Beijing

Several years back Wendy was asked to speak at a conference in China.  She was lucky enough to be able bring me along for my first visit to Asia.  While my mind was filled with thoughts of Communist guards and limited human rights, I was shocked to find modern China was a mix of what I expected with a splash of capitalism that made it oddly confusing.

China is not difficult to get too, but takes a very long time.  Depending on where you are flying the prices vary greatly.  We were flying to Beijing, and were able to connect in Detroit for our flight there.  I will tell you I am a very large man, and when we made this trip in 2013 I was the heaviest I have ever been (as you will see in the pictures).  That being said, coach is a long way to fly when you are crammed into a tiny seat for twelve hours our longer. Beijing is one of the largest cities in the world.  With more than 11 million people it is significantly larger than New York City.  A first few thoughts about Beijing was it was very modern.  The city itself had undergone a tremendous renovation in 2008 for the Olympics.  Beijing is so large it is surrounded by seven outer ring roads, much like I-285 circles Atlanta.  One of the first things that stood out to me was the city's signs were in Chinese and English, another result of the Olympics, which made getting around quite easy.  Another, much more confusing, point that stood out was the presence of condoms in every hotel room in the city.  Even in high end hotels there were condoms waiting.  I guess when you have over a billion people and not enough food to feed them you might as well make birth control fun.

Within Beijing there are some great sites to see, the most famous being Tienanmen Square.  The seat of power for the Communist Party in China, this square looks like a tribute to Mao Zedong himself.   We were warned before we visited to not ask about the uprising in 1989.  Directly across from the square is the Forbidden City, the royal palace of the Chinese Emperor for more than five hundred years until the fall of the empire in 1912.  The Forbidden City, oddly crowned with a picture of Mao, is one of the most amazing sites in the world.  Completely walled off from civilization, rulers could hide in their for years at a time.  At times they were the only men in the walls surrounded by hundreds of women, making it a personal breeding ground for the emperors.  After entering you will pass the countless halls, offices, and living quarters that line the front of the complex.  Further back you will find amazing gardens and sculptures that must have been crafted over hundreds of years of rule.  One unique site was the ironically named Hill of Accumulated Elegance, which is a nearly 30 foot tall hill topped with a temple that was apparently built by piling up the rubble from previous temples within the city.  You will notice many of the signs within the walls are written in multiple languages to cover the different languages spoken by the different ruling families over the centuries.  One funny story to share, as I stood reading one of the signs I noticed a tiny women sliding up beside me.  I slid over to give her room to read the sign as well, but she continued to slide closer to me before I realized she was not even facing the sign.  I turned around to see she was smiling at a camera taking a picture of her standing beside me.  I turned around quickly, put my arm around her shoulder, and yanked her into my side for a close up.  She giggled and her friend thought it was the greatest thing.  I took pictures with both of them.  While inside the walls our guide was explaining the history of the site when another family with a newborn slid over beside us.  I quickly realized they wanted a picture of the giant white man too.  I told our guide to hold, I took the baby from the father, and Wendy joined us for a group shot.  We were told some of these visitors come from remote regions of China and North Korea who have never seen a white person in real life, and certainly not a 6'5" one.  So if you are ever visiting China and North Korea and see a picture of me holding a tiny Asian family's baby you will know what is going on.

A less historic, but equally unique experience was visiting the famed Silk Street Market in Beijing.  Home to more than a thousand vendors, stands, or full-fledged stores, this market is arguably the largest indoor market in the world. Each floor had some sort of theme, and every vendor pops out of their stand calling you in for some deal of a lifetime.  Let me explain this too, Chinese people negotiate for everything, literally everything.  One stand wanted more than $300 for a set of ornate chopsticks carved from bone, but after several minutes, and their continuous pounding on a calculator we settled on $30.  Don't be afraid to negotiate, they expect and are not offended.  There is so much real and counterfeit material in this market you could never have to go shopping again, that is if you don't mind your Louis Vuitton shoes having three T's, or your Harley Davidson leather jacket being made of plastic.  They did have some beautiful jade stores there that sold unbelievable carvings that were more than $10,000 each and would have cost just as much to ship back to the United States.  While you are there wander through the food market and eat lunch for a dining experience you won't find at your local buffet.  You will forgive me for the pictures.  Even in a country ruled by a Communist regime, I thought it funny that no one could find any English speaking person to tell them these names or translations might need some reconsideration.

A final site to check out, and a great way to spend a few hours, is to check out the Chaoyang Acrobat Show.  A breathtaking spectacle, this show is a combination of dance, acrobatics, and daredevil stunts.  Some of them defy understanding, and many of these young men and women must have been training their entire lives to perform these stunts.  There were pyramids of young women stacked five and six high riding a single bicycle, multiple motorcycles crisscrossing inside a metal sphere, and balancing acts that required much better abs than I will ever have.

A couple of points to remember about Beijing, or China for that part.  First, everyone smokes.  Its like the 1950's, there is more nicotine in the air than oxygen. The air is also filthy.  You can see it when you are looking up from the street level, so be prepared to cough. Second, food is unbelievably cheap.  We would go out at night and have a famous roast duck dinner, a bottle of wine, and dessert, and the bill would be $25.  One night we went to a restaurant hoping to spend the rest of the Chinese cash we had, and no matter what we ordered we couldn't spend enough.  I got the bill believing it must be enough, but it was $18 for both of us.  Third, they don't tip there.  I tried tipping one young lady and she returned the money to me.  Another I convinced to take the money and she cried.  They consider it there honor or obligation to serve, so don't be confused if they don't know what to do with your tip.  Finally, travel in the city is ridiculously cheap.  Taxi rides were roughly $1.50-$2.00 depending on how far you drive.  Don't reserve a cab, they are everywhere and waiting for anyone who will get in the car. The subway was $.50 a ride.  The economy is so heavily subsidized by the government these prices stay low, even if it hurts the growth of their economy and causes them massive national debt.

There is conflict for me when we visit.  An avid supporter of the democratic process, I am torn by supporting a Communist regime, but the capitalist in me wants to help show this nation they don't need their government for support, and that individual consumers making their own decisions on which private business to purchase from can provide better for the people than any government ever will.  I know it may seem daunting, but it is a trip of a lifetime, and one everyone should take.  Enjoy!