07-01-2013, 10:44 PM
Here is a wall. It's not the Great Wall. China is just really into walls. You find them everywhere. It wouldn't surprise me if this wall and many others contain walls themselves; you know, like Chinese boxes. Grade school children are required to build a wall before entering middle-school. Nine out of ten graduate theses have walls as their subject.
This wall turns out to be part of the Bell Tower, which is at the northern extreme of the backbone of Beijing -- otherwise known as the dragon vein. From north to south on this axis you encounter the Bell and Drum Towers, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven and Yongdingmen Tower. It's really quite striking when seen from the air, though I am never that high. Here's an aerial view I stole off the web that shows the layout (Drum Tower at top).
Actually, the axis isn't quite north-south. It is aligned with the ancient city of Xanadu to the north (the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan empire) which that self-absorbed dandy of a prick Marco Polo was fond of writing about.
Much of today's outing is to explore the dragon vein, starting with the Bell Tower with its King of the Ancient Bells. I was hoping we'd get to ring it, but no such luck (they keep a closer guard on it than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia that I rang back in '79). Here's a shot of the Drum Tower to the south. Only a hundred meters away, it obscures the view of the Forbidden City beyond. The Bell Tower provides quite a vista in other directions, including the tantalizing sight of three mysterious mounds in the far distance. At first I'm thinking they're breasts. But after zooming in on them, I'm going to guess the pea is under the leftmost one. Beijing is filled with mysterious structures, which I glimpse throughout the week in our travels about the city. But on a trip like this, one must ask, Am I seeing the real Beijing? After all, we're all prone to showing our best sides. So in looking about from this vantage point I take note of this, and of this. What might someone less fond of the city choose to show us?
After the Drum Tower we head for an old part of Beijing with narrow alleys called hutongs. There we pair up in pedicabs. This is Galen and me. Galen is another of the feature length winners. He practices Muy Thai and Jiu Jitsu. During our ride, I have flashbacks of Pedicab Driver starring Sammo Hung. As we squeeze through the hutongs, I see pigeons (for food?). There's also little pocket plantings of Chinese noodle beans as well as squash. We have lunch in a local family's kitchen no doubt upgraded for tourists, but which lacks a restroom. For some reason I become fixated on the wall clock, whose numbers are all difference sizes for no apparent reason.
Then it's back on the bus and to Tiananmen Square, where everyone has to pass through an inspection station. Our two photographers have a rough time getting through. It's very stressful for them. Even once we're in, they get accosted time to time by guards. They don't take any photos or film footage while we're there. This is our guide Malinda. She wants us to stay close together in Tienenman Square. The concern is that if we drift apart, we become a bigger target for the guards. She explains how long noodles will stretch, then tells us, "Be like sticky rice, not noodles." At one point Malinda cautiously indicates where the big incident occurred back in the '80s, but we stay clear of that corner and take group photos near a big flag. Now, I'm not going to show a lot of the square because you've seen enough pictures of it, or you can find them online. But here's a lamp fixture that looked underappreciated. Also underappreciated is Alex (left). He reads scripts for a living. In fact, he read the 556 feature length film proposals and narrowed the choices down to a select few. The very final selection was made by some unknown individual. But from what I could glean from Alex, he all but sealed the deal. The oddest thing about Alex is that he laughs at my jokes, even the ones that go way over everyone else's head -- including my own.
I enjoy hanging out with Alex.
Next we go to the Forbidden City. Again, I'll go light on the photos because you can find a million of those on the web. This is Lily. If you see a photo of me, she more than likely took it. She is very accommodating in that regard. I suppose that last photo deserves some commentary. The day is hot, and this dude is badly in need of a break. He is walking off, removing his hat and loosening his clothing, when Lily accosts him. She has my camera and wants to take a photo of me with him. He is not happy about it but obliges. She takes several photos, all the while conversing with him. His mood slowly improves and he even laughs, and this is the best shot. Afterwards Lily tells me he was saying he charged to have his photo taken with me, but she countered that I charged to have my photo taken with him. He asked how much I was charging. Lily told him I charged twice whatever he was charging. That got the final photo.
Some in our group get approached by Chinese people wanting to have their picture taken alongside them. Cameron, who is very Caucasian, keeps getting the pretty-girl requests. Likewise Cody, who is maybe 6 foot 2. Then there is Pamela, who is black. She still doesn't have her luggage. It seems that someone with luggage identical to hers took hers by mistake. It has taken a full day to track it down by phone. When our facilitator asked when it could be picked it up, there was a long pause. "Where exactly is the luggage?" our facilitator then asked. Hainan island. I still don't know whether Pamela ever got it back. Anyway, Pamela is amused in the Forbidden City by all the families that pretend to be taking pictures of each other when in fact they're maneuvering about so as to catch her in the background. They really want a photo of her. She says she is the negro of the day.
At one point Cameron comes rushing back to our group all embarrassed. It seems a Chinese family was motioning to him, so he thought they wanted him in their photo. In fact, they were yelling at him to get out of the damned way.
I eventually wander off to explore by myself. Now, DM has been telling me that Santa Claus is becoming very popular in China, because he's such a good cultural fit with all his reds, and his cheer and portliness is like a happy Buddha. I haven't realized the extent of his acceptance until I spot a rooftop decoration of Santa with his sleigh and reindeer.
Later I come upon two cardboard boxes off in a corner that have Jackie Chan on them. What the hell is he selling now? On closer inspection, I see that he has his hands cupped like he's trying to conjure something. Maybe it’s just the lighting, but I swear his hands vibrate. Then, presto -- instant girl!
Eventually it's sticky rice time. We're supposed to gather at a pre-determined spot. As usual, some show up, some we have to wait for. As I come into the rendezvous area, I notice this Chinese boy running about. What catches my attention is just how totally Mongolian he is. I notice things like this these days because my film proposal takes place during the Yuan dynasty when the Mongols ruled China. And this boy, he's got the wide flat face, the large protruding cheekbones. He is just really striking, and I kick myself for not taking a photo as he's climbing steps and jumping about. As we're waiting for the others, this Chinese lady suddenly approaches me. She's gesturing to me about something, and then I see the camera in her hand. Okay, so she wants to take my photo. That's fine. It's about time I had my fifteen seconds of fame. Then she thrusts her boy at me. Son of a gun, it's the Mongol boy. He promptly clutches hold of my hand and stands next to me, sparking scattered laughter. So the mother and her relatives are all clustered there, taking photos, and suddenly our two cameramen are rushing to their side to photograph and film as well. I'm becoming aware of just how tall I am compared to this little boy. He's only about four. I'm towering over him, which means they have to shoot wide angle, and that just seems a shame, so I crouch down next to him so they can frame us better. The mom and relatives were about finished, but seeing this, they step closer and start taking more photos with gusto. Our cameramen snap and film away. Finally the mom motions to the boy to come away. But the boy, who still clutches my hand, objects loudly and points to our cameramen. After all, they're not done yet. So our cameramen take some more shots and footage, and only when they relent does the boy let go of my hand. The mom comes forward and thanks me and then they all head off.
Afterwards, Malinda comes up close to me and whispers, "You can't imagine how important that is to them. They'll likely print off that photo and it will end up on their living room wall and be a cherished item for years to come."
Later she tells the group what the mother had said, which is she wanted to get a photo of her boy with "gramps."
No, I don't have any photos of this. But if a DVD ever becomes available of our travels, it's very likely to be on there.
Finally everyone shows up, and then we climb up to this thing, and I have to ask, Are we still at the Forbidden City? I think so, though I'm not recalling exactly how we got to it. It may have just been a short walk. Anyway, we climb up to it, and from there we have quite a view in various directions. Visible in this shot is the Alien Egg, not to be confused with the Olympic Bird's Nest. It is situated near Tiananmen Square. Nearby is a large man-made lake, which could date back to the Yuan dynasty (Kublai Khan built lots of waterworks in and around Beijing).
The day isn't over. We still have a date with a Peking duck. But let me stop here for now. Our touring for the day is over.
This wall turns out to be part of the Bell Tower, which is at the northern extreme of the backbone of Beijing -- otherwise known as the dragon vein. From north to south on this axis you encounter the Bell and Drum Towers, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven and Yongdingmen Tower. It's really quite striking when seen from the air, though I am never that high. Here's an aerial view I stole off the web that shows the layout (Drum Tower at top).
Actually, the axis isn't quite north-south. It is aligned with the ancient city of Xanadu to the north (the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan empire) which that self-absorbed dandy of a prick Marco Polo was fond of writing about.
Much of today's outing is to explore the dragon vein, starting with the Bell Tower with its King of the Ancient Bells. I was hoping we'd get to ring it, but no such luck (they keep a closer guard on it than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia that I rang back in '79). Here's a shot of the Drum Tower to the south. Only a hundred meters away, it obscures the view of the Forbidden City beyond. The Bell Tower provides quite a vista in other directions, including the tantalizing sight of three mysterious mounds in the far distance. At first I'm thinking they're breasts. But after zooming in on them, I'm going to guess the pea is under the leftmost one. Beijing is filled with mysterious structures, which I glimpse throughout the week in our travels about the city. But on a trip like this, one must ask, Am I seeing the real Beijing? After all, we're all prone to showing our best sides. So in looking about from this vantage point I take note of this, and of this. What might someone less fond of the city choose to show us?
After the Drum Tower we head for an old part of Beijing with narrow alleys called hutongs. There we pair up in pedicabs. This is Galen and me. Galen is another of the feature length winners. He practices Muy Thai and Jiu Jitsu. During our ride, I have flashbacks of Pedicab Driver starring Sammo Hung. As we squeeze through the hutongs, I see pigeons (for food?). There's also little pocket plantings of Chinese noodle beans as well as squash. We have lunch in a local family's kitchen no doubt upgraded for tourists, but which lacks a restroom. For some reason I become fixated on the wall clock, whose numbers are all difference sizes for no apparent reason.
Then it's back on the bus and to Tiananmen Square, where everyone has to pass through an inspection station. Our two photographers have a rough time getting through. It's very stressful for them. Even once we're in, they get accosted time to time by guards. They don't take any photos or film footage while we're there. This is our guide Malinda. She wants us to stay close together in Tienenman Square. The concern is that if we drift apart, we become a bigger target for the guards. She explains how long noodles will stretch, then tells us, "Be like sticky rice, not noodles." At one point Malinda cautiously indicates where the big incident occurred back in the '80s, but we stay clear of that corner and take group photos near a big flag. Now, I'm not going to show a lot of the square because you've seen enough pictures of it, or you can find them online. But here's a lamp fixture that looked underappreciated. Also underappreciated is Alex (left). He reads scripts for a living. In fact, he read the 556 feature length film proposals and narrowed the choices down to a select few. The very final selection was made by some unknown individual. But from what I could glean from Alex, he all but sealed the deal. The oddest thing about Alex is that he laughs at my jokes, even the ones that go way over everyone else's head -- including my own.
I enjoy hanging out with Alex.
Next we go to the Forbidden City. Again, I'll go light on the photos because you can find a million of those on the web. This is Lily. If you see a photo of me, she more than likely took it. She is very accommodating in that regard. I suppose that last photo deserves some commentary. The day is hot, and this dude is badly in need of a break. He is walking off, removing his hat and loosening his clothing, when Lily accosts him. She has my camera and wants to take a photo of me with him. He is not happy about it but obliges. She takes several photos, all the while conversing with him. His mood slowly improves and he even laughs, and this is the best shot. Afterwards Lily tells me he was saying he charged to have his photo taken with me, but she countered that I charged to have my photo taken with him. He asked how much I was charging. Lily told him I charged twice whatever he was charging. That got the final photo.
Some in our group get approached by Chinese people wanting to have their picture taken alongside them. Cameron, who is very Caucasian, keeps getting the pretty-girl requests. Likewise Cody, who is maybe 6 foot 2. Then there is Pamela, who is black. She still doesn't have her luggage. It seems that someone with luggage identical to hers took hers by mistake. It has taken a full day to track it down by phone. When our facilitator asked when it could be picked it up, there was a long pause. "Where exactly is the luggage?" our facilitator then asked. Hainan island. I still don't know whether Pamela ever got it back. Anyway, Pamela is amused in the Forbidden City by all the families that pretend to be taking pictures of each other when in fact they're maneuvering about so as to catch her in the background. They really want a photo of her. She says she is the negro of the day.
At one point Cameron comes rushing back to our group all embarrassed. It seems a Chinese family was motioning to him, so he thought they wanted him in their photo. In fact, they were yelling at him to get out of the damned way.
I eventually wander off to explore by myself. Now, DM has been telling me that Santa Claus is becoming very popular in China, because he's such a good cultural fit with all his reds, and his cheer and portliness is like a happy Buddha. I haven't realized the extent of his acceptance until I spot a rooftop decoration of Santa with his sleigh and reindeer.
Later I come upon two cardboard boxes off in a corner that have Jackie Chan on them. What the hell is he selling now? On closer inspection, I see that he has his hands cupped like he's trying to conjure something. Maybe it’s just the lighting, but I swear his hands vibrate. Then, presto -- instant girl!
Eventually it's sticky rice time. We're supposed to gather at a pre-determined spot. As usual, some show up, some we have to wait for. As I come into the rendezvous area, I notice this Chinese boy running about. What catches my attention is just how totally Mongolian he is. I notice things like this these days because my film proposal takes place during the Yuan dynasty when the Mongols ruled China. And this boy, he's got the wide flat face, the large protruding cheekbones. He is just really striking, and I kick myself for not taking a photo as he's climbing steps and jumping about. As we're waiting for the others, this Chinese lady suddenly approaches me. She's gesturing to me about something, and then I see the camera in her hand. Okay, so she wants to take my photo. That's fine. It's about time I had my fifteen seconds of fame. Then she thrusts her boy at me. Son of a gun, it's the Mongol boy. He promptly clutches hold of my hand and stands next to me, sparking scattered laughter. So the mother and her relatives are all clustered there, taking photos, and suddenly our two cameramen are rushing to their side to photograph and film as well. I'm becoming aware of just how tall I am compared to this little boy. He's only about four. I'm towering over him, which means they have to shoot wide angle, and that just seems a shame, so I crouch down next to him so they can frame us better. The mom and relatives were about finished, but seeing this, they step closer and start taking more photos with gusto. Our cameramen snap and film away. Finally the mom motions to the boy to come away. But the boy, who still clutches my hand, objects loudly and points to our cameramen. After all, they're not done yet. So our cameramen take some more shots and footage, and only when they relent does the boy let go of my hand. The mom comes forward and thanks me and then they all head off.
Afterwards, Malinda comes up close to me and whispers, "You can't imagine how important that is to them. They'll likely print off that photo and it will end up on their living room wall and be a cherished item for years to come."
Later she tells the group what the mother had said, which is she wanted to get a photo of her boy with "gramps."
No, I don't have any photos of this. But if a DVD ever becomes available of our travels, it's very likely to be on there.
Finally everyone shows up, and then we climb up to this thing, and I have to ask, Are we still at the Forbidden City? I think so, though I'm not recalling exactly how we got to it. It may have just been a short walk. Anyway, we climb up to it, and from there we have quite a view in various directions. Visible in this shot is the Alien Egg, not to be confused with the Olympic Bird's Nest. It is situated near Tiananmen Square. Nearby is a large man-made lake, which could date back to the Yuan dynasty (Kublai Khan built lots of waterworks in and around Beijing).
The day isn't over. We still have a date with a Peking duck. But let me stop here for now. Our touring for the day is over.
I'm nobody's pony.
