Mao’s Body (finally), Forbidden City, Shopping, and Hou Hai

Today, the gods looked down on us! (Or the Chinese government decided to stop shooting all the damn chemicals in the air to make it rain) The sun was out, the sky was almost clear and blue, and it wasn’t unbearably hot.

The good weather helped our spirits and we were able to see a lot of the city. We went back to see Mao’s body (sans bag, but the fiancée did manage to sneak in a camera in his pocket, but got no photo). It was amazing the degree of reverence that the Chinese tourists bestowed on Mao. Many bought flowers from outside and placed it as an offering for Mao, bowing several times in the process, as if paying respect to an ancestor or religious figure. We were able to semi-slowly walk by Mao’s body and peer at his resting body. It was almost eerie and it’s hard to describe how he looked. Except to say he was well preserved and there were no signs of decay. His face seemed almost plump and very similar to the painting outside the Forbidden City.

Next, we wandered around the Forbidden City for a couple of hours. After that, we went to Jingshan Park where we climbed up high to a pagoda. From there, we had the most amazing birds’ eye view of the Forbidden City. After that, we decided to take one of the motorbike rides to Hongqiao to do a little shopping.

Besides getting a little dirty sitting on the back of the motorbike cab, it was exhilarating and a lot of fun. The evening concluded with a delectable Cantonese dinner in Hou Hai and a walk around the lake’s perimeter. . .a nice end to the weekend.