We'll Always Have Beijing

This summer I enjoyed my first visit to China, a week in Beijing and the surrounding countryside.  So glad to have made the trip; not sure I’ll be going back soon.

The Forbidden City.  The scale is hard to show in a photo.

It really is another planet.  Pollution, over-crowding, odd foods, capitalism gone wild:  it’s the wild, wild west all over again.  But also strong cultural traditions and confidence, really good food, and a positive attitude about the future that probably will conquer all in the long run.

We did get to see The Forbidden City and The Summer Palace, two important sites in Chinese history, so I thought I should honor that experience by reading a little about it.  Anchee Min’s Empress Orchid is the first half of the story of Tzu Hsi, an important figure in late 19^th-century and early 20^th century Chinese political history.  Shes was the controversial Dowager Empress that essentially ruled the country for many years. She lived in The Forbidden City, and The Summer Palace as we see it today exists in its present form because of her.

The Summer Palace

It is incredibly difficult to bridge the cultural gap between American and Chinese cultures.  Maybe even impossible.  This book is a valiant attempt.  We learn that power plays in The Forbidden city many years ago are essentially the same as those today in The White House today. And the privileged life enjoyed by the Emperor’s family had its own hardships, both physical and emotional.

The Great Wall. Yes, it is great.

Nonetheless it should be said that this is not great writing.  The historical research is all too obvious, and the prose is often clunky and rarely pleasing.  The story itself is interesting, though I’m not sure it makes a satisfying book.  But such is the lot of historical fiction; you don’t get to contrive the larger plot. It is what it is, and you have to do your best to make an appealing book out of it.  Not sure this one entirely succeeds.  I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t visited China the book would have left me cold.  But I did make the visit, and that’s why I read it.

Beijing is one of the few large Chinese cities to preserve significant historical sites.  It’s not Hong Kong or Shanghai.  It’s not just another international city with skyscrapers and incredible shopping.  It is the site of a huge piece of history, and it’s there for us.  Enjoy it if you can.  I highly recommend a visit.  It’s available to us now and the sites are accessible.  Who knows how long that will be the case?