- The Imperial Palace (former Forbidden City b/c the common people used to be barred from the interior) is big, and that’s about it.
- We’d fly back to China just to eat Peking Duck. It’s that good.
- The bird’s nest and water cube at the Olympic village are magical at night. Gorgeous. The village must have been breathtaking during the games.
The “too much time on my hands” version
Today we visited the Imperial Palace after a stroll through the massive Tian’Amnen Square. It’s a marvel to be seen strictly for its size, but not much else. You walk through one giant set of doors into a huge courtyard that contains a giant temple on the other side, which stands in front of a temple that contains another gigantic set of doors that lead into another huge courtyard, and so on and so forth. Maybe its beauty was dimmed to us because the weather was so crappy (and because we were not properly clothed for the frigid air), but the most intriguing part of our 2 hour tour through the grounds was the excited speech our tour guide Frank gave us about the emperor’s 3000 concubines (a 20 minute description versus the normal 2 minute synopsis that he provides. We think he likes the idea of having that many women at your beck and call). After experiencing Japan and its quaint and subtle beauty, we were impressed by this mark of Communism, but not blown away as we were with the changing leaves in Kyoto.
Exiting the Imperial Palace means plowing through a mass of trinket pushers, which Tim and I happily did to make way for the rest of the group. We were also assisted by the arrival of police, which sent the salespeople flocking to the street like the bacon/hot dog sales people scamper outside of the Hollywood Bowl when the cops come storming.
Once we made our way to the street, we took the city bus over to the hutongs, which are traditional communal housing areas that are slowly being plowed over in exchange for high rises and office towers. It’s these peeks at what China has always meant, not what it’s trying to mean, that we cherish when we rarely happen to stumble upon them. It’s the people that make up a country, not the huge structures contracted by wealthy businessmen and bureaucrats. It's the authenticity of this area that was so intriguing to encounter. It's a horrifically decrepit way to live, but it's a memoir of times past nonetheless, so we hope the portion we saw survives the city's expansion and growth.
We capped off the night with one of the greatest meals we’ve ever had; Peking Duck. My mom had raved about it after her trip to China, and all the books say it’s a must while here, but we had no idea how good it would really be. Frank took us on another ride on the 60 city bus (which has been the artery for our travels through Beijing) into a part of town that hasn’t been swallowed by the western monster. We walked through the restaurant's traditional doorway that contained specific pillars which signified this family was wealthy, but not married to another wealthy family (don't ask). Beyond the classic doorway, we passed through a gorgeous courtyard and into a private room overlooking the courtyard.
As food was laid onto our lazy Susan (a staple at Chinese restaurants due to the large average group of diners), we watched and listened about how to properly build a Peking duck roll (or burrito in our minds). We first grabbed a piece of skin that, after an initial crunch and burst of the richest flavor our pallets have ever experienced, our teeth melted into the inner layers of the skin. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. And that was just eating off the side plate of skin. We hadn’t even gotten to the meat yet. When we did get to the meat, we placed it on thin rice papers resembling miniature tortillas along with plum sauce, thinly sliced onions, and pieces of cucumber. Having prepared our rolls before the group was done with theirs, we were not able to wait any longer and stuffed it into our faces. We tried to be delicate and polite while eating the first roll, but after that, it was on. The flavors and textures are indescribable. I might give up buffalo wings if it meant a lifetime supply of these rolls, they’re that good. Not sure if Tania would give up Frankie’s pizza for it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t.
With our stomachs on cloud 9, we jumped in a few cabs with the rest of the group, and headed over to the Olympic village, which we heard was a much better site while it’s dark since they are gorgeous when lit. And boy is that correct!! We ran around the exterior of the bird’s nest and water cube like school kids on recess. These intricately designed buildings were massive, and so beautiful. We could only imagine how inspired and empowered our athletes were as they entered the gates. We didn’t get to go inside, but we didn’t care, for the exterior grounds were so enchanting. After being underwhelmed by the Imperial Palace due to it’s dull imperialistic feel, we were blown away by these modern beauties. Go USA!!!!
Oh, and based on its reaction on Tania, I’m thinking rice wine might be an alternative fuel for race cars.
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