After an early check-out we took the subway to the Mao Tse-Tung Mausoleum. A short briefing respectively a presentation by Prof. Dr. Rüttimann and Florian Gitzelmann about the specific building itsself enlighted our minds. Leaving our luggage and especially cameras behind, we started queing in front of the Mausoleum. Luckily, there weren’t too many people standing in line yet, so most of us got in quickly. The security staff was very strict about the regulations and the dresscode, therefore a couple of students were not allowed to enter the Mausoleum. Nevertheless, the lucky ones who got in, were able to catch an eyefull of the former 1st Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China – named Mao Tse-Tung. After a quick walk we passed by the National People’s Congress and the National Centre for Performing Arts to end up in front of the Heavenly Gate of the Forbidden City.
This was definitly another highlight of our trip so far. First, we had a short introduction by Prof. Dr. Rüttimann and then started to experice the beauty and historical relevance of this impressive imperial palace, which was built during the Ming Dynasty onwards to the Qing Dynasty. For almost 500 years, it was the home of the Chineses emperors, concubines and ministers. It was built between 1406 to 1420 and consists out of 980 buildings. Furthermore, like everything else important, the Forbidden City is located on the axis from north to south in Beijing. This Axis is for the Chinese Feng Shui.
Our final destination was the Jingshan (a Coal Hill) from where we were able to see all the places we had walked by in the morning. The Jingshan was quite challenging to climb because of the burning sun and the clear sky. After the sightseeing we started our individual lunchtime and afterwards returned back to the hotel to get our luggage.
After arriving at the airport we were informed by the security staff that we are not allowed carrying some of our presents either in the suitcase nor in our hand luggage. But that incident was not the only drawback. Our flight has been delayed by approximately 2 hours. Luckily, we managed to arrive at the hotel save and sound. This was only possible with the help from Mr. ZHU Yuming (Stephen), who works at the International Exchanges Division from the Gansu Provincial Foreign Affairs Office. He also informed us about the further program in Lanzhou and Linxia Hui and kindly answered the questions we had about this district of China.