This a fabulous "city" within the city of Beijing, former residence of many generations of emperors, a vast complex of palaces, temples, gardens and squares. But you can look up Wikipedia if you want a descripition of its arcitecture and history. What impressed me was how well preserved it is considering how much damage was done to all things "ancien régime" during the 20th century. There are of course throngs of tourists (mostly Chinese) so you're unlikely to have an intimate moment to reflect on past imperial glory. A trick, by the way, to avoid the queue is to pay one of the many touts to skip the queue for you. The entrance fee is RMB60; we negotiated a +10 deal with a guy who promptly leapt over the barrier, pushed straight to the top of the queue, ran back with two tickets; then we paid him. A good deal!
Have you ever been to Disneyland? You know how the queues go on forever? Well you ain't seen nothing until you see the queue for Mao's mausoleum! The whole of the vast space that is Tiananmen Square was covered with a snake of people, encouraged to keep moving by the officials with megaphones walking up and down the line. I'll leave Mao to the next visit.
Today: the Great Wall.
Have you ever been to Disneyland? You know how the queues go on forever? Well you ain't seen nothing until you see the queue for Mao's mausoleum! The whole of the vast space that is Tiananmen Square was covered with a snake of people, encouraged to keep moving by the officials with megaphones walking up and down the line. I'll leave Mao to the next visit.
Today: the Great Wall.
