I’m starting at a new gig this autumn. I’ll write more about it as the details get finalized but it looks like one of my responsibilities is to lead field trips.
The problem is that I am very much a book-and-document historian. Buildings and “stuff” have never been my strong points. I tend to get bored in museums and I once fell asleep at the Summer Palace. So in the interest of learning how to fake interest, I’ve set aside some time each week to re-explore those tourist sites in Beijing that most of us only visit when family comes in from out of town.
I actually do like the Forbidden City. I’ve been there about six times but I’ve always felt there were things I missed. So in honor of Friday the 13th–here are thirteen random musings from today’s urban hike around Gu Gong:
1) They’re having some work done on the house. Two of the three centerpiece buildings (The Hall of Supreme Harmony and The Hall of Preserving Harmony) are covered in chicken wire and the tinker-toy reject collection that passes as scaffolding here. Also a huge chunk south of the Western Palaces is under renovation. There are