Saturday Cultural Trip

Date: 12/16, Saturday

Weather: Windy and cold

We visited Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace on Saturday. It was our first cultural trip and everyone seemed to be very excited. However, it wasn’t my first time visiting Beijing so I didn’t go to the Summer Palace with pour group in the afternoon, however, my Saturday journey was still amazing. 

In the morning, as the first part of our field trip, we went to the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, which were close to each other within a walking distance. Our guide introduced the broad history and structure of Tiananmen Square to us. It was also interesting to learn that they change Mao’s huge profile hanging outside of the Tiananmen gate every single year. In the Forbidden City, we walked through the whole City vertically and went over all the symbolic halls. As it was extremely cold and windy, we didn’t stay for a longer time. However, just by skimming at everything, I got a sense of how majestic the architectures were and the enriched cultural value behind it. 

The Forbidden City

In the morning, as the first part of our field trip, we went to the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, which were close to each other within a walking distance. Our guide introduced the broad history and structure of Tiananmen Square to us. The square contains the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. It was also my first time to learn that Mao’s huge profile hanging outside of the Tiananmen gate is updated every single year. In the Forbidden City, we walked through the whole City vertically and went over all the symbolic halls. From the south, these are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. As it was extremely cold and windy, we didn’t stay for a longer time. However, just by skimming at everything, I got a sense of how majestic the architectures were and the enriched cultural and religious value behind it. 

 Getting heat from the hand dryer

After we left the scenic area in central Beijing, we went to to an authentic old Beijing restaurant called “Hai Wan Ju", one of the best traditional restaurant in Beijing recommended by our driver. Over there, we have tried traditional Beijing food such as "Zha jiang mian" (noodles with soybean paste), "Jingjiang Pork" (sauteed meat shreds with soy bean paste), and green bean cake. After the satisfying lunch, we went around the mall for a little while. We not only shopped but also surprisingly found pets selling in the center of the mall. Yushan, Ronnie and I hanged around these cute animals for a little before we went back to the hotel. I really enjoyed how informative and flexible our Saturday cultural trip was. My only pity would be the limited time we had on everything, especially the Forbidden City.  I remember there are extensive collections of artwork and artifacts that were built upon the imperial collections of different dynasties. I would love to spend time indoor and look at those collections if we had more time. 

Little kitties in the mall