Harrytheheid
Banned
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2007
- Messages
- 4,672
Me and Missus Heid had to go visit the British Consulate in Beijing during March, and pick up 3 miniature figurine orders and an Amazon order from the company office which I use as a Post Office - so we made a wee 5-day holiday out of it. We’ve been there before of course, (6 years ago maybe?), and on the first day – after our business at the Consulate, we decided to do Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City again.
Now, these first few photo’s are all I’ve been able to process so far. They’re not exactly Toy Soldier related – not yet. Bear with me though, cos over the next few days, there’s going to be quite a few that will (hopefully) be of very real interest for fellow collectors.
Beijing Day 1 #1.
Horrible day for taking photo’s - and pretty cold at that. The infamous Beijing smog was particularly bad today.
This is Tiananmen Square and that’s the Great Hall of the People in the background.
Beijing Day 1 #2.
Tiananmen Square again. That’s the Monument to the Revolution. Oh, and some construction cranes.
Beijing Day 1 #3.
Tiananmen Square again with Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum in the background this time. Didn’t go to see the "Great Man". I’m not getting into the politics here, but lets just say, while I LOVE China AND the Chinese people, I have more time for other historical characters.
Beijing Day 1 #4.
Entrance to The Forbidden City. It’s just across the road from Tiananmen Square.
Beijing Day 1 #5.
Inside the Forbidden City. Check the crowds. That gives you some idea of the sheer size of the place.
Beijing Day 1 #6.
This was some kind of photoshoot, (which is a common event here) – probably for a Ladies magazine. That poor wee lassie must’ve been frozen.
Beijing Day 1 #7.
For some reason that I simply can’t explain even to myself, a certain song kept buzzing through my head while we were bopping around checking out all this great stuff.
It was probably seeing the crowds of old Guys and Ladies who'd come into the City from the Countryside, and who had obviously experienced the Cultural Revolution - and maybe even the events of 1949 in some cases. Maybe it was seeing all the kids having a great time.
Maybe it was the sense of History.
Or maybe it was every single one of these reasons - and possibly something more.
Anyway, from memory cos I don’t have the CD on this particular laptop;
The Gunners Dream – from The Final Cut – Pink Floyd
Floating down, through the clouds, memories come rushing up to meet me now,
But in the space between the heavens and the corner of some foreign field,
I had a dream, I had a dream......
Goodbye Max, goodbye Norm, after the service when you’re walking slowly to the car,
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air,
You’ll hear the tolling bell, and touch the silk in your lapel,
And as the teardrops rise to meet the comfort of the band,
You take her frail hand, and hold on to the dream......
A place to stay, enough to eat, somewhere old hero’s shuffle safely down the street,
Where you can speak out loud about your doubts and fears, and what’s more,
No-one ever disappears; you never hear the standard issue kicking in the door,
Beijing Day 1 #8.
You can relax, on both sides of the tracks,
And maniacs don’t blow holes in Bandsmen by remote control,
And everyone has recourse to the Law, and no-one kills the children anymore,
No-one kills the children anymore......
Night after night the whole world is a realm of pain; this dream is driving me insane,
In a corner of some foreign field the Gunner sleeps tonight, what’s done is done,
We cannot just right off this final scene, take heed of the dream, take heed......
To be continued as the opportunity arises;
Regards
Harry
Now, these first few photo’s are all I’ve been able to process so far. They’re not exactly Toy Soldier related – not yet. Bear with me though, cos over the next few days, there’s going to be quite a few that will (hopefully) be of very real interest for fellow collectors.
Beijing Day 1 #1.
Horrible day for taking photo’s - and pretty cold at that. The infamous Beijing smog was particularly bad today.
This is Tiananmen Square and that’s the Great Hall of the People in the background.
Beijing Day 1 #2.
Tiananmen Square again. That’s the Monument to the Revolution. Oh, and some construction cranes.
Beijing Day 1 #3.
Tiananmen Square again with Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum in the background this time. Didn’t go to see the "Great Man". I’m not getting into the politics here, but lets just say, while I LOVE China AND the Chinese people, I have more time for other historical characters.
Beijing Day 1 #4.
Entrance to The Forbidden City. It’s just across the road from Tiananmen Square.
Beijing Day 1 #5.
Inside the Forbidden City. Check the crowds. That gives you some idea of the sheer size of the place.
Beijing Day 1 #6.
This was some kind of photoshoot, (which is a common event here) – probably for a Ladies magazine. That poor wee lassie must’ve been frozen.
Beijing Day 1 #7.
For some reason that I simply can’t explain even to myself, a certain song kept buzzing through my head while we were bopping around checking out all this great stuff.
It was probably seeing the crowds of old Guys and Ladies who'd come into the City from the Countryside, and who had obviously experienced the Cultural Revolution - and maybe even the events of 1949 in some cases. Maybe it was seeing all the kids having a great time.
Maybe it was the sense of History.
Or maybe it was every single one of these reasons - and possibly something more.
Anyway, from memory cos I don’t have the CD on this particular laptop;
The Gunners Dream – from The Final Cut – Pink Floyd
Floating down, through the clouds, memories come rushing up to meet me now,
But in the space between the heavens and the corner of some foreign field,
I had a dream, I had a dream......
Goodbye Max, goodbye Norm, after the service when you’re walking slowly to the car,
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air,
You’ll hear the tolling bell, and touch the silk in your lapel,
And as the teardrops rise to meet the comfort of the band,
You take her frail hand, and hold on to the dream......
A place to stay, enough to eat, somewhere old hero’s shuffle safely down the street,
Where you can speak out loud about your doubts and fears, and what’s more,
No-one ever disappears; you never hear the standard issue kicking in the door,
Beijing Day 1 #8.
You can relax, on both sides of the tracks,
And maniacs don’t blow holes in Bandsmen by remote control,
And everyone has recourse to the Law, and no-one kills the children anymore,
No-one kills the children anymore......
Night after night the whole world is a realm of pain; this dream is driving me insane,
In a corner of some foreign field the Gunner sleeps tonight, what’s done is done,
We cannot just right off this final scene, take heed of the dream, take heed......
To be continued as the opportunity arises;
Regards
Harry
