So, it’s better to be a few weeks late than never. I’m
finally getting around to writing this post.
We arrived in China a few weeks ago and passed through Beijing to giving
me a chance to meet some people as well as to let us play tourist.
My first impression of Beijing was that it’s just huge. Our first full day in Beijing we had the
chance to go see Tiananmen and the Forbidden City. We didn’t know it at the
time, but we had the perfect day for sightseeing. The air pollution was low that day and the
sky was blue as can be.
The Forbidden City really brought about the magnitude of
China to me in multiple ways. First, it has a remarkable history that stretches
back in time. Second, the space it occupies is just ginormous, as can be seen
in some of these pictures. But what truly impressed me was the ability of what
amounts to tens of thousands of tourists to pass through its gates on an hourly
basis on a random Tuesday in September. I thought we were crazy initially when
crossing the bridge into the City shoulder to shoulder with Chinese admirers in
a steady march all snapping pictures of the portrait of Mao. And then it opened up into football fields of
space that even the endless stream of tourists couldn’t fill.
We also had the chance to travel up to the Great Wall with a
good friend from my months of Mandarin training. Even an hour outside of the
city, the winds had changed from the day before and the pollution was
noticeable. Word of advice to anyone
going to the Great Wall: get there early – as in when it opens up in the
morning. We enjoyed having the wall largely to ourselves and some other
early-bird hikers. Heck, we even got there before the nick-knack sellers showed
up. It was quite the shock coming down off the cable car that connects the
lower town parking area to the wall. What had been a clear, albeit, steep path
was now wall-to-wall salespeople pleading with us to buy their wares.
By the time our plane took off the following day, the
pollution in the city was so bad we couldn’t see across the tarmac at the
airport and the plane was delayed taking off, we were told, because they were
trying to find an acceptable runway. In the three weeks since arriving, the
conditions in Guangzhou haven’t even come close to what we experienced our
second day in Beijing. We feel quite lucky.
In retrospect, there was one more thing that stands out from
our first few days in China. The people in Beijing were completely enamored
with NJ. Now, it must be known that NJ is a beautiful baby boy (I’m not biased
at all). He also has the knack for connecting with people. He knows just the
right moment to smile at a stranger, to wave at a random burly man, or giggle
at an old lady. Our pediatrician said it was like he is always flirting. I
think it’s related to the fact he perpetually seems as if on the cusp of a
broad, warm smile.
But his outgoing personality doesn’t explain the near
constant attention he garnered whilst in Beijing. People smiled and waved. Some
self-aware people tried to covertly snap cellphone pictures so we wouldn’t
notice. Others simply stopped stared and then whipped out their cellphone to
get the shot. Armed guards broke their strict stance to smile and wave. If we
stood still too long, parents brought their children – regardless of age – up
for a posed picture with NJ. Brazen women both young and old tried to take him
from his stroller or from our arms (note: this never felt threatening, but it
was awkward). I’m not sure what it was about Beijing, but we have not
experienced the same level of NJ admiration in Guangzhou. It’s closer to the
same level we got back in Washington.
Finally, a housekeeping note: Honestly keeping this blog up
might be a bit more difficult than we’d expected. It’s not because of lack of
writing, although I need to get into a regular habit of writing (and so does
RR). It has more to do with spotty Internet we’ve faced, something I didn’t
expect to be as big of a problem as it’s turned out to be. Stay tuned –
there’ll be a few more posts over the next few days at least.
