“China is close”
“China is close”: this is an actually fashionable phrase nowadays!!Nevertheless, in my opinion, it isn’t so true…I’m talking about my travel’s experience in Beijing (China).Indeed my fly lasted at least ten hours, and considering that it was my first long journey, the fear didn’t lack!!As soon as I arrived, I was dazed enough by the jet la but, as soon as possible, I tried to overcome the tiredness and to immerse myself in the discovery of the city.
Beijing is located in northern China, in fact its name simply means northern’s capital. As the capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is the nation's political, economic, cultural and educational centre as well as being China's most important centre for international trade and communications.
The city has a population of 14.93 million people and it’s at its best in late spring and autumn, particularly during the months of May, September, and October when people can enjoy bright sunshine and blue skies.Beijing has been the centre of China and the heart and soul of politics and society for over 5000 years. Since in a ancient time many outstanding figures, such Marco Polo and Matteo Ricci (who introduced the western natural sciences to China and brought the great world map) from Italy, contributing to the cultural exchange between the East and the West.If the pace of change in the city today is so sped up, Beijing is determined to stay at the forefront of Chinese civilization.In 2008 Beijing will host the Olympic Games. The city will take this opportunity to show the world something special.Despite the people's livelihood has improved remarkably in both urban and rural areas, many people live still in a very miserable way.Although Beijing now is modern, fashionable and full of 21st century vitality, you can experience authentic Beijing life and become acquainted with 'old Beijing' by exploring its many teahouses, temple fairs.The most charming and fascinating feature of Beijing, in fact, is the well-done combination of ancient style together with modern aspects that surely astonishes the tourists.Another striking aspect, it’s the width of the spaces: everything seems exaggerated in China, especially the number of people that lives there… For me it was really amazing to observe the crowd of people who crosses the streets every day!I pointed out two problems; the first one is the difficulty to find anybody who speaks English. So you should communicate only in Chinese, for example, either when you go to shops or you take a taxi: I advise you need to have written previously the address in Chinese on a piece of paper, if you want avoid to lose yourself!
The second one is that it’s indispensable to adapt your stomach to the local habits food, otherwise you risk to experience the unpleasant effects of a food poison!! In any case you can also find sophisticated different styles of Chinese cuisine as well as western style dishes. Strolling around Beijing, you'll find it has much in common with any other great metropolis elsewhere in today's world. There are towering skyscrapers, busy shopping malls and stressful streams of traffic. The view of the Great Wall offers a very emotional landscape, which gives a true impressive effect, especially if you kook at the length of this endless wall: 35 kilometres and eight doors!The construction of the Great Wall around the city started during the Warring States Period on 7th century B.C, it had a history of more than 2.500 years. Many walls were built in Central China to protect themselves and their northern territories. The Forbidden City, also known as Imperial Palace Museum, is of course the most popular place to visit. As its name implies, the Imperial Palace was a forbidden place for those not of the imperial family or court, which makes it even more intriguing to Westerners.Located in the centre of urban Beijing, it was formerly called Forbidden City and it served as the residence of the Ming and Qing Emperors. It is the largest and best preserved group of ancient architecture in the world. Built in 1420 in the Ming Dynasty, it had been the centre of the feudal rule in China till the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.
The site has been listed in the World Heritage by UNESCO.At the very heart of Beijing sits Tian'anmen Square, (made more interesting due to the student protests that occurred in 1989) the largest urban square in the world. Enlarged in the 1960s, Tian'anmen Square now measures 880 meters from north to south, which can accommodate up to one million people. Classical Beijing planning however, didn't permit public squares, that were considered largely as dangerous places where crowds could gather and diverted attention and focus away from the Emperor....The Ming Tombs are situated at the northwest of Beijing; this is the best preserved group of imperial tombs buried with the most emperors. This ancient place hosts some impressive vivid stones which represent human figures and animal; it’s the largest tomb on the ground.A wonderful place to visit it’s the Summer Palace which has many scenic areas that live up to it being China's largest imperial garden. In the spring, you can see a beautiful field of flowers in a great place for picnics or go to a slightly wooded area for a beautiful view of the Palace and lake.There are many temples in Beijing to be seen, the most notable being the Temple of Heaven. Located in the Southern part of urban Beijing, it was where the Ming emperors went to worship Heaven and pray for better harvest. Temple of Heaven counts as the world's largest group of temple buildings. Its distinct architectural design represents the ancient belief of round heaven, square earth, and the supreme imperial power. Shanghai is a surprising and exciting city as well also because you don’t imagine to find a really modern and enough western-style city in a such unusual scenery.Imposing skyscrapers built recently overlook the noising city full of modern shops, where the presence of a multiracial environment is touchable. Therefore, it’s possible to observe how the globalisation has already arrived until there. Finally, I have to admit that at the moment of my departure I was quite sad to leave a country so different from mine, but perhaps for this reason even attractive.
