Street Music, Forbidden City, Final Dinner

Now that our festival performance is over, players and their families have scattered to complete their China time on their own. My family (Ann, Erinn, Daniel) spent Saturday at the stupendous Forbidden City, a spectacle of breathtaking architecture, massive open spaces, and heavy with the history of centuries of imperial Chinese politics. Visiting this place reminded me of several of the feasts we've had on this trip.....endless dishes until you can't believe there's more to eat, or in this case see. The emperors felt that in order to rule a huge country, they needed a huge capital, which is what the Forbidden City is. We learned that the bell towers functioned not just as time keepers, but also as warnings to the citizens to return to the inner city before the doors closed. I loved learning about how a musical tone was so important to the livelihood, if not survival, of the Beijing folk.

While walking back, we came across an impromptu Peking opera sing-a-long at Budai lake. A violin, a violin looking thing, and two erhu accompanied a spirited chorus of women who sang their favorite scores at the top of their lungs. We've seen this everywhere we've gone....spontaneous street music that made our weary feet so much lighter.

The day ended with dinner at Da Dong, the famous Peking duck restaurant. It was our final gathering of Team 3rd Angle, a farewell feast before everyone scattered. Many toasts were offered, including to our fabulous board members and 3rd Angle supporters, without whom we wouldn't have made it here.

Next, an overnighter on the Great Wall....