that afternoon Katie went back to the hotel and I went to Yonghe Gong, Beijing's largest buddhist temple. Like the Forbidden City, it feels more like a museum than a temple, although it's physically much more beautiful. There are tourists everywhere, but at least there's burning incense and actual Buddhas and things. There's a Buddha that is 18m tall! Not bad. Still, it left me vaguely unsatisfied; it's a bit too commercialized for a temple if you ask me. I think it's something of a washed down Chinese Communist Party version of a real buddhist temple. I realize that it was built ages ago, and it managed to (miraculously) survive the Cultural Revolution, and there's tons of history there. It's just that the souvenier shops and the toll booths and display cases and things bother me. I'm hoping the temples in Lhasa and in northern Yunnan are better.
In the evening, I was hoping to check out the Red Capital Club, a communist-styled bar recommended by one Robert F. Madden JD. I was hoping to check this bar out with Katie, or Lee Bowman (of Batman & Robin fame). Unfortunately, Lee cancelled on me ("too much studying to do" - hah!) and Katie came back from her evening shindig with other people a bit too late and was tired. I'm hoping we check it out tomorrow. Also, tomorrow night I'm taking an overnight train to Xi'an. It would have been nice to spend at least another full day in Beijing, but sadly it is not meant to be. I'll have to come back another time and check out the rest of the sights. Beijing is a pretty cool city.
Also, people have been asking about pictures. Unfortunately, Internet access here is pretty piss-poor and uploading photos will take a million years. For now, pictures will have to wait - but have faith, I am taking plenty.
Anyway, Katie & I were both looking for food, and ended up going out to the Forbidden City together. She was gung-ho to see Mao's embalmed, lifeless body. The great leader rests in a big, imposing, scary-looking building on the south end of Tiannanment Square. It is said that some important people in China regretted putting the building there in the first place (for instance, Deng Xiaoping lamented about it in 1980), but it'll never go away since no one dares get rid of it. Visiting Mao's body seems to be the Chinese equivalent of going to Mecca. Katie wanted to check it out. I didn't disagree. When else do I get to see an embalmed communist?
The Chinese love Mao. They buy flowers on the way in, leave them inside, and I am thinking that the entrepreneurial Chinese recycle the flowers the next day for the next batch of pilgrims. Mao himself is a creepy sight. He's mostly covered up - all you see is a lifeless, waxy face. The whole thing is a bit surreal (though I quietly used the word "romantic" at the venue itself, causing much laughter). I feel closer to some sort of communist deity now that I've seen the stony cold cadaver of a dictator. However, I would have preferred to see him not covered up, but instead wearing the classic Mao suit. The ultimate fashion statement for a dead commie.
Mao himself is flanked by two guards, standing ramrod straight (probably for hours). These guys looked about 20 years old and I wonder what sort of army favours they have to give to guard this particular relic. I'm sure they feel very special doing it. The envy of all their army friends.
Oh, and apparently the people who embalmed Mao were the same people who embalmed Ho Chi Minh (another wonderful specimen of a benevolent, peace-loving leader). There's also a rumour (in my guidebook) that during the embalming of Mao's ears fell off and had to be glued on. MmmmmMao!
Anyway, just north of there is Tiannanmen Square, aka. Tanks vs. Students, 1989. North of there still is Tiannanmen Gate, with a gorgeous picture of the very sex Mao looking at the world lovingly, with his two eyes and gigantic mole. North still is the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City was the home of Chinese emperors for hundreds of years, and was indeed forbidden to ordinary peasantry. Today, it is effectively a museum of Ming and Qing ("Ching") Dynasty relics. They say you should spend a whole day here: I say, nonsense. We did it in three and I don't think we missed out on very much. The whole place is massively crowded with tourists and a bit painful in that way. At least they have nice bathrooms: the plaques say they're four-star. I inspected: there was music and it was unnaturally clean for Chinese public toilets.
Sometime later that afternoon Katie went back to the hotel and I went to Yonghe Gong, Beijing's largest buddhist temple. Like the Forbidden City, it feels more like a museum than a temple, although it's physically much more beautiful. There are tourists everywhere, but at least there's burning incense and actual Buddhas and things. There's a Buddha that is 18m tall! Not bad. Still, it left me vaguely unsatisfied; it's a bit too commercialized for a temple if you ask me. I think it's something of a washed down Chinese Communist Party version of a real buddhist temple. I realize that it was built ages ago, and it managed to (miraculously) survive the Cultural Revolution, and there's tons of history there. It's just that the souvenier shops and the toll booths and display cases and things bother me. I'm hoping the temples in Lhasa and in northern Yunnan are better.
In the evening, I was hoping to check out the Red Capital Club, a communist-styled bar recommended by one Robert F. Madden JD. I was hoping to check this bar out with Katie, or Lee Bowman (of Batman & Robin fame). Unfortunately, Lee cancelled on me ("too much studying to do" - hah!) and Katie came back from her evening shindig with other people a bit too late and was tired. I'm hoping we check it out tomorrow. Also, tomorrow night I'm taking an overnight train to Xi'an. It would have been nice to spend at least another full day in Beijing, but sadly it is not meant to be. I'll have to come back another time and check out the rest of the sights. Beijing is a pretty cool city.
Also, people have been asking about pictures. Unfortunately, Internet access here is pretty piss-poor and uploading photos will take a million years. For now, pictures will have to wait - but have faith, I am taking plenty.
# posted by Alex Perel @ 11:28 AM 
