THE FORBIDDEN CITY

                                     A Huge Complex  

To get to the Forbidden City from Tienanmen Square, across a busy street, we went down the subway stairs and crossed under the road coming up on the other side. A 35-foot-high wall and a 160-foot wide moat surround the 800 buildings, 9000-room maze of courtyards, palaces, apartments, and storehouses that cover 200 acres. We entered the Forbidden City though the South Gate, built in the 15^th century during the reign of Emperor Yongle. Restored in the 17^th   century, it has always been used as a rostrum to talk to the masses. There are five doors to the gate. The middle one is the highest and was reserved for the emperor. Royal persons used the left gate and guards used the one on the right. On each end is a small door. Each of the seven bridges spanning the stream had restricted use, and only the emperor was allowed to use the central bridge. This was the spot where Mao, in 1949, proclaimed the People’s Republic.

 The front gate (Qian Men), once guarded the ancient inner city from the outer suburban area. The Forbidden City is so called because it was off  limits for 500 years to everyone except the emperor and his court. Twenty-four Chinese emperors, Sons of Heaven, ruled China from the Dragon Throne. It is believed to be the best-preserved and largest cluster of ancient buildings in China.

            Outside the gates stood two large concrete columns with animals on top facing out. Just inside stood two similar columns but the animals on top were facing inward. The Hall of Harmony is the tallest and largest of the six main palace buildings. The 15^th century city within a city is one of world’s greatest architectural masterpieces. No building could be higher than that of the emperor.

Emperors prayed at the Temple of Heaven twice a year for good harvests. Within the Forbidden City was a Chinese vision of paradise on earth. It was home to both the Ming and Qing dynasties.

 A large bronze tortoise and crane, both representing long life, were positioned on each side of the courtyard. The colors red and yellow were restricted only for royal use.

Contained within the city was a breathtaking array of art. Marble dragons, bronze lions, and gilded gargoyles adorned a gigantic maze of palaces, pavilions, gardens and halls. Lions symbolize good luck and power. A series of arches stretched from the edges of Beijing to this imperial labyrinth, and everything in the Forbidden City complex, right down to the last courtyard, converged upon the Imperial Throne, reflecting a belief that the entire world radiated out from the royal seat of China and its emperor, the Son of Heaven.

Beijing officials call the Forbidden City the Palace Museum (Gugong) or the Imperial Museum. Emperor Yongle established the basic layout for the city between 1406-1420. At times as many as a million laborers worked on the complex. The emperors ruled from the palace, sometimes erratically, and often leaving much of the real power to court eunuchs.

Fires were frequent events, and the present buildings mostly are post 18^th century. Many large iron cauldrons, 308 actually, were placed around the courtyards containing water in case of  fire. The large ones were elevated on legs so in cold weather fires could be built under the cauldron to prevent the water from freezing. The smallest cauldron held 18 gallons. Some of the fires were accidental, but some were also set by the eunuchs so they could get rich off of the repairs.

The inner courtyard is made with 15 layers of brick. At one time flogging took place here. Each of the five bridges has a meaning and we crossed over on the Bridge of Intelligence. Each of the main halls face south, while lesser buildings flank the courtyard.

Philosophy and social items were  important. Math was not valued and that has left China behind in technology. People lived in the Imperial City and worked in the Forbidden City. The north gate was reserved for the empress. In 1664 Manchus stormed the palace burning it to the ground. Years later, Japanese forces looted the palace. In 1949 on the eve of the communist takeover many relics were removed and sent to Taiwan where they remain in a museum.

The gates were huge ‘drum’ doors with rows and rows of large brass knobs. Thresholds were high throughout the city, and the higher the threshold the higher rank of the official living in the house. In the Imperial City some of the thresholds had been removed so the last emperor could  ride his bike over them when he was a child.

On the building roof corners there were an odd  number of small animals plus an extra animal that was ridden and in the lead. The number of animals designated one’s importance. So someone with five figures would be more important than someone with three and less important than someone with seven.

There were no trees or flowers in the Forbidden City, as it was felt they might break the impression of solidarity. It also gave no hiding place for anyone who might want to hurt the emperor. However when leaving, we found a lovely peaceful garden outside the walls. We slowly strolled through the   garden, as it was a nice respite from the many buildings and overdone decorations in the busy inner city. It took us a full morning to view Tienanmen and the Forbidden City and I actually found it rather tiring  and maybe a bit depressing in spite of all its history.

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA HIGHLIGHTS

                                    Interesting City Sites

               

         Halifax, the 250-year-old provincial capital with a population of 300,000, is also the province’s largest city. The city has a long sea faring and military history. The deep ice-free natural harbor is the core of existence and the city’s most outstanding resource. The ten-mile long harbor is shaped like a spoon with the wide bowl at the end.

     The changing of the guard at the Citadel takes place on the hour, so we aimed to be there in time to see it. After a two-hour rest the guards are again on duty where they stand at attention for an hour. During that time they are allowed to take 15 paces a total of seven times to keep the circulation flowing in their legs. The Citadel, is a hilltop, star shaped, granite fortress that dominates the city. Overlooking the harbor it offers a strategic view of the bay and a magnificent view of the city.

            The present Citadel, completed in 1856, took 27 years to build and is the fourth built on the site. Its construction was at the urging of the Duke of Wellington with a cost of 242,000 pounds. In its day the Citadel represented the best of defensive military technology. However, a shot has never been fired.

            From 1749-1906 the Citadel was under British rule. In 1906 it was transferred to the Canadian Department of Defense, and in 1956 designated a National Historic Site. During the summer, college students dressed in period uniforms and kilts of the 78^th Highlanders, who originally manned the fort, demonstrate various military drills. The changing of the guard was as precise and professional as that of any military career man. I loved the kilts the college students were wearing. What a great way to learn one’s city’s history.

Prince Edward, father of Queen Victoria, commissioned the Old Town Clock  in 1803. The clock on each side is a different size, as the population in each direction, N,E,S,W, determined the clock size. Staring at this unusual four-sided clock all I could say was, “Amazing.”

           

            Point Pleasant Park is still leased from England for the sum of one shilling a year. Each year there is a ceremony when an official from Halifax gives the crown the one shilling. Then it is given back to Halifax because the price has never changed, but the shilling is no longer available, so that one is guarded carefully.

The Public Gardens (1865) cover 17 acres in the heart of the city. Early afternoon most of us elected to walk through the lovely Victorian gardens. Part way through the park we heard music. We stopped and listened to the concert being played in the quaint gazebo. Talk about perfect timing! It was a great surprise on a gorgeous day. The flowers in the park were lovely and it seemed everything was in bloom.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

                         An Awesome Visit to a World Wonder

The day before we were due to visit the Great Wall our guide told us, “It is a 3-½ hour drive tomorrow, but the area we are going to is not crowded. Badaling, where most people go, is so crowded you have little chance of seeing anything. The Great Wall is the number one tourist attraction in Beijing. Most tourists ride to Badaling, 70 kilometers northwest of the city. At an elevation of 3050 feet, it is the highest part of the wall. That part of the wall was restored in 1957 with the addition of guard-rails. Since 1980 it has become exceedingly  crowded, so a  cable car was added to  smooth the  flow of tourist traffic. Vendors selling everything  imaginable, souvenir shops, and fast food kiosks abound, all attributing to a circus-like atmosphere.”

            We liked our guide’s idea and actually were happy to ride through the countryside in our van. Enroute to the Great Wall we stopped in the satellite town of Dongzhinen. We’d call it a suburb. The lovely hotel had western restrooms. It was a pretty little city. As we rode along we passed a kite factory, porcelain factory, a large bamboo factory and many tree farms.

            Several native villagers were waiting for us when we arrived at Jinshaning. They formed a line across the road and as we started up the small hill the front person fell away  to accompany one of us, until we

My guide at the wall in Jinshaning

all had a local villager at our side. My escort was a 12-year-old boy. They stayed with  us all morning until we returned back to the starting point.

            It was nice not to have to jostle our way through a crowd.  It took about 10-15 minutes to walk the moderate incline on a narrow concrete road to the wall. After reaching the wall we faced several steep steps up onto the wall, and then one could go either left or right. I turned left and climbed steps that were broken every 20 steps or so by a small flat platform. The wall climbed to a summit before starting downhill, then up again. I made it to the summit stopping every so often to take in the magnificent, awe-inspiring, panoramic views of tree covered hills with shallow gorges. It was a warm sunny day but not too hot. At the wall we all went our own way at our own pace for a couple of hours before  meeting  again at the bottom for a late lunch. Each one of the villagers had a plastic bag with a book about the wall and most of us ended up buying it as payment for the escort.

 The Great Wall of China (Changeheng) qualifies as one of  the world’s greatest civil engineering feats, and is the only man-made structure visible from outer space. The Longest cemetery in the world is a symbol of greatness and strength.  It took many generations to build and is a superlative path from east to west over mountains and the Mongolian plain.  The purpose of the wall was to protect the Hau, the dominant ethnic population, from foreign invasion. The massive ramparts were begun in separate strategic sections between 402-221 B.C., nearly 2500 years ago! During the reign of China’s first Qin emperor some 300,000 men worked connecting the segments into one huge snake-like fortification. Life was hard during the construction. Archaeologists estimate that the wall ran 6200 miles through an expanse that now covers 16 provinces. Today the wall still covers an impressive 3750 miles, from the Bohai Sea at Shanhai Guan on the east, to Jiayu Guan in the Gobi Desert, crossing five provinces and two autonomous regions. The Great Wall was not only a barrier, but it also served as an elevated highway linking defensive forces along China’s rugged mountainous northern frontier. The road atop the wall provided a means of rapid communication and deployment of troops, arms, and food.

Over a million men worked on the wall under deplorable conditions. When they died their bodies were thrown into the center between the walls and covered up. Every third man was said to have been conscripted to work on the wall. Of every 10 men only 3 returned home.

            Turrets are placed an arrow distance apart. The turret base is 40-foot square, 40-foot high tapering to a 30-foot square at the top. The turrets were built a bit outside the walls so the walls could be protected. The turrets follow several different designs. The wall is not straight as it follows the terrain plus the belief that the devil can only travel in a straight line, so the ups and downs and curves protected it from evil. China’s first emperor, who reigned only a few years, built the Wall to prevent western expansion into China, not for China to expand outside and never really performed the function of a defense line. After his death, the wall fell into a 1000 years of decay, with only small areas of it being kept in good repair.

The long serpent-like wall twisting over the landscape has 24-foot wide walkway on top that allowed 8 men to march abreast. The Ming dynasty repaired the wall and replaced many parts of it. Much of it was replaced with masonry and often set on large granite blocks. Gates were added, and various history notes were inscribed along the wall.

            During the Ming Dynasty the earthen wall was faced with brick and stone, a project that took over 100 years with a phenomenal resource and human cost. In the past, around Beijing, parts of the wall were torn down to reuse the building material. The Wall was basically forgotten after that and parts of it began to deteriorate, and might have totally disappeared had it not been for the tourist industry.

            What an awesome day! We had a delightful lunch at the base of the wall in a small restaurant. The ride through the countryside was mostly traffic free once we left the city. It was truly awesome to walk the wall and learn all its history.

SOME DOWN UNDER FACTS

                                    Useful Info and Trivia

The country is known as the Commonwealth of Australia, winning its Independence on January 1, 1901.  Sir Edmond Barton, the first Prime Minister remarked, “For the first time in history we have a continent for a nation and a nation as a continent.” 

Canberra, the country’s capitol, is located in the Australia Capitol Territory (ACT).  Australia is a democracy and an independent member of British Commonwealth.Canberra is the seat of several embassies and the American one is one of the nicest I've seen around the world.

Geographically Australia is the size of the United States. The country’s seven states are Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Tasmania. The country is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the south by the  Southern Ocean, on the east by the  Pacific Ocean, and on the north by the Coral Sea. The Tasman Sea is between Australia and Tasmania in the southeast corner of the country. The country is surrounded by 23,000 miles of coastline and is mineral rich with coal, tin and nickel .

Europe knew nothing of Australia until the 16^th century. Dutch ships on their way to Indonesia were blown off course and referred to this land as New Holland, but found nothing to spark interest in colonization.

In 1806 Captain William Bligh became Australia’s fourth governor. He lost the post two years later during the Rum Rebellion, and was succeeded by Lachlan Macquarie. It was during his tenure that sheep farming started to play an increasing role in the country’s economy.

Governance became more democratic with power increasingly going to legislative councils, first in New South Wales and then spreading to other colonies. Until the 20^th century Australia remained a collection of distinct colonies that had greater ties to England than to each other. It was after World Wars I and II that a true national identity was established.

Most of the population lives near the coast, leaving the interior of the country basically unpopulated. All the major cities are located on the coast.

Australia is a huge country and a long plane ride away. I would suggest a minimum visit of three weeks as there is so much to do and see. Picture yourself trying to see all of the US in the same amount of time—Australia is about the same size as the US.

ENKHUIZEN ( enk=HOW-zen) HOLLAND

                    A Wonderful Visit to a Charming City

Enkhuizen is a striking, magnificently preserved town established between 1000 and 1200, and

became a city in 1355.  Prospering from its herring fishing industry and trade from the Dutch East India Company, Enkhuizen reached its peak in the 17th century when it boasted the largest herring fleet in Holland.

The thriving port sat on the edge of the Zuider Zee, an inlet of the North Sea until it was enclosed in 1932. Now, Enkhuizen sits on the Ijsselmeer, the large inland lake created by the damming of the sea outlet. The 20-mile long dam has two highway lanes on top.

With a population of 16,000, this historic city retains its old charms, and its harbors attract thousands of pleasure boats. The delightful city walking tour concluded at St. Pancras Church, where we had a lesson on its famous murals followed by a brief organ concert that ended with the Star Spangled Banner. We all joined in the singing---nice!

This Church dates back to the 15th century, with the 75 meter high tower being built in 1450. Originally, it wasn't that high, but in 1526 the octagonal section and onion dome were added. It also has a 45 bell carillon. There are paintings on the wooden ceiling dating back to 1484. Originally covered in whitewash the paintings were revealed only when the roof needed repair in 1900 and the wash was removed.  The church was restored after killing an infestation of beetle termites with temperatures of 130 degrees.

It took a hundred years to build this church. It is rectangular facing east with the entrance on the west side. The choir is in the east end and the pews line the long way of the rectangle. The wooden cross came from Norway. Originally the church was Catholic, but during the religious wars in 1572 the priest became a minister and the church became Protestant---practically overnight.

The Drommedaris is an old defense tower located at the entrance to the harbor. Many warehouses originally used by both the East and West India Companies remain.

A cherry tree by the city hall was in full bloom. It was a drizzly day but not enough to bother with an umbrella.

         In the afternoon we went a bit out of town for tea with a delightful local family. The home was large by European standards, it was also new, about 15 years old, and this family had lived here a little over a year. Dad,  a school principal of two small schools with a total of 300+ students,  came home to visit with us. Mom, a psychotherapist, worked from home, seeing most of her clients in the evenings. The older daughter was attending college in Amsterdam where she commutes by train, about an hour each way. The teenage boy has one more year of high school. Both teenagers were friendly, talkative and fun.

            The furnishings were a bit modern and stark for my taste, but had clean cut lines. The dining room was off the living room and the kitchen was behind the garage, next to the dining room. Homes come with no appliances or closets. The dining room was very light with very large windows and glass door on two sides that looked out onto a garden area that  housed a small shed to store bikes. A narrow spiral staircase led upstairs where there were three rooms and a small sleeping alcove which the son occupied.

            The son brought  his girlfriend after school. She was a delightful young lady, animated, friendly and talkative. It was interesting to converse with both the parents and the young people, few of whom are as friendly and talkative to strangers. They all spoke good English.

            We enjoyed coffee or tea and stooperwafles. We did it the proper way by putting the stooperwafles on top of the steaming coffee cups. Yum! It was a charming visit—one for the books.