China XI - Beijing

I did not have an auspicious start to my stay in Beijing. I arrived at Beijing West Train Station in a melee of people. I tried to hunt down the number 47 bus that the hostel I was staying at told me to get. Unfortunately the number 47 bus does not stop in the bus station at the train station so after walking up and down the street I eventually found the stop. There was a large group of people that had spilled on to the road. After waiting for half an hour the number 47 finally arrived and the crowd stormed the bus. I went in elbows blazing. I made my way in only to have an old guy ranting and raving at me. I don't know what he was saying but I ranted and raved at him back. I may be an 'outsider' as the Chinese call foreigners but that doesn't mean I won't give as good as I get. If I took anything from five years of Welsh PE teachers bellowing in my ears it was "Ruck over lads".

Beijing is a city of contrasts. There are the parts that are brand spankingly new. They out do anything I have seen in any other country I have been to. For instance, the city park surrounding the ruins of what is left of the City Walls (after Mao knocked them down). Then there are the parts that look very dated. In between is the construction work going on. It seems that everywhere I go in China something is being built and something is being knocked down. I am amazed at the number of cranes I keep seeing. The subway network is a case in point. The original underground train lines feel very dated and they still haven't finished the electronic ticketing. The new lines that they have just finished for the Olympics are very shiny and new and out do Shanghai and Singapore. On the inside of the subway lines they have put advertising so when you look out of the train window you see LED screens. The clever part is that they have managed to animate them at such a speed that it looks like one screen stays with the train as you move along. The advertising in the tube lines is dominated by the Chinese hurdler who has Chinese Olympic track and field hops on his shoulders, read an article about him and the hopes the Chinese have for him from the BBC. In Beijing I have got a lot of stares though Beijingers seem to look you up and down more than look at you. I have got the impression that a lot of locals take the piss out of you. It seems they have a Parisian attitude to foreigners at times.

I have now seen two of the three pickled Communist leaders. I saw Mao in what was a less respectful setting and much more Chinese affair than Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. In China Mao figures a lot less than Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. In Vietnam there are lots of Communist banners and billboards, not to mention Vietnamese flags, lining the streets. Ho Chi Minh figures on at least half of these. He may have been dead for over a quarter of a century but you would be forgiven for thinking that he still ruled the country. An impression the current leadership would quite like you to have. In China there is the odd Mao statue or his face on a memorial, and of course on banknotes, but his presence is not overarching. The Mao mausoleum is strange because you are literally pushed through in groups either side of his coffin. All you can see is his face and a big hammer and sickle flag draped across his body. There are white gloved porters pushing people to fill up space in front and move through quickly. It is hardly respectful but it is very Chinese. The Mausoleum is in the middle of Tiannamen Square. You are not allowed to take bags or cameras in with you (though the Chinese were walking in with mobile phones). The locker rooms for bags is on the opposite side of the road to the east of the Mausoleum.

There is a huge amount to see and do in Beijing. I had a week and was rushed off of my feet getting round to see everything. The Forbidden City is enormous. The best place to see just how big it is is from Jingshan Park which has a hill overlooking the Forbidden City. I spent a good 5 hours wandering around the various courtyards. It is impressive though gets a bit much in the end. The Summer Palace is very pretty and pleasant to wander around but nowhere near as impressive as the Forbidden City. Tiannamen Square is enormous and the centre of Beijing. It is peculiar to be there because of its history. Without a doubt the best thing I did in Beijing was to visit the Great Wall of China. I have visited a number of so-called wonders of the world and they don't always live up to the hype. The Great Wall hike fulfilled my expectations. Parts of the wall have been restored whereas others have been left to ruin. The Wall winds its way up and over the green seemingly unspoilt countryside. There were hardly any tourists and even the the locals following you trying to sell you things weren't too persistent. As ever in China if you can avoid visiting at the weekend then it will be quieter. It is also important to choose where you visit the wall. There are a number of different options. I did the 10km hike along the Great Wall from Jinshanling to Simatai. Other sites are renowned for having the authenticity restored out and being full to the brim with tourists and touts. The hike cost 220Y booked through Red Lantern Hostel. This did not include the entrance fees to each section of the wall which cost an extra 50Y and 40Y. The 220Y charge covered the bus there and back, lunch and some sandwiches for breakfast. You are not guided along the wall (it would be pretty difficult to get lost). Although a Norwegian and I managed to march off ahead of everyone else and take the long way round, which meant we got to see more of the wall and in a quieter environment.

Silk Street is a large department store selling all sorts of clothing at cheap cheap prices. The designer names brings the westerners in to pick up a fake Rolex watch or Gucchi bag. I went to have a look around and possibly get a suit made. As ever the stalls all sell the same thing so the stall keepers all fight it out to get your attention and your money. At first this can be charming. Unfortunately the Chinese and Chinese women take things too far. I was grabbed and pulled back into stalls, which I didn't take kindly too and was more than happy to give them a taste of the back of my hand than the inside of my wallet. I saw a number of Chinese women pulling huge strops (hissy fits if you are from America) when negotiations didn't go their way or westerners decided to pull out of a deal. In general I have seen a lot of Chinese women pull strops like toddlers. I have also seen lots of Chinese children pull strops. I can't help but wonder whether the 'one child' policy produces lots of spoilt children. I had one woman corner me in her shirt shop and get very angry simply because I came up with a low price (I'm sure it wasn't that low) and then she wouldn't let me leave. I pushed passed her and then she got my thumb in a lock. She apparently wanted to see the back of my hand. I don't understand why she would think I would want to buy anything from her. On the other hand I bought come tourist tat from a stall on a side street off of Wangfuling Dajie. The first stall came up with ridiculous prices and would not drop them so I walked off. The next stall the guy came up with ridiculous prices but dropped them and was friendly at the same time. We had the sort of fun bargaining where I thought I had a good deal (10% of his initial price) and he made a big profit.

I have been looking to buy a tailored suit since I had been in South-East Asia. However, I never quite worked up the enthusiasm to go through with the hassle. As Beijing is my last stop to get a suit made on the cheap I headed for Silk Street. The first tailor I went to had a salesman who stood far too close to me and wouldn't budge on the price even though they didn't want me to leave. I didn't want him measuring me up and left when a couple of westerners arrived while he chased me down the hall tapping on his calculator. The next one I went to seemed much nicer. I got the impression that the girl doing the sales pitch was a trainee (or it was a ploy), still she was not nearly as pushy and the prices were lower even before we started haggling. I got a 3 piece suit and shirt for $200. I can't say I am altogether happy with the suit that I got. I would suggest being very careful at the fitting stage and not to let them push you around.

While I was in Beijing I stayed at Red Lantern Hostel. It is a nice hostel in a Hutong style. However, I spent very little time there because I was always out and about doing and seeing things. It might be better to choose a more central location over character.