Beijing is to Shanghai as China is to the USA. The former is full of living history, ancient relics, and ghosts of the past while the latter is new and sparkly, but under the shiny exterior it feels kind of empty.
In Shanghai, the “old city” is a small and tourist developed area, but all of Beijing is the “old city”. Each of the thousands of back alleys tells a story. The temples and palaces, some still living and some long dead, all have something to say.
The three places that stand out the most are: The Taoist Temple, the Confucian Temple, and the Great Wall.
Though Beijing is indeed full of history, a lot of it has been so trampled and overrun and raped by tourism that it has no feeling whatsoever. The Forbbiden City, hands down the most famous sight here, feels this way. The Temple of Heaven feels this way. Tianamen Square feels this way. Most of the major tourist spots are like this.
The Taoist Temple was not friendly to tourists. It’s the home of the Taoist College, the Taoist Center of Culture, and the most important modern Temple in Beijing, maybe China. We were some of very few foreigners there, maybe 4 or 5 of us, and the rest were Chinese. It was a labyrinth of shrines, filled with incense smoke that snaked through the narrow corridors. Monks went about their business, people bowed and paryed silently. It was alive and functioning and felt real and vibrant.
The Confucian Temple, though more friendly towards tourism, was mostly empty as well and felt almost like a campus. A Confucian Academy was off to one side, and the huge hall and statue of Confucius were the most impressive I’ve seen so far in China. Fitting for a guy who so heavily influenced Chinese thought and culture.
Lastly, the Great Wall. What can I really say about it? I’ve seen it so many times on TV and movies and in magazines, but nothing prepared me for the sight of it in reality. It was the most awe-inspiring thing I’ve ever seen. It was so misty and foggy that for most of the trip we couldn’t see more than 25 feet around us, but for a few moments the fog lifted and revealed a dragon sliding across monstrous, deep green peaks over misty valleys and endless sky. Goosebumps. It was absolutely incredible, so much that I’m worried I may never see something so epic again.
Today is our last day in Beijing, and the first one with a crystal clear blue sky. If only we had this weather on the Wall! I was beginning to think the smog here was permanent. Today we’re going to a nearby park, and tomorrow we return to Shanghai for a few more days, then back to Korea. Pictures and videos and all sorts of stuff to come in the next few weeks!
Hope you’re having the greatest day of your whole life. See ya.
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