June 19, 2010 - Tian na men Square & Forbidden City

We started our travels today at the site of China's cultural revolution. Tian na men Square is the largest city square in the world. It is 110 acres. The Square includes Chairman Mao's mausoleum and leads to the Forbidden City. There were an incredible number of people in the square, and it was HOT!! The delegates got a taste of celebrity and had the opportunity to experience bartering with the vendors.

It seems we were as much of a tourist attraction as Mao's portrait. Many farmers from the outer regions of China were visiting and many had never seen foreigners before. The delegates were constantly stopped and asked to have their pictures taken with family members. No matter where they turned, they were approached again and again.

The same could be said for the vendors. They had everything to sell, from fans to books to parasols and more. They were very persistent, but were willing to barter the prices. I think everyone got a good deal on something.

We also had a group picture taken in Tian na men Square.

From there we walked through the Forbidden City. It is courtyard after courtyard of beautiful buildings completed in 1420. It was the residence of the emperors. Again, it was filled with people, and the heat was unbelievable. The buildings had intricate paintings and carvings which were all freshened for the Olympics. The delegates learned about how the buildings were built, how long it took and the amount of materials used.

We had another traditional Chinese meal for lunch. The delegates are becoming quite adept at using chopsticks (which is a good thing, since there was no silverware to be found) and are willing to try different foods. We've been fortunate to be able to sample a great variety of foods so far, and were fortunate to have Peking duck for dinner tonight.

We also went to a trade school where students learn how to work in Western restaurants. We were treated to a traditonal tea service and sampled four different types of tea: green, oolong, jasmine and black. Delegates also had the opportunity to make dough roses or Chinese dumplings. The roses are inedible, but they were able to taste the dumpling effort. They were pretty tasty!

Tomorrow we're off to the Great Wall!