Beijing, the first of four destinations along my Silk Route journey, is everything a modern city needs to be. The rear side of our hotel, however, gave us a glimpse into a different facet than we had expected. In contrast to its vast modern façade, we found here a local market where only the Chinese go, with fantastic street food and more pronounced ethnicity than the rest of the city. Our very first evening led us to Silk Street, which is basically the Chinese “copy market” where you get all your Made In China look-alikes! The next morning took us to the Great Wall of China. My father has studied history and it was intriguing to hear from him why the wall was built and why it faces certain directions. Next, we went to visit the tombs of the Ming emperors who would build their own mausoleums underground well in advance, so that their spirit doesn’t languish after they die. Visitors here would throw money like you do in temples in India and believed that the energies there are powerful enough to bring them good luck!
FOODIE’S HAVEN
We stopped for lunch at a local Chinese dhaba that didn’t have an English menu or even photographs to accompany the Chinese list of dishes! We didn’t know how to tell them, and had to resort to entering the kitchen and pointing out things they were cooking as well as dishes other diners were eating! Food across China is incredible and there is splendid variety for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
OF HISTORIC MARVELS
The famed Summer Palace and the Forbidden City were next in line and both placed before us a magnificent display of the grandeur and historical, cultural as well as architectural richness of the reigns of former Chinese emperors. The auspicious figure of the dragon recurs everywhere, giving the spaces a symbolic richness too. A walk around the vast Tiananmen Square followed and we headed for dinner to a 150-year-old restaurant serving the dish Beijing is famous for: the Peking Duck.
ON A SPIRITUAL PATH
From Beijing, a flight took us to Xining in the Tibetan plateau, located at an altitude roughly equivalent to Leh. It placed before us a completely different diaspora of people: Tibetans, Muslims and Mongolians, nomadic yak herders. We drove to the Taer monastery, which is the most prominent monastery in China after Lhasa, founded by Tsung Kha Pa who is also the founder of the Yellow Sect of Buddhism. What struck me most powerfully here was the sense of anguish within the people. Most people here term themselves as Tibetan and not Chinese that I could see and feel. They are nomads and don’t belong to a land but to a philosophy, and you can tell that they cannot be easily controlled by the Chinese government.
OF HISTORIC MARVELS
Our next destination was Xian. When I saw the army of terracotta warriors that the city is famous for, it was no longer a mystery to me why it is one of the most visited tourist sites in China. The sight of all those life-size warriors that had been buried with the emperor thousands of years ago, is an experience in itself. There are more than 8,000 of them that stand with real weapons in their hands! Everything from the designs on their armour to the expressions on their faces leave you awestruck. And it is no small moment of surprise when you realise that none of them share the same facial features or expression! After a day with these solid inert figures, our evening was brightened with colour, music and dance at the Opera House.
SHANGHAI DIARIES
Our final stop was Shanghai. The cityscape of this buzzing cultural capital is stupendous. Since we were there on Labour Day weekend, everyone was on holiday. I have never seen that many people on one street before! The French Concession area is a must visit for any traveller. Bustling little corner restaurants and old tea factories turned into cafeterias abound! A taste of Shanghai dumplings and a fair dose of shopping gave our long trip a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.
