Day Six: Tiananmen and An Unlikely Visitor

Today, I was tired. Woke up, was planning to go to the Forbidden City, but never got around to it. This is in part because I was feeling lazy, but in part because an unlikely visitor appeared.

A stranded MIT student, without luggage (that the airline lost), and waiting for transport to Shandong, needed a place to crash, so I made sure the student could stay at my place (I've got an extra bed, of course). Comfortably resting now, the student will depart on Tuesday, but is my roommate for now. I'm quite fond of the idea. It's lonely around here.

We hung out and talked for quite a while, I helped in trying to find the luggage. It's a bit of a mess. Nonetheless, we had a good time, and I got to get off my feet for a day. I ended up cooking--it wasn't bad, but I tried to stir-fry and I ended up braising. Hotter and shorter next time. Nonetheless, it felt pretty good, being able to finally cook.

When we did go out, we scuttled to a part of west Beijing with lots of high-priced shopping. Damn that I couldn't get a picture inside, but the malls were bizarre. They were short and cramped, and I felt very claustrophobic (and almost hit my head on a bunch of stuff). They were mostly dominated by rows with tiny tiny outlets each selling some individual thing. I got some pictures of the outside (see foggofwar), but nothing much interesting happened (we got there too late to do much shopping), and I had my first Chinese fast food. Not too bad.

From there, the interesting stuff happened. We walked towards Tiananmen, passing by the Forbidden Palace (which I plan to visit later). The walk was rather pretty:

Trees and Lamps Outside of the Forbidden Palace


We also got to see the Great Hall of the People, where the Politburo and National People's Congress meet (to rubber stamp the Politburo's decisions)--but really, this is where it all happens:

The Great Hall of the People

From the Other Side, With the Seal of China

When we got to Tiananmen, I rejoiced at actually being able to read the Communist slogans:

"Long Live the People's Republic of China!"

"Long Live the Great Solidarity of the People of the World!"

And then we got to the big gate, with the giant picture of the Great Helmsman:

Long Live the Poorly-Lit Portrait of the Great Helmsman!

I decided to give him a worthy tribute:

Long Live Comrade-Chairman Mao Zedong!

So that was pretty cool. Also great was my first opportunity to bargain--this very lively old man came up to me and said "Ah, you like the Chairman! You need this!" and flashed a copy of the Little Red Book. He was right--he knew I wanted it. I said "How much?" His reply: "How much are you willing to pay?" I started absurdly low... which almost killed the deal: "5 kuai." He laughed and walked away. I shrugged, but as we were leaving, he knew I wasn't going to go beg for it, so he came back: "Thirty kuai!" "No, twenty." "How about I throw in these?" And he brandished a nice package of Tiananmen postcards. This was enough for me... I knew I hadn't won much, but I'd won something, and that was worth it. I took the deal (though he tried to throw in a Great Wall and Forbidden City set and make it 50 kuai, and I had to call him on it). We had a great chat afterwards, he told me: "Put that under your pillow, you'll have good luck." I said "I plan to read it." "Ah, study your Chinese?" "And study Chairman Maozedong Thought!" He laughed again, and produced a Chairman Mao watch, which I was less excited about. I said "No, thanks," but he kept pushing it on me. "Really, I don't want it!" "Ah, I think you do! Look at it! Try it on!" I finally convinced him I wasn't buying, we had a laugh, and went along our way. But I think I'll always remember him whenever I see my Little Red Book.

After acquiring my Little Red Book, I proceeded to the obvious next step:

A Revolution is Not A Dinner Party!

And then I joined my fellow travelers:

Vigorously Develop People's Socialist Tourism with Chinese Characteristics!

On our way out, we saw some PLA guards touring around--they're actually everywhere; the PLA plays a very big role in Public Security, especially near government buildings. But seeing them marching around in uniform is not strange. They have a division called the People's Armed Police (PAP), which is their between-soldier-and-police officer unit; more heavily armed than regular police, and much more militarized, they handle the streetside security that regular soldiers avoid:

May the People's Liberation Army March Quickly Enough to Blur the People's Sidewalks!

We got a glimpse at the Monument to the People's Heroes, but since we couldn't walk into the square at that hour of night, I couldn't get a great shot. I intend to get a better one:

Long Live the Incandescent Bulbs Lighting the Monument to the People's Heroes!

Then we crawled home, and it's far, far too late, so I should go to bed.