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Home › Forums › Study Tours › 2018 NCTA Study Tour to China and Taiwan › Beijing
Jason O'Connor.
Barbara MillerBeijing, China
Beijing, of course, is the capital of the People’s Republic of China, and has been the center of China’s political history since ancient times. The city itself is over 3,000 years old and has been the capitol for nearly 850 years. It is inhabited by over 21 million people. Compared to other cities in the world, only Shanghai has more residents.
According to Beijing Travel Guide, nearly 150 million tourists from China and abroad visit the city annually, more than any other Chinese city. If you like to be oriented before you visit or want a handy reference while in this major transportation center, this website is an excellent resource for maps of the Great Wall, subway system and downtown.
How could having access to maps help students better understand links within a city, its features and its peoples?
Because of its age, Beijing is comprised of ancient architectural wonders. The Forbidden City has been at the center of political importance in the city since 1406. As home to 24 Ming and Qing emperors, it is the largest palace complex in the world. Khan Academy calls the Forbidden City a “micro-city in its own right…. with more than 90 palace compounds.” The final emperor of China was ejected from the compound in 1925 when the place became a museum. Encyclopedia Britannica offers the history of the Forbidden City along with links to other iconic architectural landmarks.
What types of information about politics, cultural values and societies might students glean as they compare and contrast iconic spaces and buildings in this city and their own communities?
On the opposite end of the social hierarchy are the common people of Beijing. Still evident today are the interwoven narrow streets in small neighborhoods originally centered around water wells and called hutong or alleys. The Beijing hutong began in the Yuan Dynasty and continued to develop rapidly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In 1949, as many as 3,250 hutong existed. These twisted, interlaced lanes with their pockets of rock formations, ruins and lovely gardens connect shops and homes, creating small neighborhoods. Today, the 1,000 hutong offer modern evidence of the lives of ancient Chinese city dwellers and are fast disappearing. Check out the link about the ten most famous huatongs still in existence.
What could the disappearance of the hutong suggest about Chinese modernization? What places in your communities are in danger of disappearing, and what history might their disappearance take with them?
In Beijing, hidden jewels among this city of famous architectural wonders are the so-called courtyard houses or siheyuan, meaning four sides creating a square, with a special layout. Located off the hutong or alleys, these garden-like retreats are accessible only through one door and are meant for families to enjoy each other in a tranquil space away from the outside world. The remaining siheyuan in Beijing are holdovers from the Ming and Qing dynasties and feature antique furniture, fish ponds, and the very popular pomegranate trees, symbolizing sons and blessings.
What spaces in your community serve as siheyuan to escape the outside world?
Since 1990, Modern Beijing has boasted many art galleries and cafes in the 798 Art District, (scroll to see 798 section with map), also known as Dashanzi. Built on a former industrial site, the area honors its Communist roots through the propaganda murals and publicly displayed slogans throughout. Highlights in the complex include a Danish gallery with international artists, a contemporary art gallery, and a gallery featuring North Korean artists. Outside the buildings are several sculptures and nearby are many examples of street art and murals. Lonely Planet suggests a photo stop at the outskirts of the area: “Towards the eastern edge of the complex near D-Park, a raised walkway running north to south offers photogenic vistas of the industrial heart of 798, a steam punk-esque landscape of chimneys, refineries, hissing pipes and rusted metal.”
How does the art in your community reflect the values of its residents or past inhabitants?
Jon DollI love the idea of exploring these centuries-old neighborhoods in the hopes of catching a glimpse of local life unchanged from the hustle of the modern city. I've read that the streets are too narrow for car traffic, and the lack of grocery stores makes it a haven for vendors of all sorts. Reading about hutong life gave me the inspiration for a lesson idea contrasting China with Europe and the U.S.
Barbara MillerStudents at the International School of Beijing are not only recycling, but they are also designing and fabricating plastic items from the recycled plastic they have collected though a program called "Precious Plastic."
This movement is designed to help create an environmental conscience in students and is supported by China's recent ban of plastic imports. The technology faciliator at the school says that because the students at ISB are future leaders in industry and government, the school wants them to think deeply about efforts at sustainability.
In terms of connections, my school has a paper recycling collection program sponsored by our functional academics students. At my school, a few lucky students in Science Club also were able to program a newly aquired 3D printer to fabricate small items that solved problems submitted by teachers.They felt lucky to have access to this small 3D printer that was purchased through a grant.
In contrast to ISB, our school does not have a plastics recycling program, nor are students able to use their own recycled plastics to design and fabricate new objects. This sounds like a very impressive program.
Jason O'ConnorSome of the top places to visit in Beijing: more to follow. Are there any topics you are interested in that I could look up?
The Forbidden City (The Imperial Palace) - The Forbidden City is a massive, 15th-century palace complex that once served as the royal residence of 24 Chinese emperors.
Tiananmen Square -
Summer Palace
Lama Temple - A series of beautiful pavilions comprise this Mongolian-Tibetan yellow-sect temp, which features an impressive fifty-four high Buddha carved from one piece of Tibetan sandalwood.
Temple of Confucius and Guozijian Museum- Originally built in 1302 and used as a place for sacrifices to Confucius during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, this former temple lost its religious function during the "bourgeois revolution" in 1912 and currently houses the Capital Museum.
Beijing Capital Museum - 5 floors of unique Chinese art
Beijing Botanical Garden
National Art Museum of China
China Aviation Museum
An interesting place to potentially visit: Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War
Temple of Heaven
Outside of Beijing: Great Wall
Jason O'ConnorSince part of the theme of our program is about business models in China and Taiwan and interesting article to read is about the potential trade war between the United States and China:
Stephanie KroopAs a few of us were walking through Tiananmen Square I mentioned this dcoumentary put together by Mike Chinoy who was working for CNN in 1989 when the protests in Tiananmen began. The news agencies were there for an entirely different reason as Gorbachev was meeting with Deng Xiaoping--and instead the news agencies came across a whole new task of sharing with the world the news of Tiananmen and also exposing the infamous photo of "tank man."
I am planning to use a portion of this Documentary in class when discussing the protests and the censorship that was taking place in China at the time. I was really excited as I was rewatching the documentary that the propaganda poster shown in minute 43:29, is the same poster that I picked up while in Kunming!!
https://china.usc.edu/assignment-china-tiananmen-square
Jason O'ConnorOur journey to China began in Beijing. It was truly an extraordinary opportunity to visit this vibrant capital city. One of the most important areas that we visited was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. In reflecting on our time visiting these areas a few things struck me. The sheer number of people standing in line to pay homage to Mau. People flocking from all over to come to this central place of power surrounded by cultural and political centers, but all pointing to one central theme, Mao's image still reigns supreme in the national construction of the People's Republic of China. The various monuments dedicated to the Cultural Revolution and the ubiquitous CCTV's all over the square still demonstrate the domination of the State over its people. It would have been quite intriguing to go in and see the History museum across the square to see how the history of the CCP is presented in China, and how this memory has helped shape the individual and society in the area. The Forbidden City was a cultural gem, the sheer magnitude of the space, architecture, and design was magnificent to behold. Yet, despite its beauty, its history, for the most part, has been lost, its treasures gone with voices from the past erased. I felt that we were walking through an open cemetery lauded for its beauty and majesty as traces of the past are lost to current and future generations who grow up with a certain historical version of China.
