Concubine Soap Operas and Beauty for Beauty’s Sake
Watching the film ‘The Last Emperor’ and a brisk semesters jaunt through Chinese history – where I’ll admit I began to lose track of the names and can only really remember Empress Cixi, like an evil step mother salivating for power, Jin Pin, the shockingly unattractive (sorry Jin), concubine and poor Pu’yi and Guangxu, the last and next to last Emperors – was enough to tug my heartstrings towards the prison of perfect luxury that was the fabled Forbidden City. But even if I knew nothing about it the name would be enough to make me want to visit. The photos of it all show it shining in opulent, detailed majesty, empty and spacious but it’s quite a bit different when you’re there with the hoards of tourists who daily invade what was once one of the most exclusive places on earth.
What I’m saying is that it wasn’t as I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be a life sized museum to the life and times of several ancient ruling dynasties, but I failed to consider what the People’s revolution might have done to the place, which is basically gut a whole lot of it to use for other purposes and let some sections deteriorate from misuse. The audio guide, which I HIGHLY recommend if you want to do anything other than admire the beautiful buildings, tells some of the story, but it’s pretty much the sole source of information in English – which is fine – but there isn’t much more in Chinese and crowds of people swarm through its photogenic central axis like it’s a zoo, stopping only to have their photos taken rather than gasp quietly and reverently like you’re expected to do at Versailles or Windsor Castle. It wasn’t what I was expecting but then a lot of China so far has been different to my rather romantic expectations.
The Forbidden City was still wonderful, but I didn’t get to sit in the gardens and read over poems written by the emperors as I had hoped to do, there were just too many people - and gift shops - and I when I carefully ordered my jasmine tea it was served in a paper cup. Off the main scenic route along the way of harmoniously named and themed temples are the West and East palaces which turned out to be the place for people like me wanting to hear from some of the ghosts of the place. Here, where it is too time consuming and labyrinthine for the sheperded tour groups to dwell, the soap opera of intrigue that was the court life of the people who lived here began to unfold. Thanks to the audio guide I was able to linger in awe over small details, like the places where grieving concubines were blinded by their floods of tears and the like. It’s surprisingly quiet, and the walls are like the ones in the film ‘The Labyrinth’, that go on and on in all directions. So I left – kicked out at 5PM! - with my head filled with romantic stories and still wanting to go and live there, albeit, in what role I’m not sure, despite the glamour a lot of people seemed to be pretty unhappy.
A beeline to Beihai Park (open ’til 9), rewarded us with all the things the guide books say it will, including a vista of lotus leaves and flowers and a man using a huge water brush to write calligraphy. Another active local senior inspired me about my own retirement, she comes in every day and feeds the park cats, which are lovely silky things, not at all manky strays – could be because she’s keeping them well fed. I got the impression she just takes it on herself to do it, and what a relaxing way to spend an evening - the park is really lovely, all graceful willows and a smattering of temples. I love the way this city has such perfectly beautified areas. The narrow hutongs with all their colour, life and market trade community atmosphere are charming to me but may not be the easiest setting to live your life in but these parks and public spaces are purely lovely for lovely’s sake – like the lotus flowers and the orange fish – purely for ornamental purposes.
Tags: china