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September 12, 2006
What a day! We got up this morning early. When I say early, I mean that I was up at 3:30. The same was true of the rest of the group. With our internal clocks still on Eastern US time, we had no trouble making it downstairs for the appointed meeting time. Dusty slept longer than anyone, I think, and she was up by 5:30. We had a really good breakfast, and then we were off to see the city.
The first place that we saw was Tiananmen Square. It was big, but not quite as big as I had thought, from the pictures I had seen. It’s basically a large open space in front of the Forbidden City. Right now, Beijing is getting ready for two things: the October 1st celebration of their National Holiday (a Chinese version of “Independence Day”), and the 2008 Olympics.
Long term, this city is going to look very different in the future. In addition to the usual structures that a city builds for an Olympics, they are also making major additions to their infrastructure. They are adding several subway lines, re-doing streets, and building numerous buildings to accommodate the crowds that they know are headed their way.
When we got to the square, we were immediately set upon by vendors selling everything from watches to lighters to hats to visors to kites. (I almost got one of the kites, they were pretty cool looking. Each one had what looked like a dozen small kites, each tied to a string, and they all flew at the same time.) Given the World Press Corp’s reaction to American commercialization, I am curious as to what they are going to make of this place.
We then went into the Forbidden City. This is/was a palace made by one of the Emperors about 70 years before Columbus sailed to the Americas, just to put it into perspective. It’s called by that name because until after the Chinese Revolution in the 1920s, it was forbidden to the general population. For a few years after the revolution, they weren’t real sure what to do with the place, but in the 20s, they decided to open it up to the public. It’s pretty much been a museum since then. If you have ever seen the movie “The Last Emperor,” it was filmed on here, in the actual Forbidden City.
At one point, while we were walking through the Forbidden City, we saw what looked like a group of Canadians that were in the same adoption process we are in. Canada’s consulate is in Beijing (you always finish this process in whatever city your country’s consulate is in), and so they were able to get their babies as soon as they got into the country, and take the tours with their new children. It made us all wish that we could go on and get our daughters now, instead of waiting.
We then went to a Jade factory; we were able to see how they shaped the material, saw some of the different colors that it comes in (this was the first time that I had ever seen any kind of jade that was not green), and saw how to tell a fake piece of jade from the real thing. We bought a couple of pieces before going to lunch, including a rooster pendant for Mary Joyce since she was born in the year of the rooster.
At lunch, I learned that it is difficult to eat your food while it is staring back at you. It made for an interesting meal, to say the least. At any rate, the food was good (no one ate any fish, for some reason), and then it was off to the Great Wall.
The Great Wall stretches for thousands of miles over real rough terrain. It began as a series of forts that were connected together at some point. It was primarily built to keep the Mongols out back years ago. It failed when the Mongols bribed the gatekeepers. Since then, someone told me, it was regarded as a symbol of shame: the Chinese people had invested all of this time, effort, and even people’s lives for something that just didn’t work. It wasn’t until Nixon came to China back in the 1970s, and made such a big deal out of going to the Great Wall that China began seeing it as a tourist attraction.
When we got there, there was another gauntlet of vendors selling a little bit of everything. I actually bought a hat for 20 yuan ($2.50 in US currency). It was a little small, but it kept me from getting sun burnt any worse than I already was. We also got a couple of T-Shirts.
I had heard that the Great Wall was steep, but I had no idea what I was really in for. Mike, Jen, Angie, Milledge, Karen, David, and anyone else who is headed to China for the first time: I recommend spending time on a Stairmaster. Lots and lots of time on a Stairmaster.
After we got done, we went to supper, where we were mostly too hot to really have an appetite (also, there was another fish staring at me), and then it was off to the airport for the flight to Nanchang. Li Ping and Bruce met us there, and everyone was so glad to see them, they got a round of applause from the families on the bus.
We have been told that we will be getting our daughters tomorrow morning around 11:00 AM. This is the day that we have all been waiting for. The touring has been great, we’ve gotten a lot out of it, and are glad that we have been able to do it, but we are here to adopt a child, and tomorrow, we fulfill the Chinese portion of the process.
People's Monument at Tiananmen Square
Wide Load: Beijing Style
We're really in China!
The SEC Goes to China
Group 117b
(We will meet 2 more families in Nanchang.)
Forbidden City: Under Renovation
Inside View of the Forbidden City
Factory Worker Polishing Jade
Great Wall of China
(Yes, it really is this steep!)
Sign for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Fish at Lunch, Complete with Head
Mary Joyce's Crib at the Lake View Hotel in Nanchang
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