The bulk of our projects’ research completed, we left Shanghai for another bustling metropolis: Beijing. As the capital of the People’s Republic of China and a city steeped in millennium of history, Beijing proved an exciting and informative end to our trip. We reached the city by way of a bullet train from Shanghai. Most of us seized the opportunity to get some sleep, but the factory-dotted countryside provided interesting views along the way.
In Beijing we feasted on delicious Peking Duck and visited the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall. The Forbidden City was a remarkable piece of cultural history, and some friends and I were surprised and impressed by what we saw in the Imperial Garden. Tienanmen Square, dotted with statues of communist patriots fighting for freedom as well as patrols of armed soldiers, was unwittingly ironic in the cruelest way; there was almost a palatable tension in the air (As we learned later, there had been a knife attack recently, and the government was holding assembly nearby).
The Summer Palace was beautiful and serene. The Great Wall surpassed my expectations, and we enjoyed exploring the ancient structure. Almost as much fun as the wall itself was the toboggan ride to the bottom, where you controlled the speed and breaks, and there wasn’t much of a side rail! We talked with alumni and locals in Beijing in order to get a firsthand understanding of our projects. I learned how difficult it was for rural Chinese to make their way to the better opportunities and living conditions of the big cities.