Goldkeys Services: China: A Land of Change

Dynasty History
Date	Dynasty	Pronounced	Major Accomplishment(s)/Characteristic(s)	Capital(s)
2200 - 1557 BC	Xia	sheea	First dynasty historians believe existed.	Probably near Xi'an
1554 - 1045 BC	Shang	shä[ng]	An agricultural society that worshiped their ancestors. High priest caste practiced divination using oracle bones. Known for extraordinarily detailed Bronze vessels.	Probably near Xi'an
1045 - 221 BC	Zhou	joa	Divided into two periods, Western and Eastern.	Hao (near Xi'an)
1045 - 770 BC	Western Zhou		Chinese political concepts established.
770 - 221 BC	Eastern Zhou		Crucible of Chinese Culture. Confucius books become the cornerstones of the education system for more than 2,000 years.
221 - 207 BC	Qin	cheen	China united by first Emperor Qin, infamous for his ruthlessness. Original Great Wall built. Developed long lasting administrative institutions.	Xiányáng (near Xi'an)
206 BC - 220 AD	Han	han	Model for later dynasties. Expansion brought military conflict and commercial gain.	Xiányáng
221 - 265	Three Kingdoms		China is divided into three large kingdoms. Wei is north of Yangzi River. Wu is southeast and Shu is southwest.
265 - 316	Western Tsin		Much fighting. Power falls to Xiongnu Horsemen.
317 - 420	Eastern Tsin		Non-Han tribes fight for power.
420 - 589	Southern and Northern		Setup efficient administration system. Disbanded Buddhist temples confiscating much wealth.	Beijing
589 - 618	Sui	sü I	China reunited under one government. Administrative reform modeled on Han institutions. Restored strategic sections of Great Wall. Grand Canal built.	Chang'an/Xi'an
618 - 907	Tang	ta[ng]	Golden age of poetry and art. Chinese control of Silk Road re-established. Buddhism flourished.	Chang'an/Xi'an
907 - 960	Five Dynasties		Wars between contenders for the Mandate of Heaven, the belief that heaven gives wise and virtuous leaders a mandate to rule and removes the evil and corrupt.	Beijing (Liao Dynasty)
960 - 1270	Song	so[ng]	Divided into two periods, Northern and Southern.
960 - 1127	Northern Song		Great age of painting. Strong centralized government, renewal of Confucian learning, restoration of examination system that fosters a civilian dominated bureaucracy.	Kaifeng
1127 - 1270	Southern Song		Juchen Jin dynasty takes control of the North. Development of an urban culture. Commercial revolution facilitates growth of urban centers through influx of goods from around the country. Marco Polo arrives in China.	Hangzhou
1271 - 1368	Yuan	yu-'än	Mongols conquers China. Militarization of administrative organizations. Society split into four hierarchical categories. Trade flourished facilitated by expansion of Canal and road systems.	Winter: Dadu/Beijing & Summer: Shangdu
1368 - 1644	Ming	mi[ng]	China becomes a strong maritime nation. First European ships come to China. Construction of magnificent buildings, which still exist today.	Beijing & Nanjing
1644 - 1911	Qing	chi[ng]	Manchu rule. Reign of early Qing Emperors was time of great prosperity. Intellectually conservative and isolationism made China oblivious to technological and scientific advances in the rest of the world. Opium War. China's colonies lost to European powers. Boxer Rebellion against Chinese Christians and foreigners. Foreign troops defeated Boxers.	Beijing

Post Dynasty/Pre-Communism
Date	Event
1911 - 1912	Chinese Revolution: Sun Yat-sen, considered to be the father of modern China, elected and serves as President of United Provisional Republic of China.
1912	Republicans ask Yuan Shikai, head of the Imperial Army, for assistance in gaining the Emperor's abdication. Afterwards Yuan forces Sun Yat-sen's resignation.
1913	Yuan dissolves provisional government and amends constitution to make himself president for life. Sun Yat-sen's second revolution in southern provinces fails.
1915	Yuan declares imperial restoration, and makes himself Emperor of a new Dynasty.
1916	Warlord period: Yuan dies. Contenders for powers fight, beginning Civil War.
1917	WWI: China joins Allies.
1920 - 1926	Civil War between warlords continues. Strikes. Kuomintang emerges as dominant political force. Kuomintang trains National Revolutionary Army (NRA).
1921	Communist Party founded in Shanghai, with support from Soviet Communist party.
1922	Communist Party joins with Kuomintang.
1925	Sun Yat-sen dies. Kuomintang power struggle begins between Communists and supporters of Chiang Kaishek who want a capitalist government led by the wealthy and supported by the military.
1926	Northern Expedition: Led by Chiang, NRA attempts to end communist influence. As NRA advances on Shanghai, workers called to strike and take control of key installations. Reign of terror against Communists begins.
1928	Kuomintang: Northern Expedition of Kumingtang reaches Beijing and establishes government. Other half of China remains under local warlord's control. Many social problems.
1930 - 1935	Extermination Campaign: Kuomintang led by Chiang. War against Communist forces escalates. Communist strategy is guerilla warfare. In each attack, Kuomintang is defeated and Communists expand their territory.
1931	Japanese Invade Manchuria: Setup puppet state with the last Qing Emperor as leader, whose life is portrayed in the movie "The Last Emperor".
1933	Some Communists change strategy to open battles and suffer heavy losses.
1934	The Long March: Communists retreat to Shaanxi. On their way, confiscate property of officials, landlords and tax collectors. Redistribute land to peasants. Arm locals and assign soldiers to organize guerilla troops to harass enemy. Mao Zedong established as supreme leader.
1937	Japanese Invasion: Japanese launch all-out invasion, which captures most of Eastern China.
1939	Kuomintang retreats to Chongqing.
1941	Americans join Kuomintang in fight against Japanese.
1948 - 1949	Three battles between Communists and Kuomintang. Communists capture all major southern cities.
1949	On October 1, Mao proclaims the formation of the Peoples Republic of China. Kuomintang flees to Formosa (Taiwan) where they continue to maintain the myth that they control the government.

Communist China
Date	Event
1950's	Government Institutes: Land reform, recognizes role of women and curbs inflation thereby facilitating economic restoration. Industrial production restored to pre-war level. Land re-distribution. People organized by work units. Re-education of suspect intellectuals. Strict ideological control of writers, artists and filmmakers, based on Mao's writings.
1953 - 1958	Five year plan: Yields good industrial production but inadequate agricultural output.
1957	Hundred Flowers: Relaxation of restrictions on control of writers, artists and film-makers resulted in many complaints on all facets of communism. Anti-rightist campaign launched. 300,000 intellectuals labeled as rightists, removed from their jobs and incarcerated or sent to labor camps for thought reform.
1958	The Great Leap Forward: Program to create massive agricultural communes includes many people from urban and rural areas who participate in water control and irrigation projects. Development of small, local industry. Profit goes into agricultural development. Attempt to abolish money and all private property. Blast furnishes built in backyards to increase steel production. With no incentive to work in fields, grain production falls.
1959 - 1960	Widespread famine kills between 30 and 60 million. Mao resigns as head of government but remains Chairman of Communist party.
1966 - 1970	Cultural Revolution: Attempt to quickly create new socialist structures by purging the arts, and anyone viewed as an opponent to Mao. Red Guard established. Many universities and schools closed. Anyone with a slightly suspect background, including those with a family member living abroad, is sent to re-education. Most publications stopped. Temples, monasteries and Chinese artifacts are destroyed or closed. All organizations for any purpose other than communism are disbanded and many of their members killed. Result was the purge of all who could be a threat to Mao.
1972	U.S. President Nixon visits China resulting in improved relations between USA and Peoples Republic of China.
March 1976	First Tiananmen Incident.
Sept. 1976	Mao's death: Mao's supported successor, Hua Goufeng becomes China's premier and chairman of the Communist Party. The Gang of Four, a hard-line group of Communists, including Mao's wife, announces opposition to Hua. Hua has the Gang of Four accused of orchestrating the Cultural Revolution and arrested. When the arrest is announced there are celebrations throughout China. The trial is not held until 1980.
1980's	Deng Xiaoping becomes Premier. Hu Yaobang becomes Communist Party chairman. Final power passes to the collective leadership of the six-member Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Economic restructuring begins. Special Economic Zones established on the coast adjacent to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Over 15 years, China averages annual economic growth of 9 percent. The Communist Party continues to control all public life.
1987	Hong Kong returns to China.
1999	Macau returns to China.

Day Two: May 10, Thursday

We have crossed the international dateline and arrive at Narita airport in Tokyo. As usual, we disembark last. Our layover is not too long, only three hours. We are happy that an attendant wheels me down the runway to our next flight. Steve and I board early.

The flight goes quickly. I eat a little but mostly sleep. We are glad to reach our final destination of Beijing. After disembarking, an attendant takes us right through passport control and customs. We find our guide, Linda, and she directs us to meet two other members of our tour who are waiting by baggage. We introduce ourselves to Jean and Paul and we learn that they live in California near San Jose but are originally from New Hampshire. It's not too long before two other couples arrive. One is Carolyn and Chalmers who are also from California, not too far from where Jean and Paul live. The third couple we meet tonight is Beth and Art who are from New York City.

Our luggage arrives and we go to the bus with Linda. Linda tells us that there is one more couple in our tour group. They arrived earlier today and we will meet them tomorrow.

Steve and I are happy to reach our hotel. We're tired from the trip and go right to sleep.

Day Three: May 11, Friday

Breakfast is good. I am delighted to find some Chinese dumplings. We eat with two women from Japan who are also touring China. It is interesting to meet tourists from other countries. After breakfast, we meet our tour group in the Lobby. This morning our entire tour group has gathered. We meet the fifth couple, Yona and Dan. They live in Miami, FL but are originally from Israel. It seems we have a nice mix of people in our group and we look forward to enjoying our China tour with them. Today we begin our Beijing experience.

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China, so currently it is considered the center of the Chinese universe, as it has been for the last several hundred years. This city is China's Showcase.

History of Beijing

To appreciate Beijing, I find it useful to start with its history. During the periods that the city was the national capital, its history overlaps with the history of China.
The earliest record of settlement in Beijing is from approximately 1000 BC. It developed as a frontier trading town for Mongols, Koreans, and tribes from Shandong and central China.
The latter part of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, from 453 to 221 BC, is known as the Warring States Period. By this time, Beijing had grown and became the capital of the Yan Kingdom. During the Liao Dynasty, which was part of the period of the Five Dynasties (907 AD to 959 AD), Beijing was called Yanjing which means capital of Yan. I find it interesting that today Yanjing is the name of Beijing's most popular beer.
In 1206, Genghis Khan united Mongrel tribes into the "Blue Mongols". In 1211, he targeted China, but it took him two years to penetrate the Great Wall. In 1215, in true Genghis fashion, he captured Yanjing, setting fire to the city and slaughtering every one in sight. Yanjing was renamed Dadu, meaning "Great Capital". It was also known as Khanbaliq, which means "the Khan's town". The city was re-built and from 1280 to 1300 Dadu was part of the Silk Road.
However, rulers in other parts of China resisted Genghis Khan. In addition, there were problems in the Mongol camp and other Mongols were waging campaigns in Russia. All of this meant that Genghis Khan's conquest of the rest of China was delayed. In 1279, the grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, won control of Southern China. So began the Yuan Dynasty, also known as the Mongol Reign. The empire that they controlled was the largest empire that had ever existed in the world. The Mongols established two capitals, the winter capital of Dadu (Beijing) and the summer capital of Shangdu. The latter was in Inner Mongolia, to the north. The Yuan Dynasty is known for its administrative changes, which included militarization of administrative offices. Society was split into four hierarchical classes, 1) Mongols, 2) Mongol Central Asians allies, 3) Northern Chinese and 4) Southern Chinese. The Mongols ruled harshly. However economically they interfered less than many of the preceding dynasties. As work on China's canal system and roads continued, trade became easier and the commercial revolution continued. International trade also increased. Heavy taxes were levied on all except those exempt because they were Mongolian descendents.
By the middle of the 14th century, the country was in another state of rebellion. In 1368, a mercenary, Zhu Yanhang, led an uprising that over took Beijing and began the Ming Dynasty. The establishment of the Ming Dynasty restored Chinese rule. Zhu Yanhang changed his name to Hongwu. He moved the capital back to Nanjing. Hongwu became a strong leader, doing much to rebuild China. However he ordered paranoid purges of his administration, in which 10,000 scholars and their families were killed.
The third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Yongle, moved the seat of Imperial power back to the old Yuan capital. The city was renamed Beijing which meant Northern Peace. It was during this time that many of the historical highlights were built, including the Forbidden City and Tian Tán (the Temple of Heaven). Yongle ruled his court more humanely and was effective in protecting the Great Wall against the Mongols. China became a strong maritime nation. Zheng He, an eunuch General, led seven expeditions to Southeast Asia, Persia, Arabia and eastern Africa.
The Ming Dynasty lasted from 1368 to 1644. Official corruption, excessive eunuch power, intellectual conservatism and aiding Korea in its defense against Japan brought China to bankruptcy. Government neglect of a famine in Shaanxi led to a massive peasant rebellion.
The Manchus, from the north, launched an invasion. At first they were held back by the Great Wall. However, a Ming general viewed an alliance with the Manchus as China's hope for defeating the present rebellion. He allowed the Manchus passage over the Great Wall. In June 1644, after defeating the peasant forces, the Manchus entered Beijing and began the Qing Dynasty. It took four decades before they cleared Ming loyalists from South China and brought the country to peace. The "triads" are descendants of the secret societies which resisted the Manchus. I find it interesting that "Triads" evolved into today's modern secret societies believed to run criminal activity.
The Qing Dynasty ruled China from 1644 to 1911. The early Qing period (1663 to 1796) experienced great prosperity. Beijing was expanded and renovated. Summer palaces, pagodas and temples were constructed. Emperors expanded the empire by capturing Mongolia and Tibet. There was reduced taxation, widespread flood control, and increased use of irrigation. All of this benefited the peasants. Three very competent Emperors led this early part of the Qing Dynasty, resulting in concentration of power at the highest level.
During the last 120 years of Qing Dynasty, Beijing and therefore China experienced power struggles, invaders and chaos. With succeeding Qing Dynasty Emperors, the level of corruption regressed to the level of the Ming Dynasty. Isolationism and intellectual conservatism prevailed. As an inward looking nation, the technological and scientific revolutions of Europe went unrecognized. When Europeans came to China, this last Dynasty could not match western weaponry.
In 1516, Portuguese ships brought the first Europeans to China. It wasn't until 1760 that the British, Dutch and Spanish gained secure access to Chinese markets. A guild, known as the Cohong, presided over all trade. It was located in Guangzhou, which is close to the southern coast of China and was able to keep foreigners out of the political center of Beijing. Trade flourished, in China's favor. British purchased larger quantities of tea, silk and porcelain than Chinese purchased of wood and spices. In 1773, the British East Indian Company, acting for King George III, sent a protected envoy bearing gifts to the Emperor. With the goal of avoiding the restrictions of the Cohong, the envoy requested greater trade for Britain and a diplomatic residence in Beijing.
The Emperor refused Britain's request, stating that if the foreign envoy remained in the capital the harmony of the Chinese Celestial Empire would be upset. This venture cost the British East Indian Company heavily. However, it wasn't a total loss because the company discovered opium, an item that would improve its position. Chinese addiction to opium grew at a phenomenal pace, as did British sales and profits. In 1773, 1000 chests were purchased. By 1832, sales had increased to 23,570 chests, even though the Imperial Palace had declared a war on drugs. A chest held approximately 150 pounds of opium.
In March 1839, Lin Zexiu was sent to stop the illegal opium trade. Eventually he confiscated approximately 20,000 chests of opium in British possession. This act and some other incidents prompted the British government to take military action against China. In 1840, a naval force assembled in Macau. They moved north, close to Beijing. So began the Opium War.
The British easily defeated the Chinese. The Qing court negotiated a treaty with the British forces. However neither side recognized it. The British soon attacked Chinese forces nearby Guangzhou. A subsequent treaty leased Hong Kong to the British, awarded Britain 6,000,000 yuan and established full resumption of trade. The Qing Emperor refused to recognize this treaty. In 1841, British forces moved up the coast again, capturing the province of Fujian and part of Zhejiang. By spring 1842, Britain had sent a great number of reinforcements. Once again British troops were on the move, this time they progressed up the Yangtze River. By the time they reached Nanjing, the morale of the Emperor's troops had dissipated. The Chinese signed a humiliating treaty.
In 1860, during the second Opium war, Anglo-French troops marched in and burned the Old Summer Palace to the ground. Following this Opium War, many events occurred that proved China was unequipped to deal with the demands of the Western powers. Rebellions within China weakened the Qing Emperors. The activities of Missionaries had enhanced hatred of "foreign devils" and increased rebellion. China's population was growing and there was a scarcity of arable land. The strength and caliber of China's Emperors continued to decline. From 1856 until his death, there was increasing influence on the Emperor from his favorite concubine, Cixi. From 1875 to 1908, as the Dowager Empress she exerted a great deal of political influence. She viewed any attempt to reform the ancient institutions of the empire as a threat.
All over Asia, the West was gaining power. From 1883 to 1885, a war between China and France rewarded the western power control of Vietnam. Later France also gained control of Laos and Cambodia. The British invaded Burma. In 1895, Japan captured Korea and made the Chinese turnover Taiwan to them. By 1898, the remainder of China appeared close to total Western control. The United States made a proposal for an "open door" policy. This policy proposed making China open to trade with any foreign power.
Rebellions to overthrow the Qing Dynasty began. The Taiping were a group of fanatics who led the first major rebellion. However it was unsuccessful because the Qing forces received support from Westerners. Foreign powers preferred to deal with the corrupt Qing Imperial leadership more than a powerful, united China governed by the Taipings.
The second group to lead a major rebellion was the Righteous Harmonious Fists, also known as the Boxers. Originating in Shandong in 1898, this group came from secret societies trained in the martial arts. They were strongly against foreigners and saw the 20th century as a New Age in which they would be indestructible by foreign bullets. The Boxers traveled in poorly organized groups and attacked Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries. In 1900, the Empress Dowager tried to use their anti-foreign bias to declare war on foreign powers. The combined forces of the United States, Britain, France, Japan and Russia easily defeated the Boxers. The Empress fled from Beijing while the victorious forces demanded their troops be stationed in Beijing to protect their embassies.
By this time the Empress Dowager realized China's need for reform. Civil service examinations based on 2,000 year old Confucius doctrine were ceased. However, no other reform was taken seriously, so very little real change occurred. Secret societies, with the goal of overpowering the Qing Dynasty, became common. Even Chinese who had left their homeland to get away from its archaic traditions, set up overseas organizations. In 1908, the Empress Dowager passed away and Emperor Puyi, at the age of two, ascended to the throne. Hollywood documented his life in the movie "The Last Emperor".
The Railway Protection Movement and the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 contributed to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. The public was angry that new railroads were being financed and built by foreigners. Chinese investors were not allowed to participate in such ventures. As local leaders opposed such foreign investment, violence spread and adopted an anti-Qing focus. The worst violence occurred far from Beijing, where a bomb was set off accidentally. However, it drew the authority's attention to the revolutionaries. This led the revolutionary group to the infamous Double Tenth, a strike against national forces made on October 10, 1911. The rebels were quickly victorious. Large-scale Railway Protection uprisings occurred throughout China. Two months later representatives from China's 17 provinces met in Nanjing and established the Provisional Republican Government, ending China's long history of dynasties.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Sun Yat-sen and the Kuomintang, also known as the KMT or Nationalist Party, became the dominant political force. The leaders of the Provisional Republican Government were unable to force the Emperor's abdication. They requested that the head of the Imperial Army, Yuan Shikai, negotiate the abdication promising him the presidency if he succeeded. He obtained the abdication and placed himself at the head of the Republican movement. Yuan dissolved the Provisional Republican Government and amended the Constitution making himself president for the remainder of his life. In 1915, this met with regional opposition, so he declared Imperial restoration and made himself China's Emperor. He sent his forces to recapture the South. During this time Yuan died. For the next three decades, no single power was strong enough to hold the country together.
In 1919, Beijing again became the focal point of Chinese history, when Beijing University evolved into a hotbed of intellectual dissent, protesting the traditional Chinese lifestyle. The University drew scholars from all over China. The Communist Manifesto was translated into Chinese and widely discussed. The May Fourth Movement of 1919 is a landmark of contemporary Chinese history. The Allies in Versailles decided to pass Germany's holdings in Shandong to the Japanese. On this day, students publicly protested, showing nationalist outrage and demanding modernization. Throughout China there were massive strikes to support the students. Authorities gained control of the disturbances and imprisoned the leaders.
In 1926, a group of Kuomintang who favored a capitalist government formed in southeastern China and began the Northern Expedition. Its goals were to end the influence of communism and obtain the power of the remaining warlords. In 1928, the Northern Expedition reached Beijing and established a national government. Chiang Kaishek was both military and political leader. However, he controlled only half of the country. Local warlords ruled the other half. Although China was riddled with many social problems, Chiang's focus was on keeping the Communists in check.
The Communists were divided into two groups. One group wanted to concentrate on large urban centers and the other wanted to focus on the countryside. After defeats in the cities, favor shifted towards Mao Zedong and Zhu De who headed the group which wanted to be rural based. Some Communists led uprisings were successful. However the Communist armies were still small and had little resources. Guerrilla warfare became their style. Their strategy was to stay mobile and use their forces for short attacks. By 1930, Communist forces numbered approximately 40,000. Posing a serious threat to Chiang Kaishek and the Kuomintang, Chiang launched extermination campaigns against the Communists. With each campaign, the Communists were victorious and continued to expand their territory.
The fifth extermination campaign started in October 1933. The Communists changed their strategy. Members of the party who were undermining the authority of Mao and Zhu began meeting Chiang's forces in open pitched battles. This was disastrous and they suffered heavy losses. By October 1934, the Communists were forced into a small area in Jiangxi and retreated to China's Northern Mountains. The "Long March" was the movement of several Communist armies in the South to meet the troops assembling in the Northern Mountains. The most famous portion began in October 1934, covered 8,000 miles of some of the world's worst terrain, and took a year to complete. During the march, Communists confiscated property of officials, landlords and tax collectors. They redistributing land to peasants and armed them with weapons won from the Kuomintang. As they moved towards Beijing, the Communists left soldiers to organize local groups to continue to harass the enemy. Only 20,000 of 90,000 Communists reached their destination. The losses were due to fatigue, sickness, exposure, enemy attacks and desertion. Even with such large tolls, it was obvious that Chinese peasants could fight if provided with leadership and organization. The march also brought together many of the people who would hold top positions once the Communists gained power. Mao established himself as leader when the communist party hierarchy recognized his leadership. From that time forward he held responsibility for strategy.
Meanwhile, in 1931, the Japanese invaded and occupied Manchuria. They set up a puppet state and brought back the last Qing Emperor to serve as its head. In 1937, the Japanese launched a massive invasion. By 1939, they captured most of eastern China. In 1941, the United States, having entered World War II, sent forces to China to improve the Chinese army's combat skills. However Chiang's objective was to save his troops for the upcoming battle with the Communists. By the end of World War II, the fighting between the Communists and Kuomintang had become a Civil War. By 1948, the Communists had enough victories for their forces to equal the Kuomintang. By October, the Communists controlled all major cities in southern China. Three monumental battles were fought in 1948 and 1949. The Kuomintang lost hundreds of thousands of its troops when they defected to join the Communists.
In Beijing on October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Chiang Kaishek fled to Taiwan, with the country's reserves of gold, his remaining Air Force and Navy and many national works of art. Approximately two million refugees and soldiers went with him. President Truman ordered a protective United States blockade. The United States recognized Chiang Kaishek as the leader of China.
In its early days, the People's Republic of China was in bad shape. It was bankrupt and the economy was in chaos with high inflation and a legacy of mismanagement left by the Kuomintang. There were only 19,200 kilometers of railroad and 76,800 kilometers of passable roads. Both were in bad condition. Irrigation systems were inoperable. The number of livestock was low. Industrial production and agricultural output was about half of what it had been before the war with Japan.
In the 1950s, the Communists began land reform programs, slowed inflation and allowed women to assume a more modern role. Using the Soviet model, China adopted a five-year plan and was able to increase production in most areas. The Communist Party imposed social control by organizing people according to their work units. The party divided China into 21 provinces, with three autonomous regions and two municipalities, Beijing and Shanghai.
While economic development was favorable, large social problems still existed. Many Kuomintang intellectuals had stayed in China. Some Chinese returned from overseas to assist with their country's liberation. Both groups were required to participate in extensive re-education programs in universities dedicated to that purpose. Re-education consisted of intensive study including self-criticism and hard labor. Each had to write an "autobiography" before graduating. Writers, artists and filmmakers who were not sent to re-education had to work by strict ideological controls based on Mao's writings.
While the first five-year plan was successful in the industrial sector, agriculture did not do as well. Mao believed that this could be corrected by creating massive agricultural communes and bringing together large numbers of people from the country and cities into projects designed to control water and irrigation. The party attempted to abolish money and private property. Everyone had to build backyard furnaces to increase steel production. Since there was a great lack of iron ore, peasants melted down tools, pots, pans and doorknobs to make their quota. For centuries, there had been a shortage of wood for cooking and construction. Now furniture, doors and wooden buildings were used to feed the fires.
Soon it became obvious that steel produced this way was worthless. With so many people working in steel production, not enough people were left to achieve adequate agricultural yields. In 1959, there was a long stretch of bad weather and the Soviet Union withdrew its aid in 1960. Disaster struck but the government hid the facts and did not seek foreign assistance. China suffered a great famine. Between 30,000,000 and 60,000,000 people starved to death. Mao resigned his position as Head of State, but remained Chairman of the Communist Party.
During the late 1960's, the Red Guard formed as students were issued red armbands and took to the streets. Mao reviewed large parades of the Red Guard who chanted and waved copies of the "Little Red Book", a famous compilation of Mao's teachings. The Red Guard rampaged throughout the country.
During 1966 to 1970, the Cultural Revolution engulfed China. It was an attempt to create a new socialist structure in a very brief time by a process of Revolution. The Cultural Revolution began with a play that criticized Mao. Mao responded with a purge of the arts. All of his opponents were also purged. At Beijing University, wall posters were hung attacking the administration. Intellectuals, writers and artists were killed or sent to re-education. Science and art publications were halted. Religious institutions were destroyed. By the end of January 1967, the Peoples Liberation Army was ordered to break up all "counter revolutionary organizations", defined as any group with interests contrary to theirs. It's estimated that thousands of Chinese were killed.
The Cultural Revolution was a disaster, making victims out of large numbers of Chinese. Although most authorities hold the "Gang of Four" responsible, many scholars hold that Mao was behind this policy. The Gang of Four consisted of Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, and three leaders of her constituency. From Mao's perspective, one of the few benefits was that the Peoples Liberation Army achieved deeper penetration within government organizations.
During the years immediately following the Cultural Revolution, some political stability returned. Zhou Enlai became the strongest influence in the day-to-day government. Zhou and his constituents led the country as moderates. They worked towards restoring international trade and contacts. In 1972, President Richard Nixon visited Beijing, improving relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Zhou passed away in 1976.
Mao's chosen protege, Hua Guofeng, became acting Premier. As a Maoist, he was not moderate. China was back in the hands of the radical leftists. Zhou's death and public anger at the radical government, led to the Tiananmen Square Incident in March of 1976. It is tradition that during the Qing Ming Festival, Chinese honor the dead. Crowds gathered in Tiananmen Square to place wreaths to honor Zhou, recite poems, give speeches and display posters. The contents of the poems, speeches and posters criticized the radicals as much as they eulogized Zhou. An emergency session of the Politburo, the policy making body of the Communist party, was called. With Mao's approval, the group gathered in Tiananmen Square was labeled counter revolutionary. On April 15, the police attempted to remove the wreaths from the Square. The crowd fought the police and burned their vehicles. During the night, militia of 30,000 moved into the Square, beating and arresting several hundred protesters. Blame was placed on Deng, a moderate who still held several government posts. He was relieved of his post, fled from Beijing and disappeared.
In 1974, Mao was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, a disorder that leads to paralysis and death. During the last few years of his life he was not ambulatory, received food through a feeding tube and his speech could not be understood. He died on Sept. 8th, 1976. At about the same time the Gang of Four announced their opposition to Mao's successor, Hua Guofeng. With backing from the Politburo, Hua Guofeng had the Gang of Four arrested. Since so much of China held great animosity toward the Gang of Four, there was celebration throughout the country. Their trial was not held until 1980. During the trial, Jiang Qing, Mao's wife, uttered her famous line, "[I] was Chairman Mao's dog -- whoever he told me to bite, I bit ". Jiang Qing was sentenced to the death. She lived under house arrest until 1991, when she hung herself.
Between 1977 and 1981, China's political power passed to the six member standing committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The country had many problems and greatly needed modernization. The committee began reforms with the goal of economic reconstruction. The "Responsibility System" allowed households and factories in rural China to sell their quota surpluses in an open market. Special Economic Zones were created along the coast. Annual growth rates reached nine percent and this rate continued for 15 years, a great accomplishment. However, there has been little political change. The Communist Party continues to control all public life, the Army, the government, the courts and industry. Official corruption is widespread.
In the late 1980s, inflation reached 30 percent. Widespread social unrest resulted in a call for a return to the "good old days under Mao". On April 22, 1989, the country's leaders met in the Hall of the People to mourn the death of one of their moderate leaders, Hu Yaobang. Outside of the building, 150,000 students and activists held their service. It became a massive pro-democracy protest. Throughout April, crowds continue to gather in Tiananmen Square. By the middle of May, the number of protesters grew to almost one million. Workers and even police joined in. In approximately 20 other cities, protests began. Approximately 3,000 students began a hunger strike for democracy in Tiananmen Square. The railway supported this by providing students with free fare to Beijing. The "Goddess of Democracy", a statue similar to America's Statue of Liberty, was constructed by students of Beijing's Art Institute. Many speeches called for free press and an end to corruption and nepotism. News of this uprising was broadcast throughout the world. The famous picture of one student on a street in Beijing, stopping a tank by standing in front of it was taken during this time. On May 20, 1989, martial law was declared. On June 4th, a division of the Army attacked the crowd in Tiananmen Square. The number of deaths is likely to never be known. Estimates indicate hundreds died and casualties were in the thousands. The political climate of the country returned to repression.

On the bus, Linda gives us a brief overview of a few topics. The first is money. Steve had already figured out the exchange rate conversion formula: divide by 10, then multiply by 1.2 and round up. China is safe but each of us should look out for pickpockets, especially at tourist sites. Tiananmen Square Gate means heavenly. Beijing is considered the center of the country, politically speaking.

The Communists changed Beijing significantly to achieve their own image. They removed commemorative arches and destroyed blocks of buildings to widen major roadways. To achieve better traffic patterns, the outer walls were removed between 1950 and 1952. Soviet experts and technicians encouraged monuments of Communist style. In the 1980s and 1990s, capitalist reforms attracted foreign money. New high rises, highways and shopping malls were constructed. Evidence of all of this can be seen at our first stop, Tiananmen Square. As one of Mao's most famous creations, it is the place of a great deal of recent history, including the Tiananmen Square Incident and the Tiananmen Massacre (discussed above). It is huge! During the Cultural Revolution, Mao would review troops of up to one million people here. On his death, one million people crowded into the Square to mourn him. Today it is an enormous recreational area.

On one side is the long Great Hall of the People, Rénmín Dàhuìtáng. This is China's Congress building. Linda tells us that the legislative body meets only once every four years. Mao Zedong's mausoleum, Mao Zhuxí Jìniàntáng, is on an adjoining side. A long line of people is waiting outside to view Mao's body. On one side of the building there is a statue of a line of Chinese workers. We comment that the statue is of typical communist style. If our time was not so short, Steve says he would like to see the mausoleum.

In the center of the Square there is a statue called Rénmín Yingxióng Jìniànbei or, in English, Monument to the People's Heroes. There are chains surrounding it to prevent people from climbing up its stairs. I think, "Isn't this an oxymoron?" At the top of the stairs, military guards stand in front of the bottom of the statue. The statue is quite high, perhaps 10 stories. The Chinese Revolutionary History Museum occupies another side of the Square. We missed the daily flag raising ceremony which is performed at sunrise (oh, well). There are many, many people here today but the Square is not crowded. Hawkers, calling out "Postcards, $1", approach us.

Steve decides to purchase a "Little Red book" for our Chachka. It is our tradition to purchase a Chachka in each country we visit. A Chachka has three characteristics. It must be small enough to carry, it must be something one is likely to find in the home of a native and the price must be reasonable. In the early 1960's, a collection of Mao's sayings were compiled into a book, known as the "Little Red book". At first, all members of the Peoples Liberation Army studied the book. Later it became part of the general education system.

Tiananmen: the Gate of Heavenly Peace

At the head of the Square is Tiananmen, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, entrance to the Imperial City. Tiananmen was built in the 15th century and restored in the 17th century. The gate consists of an imposing, wide building on top of which sits a smaller building with two-tiered roof. This functioned as the stand from which proclamations were delivered to the masses that assembled in front of the gate. Standing in front of this structure, I can visualize such events.

The gate has five doors or arches. Mao's portrait still hangs over the middle arch. On October 1, 1949, Mao proclaimed the People's Republic from Tiananmen. We see Chinese characters on either side of Mao's picture. To the left, is the slogan "Long Live the People's Republic of China". To the right, it says "Long Live the Unity of the Peoples of the World". During Imperial times, only the Emperor was allowed to enter through the center door.

Linda asks our group if we would like a group picture taken in front of Tiananmen. We all agree that we would, so she arranges this. The pictures will be developed and delivered to our hotel. She will collect our money and distribute the photographs tonight. Later I read in our guidebook that this is the required backdrop for pictures that Chinese people take of themselves. I am amazed at the number of tourists, mostly oriental, in front of the gate.

(Note: I'll use this International Access symbol whenever I'm writing some information that may be of particular interest to others who have disabilities.) One enters the gate by climbing many stairs. To one side of the Square, I see an access symbol. It marks a ramped entrance to a pedestrian subway and the Forbidden City. Linda thoughtfully takes our group to the entrance with the access symbol.

The Forbidden City is really two cities, with one City inside the next. Each becomes more impressive as one moves towards the center. The first city is called the Outer Court or Imperial City. Used for ceremonial purposes, its size is 720 meters by 960 meters. The Inner Court, which is the actual Forbidden City, was the Emperor's living quarters and contains twelve Palaces, six on the east side and six on the west. There are a total of 9,999 rooms because nine is a lucky number. Linda remarks that in the old days the Chinese were very superstitious. We walk through several buildings and are impressed.

The Forbidden City

At the entrance of each building, there are a good number of stairs, which I climb with Steve's help. The first building has approximately one and a half flights of stairs, divided into three parts. The members of our group are very helpful. While Steve is assisting me, our new friends carry my wheelchair up the stairs. Once we are through each building, we exit by going down more stairs. I get back in my chair and Steve pushes me through another large court to the next building. There are several buildings, which I can be pushed around. At these, Steve goes up into the building and determines whether it is interesting enough for me to do the stairs. It is quite hot and we try to conserve our energy wherever possible. Based on Steve's recommendation, I don't go into a few of the buildings. While waiting for the group to look at the buildings, I have an opportunity to observe the other tourists. There are many groups, mostly oriental. Many of the oriental groups wear a specific hat. I guess that this is so they can easily identify their guide and each other.

The Forbidden City, Zijìn Chéng, was the residence of 24 Emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was off-limits to the general public for 500 years. The Emperors didn't leave this complex except for emergencies and to go to the Summer Palace. Between 1406 and 1420, Emperor Yongle designed the basic layout. He commanded up to one million laborers to build this palatial city. As the Emperors became engulfed in the self-contained city, they allocated increasing amounts of power to their court eunuchs. One of the Emperors spent all of his time doing carpentry. He was delighted when an earthquake struck because it gave them a chance to renovate the city. Usually an earthquake was considered an ominous sign for the Emperor.

The palace was often going up in fire because so much of it was made of wood. Lantern festivals and firework displays did not include enough safeguards to prevent the destruction. A moat around the palace was used to put out the fires because the fire brigade was considered too lowly for such a task. In 1664, the Manchus stormed the palace and burned it to the ground. In addition to the buildings, valuable books, paintings and scrolls were lost. In the 20th century, there were two major lootings of the palace. Japanese forces committed the first. The second was done by the Kuomintang who removed thousands of Chinese artifacts so they could take them to Taiwan. Several years ago we were lucky enough to see these treasures in Taipei's National Palace Museum. Had the Kuomintang not been successful in removing these treasures, the Communists probably would have destroyed them during the Cultural Revolution.

We reach the entrance to the Forbidden City, the inner city. It is breathtaking! There are five marble bridges, which make up the Meridian Gate. The Meridian Gate was considered to be in the center of the world. Each signifies one of the five major teachings of Confucius, benevolence, rites, righteousness, intelligence and fidelity. During the Ming Dynasty, drums were sounded and bells rung to announce the coming and leaving of the Emperor. We visit three Houses of Harmony before we get to the Emperor's living quarters. The living quarters are made up of bedrooms and living rooms. When one Emperor dies, the next Emperor, usually his son, chooses a new bedroom. This is because the new Emperor doesn't want to live in a room where there was a recent death. We visit the living quarters of the Empress. They are around a courtyard. The Empress lived on one side and the concubines occupied another.

I am beginning to realize that China is the land of stairs. However what I am seeing and experiencing is worth the struggle. So far, what we are seeing is massive and beautiful. I find it no wonder that so many people are visiting. The Ceremonial Hall is ornately decorated. There are many halls, even one where the Imperial clothes were delivered each year. The architecture is Ming style, big roofs of tile, glazed wooden buildings, red and yellow. In China, these colors are the colors of the royal family. Red signifies good luck and yellow stands for royalty. Sea animals are on the roof because it was believed that they would bring water to protect the wooden buildings from fire.

We walk through the Imperial Garden in which we see trees, bushes and large rocks. On the way out of the Forbidden City, we stop at our first souvenir shop. I'm sure it will be the first of many. There is a young woman painting small round shapes which are inside of a larger object. She uses a very fine brush. Her works are quite expensive but we are so impressed with their beauty and her skill that we buy several to give it as gifts to family and friends at home. We leave the Forbidden City complex by the North Gate.

Opposite the North Gate of the Forbidden City, is Coal Hill Park, so named because people used to get coal from the hill. Linda tells us that at 6 AM every morning people, especially older Chinese, come to the Park to exercise. They do tai chi, which is a martial art that Steve and I have learned. Lonely Planet says that it is the most popular martial art in the world. It is supposed to be good for flexibility, circulation, leg strength and balance. It can be used for development of qi (energy) or fighting. I can't quite imagine the latter, although I read that this is a different form than what I learned. The Yang style, which is the one I do, has slow movements to promote relaxation and relieve stress.

We pass a group of old houses, one-story of brick, built in four directions around a courtyard. In the past, one family lived in the older houses. However, it is more common now that there are two to three families per house. Many old houses in Beijing are being torn down and replaced with apartment buildings. The older generation doesn't want to move because they're very close to their neighbors. Most young people want to move to apartment houses with more rooms and modern conveniences, like toilets. Linda says that she lives in such an apartment house and doesn't know her neighbors.

Different parts of China have different types of foods and speak different dialects. The official language is Mandarin. Even when people speak Mandarin, the dialects can be so different that many Chinese from one part of the country can't understand their fellow citizens from a distant part of China.

China's population is a staggering 1.3 billion, which is 1/5 of the world's population. The population of Beijing is approximately 12,600,000. Half live in the city and the other half in the outskirts. Smog gives the sky a gray and hazy appearance. Linda tells us that in Beijing, residents plant a lot of trees to keep dust out of the city. Trees decrease dustiness and make the city pretty. Spring is very dry and dusty. March 12th is a day when everyone in the city is encouraged to plant one tree. We see white flakes flying in the air. These are from the Mylar tree.

We see many bicycles parked along the sidewalk. Linda explains that this is an entrance to the subway. The people of Beijing ride their bicycles to the subway and then take the subway to their destination. The subway goes around the city where the city wall used to stand. Office hours are 8:30 AM to noon followed by one hour lunch, then 1 PM to 5 PM. We also see many people on the streets riding bicycles. Some have boxes piled high on the back. I think this must be a common delivery method.

We stop for lunch. The meal begins with cold pickled salads, eggs and sliced meat. We have hot pork and green beans, pork and green peppers, chicken and squash, bok choy, cauliflower, sweet and sour chicken and rice. For dessert we're served cake and sliced apple. Everything is served family style on a lazy susan. We also have beer, tea and soup. I enjoy lunch but eat light, skipping the apple. When we travel to countries where the water is not safe to drink, as it is in China, we avoid eating foods that must be washed, such as fruit. I find the restaurant to be comfortable and am quite happy to see that the rest room is Western-style. This is the first time that our group eats together. We're surprised that Linda does not eat with us. She says that the staff doesn't get food as nice as we do.

Back on the bus, Linda tells us that the quality of life is much better today than 10 to 15 years ago. Today Chinese have a good amount of food and clothing. People even buy their own cars. Most businesses are still owned and run by the government. However there are some joint ventures. The most common are hotels. The government doesn't assign ones apartment anymore. In Beijing, the cost of an apartment is approximately $700 for 9 square feet which equals approximately one square meter. Banks loan money to enable Chinese to purchase an apartment. Outside the city most apartments are between 150 to 300 square meters. In the city, they range from 70 to 80 square meters. The highest government officials live on the west side of the Forbidden City. Traditional Chinese philosophy says it is best to live as close to nature as possible. This is the reason the older homes are one-story. The residents can get their air from the earth.

We are riding on what's called a ring road. The Communists built ring roads around the city. At first three were built. Now there are four and number five is under construction. Buses and subways cover the entire city at very reasonable prices.

In Beijing, as in much of China, most people are Han. China has 55 minorities. We pass Minority Park in which each minority donates something they consider beautiful. English is taught in high school. The classes teach basic words and grammar. If one wants to learn a foreign language for his or her career, he or she goes to the Foreign Language Institute for College Education. The universities are in the west part of the city. Beijing has 10 top universities. There is one street of computer stores. Many people have computers, which allow them to work in their homes.

This afternoon, we visit the Summer Palace located outside the central city. The complex is three times larger than the Forbidden City. Soon I understand the reason that this site became the Summer Palace. Most of the area is a lake and there is a nice cool breeze as we walk around the property. The Summer Palace is 800 years old, built during the Qing Dynasty. At first it was a royal garden. In the 18th century, it was enlarged and improved by Emperor Qianlong. For awhile afterwards it was abandoned. In 1860, it burned down. Empress Dowager started rebuilding it in 1888. The money she used was intended for construction of a modern Navy, so she built a marble boat which we see sitting immobile at the edge of the lake. I read that it contains several large mirrors and the Empress enjoyed dining in it. It is quite large and notorious, as an example of the Empress' foolish extravagance.

In 1900, foreign troops damaged the Summer Palace when they attempted to torch it. The Palace was restored a few years later. In 1949, the Palace was again in disrepair and major renovation was undertaken. The complex is divided into four sections: court reception, residence, temples and strolling areas. For most of our visit we are in the latter. From here, we see Longevity Hill or Wànshòu Shãn, in Chinese. This artificial hill was an Emperor's gift to his mother on her 60th birthday. On Longevity Hill, we see Páiyún Diàn (Cloud Dispelling Hall) and Huìhái Sì (Sea of Wisdom Temple), a pagoda and a temple. During most of our visit we walk along the Chángiáng (Long Corridor) a roofed, sidewalk like path. It runs for more than 700 meters and is decorated with mythical scenes. Every few feet along the inside of the roof, a painted divider about a foot in height hangs down. Many paintings are scenes of China and we find them beautiful.

Every once in awhile, Linda leads the rest of our group off this pathway but directs Steve and me to continue on this level course. We wonder what we are missing, but members of our group tell us that we didn't miss much. Steve and I joke, asking each other where can we apply for the job of royalty. This is surely a pleasant, relaxing place.

Kunmíng Hú or Kunming Lake occupies three-quarters of the grounds. Most of the Long Corridor is along side of the lake. There is an island in the middle of the lake shaped like a turtle. In Chinese culture the turtle is symbolic of longevity. Linda remarks that her culture is very concerned with symbols.

After our nice leisurely walk, we reach the dock where we will board a dragon shaped boat to sail back to the parking lot. There is a line of people waiting. Linda tells our group to relax while she waits on line. The second boat is almost full but a Palace staff member motions for us to get on.

It is not very easy to board the ferry so Steve helps me. The difficulty of boarding this boat does not compare to getting on some of the modes of transportation we've taken in the past. I get one of the last few remaining seats. Steve had to go back to get my wheelchair so there was no room for him in the covered part of the ferry. He had to stay up on the deck and I feel bad for him. However, later he tells me that he's sure he was much cooler up there and he enjoyed the view. I don't doubt that, since despite the breeze, I feel very warm. Nevertheless, I enjoy the 10-minute boat ride on this beautiful lake.

On the ride back to the hotel, we pass through parts of Beijing where there are attractive, old buildings. Many of the newer buildings have flashy names. One sign identifies the company as Manhattan. Linda says that there are 50 McDonald's in the city. She tells us that Beijing hospital, circa 1910, is the best hospital in the city. Throughout the city, we see signs that say "Olympics 2008: Beijing". The city is really campaigning to be chosen to host the games.

Our day was quite busy. We only have time for a quick nap before dinner. At dinner, we celebrate Jean and Paul's tenth anniversary. This is a second marriage for both, their first spouses are deceased. Dinner is a mixture of Chinese food. We have an appetizer which Steve and I have always wanted to try, jellyfish. It tastes like clear noodles and we enjoy it. We buy a bottle of wine for the table as a thank you to everyone for helping us today and in hope that they will continue to help and be patient with our pace, in this land of stairs. There is a mixture of hot dishes. I find some to be quite spicy. For dessert we have a red bean dish and fruit. I enjoy the red bean dish, which has a consistency similar to soup.

Day Four: May 12, Saturday

I start today with a breakfast of dumplings. To me, this is a wonderful way to start the day. Steve enjoys his breakfast of international foods. Even though breakfast is in a small dining room with less of a selection, we are pleasantly satisfied. As we start out on the bus, Linda teaches us a few Chinese words. Hello is Ni hau. Sou means good morning. Bu is no and xièxie, pronounced sia se, means thank you. In Chinese, X is pronounced as the S in ship. Chinese has 35,000 characters, which were developed from original drawings. Over the last 1000 years the drawings have been refined. A square is the symbol for mouth. The square with a cross through it is field. In 1929, the symbols were simplified again. However, Taiwan and Hong Kong continue to use the old characters. The older style is beginning to appear again, as more Chinese return to do business in their ancestral homeland.

The roads are busy because it's a holiday. May is the nicest month in Beijing. We pass the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is a huge building. Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar. 2001 is the year of the Snake. People who don't like snakes refer to it as the year of the Little Dragon. The New Year is celebrated for ten days in a manner similar to the way we celebrate Christmas. Only young people celebrate Christmas.

We pass a wedding procession. The first through third car are decorated with flowers and streamers. The remaining cars in the procession carry the family members. They are decorated with red balloons. In Chinese tradition, today's date, the 12th, is considered good to visit a barber and for weddings. It is believed not to be good for flying. Since people are doing well, they spend a large amount on weddings. Weddings are not performed in churches. Cars take family and friends to a meal and party. Before hand, the couple goes to a special office to obtain their marriage license. The divorce rate of Linda's parents' generation, those born in 1920s and 1930s, is almost zero. It was considered losing face for couples to divorce. Currently the divorce rate is getting high especially in Beijing and Shanghai. However, it is still lower than in the United States.

We pass the Lama Temple. It is very colorful with beautiful gardens. Called the Yoenghé Gong, it is the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist temple in China, outside of Tibet. It's only too bad that we do have time to stop and see it.

As we ride to today's destination, Linda talks about China's recent history. In the 1950s and 1960s, Mao encouraged people to have many babies. He believed that this would make China a great nation. Someone warned him that the population would grow too large. Mao ignored the warning and sent the man to jail. In 1978, the government recognized the problem and introduced a new policy. Each family could have only one baby. An entire generation knows nothing about having brothers and sisters. Eventually they will bear sole responsibility for their parents' care. Since then another problem has been recognized. The current generation of Chinese, as only children, has become very spoiled. Parents and grandparents give them everything. Parents want their children to achieve. Becoming musicians, movie stars and doctors are examples of what the Chinese consider achievement. Someone in our group asks about couples wanting male babies instead of female. Linda says that this is not true in cities. However, in the countryside this happens because the male will carry on the family's name. Females do not take their husband's name, but children take their father's name.

Linda tells us that Mao rewrote the history books. He began by reading history books and making notes about what he thought and how he would have handled the situations. Later his notes were written into history books and taught in school. Mao named his army 8341. Chinese armies are always named in numbers. When he was a young man, he went to the mountains and had his fortune told. The fortuneteller told him, you'll live until you are eighty-three and be in power for 41 years. This turned out to be almost true. Linda says that in 1976, Mao at the age of 83 and two other important leaders died. During the same year, there was a big earthquake.

In the old days, one lived in either the city or the country for one's entire life. This is no longer true. A lot of people are moving to the city. Buildings are replacing farmland. Farming is still done by hand. On weekends, urban citizens visit the farmland because they want to get out of the city. There are many high-rise apartments and billboards in the suburbs.

Today we travel outside of Beijing. Our first stop is the Industrial Arts Factory where they craft items of Cloisonne Ware. Cloisonne Ware is made of copper inlaid with wire and finished with enamel. This craft was very popular as far back as the reign of Emperor Chingtai during the Ming Dynasty. The production of Cloisonne Ware is quite involved. We see each step and I find this stop interesting. First, the shape of a design is hammered into a base, then outlined in copper and soldered. Next the inside of the shapes are colored with natural dyes found in the earth. The colors are mixtures of red, black, white, light blue, dark blue, green, yellow, light gray, green and brown. Each item receives three coats of dye or enamel. Finally they are fired in a kiln, polished and gilded. The finished product is beautiful.

On our way into one of the workrooms, I pass a woman who says "Mary, Hello!" I look up and say hello. Her face is somewhat familiar but I can't quite place her. I must have had a puzzled look on my face because she says to me, "Gail", with her Australian accent. As I look at her name tag, Steve comes in and says "hello, Gail". It clicks, Gail was our tour guide several years ago when we visited Fiji, New Zealand and Australia! We chat for a few minutes. Gail is leading an Australian tour through China. She has to go and, true to her take-charge style, she tells us not to get separated from our tour. She says that since both her group and ours are visiting the Great Wall this afternoon, perhaps we will meet again. We say goodbye and Steve and I agree that with all the tourists, seeing her at the Great Wall is very unlikely. This is a first and quite a surprise. We've never run into someone who we know from one part of the world, in another part. It'll be a fun story to share with the people who we're still in touch with from our Down Under tour.

I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that our visit to the Industrial Arts Factory concludes with a stop at the gift shop. I enjoy looking around and find a pair of earrings that I like, so I buy them. They are quite reasonable at four dollars. Steve and I think that most of the other items are quite expensive.

We have a bit of a ride before reaching our next destination. The scenery is interesting. In 1992, China hosted Asian Day. Many stadiums were built for this event. We pass one which was built for bicycle racing. Soccer is currently played here. China's national sport is ping-pong.

The further out of the city we go, the less built-up the area is. We see people working along the highway. They are digging up and repairing sidewalk. There are many bicycles pulling carts filled with packages. We pass fields of peach and apple trees.

Our next stop is the Ming Tombs. The Ming Dynasty had 16 Emperors from 1368 to 1544. They chose the area for their tombs by sending experts all over the country to look for the best site. They picked this one because it had the best functor, which means the best spiritual energy. Our first stop is called the Spirit Way. We enter through the Great Palace Gate, a building on top of which sits a two-tiered Oriental roof. In earlier days, officials were required to dismount here. There is the typical threshold at both the entrance and the exit. This threshold is thick enough and high enough so that it is like a stair for me. (We will encounter these types of thresholds throughout China.) Their height was determined by the importance of the building. As the social importance of the owner or imperial significance of the building increased, so did the height of the threshold. Ugh!

Once inside the gate, there is a pathway on which 12 pairs of zodiac figures and several human statues guard the Ming Tombs. In each pair of beings, one is standing and one is kneeling. The standing members are on duty. It is said that the statues on duty change every night. Since they've been on duty for 500 years, I guess the kneeling member really needs his rest. In total, there are 36 beasts and officials. Each statue is life size. Green lawns and weeping willow trees surround the pathway. As we walk down the path, we see children climbing the animals and tourists posing for pictures. After our stroll, we board our bus and ride to the Ming Tomb.

Again, there are long pathways and many stairs, which take us up into each building. After we exit, we must go downstairs to the pathway which take says to the next building where we repeat this up and down routine. Luckily, there are often paths around the buildings. The first building is the entrance to the complex. Next is a Ceremonial Hall, which contains artifacts and the tomb. Steve goes in. When he comes out he says that the artifacts are interesting but given the number of stairs, I made a wise choice to stay outside. He did not see the actual tomb but just a monument on top of where the tomb lays. He thought a big statue of the Emperor was especially interesting and the crown on display was beautiful.

We walk to the tower going through a few gates. Most of the walk was flat. As usual, Steve climbs up the tower and takes a few photos. I enjoy sitting outside the buildings watching people go by. It seems to me that there are a large number of boys in military uniforms. I think this must be a class trip, not a group of guards.

As I was sitting in my wheelchair, I notice many people looking at me. As we've seen in many other Third World countries, the Chinese don't see many people in wheelchairs. However, their look is different from what I've experienced in other countries. It is a more respectful, yet direct, look. When I smile at them or greet them, they return my smile and/or greeting. Later, when I tell Steve my impressions of respect, we conclude that this is because the only people whom most Chinese see in wheelchairs are the elderly. In China, the older generation is highly respected. I find this very interesting and somewhat flattering. Many places we go, Steve comments that I'm a celebrity.

As we're going back to the bus, Steve helps me over the gate step. There are two young teenage girls on the other side. As Steve lets go of my arm and goes back to get the chair, the girls each take one of my arms. I tell them that I am fine but either they don't understand or don't believe me, or perhaps they just want to help. They walk me to my wheelchair and hold on to me as I sit. For the most part, we're finding the Chinese people to be quite helpful.

Today's lunch is at a Friendship Store. These are stores setup for tourists. Lunch is good and quite plentiful. It is the same type of meal that we've been having, cold food first then hot. The dishes are of pork, fish, chicken and beef. Towards the end of the meal we are served soup and rice. We are surprised that rice is not a staple, like it is in Chinese restaurants back home. Dessert is watermelon. The exit is through the Friendship Store. The store contains many goods, all more expensive than what we've seen on the streets. We stop to buy a gift but decide it's too expensive. Yesterday we purchased the same item from a street vendor for one-third the price. We'll wait until we see it on the street again.

After lunch, we ride towards what is probably China's most famous attraction, the Great Wall. As we get into the mountains, we begin to see parts of this masterpiece along the road. Linda gives us its history. The Chinese have two names for the Great Wall, Chángchéng and the 10,000 Li Wall. It stretches from Shanhai Guan on the east coast to the Gobi Desert's Jiayù Guan. The construction of the original Wall began in 221 BC and was completed in 207 BC during the Qin Dynasty. Separate walls constructed by independent kingdoms to keep out roaming nomads were joined. Under General Meng Tian, hundreds of thousands of laborers, including many political prisoners, worked hard for ten years. Compressed earth was used to build the core of the original Wall. Legend says that the bodies of deceased workers also became part of the Wall. However, Steve comments that this is unlikely because decaying bodies would have weakened the Wall.

This Wall was not a good defense. "The strength of the Wall depends on the courage of those who defend it." Legend has it that this was Genghis Kahn's explanation. Often Sentries were bribed. The Wall mainly functioned as an elevated highway to transport men and equipment over mountainous terrain. The tower system used smoke signals made from burning wolf dung to send news of enemy movement to the capital. At the west end, Jiayù Guan was an important part of the Silk Road. It acted as a sort of customs post. Unwanted Chinese were thrown out through the gates to the terrifying wild west.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Wall was rebuilt with 60 million cubic meters of brick and stones slabs. The project lasted over 100 years and cost an incredible amount of human effort and resources. Afterwards, the Wall was almost forgotten and sections returned to dust. The tourist industry rescued the remainder. We see the section called Badáling, which is at an elevation of 1,000 meters. I read that to get to the top of the Wall, one must climb many stairs. I knew this would be difficult but I was determined to reach the Wall. Someone at work had told me it would be possible to pay someone to carry me to the top of the Wall. A year earlier, he paid $60 for his mother to be carried. When I ask Linda about finding someone to carry me, she said that this was not necessary. There is a gondola lift, not far from where the bus will drop our group. Several other members of our group also want to ride the lift. When the bus arrives at Pacific Delight's designated drop off point, Linda quietly tells Steve and me to stay on the bus. She instructs everyone else to get off. Three other couples protest. Linda replies that they must climb the Wall, the lift is not included. They reply that this doesn't matter, they are willing to pay. After much convincing, Linda allows them to stay on the bus. Paul and Jean, who happen to be the most advanced in years of our group, are the only ones game enough to attempt the climb.

As we're dropped off at the entrance to the lift, I see a sign that says, "People with leg disabilities ride free". The attendants make sure we know this. As we approach the ticket booth, one points to me and says she rides free. Steve replies "yes, but I need a ticket." The attendant escorts us in the gate and asks if I can walk. We say a little and he leads us to the staircase. As Steve helps me up the stairs, the attendant takes my wheelchair. It is a little tricky getting on the gondola. With Steve's help, I board the moving car. I am thankful that the cars are not moving too fast.

The Great Wall goes on Forever.....

The ride up is breathtaking. Getting off is not quite as tricky. There is a bit of an inside walk before we reach the open area that leads to the Great Wall. This walkway is divided into two lanes with those on the other side in line for the gondola ride down the mountain. All of them watch us as Steve pushes me in the wheelchair. I smile at them and they smile back.

I sit and enjoy the splendor. It is magnificent! It goes on forever, rolling over the mountains. I am amazed. Nothing I have seen or read even comes close to describing this view. Even though the day is foggy, it seems that I can see forever and the Wall stretches on and on. When Steve and the others from our group return, we wonder if this haze is constant.

The Great Wall

The lift ride down is again spectacular. The drop is quite steep but I find it to be a nice ride. Getting down from lift platform is another story. There are many stairs in four groups. Steve helps me down one set of stairs. Then he goes back to get the wheelchair. He takes it down all of the steps. There are many older people sitting on the sides of the steps, one to a step. They try to help me onto the ramp but the ramp is so steep and bumpy it would be harder to use than the stairs. A young woman offers to help me but the stairs are very uneven so I decide to wait for Steve. She moves on when I say no thank you. Steve starts to help me. Within a few seconds, an older woman is taking my other arm. I attempt to tell her that we are okay but she insists on helping. By the time we get to the bottom of the stairs, all of the women who had been sitting on the side of the stairs are now following us to make sure that I don't need anymore help.

We stop to buy postcards. Later Beth tells us that the women following us were watching to make sure that the man who sold us the postcards didn't try to cheat us. On the ride back, we pass homes in the hills. The homeowners are trying to plant trees in the mountains to decrease the amount of dust. Most of the homes look poor but Linda tells us that they all have TVs.

Linda tells us about tomorrow night's activity, a Beijing Opera. It is a Chinese tradition but no longer popular with young people. It's mostly performed for tour groups. There's only one Opera House for locals in Beijing. Chinese Opera is hard to understand. For young people, night entertainment consists mostly of movies, bars, disco or spending a night at home. Few people have cable TV because of the expense. Installation of cable also has to be approved by the government. As we get closer to the city, we see many cranes and much construction.

Tonight we have a Peking duck dinner. We enjoy it but there's only one duck for 10 people. The restaurant also serves us duck fried rice. We have fish, shrimp and vegetables. Linda eats with us and we ask her if the food we're having is typical. She says yes, except that when she cooks she doesn't make much fried food. She does cook a variety of dishes for a single meal. We've been having approximately eight dishes for each main course including two fried dishes. Most meals have some appetizer and dessert is usually fruit.

Day Five: May 13, Sunday

This morning's breakfast is back in the main dining room. The variety is much better and we enjoy it. I have Dim Sum and watermelon. On the way to our first destination we pass a Catholic Church. Linda says that most Chinese, especially the younger ones, have no religion. The only place that religion is common is in Llasa where Buddhism is practiced. Older Chinese people are often religious. Religion was practically wiped out by the Communists because people are only free to practice religion in private.

We pass an area where people are playing games. Ping pong and Chinese Chess are commonly played in public places. Two people play while 200 watch. Mah Jong and cards are also very popular. Gambling is illegal but sometimes people play poker in their homes. Chinese chess is played with squares. Pictures of the chess figures are painted on each square.

This morning's excursion is one that I have really been looking forward to. We take a pedicab tour of a traditional Chinese neighborhood. We visit the hutongs. Hutong is an ancient city alley or lane. Many of them were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Emperors, in an attempt to establish supreme power for themselves, planned the city and arranged the residential areas according to the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty. City center was the Forbidden City. Two types of hutongs surround the Forbidden City. The first type commonly called the regular hutong was to the east and west of the palace, orderly arranged alongside the streets. Most of the residents were imperial kinsmen and aristocrats. The other type was more simple and crude. These were located farther from the palace to the north and south. Merchants and other common people lived in these hutongs.

The buildings are mostly quadrangles; four houses enclose an inner court, one on each side. They vary in size and design according to the social status of the resident. The large residences of high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants were built with beautifully carved and painted roof beams and pillars. These homes had front and back yards. The common person's hutong had a simple quadrangle with a small gate and low houses. Today, hutongs are passageways formed by many closely arranged quadrangles of different size. The quadrangles face south for better lighting, so a lot of hutongs run east west. Between the large hutongs there are narrow hutongs that go north and south, setting up more convenient passageways. The network of hutongs made the city of Beijing like a magnificent quadrangle surrounded by a high wall. Besides being quite logical, this layout was chosen based on the ancient Chinese art of geomancy or feng shui, which means "wind and water". This art is the practice of constructing buildings in proper alignment to the natural forces to take advantage of the energy called "qi", which flows through everything. Correct placement of buildings attracts positive qi and good luck. However, when an infrastructure is built in the wrong place, the opposite will occur and the owner invites disaster. Feng shui is still practiced today.

We are lucky to be able to see such a complex. The March 2000 issue of National Geographic reports

Such compounds are increasingly rare. The city government is moving perhaps 2.5 million of Beijing's 11 million residents out to the suburbs to relieve crowding. One preservationist told me [the author] that only 25 of the capital's original 2,600 hutong will be saved, leaving less than one percent of the old homes intact.

The relocation program is making room for new tourism centers, expensive apartment compounds, and department stores where Beijing's new wealth and foreign investment dollars are getting spent.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, China's economy was backwards. Trade was considered inferior. Beijing was considered a city for the pleasure of Emperors and aristocrats. For common people, life was mostly confined to the hutongs. The quadrangle reflected the way of life and social culture of the time. As outside influences came to China, the arrangement of the hutong was affected. Many new hutongs with regular houses were built outside the city and many old hutongs lost their former arrangements. The social status of residents also changed. Hutongs were no longer full of life. During the change of government in the 20th-century, the conditions of the hutongs became worse. Quadrangles owned by one family became compounds occupied by many households. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the conditions of hutongs were improved. During the ten-year Cultural Revolution, students took many historical and cultural relics out of these areas and destroyed them. The government controlled the destruction but it was mostly young people who performed this heinous deed. Houses were pulled down and replaced by modern buildings. Many residents moved to the new housing. Even during this time, in the urban district of Beijing, homes along hutongs occupied one-third of the district.

Steve and I board our pedicab. There is one rather large step to mount before I am able to sit in the cushioned seat above which hangs a canopy. A pedicab is a bicycle which pulls this covered seat that is mounted on wheels. It is a comfortable ride through the old neighborhood. We ride through narrow streets, seeing almost no motor vehicles. There are many people with children. The outside walls of the houses come right up to the curb, creating a walled effect. I try to take pictures but our ride is very bumpy so I have no idea if any will come out. Along the way, Steve points out a few people in wheelchairs. All of them are senior citizens.

First we stop at the Drum Tower, Gu Lóu. Built in 1420, when time was kept with a water clock, the tower contains several drums that were beaten to mark the hours of the day and in the evening to announce the closing of the city gate. Steve chooses to climb the tower and I sit in the pedicab and watch the people walk by. Most smile and nod their heads at me. I am quite comfortable sitting in the pedicab, there is nice breeze.

My Personal Pedicab Tour of the Hutong

After a short time, Steve returns to ask my opinion about purchasing a Mah Jong game board for his mother. She has played Mah Jong for years and we both think that she does not own a board. We agree that this is a good gift for her. Linda has our driver move me to the outside of the Tower Wall. I see many shops, most of which sell fruit and vegetables. There are a lot of people on the street today, shopping, selling goods and riding bicycles. The pedicab manager suggests to our driver that he take me around the local area while the others visit the Tower so I can see some of the shops. I enjoy this.

When everyone returns, our pedicab takes us past the Bell Tower, the Zhong Lóu. It is a short ride, down an alley to the North. The original Tower was built at the same time as the Drum Tower but was burned down. The Tower that stands today was built in the 18th-century. The bell was rung in the morning to announce the opening of the City Gate.

Our hutong guide is Nasa. He tells us that today we will visit a home in Beijing's North hutong. He lives in the East area where his family has lived for 118 years. Nasa had an ancestor who was very accomplished in martial arts. The Emperor of his ancestor's time awarded him with this house in the Eastern hutong.

The main alleys and streets run straight north and south. The side alleys curb around. Buildings are white brick. Inside they're decorated in black or gray never colors. I guess this is due to some Chinese tradition that says colors are bad luck. There are 37 McDonnells in the hutong area. Some homes have private bathrooms but others share bathrooms. Some hutong homes have air-conditioning and color televisions.

Next our group visits a family that lives in a hutong home. The house is surprisingly cool and comfortable. There are nine rooms shared by seven people from three generations of the same family. It is built around a courtyard. For approximately a half-hour, Mr. Wo, the patriarch speaks with us about his life, his home and his family. I find his story quite interesting. He was a famous archeologist who studied the Ming Tombs. He retired at age 60, which is the required retirement age for men in China. Men receive 100 percent of their salary as pension. Women retire at age 50 with 85 percent pension and full benefits. Farmers receive no pension. His wife retired at age 50; however she now has a job at a hotel. She continues to receive her full pension.

Mr. Wo introduces us to his granddaughter named Wi, which means wisdom. In the home, they also live with their two sons, their sons' wives and two cats. Pet dogs are no longer allowed in the hutong. If one owns a pet dog he must pay a 5,000 yuan tax on the animal. Mr. Wo and his family have lived in this house within the hutong for 48 years. He now owns it. Eighty to ninety percent of the people, who live in hutong houses, rent them. During the Cultural Revolution, Mr. Wo was assigned as a farmer because he was considered an artist and artists were considered a danger to the government. His assignment lasted for 2 1/2 years. In 1983, the government gave him his house back. His brother lived in the house before him. Then Mr. Wo and his family moved in. At one point, this hutong structure housed two unrelated families. The Wo family sued and the second family was forced to move out. Forty years ago, this house cost 3,180 yuan. Today it would cost 3 million yuan, which is approximately $300,000. If Mr. Wo sold it today, he would have to pay 46 percent tax. Inheritance tax is currently 50 percent. This house has a thick roof which makes it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It is heated with the coal stove. The government pays 70 percent of the cost for people in hutong homes to convert to electric heat.

We take some pictures of the inside of the house, and go out to his courtyard. Parts of the courtyard are picturesque but other parts are obviously a storage area, where wood, straw, flowerpots and other items are kept. We see some birds in cages, probably family pets.

Not too far from the hutong area is our next stop, Gongwáng Fu, Prince Gong's Palace. Prince Gong was the son of a Qing Emperor. Emperors had many concubines. The Emperor's first son, regardless of whether he was born of a wife or a concubine, became the next Emperor. Emperors built palaces for all of their children. Prince Gong was a favorite son so his Palace was especially grand. It has nine courtyards, high walls and elaborate gardens. As we walk through the Palace grounds we admire one of the gardens.

We go to a Tea Ceremony where we are served oolong and jasmine tea. Traditionally, a clay teapot is used because it holds the flavor. Our hostess pours a little tea on the outside of the cup, and then she pours tea into our cups. However, we don't drink the tea the first time it is poured into the cups. This time it's for cleaning. We see two types of cups. One is short and round, the other is tall and thin. The tall cup is for smelling. In Chinese tradition, we hold the cup with three fingers and drink the tea in three sips. Each of the three sips has a significance, happiness, good luck, and long life. Our hostess fills the tall cup then turns it over into the short cup. She shows us a teacup which has a black dragon painted on it. When she fills it, the dragon turns red. Next she shows us a mug with Chinese characters. When she fills this mug, the characters turn into Beijing sites, a Temple, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, a panda and Buddha.

We have lunch at a restaurant on the Palace grounds. There are lots of stairs to get from the teahouse to the restaurant. However, Nasa shows us a relatively flat path with only one staircase at the entrance. By the time I reach the top of the stairs, four people are helping me. The meal is good with a few Szechwan dishes.

This afternoon we visit Tian Tán Gongyuán also known as the Temple of Heaven. It was built during the Ming Dynasty, after the completion of the Forbidden City. The Emperor visited Tian Tan twice a year, to perform solemn rights which worshiped the gods so they'd bless his empire with good weather and good crops. The Emperor also sought divine clearance and atonement for the sins of his subjects. Our Lonely Planet Guidebook says that this is "the most perfect example of Ming architecture" and "has come to symbolize Beijing."

Tian Tán Gongyuán has four gates, one at each of the four compass points. There are walls on the north and east sides. Each of the several Temples has a round roof and a square base. This comes from the ancient Chinese belief that Heaven is round and earth is square. The northern end of the complex is semicircular while the south is square.

We enter by the Southgate and pass through other gates. Most gates have steps up to a platform, a short platform and steps down into the next courtyard. One enters a few gates by stepping over a large threshold, which makes these gates even more difficult for Steve and me. The Yuánqui (in English, the Round Alter) is the first structure other than a gate at which we arrive. It was first built in 1530, and then rebuilt in 1740. At five meters high, it is composed of white marble arranged in three tiers. As many things in this country, its composition is designed around the Imperial number 9. Nine is significant because odd numbers were considered heavenly and nine is the largest one digit odd number. The uppermost tier, symbolizing Heaven, has nine rings of stone that are each made up of multiples of nine stones. The ninth ring has 81 stones. The number of stairs and balustrades are in multiples of nine. Huíyinbì, or in English the Echo Wall, is north of the alter at the entrance to the Imperial Vault of Heaven. Supposedly a whisper travels clearly from one end of the Echo Wall to a friend at the other end. Today it's too crowded for us to prove this for ourselves.

We find it helpful that in a few places Linda directs us around buildings and gates. In the next courtyard, we see the Imperial Vault of Heaven and several other smaller Temples. The Imperial Vault of Heaven is octagonal. It was built at the same time as the Round Alter but its structure is similar to the older Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The Imperial Vault of Heaven stored tablets of the Emperor's ancestors. The tablets were used in the winter solstice ceremony.

Tian Tán: Temple of Heaven

Finally, we reach the main feature of the complex, the Qinián Diàn, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It is beautiful! Besides the Great Wall, it is probably the most pictured attraction of Beijing. It sits on top of a three-tiered marble terrace. The wooden pillars, which support the ceiling, contain no nails or cement. Since the building is 38 meters high and 30 meters in diameter, this is quite an accomplishment. It was originally built in 1420, but burned down in 1889. This caused heads to roll as one member of the Imperial Court blamed another. It was rebuilt the following year.

I stay on a platform of the final gate because there is a nice breeze here. However, at first I do not sit right in front of the two foot wall which overlooks the court yard. People constantly move in front of me and block my view. Several times, I ask different groups to move. Only one responds to my request. Finally I have a chance so I move my wheelchair up against the wall. While we're at Tian Tán, we see many Buddhist monks among the crowds. They are touring and often pause for a picture with other groups of tourists.

Steve returns and we go down the stairs to meet our group. Leaving the complex is quite a bit easier since there are not so many stairs. It is a hot afternoon and we aren't sorry when we get back on the air-conditioned bus.

On the ride back to the hotel, the city streets are full with pedestrians and cyclists. Back at the hotel we take a short rest and dress for our evening dinner and show. As we're getting ready to leave our room, Steve tells me that some of the money that he had hidden in our suitcase has been taken. He thought that he accidentally left the suitcase unlocked this morning. We leave to meet our group early, stopping at the main desk of the Palace Hotel to report the theft. Since the wait to speak with a hotel official looks like it might be long, Steve sends me on to meet our group. Only Jean and Paul have arrived at the meeting place. They ask me where Steve is and I tell them what happened.

Linda goes to join Steve. When they return, they tell me that when we return tonight we need to meet with the head of security and give our statement. When Yona and Dan arrive, Yona has a similar story. Last night, she found and reported that a purse and necklace had been stolen. On returning to their room, she found the purse. She continued to look for the necklace, even called home to make sure she hadn't left it there. When she returned to retract the report about her stolen purse, the hotel official said that she must be mistaken about the necklace. After hearing our story, she decides to re-file the report. It's odd that something like this should happen in two rooms of the same tour group.

Our dinner is at The National Museum of Chinese History. We have Imperial Royal Cuisine in Huaiyong style, dishes that were served to Emperors. We start with cold dishes of bamboo shoots in the flowers, Nanjing salty duck, cucumber in garlic sauce, sour & hot pickles, chicken in egg roll and two flavored vegetables. Next comes the hot dishes of corn soup with egg drop, shrimp balls, chicken, beef in black pepper, roasted eel, pearl fish with green vegetables, fried green vegetables and celery with lily. Afterwards we have vegetable and noodle soups and fried rice. Dessert is cookies and fruit. This is the best meal yet! There is a lot of variety and each dish has a wonderful taste of its own.

Tonight we will see the Beijing Opera. On the way to the Opera House we pass a narrow park with a sidewalk running through the middle. People are sitting on benches. I see one person getting a massage. Linda tells us that early in the morning people gather to do tai chi. Apparently this is common in most parks in China.

Beijing Opera is a traditional art form. However, it only dates back to 1790, when a provincial troop performed it for Emperor Qianlong for his 80th birthday. It is a mixture of singing, dancing, speaking, mime, acrobatics and dancing. There are four types of roles. The Sheng are the leading male actors who play scholars, officials and warriors. The Dan are female roles which are often played by men. The Jing have painted faces. They play warriors, heroes, statesman, adventurers and demons. The Chou are clowns. The language is often archaic Chinese and music seems screeching, especially to Western ears.

We see a two act Chinese opera. Act One is a story of an Innkeeper and a Warrior. The acrobatic dance is very entertaining and the acrobats are quite good. This act is mostly pantomime. Some words are spoken or sung and there is a board on which the English is displayed.

Act Two is an adaptation of fairy tale. It begins with a long song. Then there is a dialogue between the singer and a character, who appears to be a monk. It's disappointing because none of the words are displayed in English on the board and it's hard to follow what's going on. Sixteen dancers perform an entertaining dance. Next a lady comes out and says she must go to the sea to find her husband who went away with a monk. The focus of the scene changes to the husband who has become a monk. He sends an Army, portrayed by dancers, out to kill a "demon". There is a lot of acrobatic dancing and it is fantastic. The costumes are quite colorful and beautiful. The final scene is done with batons, which symbolize swords. The wife's sister fends off the Army using her hands and legs. I find the dancing, costumes and acrobatics entertaining. However the story is hard to follow.

We drive back to the hotel. The Boulevard on which we ride has lights strung across it. Linda tells us that it is decorated for May Day. We pass Tiananmen Square which is also all lit up. When we return to our hotel, Steve and I file a report with hotel security. The manager and security officer speak with us. At first they give us a hard time. Then they apologize and ask if they can come to our room and take a look at where we had our money. I state that I doubt Steve forgot to lock the suitcase and I believe that the robber picked the lock. Beth, a member of our tour group, said that the type of lock we have is not very hard to pick. I agree, thinking that all one would need is time and patience. We take them up to our room and show them our suitcase. We point out the compartment where the money was and how it was buried in this compartment. They suggest that perhaps we spent the money and forgot. Steve states that this is not possible since we are at the beginning of our trip and we keep careful track of how much money we brought with us and each time we exchange money. The hotel officials state that they will fully investigate the day staff tomorrow. However, there is not much hope of finding the money, since the shift has already left for the day.

When the officials leave, we are quite exasperated and annoyed at how we were treated. Approximately an hour later we receive a call from the hotel. We're told that our balance, of approximately $25, is forgiven.

China: A Land of Change

By Mary Goldsmith

Edited by Steven Goldsmith

Day One: May 9, Wednesday

Day Two: May 10, Thursday

Day Three: May 11, Friday

Day Four: May 12, Saturday

Day Five: May 13, Sunday

Day Six: May 14, Monday