起來！不要做懶惰的人們！
Come on! Don't be a lazy one!
清晨4點左右睡眼惺忪起床，因為我們要去天空門看升旗，表面上多熱血愛國，事實是都已經來了，去吧！其次是升旗時間因應日照時間每天平均提前一分鐘，如果行程後半部才去，將要更早起床，單想到已經覺得很累。
We woke up at 4am because we wanted to attend the flag rising ceremony in Tiananmen Square. It seemed to be a country lover behaviour, but we were just thinking "We are here already. Why not?" Another reason is that the time for the flag raise will be 1 minute earlier day after day. In another word, if we decided to attend in the following days, we have to wake up a few minutes earlier. It was already sleepy to think of it. So Better Today!!!
一路上，街上和地鐵沒甚麼人，但到達了地鐵前門站，就看到很多也是來看升旗的遊客。遊客佈滿街道每一處，九成都是國內老人團，他們緊隨自己的導遊，導遊說走就走，說排隊就排隊，每人頭上都戴上同色的鴨咀帽，如果看到一群紅帽子中多了一點綠就知道那人是走失老人。
It was rarely seen anyone on the street or the metro. However, the crowd started when we approached QianMen Station. The tourists are EVERYWHERE...wherever there is space, we saw TOURISTS and most of them are Chinese elderly. They were in the tour with a guide. They followed tight with their own guide and do what the guide told them...to Stop..to Walk..to Queue. Every tour has their own coloured cap. If the guide found a different colour among his group, he/she is the missing one from somewhere.
通過安檢便可進入天安門，今次安檢比昨晚在水立方認真很多，氣氛也嚴肅很多。天安門廣場已架起圍繩劃了觀看升旗區，比我們更早的熱血強國人已經很多，我們沒辦法擠得更前，唯有站在後排，幸好大家都舉起手機拍照，我初時可透過他們的畫面看到升旗情況，到後段旗升得高，可直接肉眼觀看。說真的，我內心沒有那份滾動，感受不到中國人必定要來北京看一次升旗的理由，但那份升旗和音樂同時完結的精準，士兵腰板挺直捧起國旗，奏樂開始，聽到那粒音乎便揮動國旗的精確，的確表現出被強國訓練有素。
After the security check, we can enter the Square. This time, the check was more serious and I felt so tense to go through. The free zone was marked with the rope and the front space were occupied by the #early bird #country lover already. We have no way to squeeze to the front and accepted stand behind. Luckily, the people in front of me hung their phone up to take pictures. I can see what was happening through their phone at the beginning. Later on, the flag was high enough which I can see directly in between heads. To be honest, I did not have any special feeling and can't share the emotion of "Being a Chinese should visit Beijing for flag raising ceremony". However, I was impressed by the performance and the flag raiser. The flag raised to the top of the pole at the same time when the music stopped. Also, the flag raiser stood really straight while he held the flag out. He waved the flag when it reached the first note of the national song. It demonstrated what is practice make perfect.
2分07秒後，天安門廣場沒有回復平靜，遊人都高舉自拍神棍和國旗拍照，我便不停遊走廣場找尋自拍的人，在他們按下快門那一刻成功攝鏡，自尋快感。
The ceremony lasted for 2 minutes and 7 seconds. After this less than 3 minutes time, the Square did not become quiet. Tourists start taking pictures with the flag using their selfie stick. I was busy in walking around to be snapped in their pictures. It made me so happy if I was able to be captured in the pictures.
自娛過後，原始生理需要，吃早餐！這麼早起床，又在北京，怎麼不來一個老北京人吃的早餐呢？先在街邊小販檔買了個即煮煎蛋餅，蛋漿加配料，再掃上杰身啡色帶甜味的漿汁，摺成長方型，味道還可以。
After a while of self-entertained, we still needed to eat! So we decided to be a local Beijinger have a local breakfast in the early morning. We first bought the egg pancake from the street trolley . It is a pancake with some simple filling, then add on the brown sticky sweet dressing. Lastly, it was folded as a rectangular box to serve. The taste was ok, not especially WOW......
四處亂走找早餐店，來到一條幽閒恬靜的小巷，兩邊矮身磚牆，十分文藝，似是富有人家的大宅。如果這時出現人力車，感覺會變成文初時期，十分懷舊。遇著破曉，自然陽光攝影效果，絕對能拍到呃Like相！
We kept walking around without direction to find some restaurants and ended up in a very nice and silent lane. High brick walls are in both sides which has a artistic feeling. I felt like people are rich in this area. If the rickshaws were driven pass at that moment, the classic feeling will be even stronger. Since it was dawn, the pictures we took was really shiny and warmth.
開始極度肚餓，在附近找到一間平民早餐店，有許多人自攜容器來買豆漿和即炸的油炸鬼，然後再買蒸包，簡簡單單十多塊便是一家四五口的溫飽早餐。他們的蒸包，有肉包和菜包，我便各要了一個，誰不知原來這裡以「籠」為單位，結果枱上放了十多個蒸包…..
I started to starve and really needed food as soon as possible. Luckily we found a local breakfast place around the corner. We saw a lot of customers visited the shop and some of them brought their own container for take away soya drink and homemade deep-fried bread-stick. It is also common to have the steamed bun. To get all of the above cost only RMB10-15 which is so cheap for the whole family. They provided meat bun and veggie bun and I ordered both each. I didn't realized they used "Bucket" as the unit rather than "Piece" like that in Hong Kong. So, I had two buckets of 10 buns each in front of me.
我雖然是肚餓，但未至於可一次過吃清所有包，所以只能外帶，最後在紫禁城後花園一邊賞花一邊品嚐！
I was hungry, but I was not that hungry to have a big feast of buns. So some of them were take-away and became my snack while I was resting in the garden of Forbidden City.
充滿能量展開今天重點行程-紫禁城，先經過天安門毛主席肖像，還有站在外金水橋兩則的黑超西裝保安，他們主要職責是阻止任何人停留拍照。但我感覺沒有那麼簡單，這只是表面，內裡可能被委派重要任務，不然怎需要在橋上放上十多人去做這麼簡單的工作，還要穿成G4 模樣！一定有古怪！！！
We headed to the Forbidden City after a wonderful breakfast. First we passed Mr. Mao portrait and all the well-dressed securities standing on the two sides of the bridge. Their main duty is to stop tourists taking picture on the bridge, ask them not to occupy the space on the bridge. I don't seem to believe that is the only thing they do. They should have been assigned the very important mission, otherwise, it is not necessary to send more than ten of them to do this simple task and also dressed like an agent.
望著厚實的紅色宮門，古代時宮女太監入宮後未必再有機會出宮，從此遇世隔絕，最終老死宮中，不禁倒秋一口涼氣。
The red door looks heavy. Once the male and female servants entered the Forbidden City, they may not have chance to leave it. For the rest of their life, here is everything and they were isolated by the high-solid-brick wall. Eventually die here. That is really sad.
紫禁城裡的熱點當然是乾清宮﹑養心殿﹑坤寧宮﹑太和殿，由於宮殿不會對外開放，一眾遊客(大部份都是大陸人) 都只能擠在僅有的兩個門口窺看皇上上朝的地方、龍椅、龍床﹑皇后的寢宮;但宮殿內沒有照明，黑漆漆沒有華麗感覺，加上日久失修，梅梅爛爛像破廟鬼屋，其實有點恐怖。
The most popular palaces should be the office, living room, bedroom of the emperor, queen and the mother of the emperor. The palaces are not open for public, but doors are open and tourists can peek inside. Most of the tourists (mainly Chinese) tried so hard to squeeze to the front or pushed you at the back to get one centimeter more. Everyone tried to look at the chair that the emperor sit on, the bed that the emperor and the queen slept before. However, there are no light inside the palace and it was pretty dark. I do not feel how glamours it was supposed to be and also because of the lack of maintenance, the whole palace is like a crappy-loosen house which is, to be honest, quite scary.
紫禁城大得令人覺得誇張，但四處都擠滿國內的同胞就更誇張！我沒有找到許多外國遊客，一路走都是黃皮膚黑頭髮的中國遊客，中國有十億人民的說法的確正確。
The Forbidden City is super huge, however the Chinese population is much huger! The entire place is stuffed with Chinese tourist and I seldom see a lot of foreigners. I can prove that the population in China reached ten billion, perhaps there are another hidden ten billion.
走出紫禁城，有如逃出生天，不是因為那｢一入宮庭，沒有自由｣的原因，而是內地遊客多得令你喘不過氣來，只想快點離開。
Leaving the Forbidden City is like back to the world. It is not because of the losing freedom in the Palace. It is more due to the excessive tourists in every corner there, you need some space.
來到景山公園，入場費¥10，走20分鐘便到達最高點，可俯瞰整個紫禁城。北京全年大部份日子都受霧狸影響，但幸運地到訪數天，陽光普照，萬理程空，有機會清楚看到紫禁城全貌。
There is a park called JingShan Park right opposite to the Forbidden City. Entrance fee is RMB10. With 20 minute walk up hill, you will reach the summit which you could overlook the whole view of the Forbidden City. Beijing is suffered from the foggy and misty days most of the year. The visibility is not clear to see through long distance. Luckily, the days we visited, the sky was clearly bright and sunshine everywhere. That’s why we were able to see the full view of the Forbidden City.
來到天壇，但走了一天，已經開始疲倦，沒有精神去欣賞這個地方，趕緊在日落前看了天壇和地壇便宣佈投降。遇上許多新人拍婚紗照，在日落時的確會拍出神級照片，天壇為背景，背著夕陽拍出兩人的剪影，親身到過便知這是非筆墨所形容，必需體驗那份神聖。
The next stop is the Temple of Heaven. Since I started feeling tired, I did not have energy to explore this wonderful place. We rushed to the Temple and checked out the main spots before sunset and the foot were unwilling to go anywhere. A lots of couples came to take the wedding pictures which is a really excellent idea with such a nice weather. The background with the Temple and both of them standing in front of the beautiful sunshine have a silhouette. It is hard to explain the extraordinary scene in words. One has to experience in person.
本應想去食片皮鴨，但中途下錯車打亂了計劃，加上已經很累，明早又要早起到長城，索性直接回hostel休息，準備明天的食糧，保留體力。
We planned to have Beijing Duck as dinner, however, we called off this plan due to a few reasons like got off at the wrong station, super exhausted and need to wake up early again the next day to the Great Wall. We decided to head back to hostel, prepare the food, retain and recharge our energy.
No comments:
Post a Comment