In Beijing

Such a day yesterday. Our guides have an itinerary full of walking, sights, food, travel. Our tour guid, Amanda, is a 26 yr old Chinese woman who majored in English and spent 3 yrs preparing for her job as interpreter, tour, guide, history expert. The most fascinating conversation I had with her, though, was about her view on the split in the gernerations, with her parents' and grandparents' feelings of loyalty and "faith" (her word) in Chairman Mao and his ideas. Pride and purpose in the revolution. She says that though there are more conveniences and comforts and modern amenities now than 30 yrs ago, there's something missing from people's hearts - "to help someone was its own reward: now if someone helps another person, they expect to get a reward."

We visited Tianenman Square, where a long snaking line of visitors were waiting to view Mao's preserved body (inside a building, in a glass case). We were advised that because Chinese people's desire to view his remains is one of admiration and respect and that ours would be out of curiosity, it would be better that we not be looky-loos. Anyway the day was packed as it was!

Our visit to the Forbidden City felt like the tiniest view into an imperial regime/culture which could not be farther from our modern sensibilities, though it's not even 100 years since the end of the Qing dynasty (1911). Sun Yat Sen, Chiang Kai Shek, Mao were names we heard throughout the day, as well as "The Last Emperor, the Empress Dowager, stories of concubines and eunuchs, all conjuring an image of a rarified world utterly apart from the one we occupy. Amanda tried to convey the sense of loneliness combined with absolute power that was the reality of these emperors' lives.

In the afternoon e visited the Summer Palace of the Empress Dowager and her son, the emperor, whom she prevented from assuming the throne and kept under house arrest for the last ten years of his life. He died just one day before his mother. Obviously, the circumstances were suspicious. His attempts to liberalize and reform China with the assistance of some devoted scholars on the outside were put down by his mother's supporters at her behest. His detention at the lavish Summer Palace was enforced by two guards who were instructed to commit suicide should he attempt to step past the unlocked gates of the palace. His compassionate nature forbade him from inflicting this fate upon his jailers, obedient to the last to their empress.

We have been treated so warmly by Warren, Amanda, Mr. Zhu and his two staff members from Shanghai and our virtuoso bus driver who seems to appear miraculously the moment we need to be transported to our next activity. I am filled with admiration and appreciation for their professionalism and the accommodation and anticipation of our smallest needs. They keep us supplied with bottled water, snacks, postcards and even presented us with long-sleeved "Great Wall" t-shirts for our trip today.

I feel so blessed to be traveling with this group from the Northwest School and to be so welcomed by our Chinese hosts.

Everyone is healthy and having a great time.