BEIJING (Day 3): FORBIDDEN CITY, TIANANMEN SQUARE & TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

What a difference a good nights sleep makes. I work early in Beijing, still trying to get use to the time change a full 13 hours ahead of Pittsburgh, Pa. Heading down stairs, my attitude was totally different. The Pentahotel, again, offered a wide variety of Asian delicacies for breakfast as well as your usual North American fare. After a nice breakfast it was off to discover The Temple of Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven

Nature does wonders for the soul.

We started our day at the Temple of Heaven. Every morning, senior citizens from all over the city come here to exercise, gamble, and more. Our group settled with just walking around and enjoying the natural beauty of the park.

 

We reconvened with the rest of our tour for an early-morning tai chi lesson.I had a good time, though, despite being one of the most ungraceful people on the planet.

 

Of course, it helped that we had the massive and picturesque Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the background the entire time. The Temple of Heaven is not so much one temple, but rather a large imperial park full of various religious buildings and sights. The main building was the above structure, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

After the lesson and a few extra minutes to roam around and take pictures.

 

History Facts

The Emperor would come here every winter solstice to pray to heaven. Everyone believed that the Emperor was actually sent from Heaven, so, on the winter solstice, he would come here to “report back to heaven everything that man was had done that year”. There is one spot, that’s a small, round stone maybe three feet across which the ancient Chinese believed was the center of the universe. Now it’s the center for all the tourists to gather around and get their photo taken. So many so that we didn’t even bother.

The Secrets of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

The Forbidden City was far bigger than I anticipated!  The former Chinese imperial palace sprawled out over what felt like hundreds of courtyards, buildings, and gardens.The complex covers a vast area and took us the whole day to explore. My activity tracker showed that we had took 28,275 steps totaling 12.9 miles over the  entire day. The Forbidden City is truly a amazing place.

History Facts

The imperial palace was home to 24 Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the magnificent palaces feature a series of courtyards and beautiful buildings that open up to reveal more courtyards, each new ring that we progressed through seemed to distill the crowds down and down into a smaller and smaller space, until we were shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, jostling and moving, a vibration through the throng like molecules buzzing in a solid mass.

These places were constructed more than 600 years ago and still carry an air of regality today. As if an antidote to the pushing and press of people we were led through to the royal gardens, a large open space of statues and ancient tress protected with bamboo rings, even the air felt fresh and clean.

 

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

 

Right next to the Forbidden City in Tiananmen Square…it was interesting being there. And if I’m being honest I didn’t even realize where we were at the time, I thought Tiananmen Square was across the street.

 

Here are five things you need to know before visiting Tiananmen Square. 

1. Where is Tiananmen Square, when was it built and what does it stand for?

Tiananmen Square is located in the center of Beijing, China and was first designed and built in 1651. Tiananmen stands for ‘Gate of Heavenly Peace’ and was named after the main gate to the Forbidden City which is located at the northern end. In 1958 it was enlarged to four times its original size and now currently covers an area close to 100 acres and can hold at least 1 million people.

2. How can I get to Tiananmen Square and when is the best time to visit?

Beijing Airport is located approximately 30 km away and is the closest airport. Many buses run from the airport directly to Tiananmen Square daily. In addition, it is located on subway line 1 and can also be reached by taxi. The best time to visit is during September, October, March and May when the weather is better. Try to avoid visiting on national holidays as there are generally extremely long lines and large crowds.

3. Are there are any rules that travelers need to abide by when visiting the Square?

Yes. As is with most historic monuments in China, there are strict rules when visiting the square. All visitors, both locals and international are subjected to security screenings before entering the vicinity of Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden Palace. The Rules are more stringent when visiting the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao. Wear neat clothes when entering the Memorial Hall. Vests and slippers are not allowed. Hats should be taken off when paying your respects. Backpacks, handbags and any food items are strictly forbidden. No cameras, video cameras and extreme noise.

4. What happened in 1989?

Tiananmen Square is often remembered for the many protests that have taken place here. One of the most remembered ones is the pro-democracy protests in 1989 which resulted in thousands of deaths. In 1989, after several weeks of demonstrations, Chinese troops entered Tiananmen Square on June 4 and fired on civilians.

5. What can I see in this area?

If you’re an early riser, you can also view the flag-raising ceremony early in the morning. Arrive at the square before sunrise to see the guard of honor raise the flag. Surrounding Tiananmen Square are a range of monuments for you to explore: Tiananmen Gate, the Museum of Chinese History and Chinese Revolution and the Mao Mausoleum. The National Stadium and Temple of Heaven are also nearby.

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Let’s Negotiate

Basic bargaining thoughts & tips

Three useful words to learn: “tye gway lah“, meaning “too expensive” (rhymes with “buy Layla.”)

In China, bargaining is probably the most acceptable form of shopping in the markets and some shops. Bargaining in China can be great fun when you’re in the mood, and saves you a lot of money. On the other hand sometimes it’s a real pain in the neck to go through it. To survive, and for the best results, you have to smile and do your best to enjoy it. Therefore, you must plan ahead of time.

1. Make a mental list of what you want
2. Ask the natives how much an object usually is
3. Work out a rough estimate of how much you are prepared to spend or pay for something
4. Know the seller’s first asking price will be somewhere between three and ten times what they expect to get, especially in toursty places

Although the experience was fun, I did not like bargaining. I found the experience challenging and time consuming. With a lot of patience, I kept silent and while I was at the Silk Market,  I did come away with some pretty nice chopsticks and a magnet for 38 R&B ($5.00)that were originally 360 R&B ($51.00). I would have to say I overcame the challenge of bargaining.

Realizations and Advice

1.  Don’t feel embarrassed or guilty for haggling. It’s part of their culture and they fully expect it from the customers
2. Haggling with tons of customers every day, merchants are professional sellers (bargaining is second- nature)
3.  You do not even walk into the store and already calculators are in your face naming prices.
   
4. Sellers follow you everywhere. Therefore, try not to express too much interest. Don’t express too much interest.
5. Think outside the box for other points of negotation. This means if your interested in buying a bigger item, ask if they will throw in some cheaper gift item.
6. Don’t be quick to counter-offer — use silence and see if he drops the price first
7. Know when it is time to walk away. Usually, the vendor will pull you back to give you his final selling price, which closely relates to yours