When I woke up, I actually felt a little worse. I was really hungry so I went to the noodle house and got dumplings. Food in my stomach felt better so I decided to go check out Tiannamen Square. And I’m so glad I did.
It’s amazing! Mao designed the square as a monument to the new China and a demonstration of the party’s power. With a beautiful temple, a museum about Beijing, Mao’s mausoleum, a view of the “Red House,” other government building, and of course the Gate of Heavenly Peace with a portrait of Mao hanging from it.
The west pretty much only knows Tiannamen Square for the massacre in 1989. Most of China however (1) doesn’t know this story, at least not in its entirety and (2) sees China as a pilgrimage site, namely, a patriotic icon of their government, their power, and their future. The energy is electric, with people waving banners, singing, practicing tai chi, etc. The fact the sun was setting and the air was cooling off made it so much fun.
A couple of girls approached me and invited me to go to a tea ceremony. This is the first time I’ve encountered this scam although it is the most popular “crime” against tourists. Locals will attempt to be friend tourists and then offer to take them to a tea ceremony. They will basically choose any fancy restaurant, ply the tourist with nice food and tea, pretend it is all traditional, and then disappear before the bill comes, thus escaping with a free meal.
I declined and was surprised at how quickly they ran off to approach someone else.
That said, there weren’t many tourists out and about on the square. There was a lot of security though. Not only did you have to pass through a metal detector to get on and off the square, but there were guards with dogs, soldiers in fatigues, and general security guards. There were also police trucks stationed all around.
I happened to accidently stumble upon the flag lowering ceremony. After waiting for 15 minutes for it to start, I was tremendously disappointed. The soldiers marched out from under the Gate of Heavenly Peace. The sheer number of soldiers that marched was impressive. They surrounded the flag pole and as it lowered, one guard caught the flag and “folded it.” I’m sure there was some symbolic pattern to how it was folded (his movements were very exaggerated and deliberate) but it seriously looked like he was just wadding it up in a ball. When they were done, they marched back under the gate and into the palace.
It was cool, but not as flashy as I expected.
But when it finished, things got exciting. Quickly and swiftly the police and guards started dispursing the crowd. I tried to get closer for a picture with the gate, but one officer said, “You have to leave now.”
How’s that for a historical re-enactment
I looked around and realized the square was closed. Following the crowd, I caught the metro back to my hostel. After stowing some stuff, I decided to start journaling (I also considered going to look for chocolate but I wasn’t sure where to look.)
As I texted with Vivi tonight, she asked me how I liked the flag ceremony. I wrote back: It was cool. The Chinese people were all very excited. She replied: And how did you feel?
I thought about that for a second and then responded. It is hard because it is not my flag. Seeing my flag always makes me smile, but I have a lot of respect for the Chinese empire and Chinese culture so I am glad I got to see it.
I think being in China has reinforced two things for me. (1) I love to travel and I want to see so much more of the world. (2) Home will always be home.
Vivi replied: Do you know the phrase 'Xinxin renlei'?
I told her I didn't.
She explained: It is used to describe a person that is open minded, fair and objective manner, and willing to try new things. I think you this kind of person :-)
That made me feel good. I don't know how open minded I was when I started my trip to Europe. In someways, I remember hoping I'd see things that confirmed my prejudices. But I feel like the more you travel, the more open minded you become. It becomes rapidly apparent that people are very similar around the world. Their beliefs may differ; their thoughts, hopes, and goals might be different; but people everywhere are basically good, honest folks. When you see that, it becomes hard to not be open minded.
Tomorrow, I head to Xi’an which is the original capital in China and one of the oldest cities in the world. I’m still very torn. There was a point today where I didn’t want this to end, and a point today where I was ready to leave everything and catch the next standby flight to the US. I don’t know why I am so torn, but I realize I need to snap out of it. I have 8 days left in China and then it will be over…I need to do everything I can to make the most of those 8 days.
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