Beijing, pt. one

In 2005 Beijing was identified by the European Space Agency as having the world's highest levels of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant that contributes to the city's awful air. Health experts warn that breathing the air could be the equivalent of smoking 70 cigarettes a day, which is ironic because many Chinese males consume about the same number. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years half of China's population dies of lung cancer. I joined the chain-smokers for a week while touring the history of China: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall, Summer Palace. The world's largest public square, Tiananmen Square, cannot boast of beauty or inspiring architecture for it is merely a large slab of grey concrete, enhanced by the perpetual cloud of pollution hanging overhead. The dreariness reminds one of the dark stain of 1989 and the current suppression of freedom. The best view of the square is at night when illumined by bright security lights and protected by the usual guards at each entrance.
Near Tiananmen is the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall which houses the beloved chairman in all his glory. Before entering, visitors must cross the street to deposit all bags, cameras, and any other offensive belongings, then go through a series of security checks and metal detectors. Inside the mausoleum where the chairman lies in a glass coffin, silence and respect is expected and many bring flowers or gifts. When Mao was undergoing the process of preservation, his doctor, who most likely feared his life if he failed, had a wax replica constructed as a backup, leaving visitors to wonder which Mao they are actually viewing. In 2004, six Chinese scholars drafted a proposal asking authorities to remove the corpse from display and bury it in Mao's hometown. They claimed that to worship the corpse of a ruler is a display of a "slave-based society" and that a body returning to dust in the ground is part of Chinese tradition. Their main concern, however, seemed to be the world gaze that is now falling upon Beijing with the approaching 2008 Olympics. Mao actually wanted to be cremated.
Across the street from Tiananmen Square and home to two dynasties of emperors, the Forbidden City, forbidden for 500 years, is the largest and best-preserved cluster of ancient buildings in China. The palace houses ceremonial halls, a museum, the Imperial garden, and the usual tourist hounds selling Chinese goods. It was also home to a Starbucks until last year when the public protested the commercialization of the palace and kicked the corporation out. Ha!

a typical traveling tragedy

Shanghai, the Paris of the East, though some believe Paris to be the Shanghai of the West, boasts of many attractions, shopping and fine delicacies to be enjoyed. While in this booming metropolis, I did not visit the French Concession or the Shanghai museum, neither did I walk along the Bund or eat at the many restaurants underlined and circled in my Lonely Planet China book. Upon arrival, I bought my overnight sleeper tickets to Beijing, found a hostel and realized my bank card was in the machine in Nanjing, three hours away. I had barely enough cash for one night at the hostel and a few days before my train to Beijing. Frantic, I called my friends back in Enshi for assistance and was put in touch with friends in the Shanghai area who agreed to give me shelter, food and eventually a monetary transaction between myself and a bank account in America, which proves the point that harmonious filial relations are vital. The next morning I found my cell phone to be out of money because the company did not change my service like I requested and subsequently charged me outrageous roaming fees. Thank you, China Unicom.
Though I did none of the things I had planned to do, I spent an amazing weekend with "family" who encouraged me. I was greatly humbled and brought down from the self-centered pedestal upon which many tourists squat. I wasn't meant to see the sights of Shanghai; instead, my eyes were opened to the stench of self-gratification. I had recently been extremely selfish with both my time and money. I was in dire need of a reminder of why I live in China. It's not so I can buy cheap clothes and drink my fill of naicha, a milk tea with tapioca balls. This experience required me to give up my calendar, my watch and my wallet. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all. As an American, I have too many blessings, too many material blessings. So, I rejoice in the fact that, though only a short time, the comfort of money was removed and I had to depend on other workers.
I could look back with grumbling and complaining over the frustrations of banks in China, how it's impossible to retrieve money from one's bank account without the card. I could sigh about how I could not get a new bank card until I returned to my bank of origin and how when I did so, I was forced to dish over money out of my own pocket, not my bank account, to buy a new card. I could roll my eyes, but instead I rejoice. I rejoice in being reminded of the millions who are less fortunate than I. I rejoice in meeting more family. I rejoice in being chosen to proclaim wonderful acts. I rejoice in the name that is greater than any other name. I rejoice in humility.

Chinese Proverb

When students, who never seem to smell that terrific, tell you it's time to take a bath...it's most likely time to take a bath.