Far East Coast, China

By Tasneem - On October 1, 1998, I found myself flying over the Himalayan range and the famous peak K2, over the Gobi desert, and into Beijing, China. My family often takes advantage of the opportunity afforded by having relatives and friends in far-flung places and this year, we decided to visit my father's brother's wife's sister's husband who was stationed in Beijing with his family. We arrived bleary-eyed and exhausted after the long flight, but the thrill of being in a new country soon woke us up. Because it was a national holiday, the anniversary of the formation of the People's Republic of China, we planned to go to Tiananmen Square where all the festivities were going to occur over the long weekend. However, since traffic was hellish with throngs of cars, busses, bicycles, and people standing still on the road-turned-parking-lot, we decided to forgo that evening’s entertainment and instead found a little out of the way barbecue restaurant for our first meal in China. We passed on the barbecued scorpion and stuck with the chicken and beef. We found the food quite tasty and unburdened by the heavy sauces found in the American versions of Chinese food. After a filling meal, we returned to our host’s house which was located in an artery of this city’s heart – close to the city center, but a bit away from the populace as it was the area set apart for many foreigners residing in Beijing. My eyes were dazzled by all the neon lights and advertisements glowing, blinking, and shining along the street below. If you have seen the movie “Blade Runner” then you'd have a good idea of what the scene looked like. Sliding the heavy drapes together, my room descended into darkness and I descended into sleep.

The next morning, I woke up early to the annoying screeches of a cuckoo clock that stated the time in Chinese and demanded that we “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” in English at 6am and every hour after that. On a walk around the neighborhood, we were amazed by all the western influence: McDonalds, Baskin Robbins, KFC, BK, and DQ around every corner. We browsed around a "Friendship Store" which is a huge government-run shopping area that caters to tourists, diplomatic envoys, and foreign and domestic visitors despite the fact that none of the sales staff appeared to speak any English. The multi-leveled mall had generic items such as groceries, stationery, and music, but it also had fashionable clothing and embroidery, jade and diamonds, and museum worthy art and antiques for sale.

We enjoyed roaming around the Friendship Store for a while and eventually seized the opportunity to experience the revelry at Tiananmen Square in the evening. It was packed. So many Chinese people in China! We were frequently stared at because (1) we were foreigners and (2) we had so many children with us. One old woman gently pulled my arm, waved, and smiled at me. Once my attention was secured, the rest of her family came over and with pantomime and hand gestures, asked if they could take our picture. Apparently, to the Chinese tourists celebrating National Day in Beijing, the foreign tourists were just as interesting to look at as the colorful, extravagant displays. The Square was bright with lights and lasers and beautifully decorated with flowers, topiary, and lanterns. As we returned to retrieve our car from the lot, we quickly learned how to cross the chaotic streets without getting flattened. We wedged ourselves in the middle of a group of bold pedestrians and moved with the crowd as they flowed across the street.

There are three things that I discovered that night about the Chinese: (1) even though it is incredibly crowded, they do not shove or push or jostle, (2) they do not hesitate to spit on the ground, so you have to watch your step, and (3) they let their kids run around with huge holes cut out of the bottom of their pants for easy access to the street to relieve themselves so, again, you really have to watch your step.

We started our next day rather early with a visit to a wax museum dedicated to the history of the Ming dynasty. The wax figures were remarkably lifelike and therefore creepy. My sister and I stared at a waxen soldier for quite some time waiting to see if he blinked, breathed, or moved. He didn't. The replica of the X'ian (pronounced Shee an) terra cotta warriors were very impressive both in their variety and their design. Apparently, the first emperor who unified China in 210 BC was buried with 7,000 or 8,000 life size soldiers, chariots, and horses, each with a different face or posture or clothing in an underground city. We didn't have time in our schedule to see the actual X’ian city, but the scaled-down replica was pretty amazing. The next stop was the Ming Tombs where we took a pleasant walk among stone animals and guards. Unfortunately, the tombs themselves left much to be desired, especially after paying the "foreigner's price" admission fee. My recommendation would be not to waste your time squeezing yourself along the dark, damp hallway and down the narrow, slick steps, pushing your way through the crowds, and lingering for only a moment at the tomb encased in glass before being spit back out into the courtyard.

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