I've spent the last few days on a bit of an eclectic tour of Beijing owing to extreme coldness - today and yesterday have been marginally warmer, which is great as I've lost my third pair of gloves so far this winter, and my hat also!
The Forbidden City was huge and impressive (I especially enjoyed the areas decorated with empress Ci Xi's things - beautiful silks and paintings and pottery etc, what a life!), the Temple of Heaven Park is not to be missed - it was great to see the elderly population out playing chess and dancing and singing in what can otherwise be a very businesslike city, the Summer Palace was also very impressive, although doing a circuit of the entire perimeter got a bit cold, so I took a shortcut across the frozen lake!, and the Tibetan Buddhist temple Yong Ge is peaceful and colourful and a fantastic contrast to all of the Chinese temples I've been to. The National Museum was disappointingly silent on the liberation of China, although its lifesize wax model of Mao is kinda cool! I also went to see Mao's mausoleum and I'd put money on that being a wax figurine too!! Three days (total) has been a little short to do Beijing justice, and according to the magazines for foreigners there is a flourishing arts scene that I'd love to have had the time to see - real stuff, not Beijing opera shows for tourists! So I hope to be back one day...
David's friend Mr Xi met me yesterday to give me my air ticket - he deserves a special mention because he was so helpful, even calling the airline of his own accord to negotiate a cheaper price for me - how kind! So I'm now in possession of my ticket out of the country, which is a relief, and I catch a flight at 6pm this afternoon. Well, China, it's been a ball! I'm looking forward to a return to the land of the long white cloud, family, friends, summer, and instant literacy!!
But for now, zai jian (good bye) and Merry Christmas!
