The Forbidden City/Tian'anmen Square/Getting Ripped Off-All in One Day!

The last few days here I sort of got myself into a little rut and a little negative thinking.  Getting sick didn't help matters out and I was pretty much Mr. Kranky Pants all day on Friday.  I was just feeling defeated by China...defeated by the language, the cultural differences in politeness etiquette, the crazy drivers/bikers...defeated by my bike which blew a tire during my first ride...just plain beaten down and defeated.  However, I woke up on Saturday morning (about 10:30) feeling much better!  My sore throat was gone and I decided it was my time to just take on this darn city.  I'm good at meeting people and relying on people to help me out.  That I guess would be one of my modes of survival.  I can get along with just about anyone and so this first month I have made it a point to go with groups everywhere.  The problem with always going with groups everywhere is that you never get any practice on your own.

So today I woke up and was determined that I was going to conquer my fears of this city and go do something on my own.  I had three main goals for the day.  1)  Take a taxi on my own.  This means that I would hail it on my own...tell the driver where I wanted to go...actually get to that destination, pay and leave.  2)  Figure out the subway system and take it home from a complicated destination and 3)  Explore a touristy site that I haven't been to yet.  Around 11:00 I was dressed and ready to go...the conviction that I had to conquer the city had come to me upon waking up (around 10:30) and I wanted to go and make it happen before I lost my confidence.  So without looking up anything online, without calling any friends, and without even grabbing a map...I left my room as soon as I was dressed and was at the South Gate hailing a taxi within 2 minutes (trust me...if I had given myself any more time to think about this...I certainly would have talked myself out of it...I would have convinced myself that careful preparation is the best way to ensure a successful trip...there is not an ounce of spontaneity in my entire body).

I left my room thinking I was going to the Summer Palace...and then decided on the Forbidden City...within seconds of raising my hand there was a taxi...I open the door and what pops out of my mouth...Tian'anmen Square.

What?  That wasn't the plan...o.k. I guess a little spontaneity.  Tian'anmen Square it is.  After about a minute the driver was convinced he knew where I wanted to go and I got in and left my safe world behind...off to who knows where (literally...the taxi driver could have been driving me to ANYWHERE...and I would have had no idea if it was right or wrong...if I was being driven to my execution or a tourist site...but as with most things in China...I just went with it).  But about 20 minutes later my driver was dropping me off and I had seen a sign for Tian'anmen Lu (road)...so I knew I had accomplished my first goal...score!  Only problem is this...where is the square?  I step out where the taxi driver left me and immediately am bombarded with people yelling at me 'Sir' 'Sir' 'Sir' everyone wants a piece of the white man.  Not just yelling at you though...grabbing you...shoving things in your face...dragons...water...souvenirs...tour guides....boo yao (I don't want)...they are grabbing again...boo yao (a little louder)...finally I turn in their face (BOOO YAOOO).  Another comes (BOO YAOOO)...another I get even louder with my screams (BOOO YAOOO).

It is not considered rude here to do that.  It is the ONLY way they will leave you alone.  Trust me.  I am not the type to EVER yell in someone's face.  But, when you are the only white man at a tourist destination...you might as well be a wounded zebra that has fallen in the middle of a pack of lions...they are out to pounce on you and they won't take anything but yelling directly in their face and quickly walking away as an answer of no.

O.k.  That took a bit of learning...but I quickly adapt...what's next...oh yes...where is the darn square.  Well, I think it is across this busy street that must have 16 lanes of traffic.  Yes, I'm pretty sure it is over there...but there is NO WAY anyone could EVER cross that street.  Plus, there is a herd of people headed over in the opposite direction.  Let me follow the herd...although every instinct is telling me to find a way to cross that street...the herd beckons me.  Quickly I find where the herd has headed.  We are at a mecca of shopping.  It is an awesome display of shops and people that reminded me SO MUCH of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.  You can buy anything here from silk to pearls to sweets and clothes.  There is a poor white man who has been suckered into a 'tour'.  I hear him being told all about how on your left is a very famous pharmacy in Beijing and I make a mental note to NEVER accept a tour from any of the million offers that you get.

After exploring the shops for awhile and realizing that I wasn't in the market for buying anything quite yet I decided to head off to the actual square (because I had determined by now that this wasn't what I was looking for).  I headed back to that big street that I knew I had to cross and on a hunch headed down to the subway tunnel near it.  Apparently you have to go in through the subway tunnel to go underneath the street and come out on the other side...clever!  Oh yes...I am finally here!  But wait...there is not much to see here.  Maybe it is because of the incredible smog that was out today or perhaps because there just isn't much to see at the actual square itself.  But at any rate there aren't many people there...just a couple of Chinese men taking pictures of themselves with the square in the background.  I offer to take a picture of the both of them and they agree and then take a picture of me.  They state that they are on their way to the Forbidden City and we can walk together if I want.

Dilemma.  I was raised in Montana.  I was raised to believe that people are good, friendly, and that you should be friendly in return.  I also know that any white person is an incredible target for scams.  But these guys are tourists themselves...we met because I offered to take their picture.  I make a judgement call and decide to go with them.  Here's the other thing...I wasn't entirely sure where the Forbidden City was.  Remember, I didn't look at a map or anything...just headed out into the unknown...at any rate...they seem nice it couldn't hurt to walk with them.  We walk through the whole Tian'anmen Square and I don't see much of anything...surely the Forbidden City has got to be more exciting.

(This is the famous part of Tian'anmen Square...a better picture of it at least).

So we head off together to the Forbidden City.  To make a long story short I ended up being scammed by these guys for $110.  What was the scam...it doesn't matter.  The only thing common about the scams they pull on the white people here is that you never see them coming and you often don't even know you were scammed until later on when you have recapped all of the details.  I was unsure until I actually got all the way home later that night that I was scammed.  I felt terrible about it.  So embarrassed because you read all the things NOT to do...but they are always just one step ahead of you.  Then I found out I was not alone.  Three others here had already been scammed and the people who have been here for years have seen a million of them.  Like what?  A rickshaw ride that they say is 3 RMB and then they won't let you leave until you pay them 150...a taxi ride that should be 10 RMB but they don't start the meter and charge 600 RMB...going out to dinner and the bill comes to Thousands of RMB for what should be say 50...getting a cup of coffee together and the bill coming to 1500 RMB.  Stuff like that.  So...it happens.  I guess you learn from it.  I need a few weeks before I can trust anyone on the streets again...at all.  The whole rest of the day when these people would come up to me I would just bolt away or yell immediately at them to get them to leave me alone.  The best policy...if you are out by yourself DO NOT EVEN TALK TO ANYONE THAT YOU MEET UNLESS YOU ALREADY KNOW THEM.  It sounds harsh and unfair...but the numbers here don't lie.  Unfortunately this has completely turned me off to wanting to see any more tourist sites...AT ALL.  Maybe I will get over that...hopefully...because Saturdays are great days to explore.

O.k. back to my adventures.  After these guys scammed me (and I didn't REALLY know it at the time) they STILL walked me over to the entrance of the Forbidden City (ha...maybe I'll just think of it as purchasing two personal tour guides for $110...really they weren't bad company at all...they even invited me to come stay with them in Shanghai if I ever visited there...MUAHAHAHAHA they were great liars).  So I'm finally at the Forbidden City and I'm happy that they have finally parted ways with me.  I was able to successfully manage the ticket line, purchase my ticket and get where I needed to go without the use of a 'private tour' which I was offered about 25 times.

Above:  A picture of the moat surrounding the entrance to the Forbidden City.

Once inside I was really glad I came.  This whole place is just magnificent.  The architecture is very similar throughout but it is just HUGE.

I took a couple of hours to explore within the Forbidden City and then decided it was time to head home.  I knew of several subway stops I had seen near Tian'anmen Square so I headed back that direction and quickly found a stop that seemed suitable.  I bought my ticket (2 RMB...super cheap) and headed off to figure out how I was going to get home.  After some inspection I realized this was going to require three separate trains and two transfers...but that is exactly what I was hoping for...something complicated to prove to myself I can get anywhere I want with the subway.

Turns out, the subway was super easy to navigate, even though it was incredibly busy.

I eventually found myself where I needed to be at the Wou Dau Ko station...which is about a 45 minute walk from where I live.  I was going to take a taxi home from there, but got busy exploring the shops nearby and eventually just walked the rest of the way back.  It was a long day and I was completely and utterly exhausted from all of the walking, emotionally drained from dealing with being scammed, and was coughing up a lung from breathing in all of that pollution for 9 hours...but overall, I considered it a success.  I tackled many of my fears of getting out and about and saw a little bit of the city.  Next time I will know more on how to avoid the scams...and have confidence that I can get around.  That is more than enough for tonight...Monday morning comes a lot earlier here than in the States :-)

Zaijian,
Gary