May 16

Friday-5/16- Though most of the physical side effects of jetlag seem to not be an issue for me, my biological clock is still set to somewhat of a
Pennsylvania time; I have woken up at 5:30.  This is of little consequence however, as I am full of energy and this gives me ample opportunity to explore the city before it comes to full boil.  While exploring the now empty streets bathed in a morning sunrise glow,  there are times when Beijing feels almost familiar; my morning excursion feels similar to the walks home from my summer job in Philadelphia as a bouncer, which got off right around this time.  Both have a unique calm-before-the-storm feeling to them, which make you feel removed from the discourse of the city and allow you to look at it objectively.  I believe this phenomenon is part of the transcendental nature of a city, and is unique to its existence.  At the end of my exploration I happen upon a restaurant shack that seems to be
selling morning dumplings.  I once again turn to my guidebook and
successfully order.  I am quickly served, and pleased to find out that the meal cost only just over one dollar (American).  This is a very surprising price, given the downtown location and the quality of the meal I just ate.  After paying my bill, I make my way from the small restaurant to my first landmark visit; the Forbidden City.  The double signage was not as good here, and it made my entrance into the city (referred to by the signs as “The Palace Museum”) rather difficult.  The inside of the city is about as breathtaking as I expected it to be; the awe-inspiring scale is offset by the juxtaposition of the intricacies of the architecture in my mind.  Together, the tall sweeping orders and massive ramps create and interesting dialogue
with the carved wooden corners and brass doors embossed with various
sculptures of dragons and other Chinese paraphernalia.  The discourse
reflects my thoughts on China as a whole;  a grandiose structure supported by its smaller finer details.  I don’t at all believe this is coincidental and believe that this paradigm in classical Chinese architecture is an ameliorating commentary on the Chinese culture.  The Forbidden City offers a lot to take in and the amount of different throne rooms bewilders me.  What also bewilders me is the amount of Chinese people here; wouldn’t a long-standing testament to an oppressive government that was closed off from the people who made it be a thing they wouldn’t want to revel in?  Maybe they view service to a higher, over-arching structure that excludes, yet
protects and provides for, them as not necessarily negative.  If this guess is correct, I believe this is my first discovery of a true difference
between the Chinese and American mind space.  After many hours of walking and reveling, I walk out of the city and back to my hotel room.  Though I have every intention of heading back out to see the Tiananmen Square, I feel myself drift into a deep sleep