Tiananmen Square, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Great Hall of the People, Forbidden City

To put the pure ancient nature of this trip into perspective, I went to the Roman Forum in Italy. This ancient city dates back 1,000 years. I went to the Acropolis in Greece, a place that dates back 3,000 years. But on this day, I stood in front of ancient artifacts that date back over 5,000 years. Something about witnessing the history with my own two eyes helped me to understand that I am just a small spot on the world. I will live and die and the world will continue spinning, but that my life, culture, country, family, and friends are not the center of this world. The world is a makeup of different people from different places that stand together as equals. But until I saw the history for myself, it was as if I was at the center of the world, everyone else shaped around me. The Great Hall of the People pushed the ethnocentrism right out of me, and instead a better understanding of the world took its place.

One of my personal favorite parts of the museum was the room filled with gifts from world diplomats. It was of no surprise to me that very few gifts were in the room from American Presidents, as America’s relationship with China is rocky at best. However, the very earliest give there was from America, was a sculpture of a swan on a lake from President Nixon. There is no denying Nixon had his faults as president, but one promising part of his Presidency was his ability to reestablish American relations with China. Without such, who knows if I would even be able to be here right now?

                While we did not get to go into the Forbidden City, we did get to explore the night market and enjoy PeKing duck. The street foods were nerve wracking, but really delicious for the most part. I particularly enjoyed the candy apples on stick, which seem to be very popular in Beijing. The PeKing duck, however, was surprisingly delicious. It can be intimidating to eat something while looking at the animal’s face, but once you accept that meat in China is the same meat in America (whether you see the head of the animal or not), it just becomes any other meal. There really is nothing to fear when trying things from Chinese cuisine. I will definitely miss this food when I go back home!