Chairman Mao's Mausoleum
I was making this whirlwind tour with fellow workshop attendee Mike (from the websites "Chinese with Mike" and "English with Mike"). Mike wanted to see Mao's mausoleum, and it's only open from 8 - 12...and the lines are very long. So we decided to try going there first thing in the morning. To visit s free, but you need to get there early. We arrived at Tiananmen Square, and the first thing that happened was that a group of Chinese asked Mike if they could take a picture with him (being a tall American guy, and all). :-)
We saw many crowds of people gathering behind tour flags to go in. The crowd managers kept telling us a different entrance, as we were not part of the tour. We had to walk around to the other side of the mausoleum and finally found the beginning of the line--to find out that no purses, bags, backpacks, or even fannypacks (like I was wearing) were permitted inside the mausoleum. So I was directed to the place where there was a bag check (for the price of 15 Yuan). I took out my passport and wallet, and checked the rest. Cameras, by the way, are strictly forbidden as well.
After checking my bag in, we followed the line as it wound around the building. Mike was the only non Chinese that I saw in line. Mike handed out some of his "English with Mike" business cards to folks in line. Hey, you gotta network wherever you can, right ? ;-)
I was cautious about the conversation topics, especially there in line...you never know who's listening to your conversation, and who actually understands what you're saying. So, when Mike mentioned the topic of the Cultural Revolution, I kind of said under my breath "careful...careful..." and we then changed the topic to weather--a much safer topic to bring up in that environment, I'd think!
Even here, we saw that small business finds opportunities everywhere. In line, people were selling medals with the head of Chairman Mao imprinted on it, and as we approached the entrance to the Mausoleum, there were vendors selling individually packaged white flowers that people could then place at the feet of the larger-than-lifesized statue of a Seated Chairman Mao. Since the flowers were not a mandatory requirement to see Mao's body, we opted to pass.
Before entering the building, we went through security and we had to take out our ID and wallet (and cell phone, if we had one) to show them. They ran it through the x-ray machine before returning it to us. They also had a place where cigarette lighters and matches had to be discarded, as those were also not permitted in the building. After entering the building, we were told to be quiet and stay in line. This is the one of the only times I've observed such a large number of people maintaining an orderly queue and stayed completely quiet. We were continually moving foward--and then we entered the room where the body of Chairman Mao lay in repose. It was kind of creepy to see the body lying there. He did look like he was just laying there sleeping. I've heard from many people afterward that they think it was a fake body. I don't know--I didn't get a good enough look to make that determination (lots and LOTS of layers of glass and plexiglass separated us from where his body lay at a distance). I don't know what would be creepier--having a fake body there or the real thing. Either way, Mike and I both agreed...this was a once in a lifetime experience, one that we won't need to repeat. Most of that short time we were in the building and filing past the body, I was just concentrating on walking forward, not attracting attention, and getting out of there safely.
Hutongs of Beijing and Tian Tan
Another place that we wanted to go see was 天壇 (Tiān Tán), better known in the West as the “Temple of Heaven.” Almost everyone’s probably seen the round temple with colorful ornate decorations in photos and postcards. I know some of my counterparts actually studied up, bought guidebooks and maps, and “did their homework” for this trip. In my case, I had been so busy and things had been so hectic that I had no time to read up on things. So, all I know about 天壇 (Tiān Tán) is that it was a big temple. You can look up the info on Wikipedia…that’s what I did too…but we went for the Photo-op.
On the way toTiān Tán we decided to walk down a few streets in old Beijing (just off of the center of the city). We had heard about these “hutongs” or old streets with houses that had special doors and opened into courtyards. However, not having read about them or done any research, we really had no idea what we were looking for. We did walk down a few of these very narrow alley-ways—(too narrow for cars or even motorbikes). Not sure what else we were supposed to see…so we decided to catch a taxi to Tiān Tán.
Tiān Tán is in the middle of a big park area. It seems to be the hangout for many older folks. They had a group on one side doing some kind of martial art (not Tai Chi, because the music was too lively and the movements were too fast), and then there was an area where everyone was playing Chinese “Hacky Sack” – kicking a shuttlecock that was weighted with coins at the bottom, and feathers at the top, called “jiàn zi.” As we continued to walk, we finally approached the big temple itself. We walked in, took pictures, walked around the temple, took some more pictures, but then decided to head out. I can see why so many people enjoy going to the Tiān Tán park, though. All the trees, open space, and green grass are a nice respite to the crowded hustle-bustle of the city beyond the walls of the park.
One thing I did notice was that there were lots of elderly people there. Seeing them reminded me of my own grandparents and how I miss them. Seeing the faces of these people made me wonder about them and their experiences. These people lived through the Revolution in 1949 when the Communists took over China. They lived through the Cultural Revolution. What was their story? Every single person who lived through the Cultural Revolution has a story to tell. It was such a tumultuous time that no one came out of it unscathed or unchanged. I know very little about it—just a few books of people writing of their own experiences—and that each one of these people had experiences they had lived through – each one perhaps worthy of their own memoir. Each wrinkle on their face could be earned from some kind of difficulty they had to endure as a survivor of the Cultural Revolution. They are survivors, to be sure. Whether their stories ever get told, well, that’s perhaps less likely, being that they still live in a police state, and they didn’t become survivors by talking, but most likely by being quiet.
Hard Rock Café—Beijing
Our last stop was the Hard Rock Café in Beijing. Now, I’m not one that must stop at every Hard Rock Café to buy a shirt or a pin. However, years ago, my husband and I travelled to many places, and each time we were at new place, it seemed we would walk past a Hard Rock Café. We never walked in at tha time, but we’d walk across the front of it. So it got to be a little tradition of ours—to try to find the Hard Rock Café so we could pass by the front of it. I don’t remember all of the ones we did walk past, but I do remember they include London, Toronto, Washington DC, New York, Georgetown (Grand Cayman)…and Taipei. In fact, the first Hard Rock Café we walked into was in Taipei. After making the trip, it would be silly not to bring back something of that trip, after all. I still have a denim shirt that has “Hard Rock Café Taipei” embroidered on it. Thus, it’s now a tradition to go to Hard Rock Café and bring back something, after all, we made the trip. So after a little bit of effort (note to self—make sure you write down the phone number of the location and also the name and address in characters—not just pinyin – to help the taxi driver find the place), we found it and walked in. They didn’t serve food yet so we couldn’t eat there, but I did buy a shirt and a pin. After a quick lunch of dumplings, buns, soymilk and fried “donuts” (油條or yóu tiáo), we hailed a cab back to our hotel…and after a bit of rest, headed off to the airport!
I think that was pretty much as much as we could possibly stuff into a short time on our last morning in Beijing…not bad for a morning’s touring! I’m definitely looking forward to going home, though this trip overall truly has been an amazing experience.