Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine May 2019 | Page 90

Travel / Beijing
/ ON THE MAP
China’s sprawling capital sits at the top of the
North China Plain, near the meeting point of
the Xishan and Yanshan mountain ranges.
It’s a city that seems to
be forever rebuilding and
reimagining itself – there’s
always somewhere fresh to eat,
to shop, to sleep. Yet Beijing
continues to be dominated by
its history… a history that is
best experienced quietly on
foot, in hushed palace side
halls and sleepy back-lanes.
E/ At dawn, every day, ceremonial guards enter
Tiananmen Square with the grace and precision
of a ballet company. They escort the flag of China,
the flag that flies not just at the heart of Beijing
but at the heart of the entire country.
Whatever the weather, a large crowd already
awaits them at the stately flagpole. The guards
hook the ‘five-starred red flag’ to the halyard rope
and then, with heroic drama, literally throw
it into the sky and hoist it high.
Tiananmen Gate (Tiananmen East subway station)
stands on the north side of the square and is an
austere if iconic backdrop to the morning
flag-raising ceremony.
It, and a further two hulking gateways, must be
passed through before entering the Forbidden City
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SUMMER PALACE
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
E/ The Temple of Heaven, which
was built in 1420, is considered
Beijing’s holiest imperial temple.
I/ The Temple of Heaven, yang
dibangun pada 1420, dianggap Kuil
Kekaisaran paling suci di Beijing.
E/ The Summer Palace is said to be
the best-preserved imperial garden
in the world, and the largest of
its kind still in existence in China.
I/ Istana Musim Panas,terkenal sebagai
Taman Kekaisaran yang paling terawat
dunia dan yang terbesar dari jenisnya
di Tiongkok.