Dancing in the Park

Friday was sunny, cooler and clear. The rain helped scrub the atmosphere and provided us a perfect day for sightseeing. We were off early for the Temple of Heaven. Four temples situated at the four cardinal points provide the necessary harmony to the city, the Temple of Heaven, to the south being the most important. The temples were built so the Emperor would have the proper place to pray for the welfare of the people, which he was supposed to do at least three times each year. The month-long preliminary fasting and having to leave behind his wife, his fourteen concubines and three thousand girlfriends for that period made it quite inconvenient and no emperor ever completed the task. Very few actually made it even once a year but the people understood and forgave him as his job was a difficult one. We arrived at the Temple of Heaven in good spirits enjoying the great weather. On the way we learned many things from JinJin. Chinese people, besides being very superstitious have three life wishes. They wish for favorable winds to help them sail through life (associated with the number 4), they wish for prosperity and wealth (number 8) and they wish for longevity (9). The Chinese men retire at 55 years with 80% pay of whatever they were earning that probably was not much in a communist country. Women retire at 50. The society reveres the elderly and treats them with great respect. The wisdom and counsel of elders is both respected and sought. The early retirement age make for many people with time for leisure and self improvement. The gardens and long pavilions surrounding the Temple of Heaven are used by many elders for recreation and as a place for learning skills, arts and special interest activities from other elders who volunteer their time to teach. They all gather in the vast gardens and hallways to learn, meet friends, play Chinese dominoes and cards and spend their idle time. Tai chi, tango dancing, banner swirling, flute playing, and singing occupy small groups along the paths. Group dancing with a paddle on which they balance a free ball that is tossed back and for gracefully and almost magically between dancers in a choreography as ancient as the buildings of the temple, is a sight of grace and fluidity. These are all happening in close proximity on the grounds, the small sound systems, instruments and singing of each group blending with each other provide the visitor with an ever changing experience as one walks around. It reminded me of those rides at Disney where you go from one scene to the other blending sounds and scenes as you progress along the way. A small group plays oriental music on ancient instruments providing background music to the dominoes players and elders engaged in animated conversations. The all seem to be having a grand old time and as we approach the gates that lead to the actual temple grounds on the hill, I can´t help but think of my friend Mr. Sciatti, confined by destiny to a lonely existence in an elderly care facility back in my home town.
The Temple of Heaven is surrounded by a large courtyard and it stands majestically in an elevated position. A large round, graceful building made entirely in sandalwood, without a single nail, is crowned with a multi-tiered deep blue tiled roof. We learned that, like numbers, colors have specific meanings. Blue was reserved for God. Yellow was the color of the emperor. Green was for natural living things like plants and vegetables. Red was the one chosen by Mao and reserved for the party. The people had to be content with the drab grey left over for them and used extensively and uniquely on their houses throughout China.
The Temple entrances and hallways were to be entered using only the sides as the center was reserved for God’s use. The courtyards and buildings had three entrances, the center for God, the right for the Emperor, the left for all others. Also, after the Emperor reached 70 years of age, a special side door was provided for his use. God’s presence was represented by a blue wooden board that rested on the particular building where God was working in a specific time. The board was moved accordingly. Here, as well as in the Forbidden City, large incense burners were used to create aromatic smoke that resemble clouds during ceremonies helping create a “heavenly” feeling.


We left these lofty surroundings and headed for a much more earthly destination; old Beijing. A neighborhood in the Shichahai District surrounds a lake and still preserves the way people lived and probably still do in the interior of China away from the modern, recently built cities. Here all houses were low buildings, painted the dull grey color reserved for the people. They lined narrow tortuous streets. Doorways led to open courtyards. Each house consisted of four rooms that faced the center courtyards. This arrangement provided the necessary harmony to the house. Here you could experience the profound poverty and scant living conditions on the people. About twenty households shared a single common bath. We travelled in two passenger tricycles pulled by a driver along a pre-chosen route selected and authorized by the government for tourist consumption. The houses had obviously been recently painted the in two drab tones of “people’s” grey. We visited and walked around one of the houses complete with Mao’s revered picture on a preferred site in the living space. To be in “harmony” all households needed four things: Birds that provided songs, fish, flowers and crickets. Yes, crickets were very important and their singing much appreciated to the point of people putting them in small boxes and carrying them inside their shirts in the winter to keep them alive and singing well into the winter. Once they died, they provided food for the birds. Vegetables such a squash, cucumbers, watermelons and fruits: pomegranates, grapes and apricots were grown in the center courtyard for shade and food. Streets were poor but clean. Smells were strong.
Our driver Yu was young, pleasant and smiled constantly in spite of the obvious strain of pedaling the bike. The area surrounds a lake where families and lovers can rent small boats to enjoy the scenery of the willow lined banks and visit the many restaurants and bars in the area. Today, a very clear day after the rains had cleared some of the pollution haze off the atmosphere, you could see the mountains to the west. Police presence was evident all along our approved path. Considering the obvious poverty of the area, they provided some degree of security for the tourists and patrons of the establishments around the lake.



A Lesson in Negotiation Skills


We left old Beijing for the Silk Market shopping center. The sale of “perfect copies” of goods, particularly watches and luxury items for which China is known, was supposed to be prohibited during the games for political reasons regarding intellectual property, as the Chinese government is trying to preserve some degree of commitment to eradicating this practice. Our guide had told us that the places where they were sold were closed for the duration. But we insisted on visiting the Silk Market. Sure enough, sales were as brisk as expected; nobody at the market, sellers or buyers seemed to be bothered by restrictions. It was an exercise in bargaining skills. The initial price quoted was easily four or five times what you ended up paying. But they sure were committed to not letting you go once you showed interest in something. They tried to get you inside their booth and put whatever you seemed interested in on your hands. Once there they were not going to let you walk out without your selection. Should you try to leave, they pulled you back by your arm, shirt or whatever they could get their hands on to get you back into the stall. It was almost impossible to not buy whatever even if it was just to regain your freedom. Just buying the very few things I did made me several friends for life. If I were to pass again by their stall, they would greet you and touch you as if you had been their friends all your life. After a couple of hours of negotiation training, we met back at the bus armed with our purchases to leave for the games. (It seems to me that in this kind of trip a good comfortable bus is more important than a good hotel room as you end up spending most of your time there.) The trip to the Bird’s Nest where we had tickets to see track and field was spent comparing items and prices paid, learning from the rest what great bargains could be had. Watches, purses, pens and assorted clothing were compared to learn the different qualities available and the price point at which to stand on your bid. We decided that we wanted to return the next day, now armed with better information to get even with the sales girls. Today we enjoyed lunch at MacDonald’s just across the street from the market. A treat just to get away from another Chinese meal! It was packed not only with tourists from all parts of the world but many locals as well.