The National Museum, Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square

                                                                         大家好！

Last week, I went to the National Museum of Beijing. It was very cool seeing all of the ancient artifacts of China. I learned two things while I was there: 1. Ancient China really loved wine and 2. They had a lot of drums. But all joking aside, I thought it was very cool. My favorite exhibit was “40s Years through China’s lens from 1978-2018.” I found it very interesting looking at photographs of China from the last 40 years. The pictures depict happiness but also sorrow and suffering. It’s also interesting just how far China has come in the last 40 years. Just two years after the death of Mao, the country was trying to fix the problems that he created. The pictures from the late 70s – early 80s show a time of hardship and change but the pictures also show hope. Each picture was a snapshot of a larger story and that’s why I think I enjoyed the exhibit so much.  

This weekend, I took a trip to the Forbidden City (故宫) and Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) with my school. Both Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City were really cool. The experience at Tiananmen Square is very interesting. Even though there was a tragedy there years ago, now it is filled with laughter and happiness. We were able to witness the changing of the guards at Tiananmen Square as well as see the building where all the important party officials have their meetings. The Forbidden City was also very fascinating. I especially liked how traditional everything looked. It’s weird to think that no one was allowed inside the palace walls nearly a century ago and now the palace is full of people. I found it extremely interesting that we had to go through four gates just to get into the palace. There was also row after row of courtyards. We would get passed one courtyard only to enter another one. I was lucky to have my Chinese friend, Cynthia, with me to explain parts of the Forbidden City. She showed me the place where the emperor executed people he didn’t like and where the emperor’s mother was allowed to stay. The Forbidden City is so huge that we weren’t able to see everything. There were also parts of the palace blocked off for tourists. It was a beautiful day and really hot. All of the Chinese had their umbrellas out to protect them from the sun. Cynthia had hers, so she followed me around with the umbrella. I felt like royalty. We made sure to rub the statue that provides luck and another one that provides fortune so here’s hoping that some luck and fortune head my way.  

再见! 

Until next week! 

马乐