Before I begin our recollections, a word on air quality. We wake and look out of the window to see overcast conditions caused by smog. We can see a yellow brown halo around the sun. On the AQI web site a little later in the day I see the following.
Anyway back to our travels, David, our guide arrives a little later than scheduled. We head towards the Temple of Heaven, a collection of religious buildings worship in the south of the city the crowning glory of which is a splendid pagoda. A corridor in Tiantan park leading to the pagoda has a covered corridor with a balustrade on which a large number of pensioners are seated playing card games, dominoes and Chinese chess, which it appears is exclusively played by men. Some ladies are also knitting.
Further along there are couples dancing, some balancing balls on the fingers of both hands, others balancing balls on bats and more are playing a kind of keepy uppy game with an oversized shuttlecock. A number are also engaged in the Chinese art of Tai Chi.
Some men are arriving carrying cages, bringing their birds for a morning stroll.
David now moves on ahead and gets our tickets to enter the Temple of Heaven complex, the crowds today are heavy, but not as bad as yesterday at the Great Wall. He also manoeuvres us around the waiting throng of American cruise trippers (there are around 25 coaches in the car park) and takes us to the head of the queue. We explore the temple and the associated buildings and David explains the symbolism that every part of the courtyard and the builds seem to have associated with them, for instance who is allowed on which path and when, what the differences between dragon statues are that signifies whether they are devoted to the emperor or empress, even going as far as the number of nails used in the doors (nine by nine is very auspicious for Chinese people). We take many pictures, but we feel a little downhearted by the sky conditions.
We return to catch up with our driver now, and onward to Tiananmen Square. We chat with David about the air quality, he is surprisingly forthright in sharing his opinions about the causes, and what has to be done to solve it. He thinks that the reasons given by the authorities are not really believed. He highlights the fact that when there are important meetings in the city there are blue skies. He speculates as to the reasons why. We alight at the bottom of the square and walk up the length past the monuments to the people, Mao’s mausoleum and the party headquarters. It is a strange feeling walking here, but no one brings up any subjects of controversy. Although there is a security presence here it does seem to be light, no armed soldiers, on young men between the age of seventeen to twenty three David informs us. But be under no illusions there are other forces in the area if they are required. What also amazes is the sheer volume of people that queue to visit Mao’s coffin.
Out of the square now and under the road now to the Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum as it now titled. In use until as recently as 1912 the complex comprises over nine hundred buildings used by the emperor, his family and his staff and concubines. There are separate buildings for the emperor and empress, and the paths which are split into three have specific protocols. The place is awe inspiring, impossible to take in on one visit. We listen to David carefully, but I admit that the sheer volume of statistics and dates is too much to take in. What does surprise me however is that this palace was used in the time of Queen Victoria.
This picture also shows the worsening sky conditions, and as we head off now in the car for our lunch stop we remove our masks from their packaging and put them on for the afternoon.
Our stop for lunch today is again basic, but not as good as the day before. There are large groups of bus trippers in the restaurant, some French others German. We appear to be the only British. David asks us what we think of the place as we are leaving, perhaps he has concerns.
Onward now to the Summer Palace, another collection of palace buildings built mainly for the dowager empress Cixi, the Dragon Lady around the turn of the nineteenth century. Another sprawling complex of place buildings and gardens for the empress and her entourage. The gardens are ornate with huge limestone rocks, in rocekeries. Some of the rocks are like cliffs, and stand over ten feet tall. Magnolia, cherry trees, tree peonies, box hedging, lots of lilac and forsythia are evident and all seem strategically placed. It is breathtaking.
We walk along a corridor, the longest in China to a boat and return to the main entrance feeling worn out now. I think our guide senses this and says we can have a rest at the hotel later, which after two days we now know means next.
Tonight we visit a Peking Opera show so will try and get some shut eye before that