Inside the Forbidden City, the former home of the emporers.
There are dozens of palaces and temples here. Many spectacular treasures were removed by fleeing nationalists
after the victory of the communists following WWII. Still, it's an impressive place.
The Great Wall, north of Beijing.
The first thing you'll realize here is that you can't really see the Great Wall from outer space. It's no wider than a
large house, and much of it has crumbled. Portions have been restored for the sake of tourism. Merchants flock
here to sell tiny painted jars, embroidered fabric, old opium pipes, or their first born if the price is right. At the right
(or wrong) time of year, you'll find more sellers than buyers.
The wall has unbelievable proportions, with thousands of miles in length, and thousands of years of history. It was
first completed around 200 B.C. as an earthen wall. It was modified and rebuilt over the centuries, until it reached
it's modern form in the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644). As impressive as these numbers are, the Mongols slipped past
in the 13th century simply by bribing local border officials.
Beijing is not all ancient history. Here you'll make friends from the remote province of Xinjiang (where the locals
are caucasian and speak a dialect of Turkish), and from the elite Beida University. The "X" is for Malcolm X,
believe it or not.
