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Seen on our second day in Beijing in one of the oldest tea shops in downtown Beijing: a sign which described the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) when many lost their lives and livelihoods, Buddhist temples were looted, and education had the heavy hand of propaganda as "the 10 year catastrophe." During the revolution and for a while afterwards, such statements on a public sign would be treasonous.
A famous art critic once wrote, "What changes lives is not seeing different things, but seeing things differently." We have seen a different culture the last two weeks — no surprise there. But we're also beginning to see things in a different light, such the way a praying nun might ask to look at Dr. Mowrey's guide book instead of praying, or the way a 1000-year-old poem on a calligraphic scroll opens itself to our fresh eyes. With any luck, we will continue to witness and feel such moments.
Later on our second day, we visited the Ming Tombs and climbed the Great Wall of China. One of the highlights of the Ming Tombs, a popular tourist spot, were the funereal clothes made for the emperor and his wife. Because they are sewn out of tiny pieces of jade, they allow almost no light to pass in between them.
At the Great Wall, we passed Chairman Mao Zedong's challenge: "You are not a true man or woman until you have climbed to the top of the Great Wall." After about 1100 feet of incline that sometimes reached 45 degrees, we made it, took pictures, and smiled. Some bought T-shirts later that proclaimed their feat of bravery and stamina.
We finished up our stay in this city of 13 million in fine style, visiting the Forbidden City and going to the Beijing Opera. For hundreds of years, the home of the emperor (the Forbidden City) was off-limits to all commoners. About 10,000 eunuchs and 3,000 concubines populated the place. Until President Richard Nixon's visit in 1971, no American President had ever been allowed inside its sacred walls.
Sunday we flew to Lhasa, Tibet's capital. Nearly 300 years after its acquisition by China, Tibet remains a political problem area for the Chinese and Tibetans alike. In Tibet Province, it's illegal to show a picture of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's religious and political leader. Also, the PLA (Chinese Army) maintains a presence, replete with barracks, and troop-carrying trucks. Well-armed soldiers guard highway checkpoints and patrol some towns and cities.
To get to our hotel in Lhasa, we traveled along the famous Bharmaputra River that wound through a sandy valley in the Himalayas. Some people live in tents by the river. Tibet has a long history of being hospitable to nomadic tribes. We have found the Tibetan people extend the same kind of hospitality to foreign visitors. At the monasteries, in hotels, shops, and restaurants, the people have been warm and approachable.
We spent Monday morning at what fast became a China and Tibet trip highlight, the Lhasa Ani Nunnery. It's a rarity: a Buddhist monastery situated in the heart of Lhasa instead of being relegated to the suburbs like all the other nunneries.
We were so fortunate: our guide Helen got us into the temple where the nuns were chanting. They pointed for us to sit down on the red benches that lined the wall. The nuns have the amazing ability to project two voices simultaneously so each note may have resonance and echo. The cozy walls were draped in tapestries of Buddhas and Llamas and the icons sacred to Tibetan Buddhism: the golden fishes, the knot of eternity, the white conch shell, the lotus flower, and the wheel of law.
Some of us even closed our eyes to listen more closely for 15-20 minutes to enter into a more profound state of meditation. It worked, they said.
— Charles M. Israel
Superlatives (based on informal polls):
- Person voted most likely to wander from table to table for food any of us have left
so he can eat it: Elliott Wilson
- Person voted most likely to be seen with a toothpick in his mouth: Dan Brown
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