Beijing--Qufu 
cctv.com 03-16-2005 15:44
I flew Air China non-stop -from Heathrow, London to Beijing. Driving into the city is a little disappointing as the fog obscured much of the view. It seems everywhere I go I take the weather with me.
Before arriving I had visions of the Beijing of old, with bicycles everywhere. This isn鈥檛 quite the case, as the roads are full of traffic, as in any major city. But there certainly are a lot of cyclists, especially in the early mornings and in the afternoon rush-hour.
One of the first things I do is take a cab to the city centre and walk to Tiananmen Square. I suppose like most visitors I associate the city with its history, so to see these grand and elegant buildings opened my eyes to what Beijing of today really is. To see Tian鈥檃nmen Square for the first time is quite something. Chairman Mao's portrait stands guard above Tian鈥檃nmen Gate, and everyone wants their photograph taken beneath it.
Bei Hai Park is located in the center of Beijing City, and you can reach Zhongnanhai from here just across the bridge. More than half of the area of the park is a lake. It was a royal park. It has the longest history and is the best preserved in Beijing. There are many different kinds of exercises, obviously some are traditional but some are modern and individualistic creations.
On Day 6 - off to the Forbidden City. Its name is fitting as we are forbidden to take the big video camera in, but luckily a smaller one is allowed and we film several scenes.
Beijing is not only the capital of China, it鈥檚 China鈥檚 cultural capital as well. It鈥檚 just full of history. The first place people want to come and see is the Forbidden City. And that鈥檚 where we are today. The feeling as you come in here is astonishing. It overwhelms you.
The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing. Beijing has been the capital of China since the Ming dynasty. From that time on there were a total of 24 emperors who lived here and ran the country until 1924. All the buildings are strictly built in the feudal style, which reflects the authority of the emperor. In olden days, the ordinary people dared not approach too close to the Forbidden City.
Later that day I travel to a Hutong by rickshaw and am able to interview the organizer of the Hutong tours.
With the exception of the Forbidden City, 20 years ago in Beijing, there were only Siheyuans and Hutongs. Hutongs have a 700-year history. They are the most important part of Beijing鈥檚 Architecture. The main inhabitants are common people. It contrasts strongly with the Forbidden City and Summer Palace. It鈥檚 Chinese architecture with rich cultural meaning. The different stone steps, the Stone Door Root, the gateway arc - all stand for different social classes. Each part of the Hutong has it鈥檚 own historical meaning, but people don鈥檛 care about them now. Many Beijing people view the Hutong as something that鈥檚 past its time.
Hutongs are in the alleys of Beijing. There were thousands of Hutongs around the Forbidden City. Most of them were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
It started 13 years ago, when there were more than 2000 Hutongs here. But with the fast development of modern Beijing, more than 1000 Hutongs have been destroyed by bulldozers. Beijing鈥檚 development is at the price of the Hutongs and Siheyuans.
After fog and rain for four days, during which time I stayed in my room looking wistfully up at the sky, filming starts in earnest. We go to Panjiayuang, a secondhand and antique market. For this first assignment they wire me up with a radio mike, clipping the microphone to my collar and the transmitter to my belt. I also got used to a big video camera following me everywhere - often attracting crowds of fascinated onlookers. I felt like a secret agent, or maybe even Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible except taller and without his good looks. Over the next few weeks I got to know this kit very well.
This is an artists鈥 colony in a factory in the Dashanzi suburb. It has set to become Beijing's equivalent to New York's Greenwich Village. The artists here look on themselves as avant-garde and it鈥檚 hard to understand their meaning. But there are also many plain and optimistic works from Mao Zedong鈥檚 time. All of them mix together, showing different thoughts and feelings.
But no visit to Beijing is complete without seeing the Great Wall. The section closest to the city is at Badaling and is very touristy. There are also crowds of people clambering up and down the surprisingly steep ramparts. The wall is a stirring sight. I can't get over how it marches from one horizon to the other across some of the most unimaginable hostile landscape. No wonder it took hundreds of years to complete. I manage to remember a quote from Chairman Mao long enough to be able to recite it on camera. It translates as: "You are not a hero until you step on the Great Wall."
That evening I had a relaxing dip in a whirlpool spa bath followed by a foot massage and full body massage. Sadly it was all over in the time it took to film. I never did get the full treatment. Traveling in China is an intensive experience for me. Besides filming, I also want to take photos. I鈥檓 filmed having tea at the hotel, having breakfast the following morning and writing emails in my room. I'm sure people will get fed up seeing so much of me.
We go to Beijing's glitzy shopping street, Wangfujing Street, where I try fried scorpion and fried silkworm on skewers.
You can get any food you want from all over china. It鈥檚 a good place to soak up the atmosphere. it鈥檚 a good place to come and eat .
You鈥檒l be surprised by Beijing鈥檚 colorful nightlife if your memory thinks of the city as it was 20 years ago.
Before leave I visit the circular Qinian Hall. Otherwise known as the Temple of Heaven. Disney has copied this at its Epcot Center Park in Florida. Give me the original any day.
His quotations were engraved on stones and called the Analects. He was Confucius. Here you can sense his heartbeat, the heartbeat of a man who lived 2500 years ago. His personality, his charm and his affection for the whole world can still be felt.
It rains almost everyday when I鈥檓 in Qufu. Only half a day is fine. Perhaps this kind of weather aids thinking about serious philosophical problems.
There are over four million offspring of Confucius in the world. One fifth of the students in the local primary school belong to Confucius鈥 family.
Zi Gong, one of Confucius鈥 students once drew an analogy: Knowledge is like a wall. My wall just reaches the shoulders, so people can easily see over it. My teacher鈥檚 wall is several meters high and if you can鈥檛 find the door you鈥檒l never see the beautiful scenes on the other side.
The splendid architecture with a golden roof, surrounded by green trees and enclosed by a thick, high wall, contrast sharply with the other houses of brown roofs. Here is a descendant of Confucius.
The rulers in previous ages constructed buildings on a large scale. The Confucian Temple is the most magnificent. It has nine yards and the main buildings line the axis of the yards.
The perfect architecture is called Freezing music. The Confucian Temple is like a symphony to praise Confucius.
Confucian classical works and the books that were awarded by emperors are stored in Quiwen Pavilion. Across Quiwen Pavilion, in the sixth yard, there are 13 pavilions with yellow roofs and red walls.
The largest Stele Pavilion was built by Emperor Kangxi in 1686, during the Qing Dynasty. It weighs about 35 tons. It would take 250 cattle to draw the cart if this were transported in one piece.
The close-packed layout displays another style of beautiful architecture. The unique design is a wonder of the architecture of this Temple.
Confucius believed in harmonious order. When one regime overwhelmed the other this order was broken. The new regime preserved order along different lines.
The Hall of Great Success is the center of the Confucian Temple. It鈥檚 built along the lines of a palace. The splendid hall is located on a huge base and has a double stone fence. The base and the high hall give a feeling of strength.
The flying dragon engraved on the stone column is the symbol of royalty. There are 18 eight-sided columns, each with 72 dragons. The craftsmen engraved a total of 1296 dragons.
The architecture with the red columns commemorates the seventy-two students that were the most excellent among Confucius鈥 three thousand students. Confucius was reputed to teach under an almond tree here. The former president of Singapore, Li Guangyao, once said, I come here to be a student, to learn. I also have come here to learn
When he was 55, Confucius traveled with a dozen students by ox-cart. The road was full of challenges and hardships.
Editor:Hu Source:CCTV.com
