Weekend in Beijing

Beijing is cold. In fact, it is snowing! So, we have more hotel time than expected. Not a problem – my shared room has more personal space than my efficiency in Hong Kong. The extra time lets me catch up on this blog. However, the updates are on Word because I can’t access Facebook or Google Blogger in mainland China. I would be able access these prohibited sites if I purchased a VPN connection. I did not bother so these updates will just get posted back in HK. Other than Internet blocks, Beijing is a very different place than Hong Kong. It is a sprawling city, challenging for a newcomer to navigate and much colder.

We visited the Forbidden City, which is a 600 year old walled city in the heart of Beijing. If you have seen the Last Emperor, this is the place where he was born. This is where the concubines lived. It surprised me that despite all of the destruction caused by the communists during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, the Forbidden City, which is a monument to imperialism, remains in tact.

Afterwards we walked down a dreary side street to Tiananmen Square. It reminded me of the Mall in D.C. It is a huge lawn framed by imposing buildings, a couple museums and a theater hall. There is a monument in the middle, Mao’s mausoleum and a large photo of Mao at the end of the square. All the lampposts had multiple cameras. It is clearly a historically significant spot yet closely guarded against social unrest...

I loved the Wall. It was a cool, sunny day when we hiked through the part of the Great Wall called Mutianyu. It is a less touristy area so we have pictures without anyone else around. I did not know the Wall has broken into various sections over the years. I was amazed to find out that it's around 6000 km long, can fit 10 soldiers wide (or 5 horses) and follows the mountain ridge. It was an incredible experience. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.









We came across this wedding shoot. The red wedding dress looked fantastic against the gray background.

As an aside, I have been traveling with a few girls from my program and we have reached a fantastic point of goofiness and hilarity, especially at the Wall. Someone had the bright idea to buy a panda hat, naming it Chuchuchu (after the Mandarin word for 'taxi' - like most of my Mandarin efforts, this is a total botching of the actual word) and including it in most of our photos…(to be posted)

Today we visited a very hip art area outside the center of Beijing called ‘798’. They turned an old factory complex into an area for artists. I loved seeing this other personality of the city, considering that the rest of my experiences were relatively stark and cold, this was a charming creative mecca. Back to Hong Kong tomorrow…only one more week ☹

Decision

I finally decided that I would return to Durham. I am very sad about leaving Hong Kong because it has been such a fantastic experience.

When I was in Taiwan last weekend, I was still very torn about whether to return or stay. Upon the recommendation of some travelers from my hostel in Hualien, I rented a scooter to drive 30 km north to the Toroko Gorge (incredible! - equivalent of the Grand Canyon for Taiwan, as one Taiwanese put it). I was alone because they had gone the previous day, but it was such an adventure. I felt like James Bond's sidekick zipping through unknown Asian villages, driving deeper into the mountains, clouds moving through the peaks around me and marble rocks rising along a rapid. It's indescribable. (see pics)

I eventually reached my destination, Tienhsiang, a "village" or road stop 12 km up into the gorge. I ordered some friend rice and, of course, wrote in my journal. My mind wandered towards The Decision and I concluded that I needed to return to Fuqua. Now that I have a job, I will finally be in a position to focus on my classes and my friends. The past 1.5 years in business school have been challenging. In short, I want to leave on a positive note toward Fuqua and I think this is my opportunity to do so. I have yet to change my mind in the past 6 days so it's final. I just need the airline to confirm my return flight!

Lesson Learned: In confronting difficult decisions, go to the top of an incredible mountain with a journal. Expect clarity of mind.