Collectable Mao Merchandise Land of China - Part 30 - Day 23 - Last day in Beijing / China... Chairman Mao
Although both Ant and I had a good night sleep - I was the one feeling sick this time. Both Ant and I were having problems trying to get rid of a head cold which had sort of converted itself into a "whooping cough"esque thing instead (maybe we have the same thing as Kip now??). Dan headed off to work (he was back since yesterday) and Kip was still really sick...
We headed out to Dongzhimen station and had a bit of Holiland action for breakfast. It seems consistently good here - with crossiants and sultana danishes being my favourite. Ant has become a fan of this strange strawberry milk drink that sort of tastes like Moove... We are sooo putting on weight at the end of this trip...
I was still feeling pretty crap - but we kept on being tourists - catching a train to Qienman station to the Mausoleum for our final attempt to visit the guy on this holiday. We head to the "Bag Check" area and - hurrah - Mao was open. He must have recovered from his Christmas Break and is ready and fresh for a new year...
The bag check was a little strange for the Mausoleum - the women at the counter ask if you have any cameras (if so how many), stinking wads of cash or high-value items... "Why yes - I've got 2 Ipods, $50,000 in US cold hard cash and five lines of coke baby... Help yourself!"
We crossed back into the middle of Tian'an Men Square to the Mausoleum itself - a pretty ugly building smack bang in the middle of the square. You sort of form an "orderly queue" (well about as orderly you get in China without resorting to the use of guns and whips) and get ushered into the building in groups. Meanwhile - right next to the Mausoleum are all these army dudes in full camo doing "Enter the Dragon" esque fighting moves... I'd love it if in Australia you see the Australian Army doing military practice outside of "Wet n Wild" on the Gold Coast or "Cockington Green" in Canberra (pi$$ weak world).
As you travel in sort of single file to the building - the queue moves past a "Flower" stand - where you can buy some flowers to place next to Mao. At the entrance of the Mausoleum - there were a couple of Chinese handing out "guides". I quickly yelled at Ant - get a program! Get a program! Aiii!
As you enter the building - you are asked by a sign to take of your hats and keep "silence!". The first hall is filled with a statue of Mao (surprising!) and a very tacky flower pot / indoor plant collection and rural China painting motif. It looked very communist kitsch and wouldn't have looked too out of place in the 50's or 60's (yet Mao died in the late 70's - proof that they were in a time warp back then). People who had bought flowers had the opportunity to deposit them in front of the statue. I'm sure the Mausoleum people just grab the flowers after you leave and sell them again to the next queue.
The queue then split into two queues and we entered the second room where Mao was lying in a coffin, draped with a "Red Hammer and Sickle" flag - in a sexy "Chinese baige saffari suit" - so fetch. Mao had a very yellow glow about himself - and had looked rather rubbery. Apparently - there are two "Mao's" - there is the real "Mao" and a wax copy of "Mao" - who they bring out when the real "Mao" is undergoing maintenance in Russia (the master of Mausoleums). So we have done "Ho Chi Minh" and "Mao" - next we have to do Lennin then we have done the big 3 in Mausoleums...
When you exit the "Mao" room which was quiet and peaceful - you enter straight into a "Mao" giftshop - complete with 40 staff and Chinese shoppers going mad... So so Chinese. Ant and I can't remember anything like this at "Unkie Ho's" Mausoleum - where everything was a strictly solem affair. There were Mao coffee cups, tea towels, kitschy "3-D" picture frames, pen set and even Mao Snow Domes!
Although both Ant and I had a good night sleep - I was the one feeling sick this time. Both Ant and I were having problems trying to get rid of a head cold which had sort of converted itself into a "whooping cough"esque thing instead (maybe we have the same thing as Kip now??). Dan headed off to work (he was back since yesterday) and Kip was still really sick...
We headed out to Dongzhimen station and had a bit of Holiland action for breakfast. It seems consistently good here - with crossiants and sultana danishes being my favourite. Ant has become a fan of this strange strawberry milk drink that sort of tastes like Moove... We are sooo putting on weight at the end of this trip...
I was still feeling pretty crap - but we kept on being tourists - catching a train to Qienman station to the Mausoleum for our final attempt to visit the guy on this holiday. We head to the "Bag Check" area and - hurrah - Mao was open. He must have recovered from his Christmas Break and is ready and fresh for a new year...
The bag check was a little strange for the Mausoleum - the women at the counter ask if you have any cameras (if so how many), stinking wads of cash or high-value items... "Why yes - I've got 2 Ipods, $50,000 in US cold hard cash and five lines of coke baby... Help yourself!"
We crossed back into the middle of Tian'an Men Square to the Mausoleum itself - a pretty ugly building smack bang in the middle of the square. You sort of form an "orderly queue" (well about as orderly you get in China without resorting to the use of guns and whips) and get ushered into the building in groups. Meanwhile - right next to the Mausoleum are all these army dudes in full camo doing "Enter the Dragon" esque fighting moves... I'd love it if in Australia you see the Australian Army doing military practice outside of "Wet n Wild" on the Gold Coast or "Cockington Green" in Canberra (pi$$ weak world).
As you travel in sort of single file to the building - the queue moves past a "Flower" stand - where you can buy some flowers to place next to Mao. At the entrance of the Mausoleum - there were a couple of Chinese handing out "guides". I quickly yelled at Ant - get a program! Get a program! Aiii!
As you enter the building - you are asked by a sign to take of your hats and keep "silence!". The first hall is filled with a statue of Mao (surprising!) and a very tacky flower pot / indoor plant collection and rural China painting motif. It looked very communist kitsch and wouldn't have looked too out of place in the 50's or 60's (yet Mao died in the late 70's - proof that they were in a time warp back then). People who had bought flowers had the opportunity to deposit them in front of the statue. I'm sure the Mausoleum people just grab the flowers after you leave and sell them again to the next queue.
The queue then split into two queues and we entered the second room where Mao was lying in a coffin, draped with a "Red Hammer and Sickle" flag - in a sexy "Chinese baige saffari suit" - so fetch. Mao had a very yellow glow about himself - and had looked rather rubbery. Apparently - there are two "Mao's" - there is the real "Mao" and a wax copy of "Mao" - who they bring out when the real "Mao" is undergoing maintenance in Russia (the master of Mausoleums). So we have done "Ho Chi Minh" and "Mao" - next we have to do Lennin then we have done the big 3 in Mausoleums...
When you exit the "Mao" room which was quiet and peaceful - you enter straight into a "Mao" giftshop - complete with 40 staff and Chinese shoppers going mad... So so Chinese. Ant and I can't remember anything like this at "Unkie Ho's" Mausoleum - where everything was a strictly solem affair. There were Mao coffee cups, tea towels, kitschy "3-D" picture frames, pen set and even Mao Snow Domes!
Our last day in Beijing, China - to be continued... ooohh awwwahh
posted by NicknAnt @ 12:13 PM
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