Our last full day in Beijing was spent exploring the Forbidden City and watching the flag lowering ceremony in Tian’anmen Square.
The Forbidden City is a complicated labyrinth of alleyways, palaces, gates and hidden gardens.
Impressive in both its size and intricacies, it is no small wonder that this landmark is a draw for both international tourists and Chinese alike.
Thousands of people from Beijing and the provinces flock to this relic to glimpse a piece of their past and perhaps to understand their history a bit more.
Suspended in time are artifacts, furniture and photographs depicting an old world that seems far removed from the realities of subways, McDonalds and Rolexes.
People look into windows to view the dusty collection of a time long since past that has now given way to the new forbidden cities of luxury shopping centers which cater to a new elite.
The lowering of the flag at Tian’anmen Square is another ritual that honors the traditions of a more recent past.
At precisely five p.m., silence falls over the gates of the Forbidden City and the historical square, while soldiers march across the busy road where tanks once stood which is, for those few minutes, empty of all traffic and silent but for the sounds of marching feet.
Hundreds of people stand at the perimeter at the base of the flag post and take pictures with their cell phones and hold their children up to witness the site. For many of them, they have traveled far to see this ceremony and its impact resonates throughout the square.
We now head west for the Xinjiang province via train by way of Xi’ian. Our first stop is Urumqi from which we plan to head southwest to Kashgar.
Until later…