Beijing

For the first time my paper got selected for an internatinal conference in Beijing. I was extremely excited as well as nervous about the whole experience....I had never been to a different country, let alone going all by myself. Nonetheless I was eagerly looking forward to this. Due to the short time span of my tour I couldn't visit anywhere other than Beijing and visiting new places from my halt at Kunming airport was also not possible.

Since ancient times, China has been known as the “Celestial Empire.” This refers not only to China’s strength and position as East Asia’s Middle Kingdom, it also captures a more profound meaning, describing a land where the divine and mortal once coexisted. It refers to the belief that the divine, through various dynasties, transmitted a rich and abundant culture to the Chinese people. Chinese culture is thus known as “divinely inspired,” and is the only culture in the world to have a continuous recorded history of 5,000 years. It has left behind countless literary classics, historical documents, cultural relics, and national records reflecting its immense scope.

Beijing, as the capital city and political center of China, is certainly one of the perfect cities to visit for tourists both foreign and domestic. Though I went there for presenting my paper, but how can miss the chance to explore the city. So I utilised each and every opportunity to explore the city. Before going to the University straight from the airport I went to Great Wall of China (Badaling Great wall). It is 70 Km outside from the city.

From Shanhaiguan, northeast of Qinhuangdao City in Hebei Province on the east coast, the Great Wall rises and falls with the contours of the mountains westwards, crossing nine provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions over 6,700 kilometers, to end at Jiayuguan, southwest of Jiayuguan City in Gansu Province.Building of the wall began during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States period (475-221 BC) of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Ducal states at that time built walls to defend their individual territories. After the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty crushed all rival states, he founded the first centralized and unified dynasty in Chinese history. To consolidate the country and ward off invasion by ethnic minority tribes in the north he had the walls linked and extended, giving rise to the 5,000-kilometer-long Qin Great Wall. Later dynasties from Han (206 BC – AD 220) to Ming (1368-1644) continued to build and improve the wall, extending it by more than 1,000 Kilometres to its present magnitude.The Great Wall comprises walls, passes, watchtowers, castles and fortresses. The walls are made of large stone blocks. From east to west, the sections at Shanhaiguan, Jinshanling, Mutianyu, Badaling and Jiayuguan have become popular tourist attractions. Most of The Great Wall that we see today dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The best-preserved and most imposing section is at Badaling near Beijing city. Completing the first two sections of the wall with some pretty heavy breathing and moisture on clothes I opted to sit down and to take some snaps. I was so excited after exploring one of the the Seven Wonders of the World and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Great Wall was definitely my highlight of the day, and being lucky enough to hike the section.

From there I went to Ming Tombs. The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. The silence of that place was telling the history.

The Next day after the conference session I went to visit Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Today the Forbidden City (or Palace Museum), a World Heritage site since 1987, still abounds with the sense of grandeur and wealth, an aura of pomp and majesty that has passed down through the ages. This secret city was closed off from the world for about 500 years but now 720,000 sq m of courtyards, pavilions, great halls, flourishing gardens and nearly 10,000 rooms combine to form one of the best-preserved historical sites in China. Built by tens of thousands of people, it took over 14 years and 32 million bricks to complete. It took almost 3 hour to explore the Forbidden City. Tian'anmen Square occupies an area of 49 hectares (122 acres), big enough to hold half a million people. It was named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which stands on its north side, separating it from the Forbidden City. As the site of several key events in Chinese history, it has iconic significance as a cultural symbol.

Tian'anmen Square occupies an area of 49 hectares (122 acres), big enough to hold half a million people. It was named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which stands on its north side, separating it from the Forbidden City. As the site of several key events in Chinese history, it has iconic significance as a cultural symbol.

Its time now to taste some Beijing Food. Qianmen Street and Dazhalan Business Area have many old and famous shops. You can find a lot of authentic Beijing snacks (Colourful and interesting) in this area, including Rolling Donkey, a kind of sticky-rice cake with a red pea filling, fried snakes with fruit, fried insect etc.Wangfujing Snack Street is another great place to visit, mainly for traditional Beijing foods and beverages. When you enter the street, you will quickly feel the narrow lanes of old Beijing. There are rows and rows of tables on both sides of the street with people milling around everywhere. But these foods are good only to take snaps. So I had my dinner in a small Chinese restaurant with some ethnic Chinese dish. Somehow managed to eat some stuffs with chopstick….

Next day morning I had my presentation. After the session I went to Temple of Heaven and summer palace. Summer Palace was more impressive to me because of the scenic beauty and dragon boat ride in the lake. The Temple of Heaven is an imperial complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest.