Oh, My Aching Feet!

We walked our little feet off today. We set off from our hotel this morning and walked up Fuchengmenwai Avenue all the way to the Forbidden City (now formally known as the Palace Museum), a distance of more than two miles. We strolled around Tian’anmen Square under the watchful eyes of Chairman Mao and countless guards/soldiers^[1]. Outside the Palace Museum, we met a very nice elderly couple who approached us to ask whether we would take their photo. We were happy to do so, of course, and afterward they were kind enough to allow me to get their photo^[1:1] as well. Inside the Museum, there is much work being done to restore^[1:2] the old wooden buildings to their former splendor. The results (before/after)^[1:3] are quite stunning.

Throughout the day, I had many opportunities to practice my Chinese, mostly with cab drivers and shop clerks. I am generally able to express myself effectively in these limited situations, and I was able to successfully purchase Coconut juice and direct several cab drivers to our intended destinations with little trouble. However, I find that I still have considerable difficulty when these conversations take unexpected turns. It seems that once they realize that I can speak (and I use that word loosely) Chinese, they set immediately upon testing the limits of my abilities. Still we have made it this far so I am hopeful. One very nice woman here in the hotel gift shop asked me to help her understand and translate an English language magazine article on sales incentives in Chinese companies. (A task for which I am grossly underqualified). Still we had a nice conversation and I learned that Amway China (yes, that Amway) is known as 安利中国. I guess you just never know what you’ll learn on any given day.