My travel to Peking

Beijing (Peking) is well known for its flatness and regular constructions. Like the configuration of the Forbidden City, Beijing has concentric "ring roads", which are actually rectangular, that go around the metropolis. It was also the seat of the Qing dynasty emperor until the formation of a republic in 1911, so it has rich historical sites, and important government institutions. Taking a travel to Peking is my long-cherished wish. In the golden autumn of 2000, I achieved what I’d dreamed for a long time, that was visiting to the heart of our motherland—Peking, and I really experienced its fantastic scene.

On the day of September 11th, when the sun rayed in the morning, my friends and I got the majestic Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, where the national flag is raised exactly at sunrise everyday. It is surrounded by Soviet-style monuments and government buildings. I pressed the camera shutter continually and took photographs of the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People and the Tiananmen Gate. Then we entered the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall which sits in the south of the square. I presented a bundle of fresh flowers in state before the Chairman Mao’s statuary and made a bow for three times in front of the portrait of Chairman Mao laid in the crystal coffin. Outside the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the workers were busily decorating the square with flowers and lights to greet the great occasion of the National Day.

We then walked to the Forbidden City, which is officially known as the Imperial Palace Museum. It is also located in the center of Beijing, used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years, and now is the grandest integral palace complex still remaining in China. We got there when the gate was opened at 8.30am, then we walked through the vast and spectacular courtyards in relative peace. This is the right spot that visitors can appreciate the might and grandeur of the Imperial Chinese court during the height of its power in Ming and Qing dynasties. Then we were on the Tian’an Men Gate and retrospected the grand ceremony of founding the state on the National Day of 1949. I felt as if Chairman Mao was standing here and seriously declared, “People's Republic of China has been established! Chinese people stand up from now on!"

From Shenwumen Gate we got out of the Imperial Palace, and reached Jingshan park near by as well as Beihai park, where the landscape is beautiful and charming.

On the day of September 12th, we had a travel-stained visit to the Summer Palace, which is well known both in domestic and foreign. The Summer Palace is located on the northwestern outskirts of the city, and used to be the imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty. With the perfect layout, magnificent buildings and enchanting landscape, it is the most splendid classical garden in China. Most visitors gathered in the front hill, but we preferred quiet places, we turned to the west bank and directly went to the back hill area, where there were some quiet and secret ruins, caves, and ruined docks.
In China, there is a famous saying, “you’re not a Plucky Hero till you climb up the Great Wall.” It was clear and cloudless on September 13th, and we took the special route of sight seeing bus to the Juyong Pass and Badaling section of the Great Wall. The Great Wall is the symbol of China and also one of the seven wonders in the world. The incredible Great Wall began construction almost 2,500 years ago under the direction of one of the most notorious and influential Emperors in China, that is Qin Shihuang emperor. It was a massive project involving countless millions of hands building the Wall stone by stone, the original purpose was to keep out of barbarian invaders from the North. The Wall is on top of mountain chains. Upon to the Great Wall, the guide suggested us bringing a jacket to resist the wind and cold.
The Badaling section is the most famous, but also the most over-restored and crowded part of the Great Wall. Jin Shan Ling and Huang Shan are more distant, with several hours’ drive but offer a better view of the wall in a less restored state with fewer crowds. There were too many people on Badaling section that day, and it seemed that it is not the Great Wall of China, but the Great Wall of Tourists.
We didn’t take a full enjoy to our hearts’ content during these days. But we were strongly moved by the historical ambience here for its vicissitudes and resplendence. I wish to come back to visit Peking, the world-famed historic city!

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