The Italian Concession, with a view of the Cathedral and one of the many restored villas just off Piazza Regina Elena.

The Italian Concession is unique in history, because it is probably the only Italian colonial territory in all of the Far East.  It was established in 1901 and was governed by the then-Kingdom of Italy till 1947.

In my view, it is certainly the most beautiful of all of the concessions in Tientsin, with a very distinctive style.  It has also been the best preserved and restored concession by far, although – having been positioned like Tientsin’s version of Shanghai’s Xintiandi – it does smack of the Epcot Centre in Walt Disney World.

The heart of the Italian Concession was the Piazza Regina Elena, at the centre of which stood a statue of Winged Victory (which has been meticulously restored today), and around which stood some of the most charming villas this side of Florence.  Just off the Piazza is the Cathedral – which, being also immaculately restored and housing a museum of the Concession – is impossible to miss and the Italian Concessions major landmark.

Behind the piazza stand row upon row of elegant villas, many of which housed important politicians and cadres of the Nationalist and then the Communist party; and so managed to survive destruction.  Some of these are extremely spectacular – veritable palazzos from Venice, transplanted here.

Unfortunately, documentation for these buildings is patchy.  ALL restored buildings have a heritage plaque on them, but the Chinese text on the plaque don’t provide much detail beyond a number – “Heritage Building #57″.  UNLESS, this used to be the former residence of a famous Chinese politician or personality, in which case, it is also largely useless for me since I wouldn’t (and did not) know who they were.

All in all, however – the concession made for a very pleasant afternoon stroll, and I ended my day in one of the many lovely cafes in the area.

Winged Victory, at the heart of the Piazza Regina Elena

Lovely villa with a distinctive windtower that sat around the Piazza REgina Elena.

Other villas in the vicinity.

Villa around the Piazza.

The entire heart of the Italian Concession around the Piazza is now Tianjin’s equivalent of Shanghai’s Xintiandi. And it’s doing VERY well…

One of the few 1920s buildings in the area.

Villla

Villa…

The streets around the Piazza had been immaculately preserved – and still have dozens of turn-of-the-century villas and palazzos that were homes to famous Chinese politicians and celebrities.

Palazzo

Villa

Villa

This one came straight out of Venice or Florence and stood on a major street intersection.

A backward glance at the Italian Concession and the Cathedral.

The iconic Kiessling, pastry shop, established in 1901 at the heart of the German Concession.

The German Concession was established in 1899 and lasted a mere 18 years till 1917, the end of World War I. That said, the Germans invested their territory with a distinctly Teutonic identity.

Sitting to the Southeast of the British Concession along the White River, the German Concession was almost as big as the former. The Road that begins as Rue de France, becomes Victoria Street and at times Woodrow Wilson Street, morphs into Kaiser-Wilhelmstrasse here.

Along and around Kaiser-Wilhelmstrasse sit some of the German Concessions most important buildings – many of which still stand today. The Concordia Club is one of the most important buildings here, as are the German Concert Hall, and the iconic Kiessling pastry shop, established in 1901 and still in operation today.

Further down Kaiser-Wilhelmstrasse – past rows of spanking new skyscrapers sits another cluster of German-era buildings straight out of a Grimms fairy tale. This cluster of low-rise villas have been restored and now the entire block constitutes a new Hotel Indigo establishment.

Finally, along the waterfront sit a few remaining examples of German-style villas from the colonial era.

The Concert Hall

Along Kaiser Wilhelmstrasse sit many buildings, restored or otherwise, from the Concession Era…

The German Concordia Club

Across from the Concordia sits a fairytale castle

Beside it….another palace

The black building…

Accommodations of a more modest kind, along Kaiser-Wilhelmstrasse.

Villa that is part of a block of restored villas forming Hotel Indigo.

Another villa from the Hotel Indigo cluster – note the mediaeval domed turret.

Villa with a mediaeval roof.

Yet another vllla.

The main event – this is the present reception of the Hotel Indigo. It was probably the former residence of the German Governor.

German apartments…

Villa along the waterfront.

And finally…

The highlight of the concession is this Austrian-style house which was once the residence of General Yuan Shikai.

The Austro-Hungarian Concession was the smallest and the shortest of the foreign concessions in Tientsin, lasting a mere 16 years from 1901 to 1917.  Like the German Concession, it was surrendered to the Chinese just after World War I ended.

Also like their compatriots, the Austro-Hungarians invested their concession with their own distinctive identity, complete with cathedral, domes and residences straight out of the Austrian alps.

The Concession itself is small and has few architecturally significant buildings.  However, as a whole, these buildings present an imposing, imperial vista from across the Pei Ho.  They have been restored – like everywhere else in the old Concession area in Tientsin – and now hold luxury apartments, restaurants and boutiques.

The Austrian Consulate.

The Cathedral

Austrian style residence.

The Concert Hall/Theatre

Close-up of one of the imposing imperial buildings.

View across the river – note the relief of the violinist.

Imposing view from across the water.

The totality of the Austrian Concession taken in…

Back where we started.

Zhang Gardens 張園, in the Japanese Concession ,one of the Last Emperor, Puyi’s residences.

The Japanese Concession was established in 1898 and lasted till 1945, following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II.

The Concession is noted for housing the last Emperor of China, Puyi – who, after having been forced to abdicate and flee the Forbidden City, took up home here in the Japanese Concession for another seven years, following which he was forcibly whisked off to Dairen to be the Puppet Emperor of the Japanese Manchukuo state.  His two residences have been preserved and restored.

The concession is also interesting because it is spread out over two zones that are not contiguous; occupying the furthest reaches of the Concession Zones.

The older zone sits to the north-west of the French Concession.  Here one finds the former residences of Puyi, as well as a rather charming, bucolic landscape of low-rise villas and apartments, one finds in other Japanese colonies and in Japanese cities themselves.

The Japanese Concession was expanded subsequently to include another zone to the southeast of the German Concession, at the very edge of where the iconic Kiessling building stood.  Here, one finds a brand new commercial centre erected in the 1920s and 1930s – the Art Deco era.

Today, this area has been restored – no surprises there! – and re-positioned as a pedestrianised shopping street, the likes of Nanjing Road in Shanghai.  It makes for a pleasant end to this tour of Tientsin’s former Foreign Concessions.

Jing Gardens 靜園 was the other of Puyi’s residences, built to resemble a Californian hacienda.

Typical low-rise apartments in the Japanese Concession.

The Japanese Concession is full of large residential villas that housed famous personalities in Chinese history.

Apartments

Japanese Shopping Street, in the second Concession Zone, just off the German Concession.

Faux-european residences along the street.

Art Deco shopping mall – probably Mitsukoshi.

China has reclaimed the Foreign Concessions…

The historic Astor Hotel, Tientsin. This is a view of the original Historic Wing.  The Neo-Classical Riverside Wing can be seen at right.

Tientsin is my favourite city on this entire Grand Tour of the Far East not only because of its wealth of historic architecture and history, but more importantly, because of incredibly evocative and beautiful Astor Hotel, Tientsin.

The Astor Hotel is the oldest hotel in China, having been established in 1863 by the side of Victoria Square in the British concession of Tientsin.  The original wing of the hotel was erected in a sort of Neo-Anglo-Saxon-Castle style, complete with a tower that would not have looked out of place in a Games of Thrones TV episode.

The hotel was successively expanded over the years, most significantly during the early 1900s when a substantial Neo-Classical river-facing new wing was erected.  In the 1950s, the hotel was transformed into a hideous concrete block by the Communists in power, but thankfully, the Starwood Group took over the reins of management and very shrewdly restored the property to its original form.

The look and feel within the hotel is unique.  In the original Anglo-Saxon wing, where I stayed, the interiors, including those of the room, are quaintly Victorian.

Walking through the corridors and public spaces of the Historic Wing, one feels like one is floating through a Victorian-era hunting lodge – the walls are wood-paneled; carpets are strewn here and there over the floor, and there are still-life paintings everywhere one looks. In the room – which are large and luxurious – the Victorian decor continues.  The walls are wallpapered in a Victorian style, and one enjoys a full four-poster bed.

The Neo-classical Wing is just as atmospheric, though it is distinctly newer.  The hotel’s main lobby is in this wing – it is an airy, expansive and light lobby, never too crowded.  Light also suffuses the central courtyard – called the “Victorian Lounge” from a skylight which entirely covers the space.

The MOST atmospheric and evocative space in the hotel, however, is its historic bar – decked out like a 1920s Gentleman’s Lounge, and overlooking the enormous castle-like towers of the new Hotel being built upon Gordon Hall.  I spent many an evening here, ensconced in the corner, sipping on a glass of delicious red wine – unlike many other hotels in China, they got the wine right here too! – and contemplating all I had seen so far on this Grand Tour, and all that was yet to come.

What a year!

The Victoria Square-side entrance to the Hotel, Historic Wing.

Revolving door into the hotel, with the hotel’s logo.

The former lobby space, looking like the living room of a large, Victorian hunting lodge (minus the trophies).

The Astor Hotel’s bar overlooks Victoria Square.

Settees at the Hotel Bar

The Library in the hotel bar.

Gothic Victorian corridors in the Historic Wing – all wood panelling and carpeting.

The settees in my room, and the wood floor.

The four poster bed in my room.

Close-up of the hotel logo.

The Victorian Lounge, in the Riverside Wing.

In the Victorian Lounge…

In the Victorian lounge…

The Hotel’s actual Main Reception and Lobby sits in its Riverside Wing.

Vintage Car in the lobby.

View of the Neo-classical Riverside Wing.

Hotel plaque, noting that it was established in 1863.

Corridors in the Neo-classical wing – at the end of the corridor is the Historic Wing, and a dramatic shift in the atmosphere.

The Astor Hotel at night.

Sleeping clown at the Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai.

I’ve just been in Shanghai over the weekend, visiting a city I consider home, and my family living there. I thought it convenient – since I was there – to also check out some of the contemporary art on offer this season, and it was somewhat hit and miss.

The Shanghai Biennale, at the Shanghai Power Station of Art.

There was the Shanghai Biennale 2014 – the supposedly high-profile though really rather low-key art event that has taken over the Shanghai Power Station of Art – so the city has called its brand new state-run Contemporary Art Museum, by virtue of museum occupying an astoundingly repurposed former power station (read: Tate Modern, but WAY better laid out).

Telephones…yes…hmmm…

Unfortunately, while the space and the layout of the space was indeed inspirational and a wonder to explore, I couldn’t say the same of the Biennale. Besides a self-playing, Mandarin-tone generating piano that was the star piece in the museum lobby, it was all rather……well…… forgettable.

The best thing about it was the 10 RMB tote bag I bought.

Lovely space, pity about the art.

Nothing that was exhibited contested, challenged, provoked or enthralled. It was all safe, and therefore, totally boring. ALL THAT EFFORT, for nothing very spectacular.

Which goes to show what happens when Big Government decides to intervene too much in Art.

* * * * *

Contemplating clowns contemplating…

A very different kind of experience was going on at the wonderful Rockbund Art Museum (RAM), located just off the Shanghai Bund, and occupying the former headquarters of the Royal Asiatic Society (1932). A privately run establishment (though probably with some public funding) with an advisory committee of international curators and museum professionals, the museum had a single queer, stirring and out-of-this-world interactive art installation that occupied all 6 of its floors.

The installation involved actual real-life sleeping clowns, tinted windows, technicolour walls, and paintings of whorls. Suffice to say I was bewitched, bothered, bewildered, and bowled over… as I meandered, wandered and peered perplexedly at the blithely sleeping clowns ensconced in unexpected and almost ridiculous corners of the museum.

I thought it all a remarkably eloquent critique of contemporary life today: we’re materialistic technicolour girls and boys living in a technicolour world where everything flashes bright neon pink, green, orange and blue. We think that all this colour and brightness and prettiness is a mark/replacement for happiness and progress as a species.

But the joke’s on us.

Homeless clown…

Really, if one stands back to contemplate it all one would realize how ludicrous it all is. As we preen and prance about in Pradas, all around us, just around the corner, are signs that we haven’t yet got around the fundamental issues of society: poverty, homelessness, racism, abuse, anxiety and depression (represented by strategically-placed-to-look-randomly-placed clowns). We have merely buried them under a veneer of clown-like superficiality; a rictus grin rather than a warm smile.

Progress is merely skin deep.

At least… that’s MY interpretation.

And it got me thinking about what a wonderful thing Contemporary Art could be; what action and progress Contemporary Art could provoke… if it was only allowed to do what it does – which is to critique and provide a mirror to contemporary life – without (too much) intervention from Big Government.

To LESS INTERVENTION in Art, I say.

And to a richer, more thought-provoking, and ultimately more socially responsible Contemporary Art practice.

Clowns, clowns everywhere and not a single one to laugh at…

[P.S. – for anyone who’s interested, the work at RAM was Breathe Walk Die by Swiss artist, Ugo Rondinone; and it is on till Jan 4 2015. I affix the link below: http://www.rockbundartmuseum.org/en/exhibition/overview/e96ioz. ]

Gate Tower of the Forbidden City, Peking.

On this Grand Tour of the Far East, we pay a visit to only three Imperial Capitals. The first – and the grandest of them all – is Peking, a.k.a. Beijing today – the oldest of the three capitals, and the only one in China.

Peking has been occupied for almost 2000 years, since before the Warring States Period, during which time it was the capital of the state of Yan 燕, and was known as Yanjing 燕京 – or the Capital of Swallows.

The history of Peking as an Imperial Chinese capital, however, began somewhat later, during the Yuan 元, or Mongol Dynasty when Kublai Khan established his Imperial capital Dadu 大都 in what is today’s Beijing.  It was presumably Dadu that Marco Polo referred to, when he paid a visit to the court of the Chinese emperor at the time.

Bird’s eye vie of The Forbidden City 紫禁城

The Ming 明 Dynasty and Qing 清 Dynasties followed the Yuan, and they chose to retain their capital cities in the same spot, which they renamed Beijing 北京, or “Northern Capital.”  All in all, the city remained Imperial Capital for some 800 years from the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty in the 1200s to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

Today’s Peking still contains some of the most important sites of Chinese Imperial History – there is the Forbidden City 紫禁城, of course – quite likely the grandest and most imposing Palace Complex in the World.  There are also the Temple of Heaven 天壇 – where the Emperor prayed to the Heavens for Peace on Earth; and the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan 圓明園), tragically sacked and looted by British and French forces in the aftermath of the Second Opium War in 1860.

The Temple of Heaven dates from the 1400s.

The 10000 Flowers Maze 萬花陣, in the Old Summer Palace.

These are all the typical must-do tourist sites included in any visit to Peking.

What is less well-known about the city, however and therefore less well-known, is the existence of a Foreign Legation Quarter – similar to a treaty port, except, of course, Beijing sits inland – just beyond the gates of the Forbidden City.

As part of the Treaty of Tientsin, signed in 1860 in the aftermath of the Second Opium War, the European Powers secured the rights not only to open 11 more treaty ports along China’s East Coast, but also the rights to establish diplomatic legations (or embassies) just beyond the Forbidden City in Peking.

Today, much of the Legation Quarter still remains and is being slowly restored – making for a very surreal colonial experience in the heart of this most Chinese of Chinese cities. While taking in the rest the other Imperial sites in the Northern Capital, the Grand Tourist would be well-advised to also venture into this piece of Europe in China, for a unique and intrepid experience.

Restored consulate building in the former American Legation, Legation Quarter.

Yokohama Specie, Bank in the former British Legation, Legation Quarter.

Of course, Beijing today is immensely different from the Peking of the days of the Grand Tour.  Tiananmen 天安門 (“Gate of Heavenly Peace”) – with a portrait of Chairman Mao – is the most eloquent symbol of that difference.  As are the numerous pieces of epic, monumental star-chitecture that are evident in newer sections of the city, in particular the immense Olympic Park that the City Authorities built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

(Clearly, one thing remains the same about the city across the millenia: it doesn’t do anything by halves).

The iconic Tiananmen, with its portrait of Mao Tse Tung.

Rem Koolhas’ also-iconic CCTV Headquarters, known colloquially as “The Trousers”

The Beijing National Aquatics Centre, also known as the Water Cube, was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The Old City of Peking 老北京 still remains today, but precariously, as much of it makes way for a New Beijing and New China that will not be held back by the past, or nostalgia for it.

Restored and refurbished hutong 胡同 residence, vicinity of the Forbidden City.

St Michael’s Church, built in 1904.

Instead of the more obvious historical and tourist sites, I have chosen to start off my sojourn in Peking with a tour of the Former Foreign Legation Quarter.

Unbeknownst to many today, Peking too was not free from European colonial ambition.  In the aftermath of the Second Opium War in 1860, China signed the second of the so-called Unequal Treaties with the European powers allowing them the rights to establish even more treaty ports on the Eastern Coast, and – in a diplomatic coup – to establish Foreign Legations inside the walls of the inner city of Peking, East of Tiananmen Square, walking distance of the Forbidden City itself!

The Legation Quarter was established in 1861, and held out till 1937, at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War when many Europeans left Peking and the Legation Quarter was formally handed back to China.  That said, a few foreign legations remained within the quarter till 1959, after which they were finally relocated outside the inner city walls, to the Sanlitun 三里屯 area.

At the height of the Legation Quarter in 1910s, there were 12 Foreign Legations in Peking, Legation being a rather out-dated term for Embassy.  These Legations belonged to the British and the French – the first to arrive – as well as the Americans, the Dutch, the Germans, the Italians, the Austro-Hungarians, the Belgians, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Japanese, and, interestingly, the Mexicans.

Each of these nationalities occupied their own complex of buildings within the Legation Quarter, which, itself had extra-territoriality, which means it operated according to European rather than Chinese laws.  Like the other foreign concessions and treaty ports, it functioned like a city within a city, with its own post office, hospital, churches, parks and roads.

The Quarter is surprisingly large, somewhat between the sizes of Shameen Island in Canton and Gulangyu Island in Amoy.  In outlook it most resembles Shameen Island, in that it is rather orderly laid out, verdant and compact.  Canals once cut across the quarter, though they have been filled in.

What is most delightful about the Legation Quarter today, however, is the surfeit of Legation-era buildings and structures that still stand within the quarter, making for a pleasant but surreal walk for any visitor.  This tour takes us briefly through the Quarter, presenting a view onto the streets and European buildings, identifying former consulates and significant landmarks where it is able to.

Many of the former legations house government offices today, however, making it rather challenging to take photos of some of the more splendid edifices.

The former Beijing Railway Station, built in 1903 brought visitors to within walking distance of the former City Walls.

Building in the American Legation complex, today restored and repositioned as Chien Men 23 – a lifestyle and F & B destination.

Another building in the American Legation Complex

American Legation Complex

The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (1919).

The Netherlands Legation – outside of Peking (and Taiwan), the Dutch never got a toehold onto China.

The former French Post Office.

Apartments on Rue Hart.

The Belgian Legation.

The Italian Legation.

The Japanese Legation.

The Yokohama Specie Bank.

Possibly the Russo-Asiatic Bank.

And finally…. a last view of the Legation Quarter.

Panorama of the Forbidden City from Prospect Hill.

There isn’t much that hasn’t been said already about the Forbidden City.  How it was the seat of the Chinese Emperor from the 1400s all the way till 1911.  How it survived the marauding hordes of the Cultural Revolution because Premier Zhou Enlai sent military guards to surround and protect it.

It’s still an overwhelming sight to behold today… that is, if one can get around the hordes of Chinese tourists and their tour guides with loudspeakers blaring at full volume.

That’s right – I shall speak the unspeakable. Touring the Forbidden City is an exceptionally unpleasant and enervating experience. Most of the tour is spent trying to work around the thousands of people – largely Chinese – in the palace complex.

That’s ok in the outer palace – where there are immense courtyards flanked along the north-south axis by grandiose and majestic palaces.  But once past the threshold into the Inner Palace – where the Emperor, his wives, concubines and sons resided, the crowd becomes intolerable, especially since these gardens in the Inner Palace had been known for their tranquility and charm.

My recommendation is to walk through the Forbidden City as fast as you can, slip into Jingshan Park 景山公園 just to its north, and hike up the adjoining Prospect Hill to the Pavilion at its very top.  There, together with the relatively fewer numbers of Chinese tourists who deign to make the climb, you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the entire Forbidden City complex, in (relative) tranquility.

Thereafter, a walk around the Palace Walls and the Moat is an absolute delight, because only here, just outside the palace, can one get a sense of Old Beijing 老北京 – it is inherent in the solitary, elegant watchtowers that flank the old palace walls, and in the many flowering cherry trees and trailing willows that line the banks of the moat.

It is also, more importantly, infused in one of last remaining tracts of hutongs 胡同, or traditional courtyard houses, that sit along the edges of the wall – they are what remains of a vast Chinese city of courtyards and pavilions that Beijing once was; and which it has lost sight of in the race to develop.

Tiananmen Gate 天安門 (Gate of Heavenly Peace), viewed from Tiananmen Square.

Approaching the Forbidden City along its Southern Walls.

Approaching the Noon Gate 午門, which is the entrance to the Palace.

Approaching the Noon Gate.

Close-up of the Noon Gate.

Just past the Noon Gate sits an artificial River that cuts through the Palace. This is one of the bridges across the river.

The Gate of Supreme Harmony 太和門.

View to the buildings on the right, to show detail on roof.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony 太和殿 is where the Emperor would receive visitors.

The Hall of Preserving Harmony 保和殿. This hall together with the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Central Harmony constitutes the Outer Court.

Big bronze jars with the Hall of Central Harmony 中和殿 in the background.

Dragon stairway at the back of the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

A pair of bronze lions standing guard at the Gate of Heavenly Purity 乾清門.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity 乾清宮 holds the Royal Throne. It is part of the Inner Court.

The Imperial Gardens 御花園.

Cypress and dragon-shaped waterspouts.

View of a palace past the cypress trees.

A bronze elephant in the Imperial Gardens.

The rockery in the Imperial Gardens.

Exit from the Gardens.

View towards Prospect Hill 景山.

Panorama of the Forbidden City from Prospect Hill.

View of the Gate of Divine Prowess 神武門 – the northern exit of the palace complex.

Northern Watchtower 角樓.

The moat.

Tranquil, idyllic hutong neighborhood right beside the Forbidden City complex.

Some of these hutong have been renovated.

Ruins of the Haiyan Tang 海晏堂 – the famous water clock and fountain with 12 bronze statues of the Chinese Zodiac.

If the epicentre of the First Opium War was the port of Canton, the stage for the Second Opium War was here at the Summer Palace in Peking.

The Palace was first constructed in 1707 during the reign of Kangxi, and it was subsequently added to by later Qing Emperors.  In size, it was three times that of the Forbidden City at the heart of Peking.  And it was here, rather than in the Forbidden City that the Emperor and the Royal family lived and held court.

Entrance to the Palace.

Pavilion in the Palace

Boat on a Lake

The majority of the palace – some 90% of it, was built in the traditional Chinese style, with pavilions, lakes and bridges flanked by rows of willow, cherry and plum trees.

But there was a section of the palace – in its furthest most corner, that had been commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor, who was fascinated by all things Western; and built and designed by Italian Jesuits, notably Giuseppe Castiglione, in a so-called “European” style.  Here it was that the famous Haiyantang 海晏堂- a water clock and fountain with twelve statues of the Chinese Zodiac was found (more about this later).

The 10,000 Flowers Maze 萬花陣 is one of the few structures to remain almost entirely intact.

In 1860, in the heat of the Second Opium War, a small group of British envoys, journalists and their accompanying British and Indian troops paid a visit to the Summer Palace under a white flag, in order to negotiate.  They were arrested and tortured, some to death.

In retaliation, Lord Elgin (of Elgin marbles fame) ordered the destruction of the Summer Palace by British and French troops.  Over the course of three days, the palace was looted, razed and burnt.  The Emperor and his family had fled earlier.  He would move the seat of the Qing Dynasty from the Summer Palace to the Forbidden City subsequently.

The high, or low point, rather, of the looting – still a source of national fury in China today – was the loss of the heads of the 12 bronze statues of the Zodiac from the Haiyan Tang to British and French looters.  Over the years, some of the heads have surfaced at auction, and been the focal point of major Chinese efforts to repatriate looted cultural heritage from the Palace.  Seven have since been found and repatriated.

Today, the Summer Palace still stands almost entirely ruined, and has been left deliberately so in order that ordinary Chinese may never forget the humiliation the nation was put through by the Western Powers.  The highlight of the Park is the section that contains the ruins of the European-style palaces – most notably what remains of the Haiyan Tang.

Ruins of a Xiyang Lou 西洋樓, or Western-style Palace, looking like Roman ruins.

Ruins of the Fangwai Guan Mansion 方外觀.

Ruins…

Ruins of the Yuanying Guan 远瀛观.

A ruined ceremonial path.

The rest of the park, however, is remarkably evocative – despite being in a ruined state.  It is pleasant and idyllic – a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Beijing city proper.  It is well worth an afternoon, if only to witness everyday Beijingers relaxing and enjoying themselves on paths that only the Emperor and his family could walk on in halcyon days.

As for the Bronze Heads – all seven of them have been put on public display. The Rat and the Rabbit are the National Museum of China; the Horse at the Capital Museum; while the Ox, the Tiger, the Monkey and the Pig are the Poly Art Museum (the museum of the Beijing-based auction house, Poly).

If you have time for one of these venues alone, go to the Poly Art Museum as it is relatively off the beaten track, and one can admire the greatest number of these notorious artefacts in the same place without ever jostling with hordes of people for a view.

Recreation of the 12 bronze Zodiac Animals, to scale.

The Pig, the Monkey, the Tiger and the Ox, at the Poly Art Museum, Beijing.

Facade of the 1917 wing of the Grand Hôtel de Pékin; today’s Raffles Beijing Hotel.

Le Grand Hôtel de Pékin was Peking’s oldest and most splendid hotel establishment, situated just north of the Foreign Legation Quarter and offering the Grand Tourist panoramic views of the Quarter and of the Forbidden City to the west of the hotel.

The hotel in the 1920s.

The hotel originally opened its doors in 1915 and by 1917, its rooms had become so muc in demand that it needed to build a new wing.  In its day, the hotel, being French-funded and run, was well-known for its excellent French wines and cuisine.  It played host to range of celebrities including George Bernard Shaw.

By 1937, when the Japanese over-ran the city, the Hotel had be given up to the occupying forces, and subsequently when the Japanese were vanquished, to the Nationalist Government.

Being the most important hotel in the city and the centre of the social, political and diplomatic scene, the hotel soon found itself expanding again.  A new wing – sporting a mix of Western and Eastern architectural features – was appended to the west of the hotel in 1954.  And then in 1974, the original 1915 building was demolished and replaced with a thoroughly Communistic tower block.

The 1954 Wing

The 1974 Wing

All three of the hotel’s wings still stand today, but are under different managements.  The original 1917 wing is managed by the Raffles Hotels and Resorts Group, and is known today as Raffles Beijing Hotel.  The 1954 wing is known as the Grand Hotel Beijing, while the 1974 wing is known as the Beijing Hotel (北京饭店).  All three, however, are linked by the modern retail mall that sits just behind them.

All three wings, with the original 1917 wing at centre.

On this trip, I stayed at the Raffles Beijing Hotel – the original building; and I had the immense fortune to be put up in the luxurious George Bernard Shaw Suite, where the Hotel displays some memorabilia related to the playwright – including a note written on the Hotel’s letterhead.

It was a splendid base from which to explore the Imperial city – and once that exploration was done, one could partake of excellent wines at the Writer’s Bar – reminiscent of the same at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, and adding to that feeling of “home away from home” for me the entire time I was there.

The gallery below provides a record of my stay.

Close-up of the entrance to the Raffles Beijing Hotel

The lobby space.

Zoom out of the lobby space.

The Grand Stairway.

The Writer’s Bar

Books at the Writer’s Bar

The Dining Room – where there is a very popular afternoon high tea.

My room – the George Bernard Shaw Suite.

Memorabilia related to Shaw.

A note Shaw wrote on the Hotel’s Letterhead.

The over-the-top imperial-style lobby of the Grand Hotel Beijing (the 1954 wing).

The over-the-top wedding banquet taking place within the hotel.

The Mall behind all three hotels, probably also run by the Raffles because it reminded me of Singapore.

This was the hotel’s main restaurant for buffet breakfast and dinner. It was in the mall and reminded me of Straits Kitchen in Singapore.

Back at the ante-lobby of the Raffles Beijing Hotel.

A parting glance at the hotel at night.

My private balcony at the Pousada de Sao Tiago, Macao… my favourite hotel in my favourite city this year.

What a year!  What a dream!

I’ve done so much… and seen so much!

I don’t just have one book being published – The Romance of the Grand Tour: Fabled Port Cities from Rangoon to Hong Kong – coming to a bookstore near you in Spring 2015 –  I have TWO books being published in 2015!!

Hahaha!  Yes!  Two!  I won’t tell you what the other one is.  It came as a surprise.

So let me now take stock of 2014…

Let’s see… I travelled and I travelled and I travelled even more.  I suppose I must count that as an achievement.  I saw all of my loved ones, even those abroad.  I moved houses.  I wrote and I wrote and I wrote some more…  I worked at work… but that’s irrelevant.

And I travelled.

And I secured another book “contract” – sort of.

What do I resolve to do next year?

1. Travel more.  I resolve to see more of the world – bits that I haven’t seen before.  And I also resolve to revisit the places I visited which I loved….and bring my Beloved along with me, by coercion.

2. Write more.  I resolve to secure another – a THIRD – book deal.  This time in a genre I haven’t yet been able to pin down: FICTION.

3. Love more.  I resolve to spend more time with my family and friends, both here in Singapore and abroad.  Distance has never been an issue.  So London and Shanghai here I come – again and again and again next year.  =)

May 2015 be absolutely spectacular!

My favourite restaurant this year, at my second favourite city…. (sshh! This is a sneak preview of what’s to come on The Grand Tour in 2015)

Dalny City Hall, built in 1900.

Past Peking, we leave China proper and enter the realms of Imperial Japan. In this new year, our Grand Tour will take us first to 2 former Japanese colonial treaty ports (exploring how Japan itself became an imperial and colonial power) and then to 3 Western Treaty ports in Japan itself (in an era when Japan itself was subject to Western Imperialism) and finally to the Imperial City of Tokyo, in the midst of modernisation during the Meiji Restoration.

Our first stop in Imperial Japan’s territories is the city of Dairen, otherwise known as Dalian today, in the northeast of China, in what was formerly Manchuria.  The city was founded, in 1898, as the Russian Treaty Port of  Dalny Дальний, meaning “Remote”.  The city was the capital of the Kwantung Leased Territory 關東州, which the Russians had leased from the Chinese, and which also included the nearby city of Port Arthur (known as Lüshun 旅順 today).

For the next 7 years, the Russians would impose their own unique stamp upon the city – building a magnificent City Hall (see above), Library (see below) and the city’s most famous landmark, Nicholas Square (Николаевская площадь).

The Dalny Library, built in 1900. Before it is a bridge built by the Japanese in the Meiji Imperial style. It recalls the Nihonbashi in Tokyo.

Chinese seniors dancing in what was Nicholas Square. the building was built in 1910 during the Japanese era and housed the Daqing Bank.

Another view of Nicholas Square with the former Dalian Police Station, built by the Japanese in 1908.

And then very suddenly, it was all over for Imperial Russia, as, in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, which the Russians lost, Dalny and the entire Kwantung Leased Territory were handed over to the Japanese.  they would rule it till 1945 in the aftermath of World War II.

The Japanese used the name Dalny, but transliterated it to Dairen 大連 – meaning “Great Connection”; a name that continues to be used today (the Chinese pronounced the same characters “da lian”).  Over the next forty years, they would transform the city into a facsimile of other cities on the home turf – there would be Meiji-style Imperial architecture fusing Western and Japanese influences, Japanese-style shopfronts and markets, and even Shinto shrines.

The city’s heart remained Nicholas Square, which the Japanese renamed as Oohiroba 大広場 － meaning “Grand Plaza.”  Around the square – more of a circle, really – they would build 12 of the most imposing pieces of Japanese Imperial architecture, west of Tokyo.  These housed the headquarters of Japanese banks and merchant houses, as well as other European Foreign consulates.  Almost all of these buildings still stand today, and make today’s Zhongshan Square one of the most awe-inspiring sights (and relics of colonialism) in the world, after Shanghai’s Bund.

Japanese-built edifices on Nicholas Square.

Side view of the famous Yamato Hotel, Dalian’s Grand Hotel, on Nicholas Square.

Today, the Japanese influence on Dalian is still very strong.  Almost all of the major buildings the Japanese erected still remain, many of which have been taken over by the local municipal Government – particularly around People’s Square.  Around Zhongshan Square – the old city centre – the landscape still retains its Japanese flavour, with numerous Japanese-style buildings and shops.  Further towards People’s Square, former Shinto Temples and Shrines still stand, converted today into theatres for traditional Peking opera.

Municipal offices in the vicinity of People’s Square. This is built in an Imperial Meiji architectural style, fusing Western and Japanese elements.

A Shinto Shrine, housing a small theatre today.

The city’s main Shinto Temple, housing the Dalian Peking Opera Troupe today.

And then there is the food, which is very seafood-based, because of the proximity to the sea.  Here’s where I had some of the best and the freshest uni and nameko (sea cucumber) sashimi outside of Tokyo, alongside other more traditional regional dishes.

The food and the surprisingly still very palpable Japanese-ness of the city’s urban layout, made the experience in Dalian a highly pleasant one.

Old Dalian Restaurant 大連老菜館, serving traditional Dalian dishes, particularly seafood.

Here’s where I had the best uni and nameko outside of Japan!

As if we need any other reminder of Japan’s influence on the city – Lawson, a Japanese convenience store chain.

View of Japanese style restaurant in the evening.

No 9 Zhongshan Square is the former Yokohama Specie Bank （横 浜 正 金 銀 行 ）building, built in 1909. It houses the  Bank of China Dalian Branch today.

The most important landmark in present-day Dalian is Nicholas Square, called the Ohiroba 大広場 in the Japanese era, and Zhongshan Square  中山广场 today.  It is the equivalent of Shanghai and Hankow’s Bund, in terms of the number of monumental concession-era architecture still remaining.

Like the Shanghai and Hankow Bunds, Nicholas Square, or Ohiroba, rather, was the centre of commerce and government in Dairen, housing government offices and Dairen branches of major international Japanese banks, like the Yokohama Specie Bank.

There are ten buildings sitting around the circular “square” today.  Of these, only 7 date from the Japanese era.  The Russians had not time to build on the square they designated before they were ousted.  And a few of the buildings were demolished and replaced by the Chinese in the 1950s right up to 2000.

This gallery provides portraits of all 10 of the buildings on the square, as well as two other significant buildings in the vicinity.   I am indebted to Wikipedia’s entry “Modern Buildings on Zhongshan Square in Dalian” for the information.

No. 1 Zhongshan Square is the former Bank of Korea Dairen Branch 朝鮮銀行 was built in 1920. Today it houses the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

No. 2 – The former Dairen Police Station 大連民政署, built in 1908。

No. 3 – Dalian Financial Building 大连金融大厦 was built in 2000 where the British Consulate General’s Office (1914) used to stand. That was demolished in 1995.  

No. 4 – The Yamato Hotel ヤ マト旅館, built in 1914 was Dairen’s Grand Hotel. Today it is known as the Dalian Hotel.

No. 5 – the former Dairen City Hall 大 連 市 役 所, was built in 1919.

No. 6 – The Dairen branch of the Japanese Oriental Development Company 東洋拓殖 was built in 1936.

No. 7 – This Renaissance-style building houses the Daqing Bank 大清銀行, built in 1910.

No. 8 – The Dalian People’s Cultural Club 大 连 文 化 俱 乐 部 was built by the Soviets when they occupied the city in 1951.

No. 10 – The former Kwantung Bureau of Communications 關東通信局 was built in 1917. Today it houses the Post Office.

Just off the square is the former Bank of Taiwan 台灣銀行, built in 1910.

Also just off the square, where the British Consulate used to stand, is the former Dairen Anglian Church, built in 1928.

The former Dalny Library, like a surreal fairytale castle.

The city of Dalian was established by Imperial Russia in 1898 as Dalny, within the larger Guandong Leased Territories.  They would hold it for only seven years before relinquishing it to Imperial Japan.  That said, they managed to stamp their own identity onto the landscape of the city.

Aside from Nicholas Square, the other landmark dating from the Russian era is what is known today as Russian Street 俄罗斯风情街.  This street – the oldest and first street laid down in the city, was previously known as Engineer Street улица Инженерная, purportedly after the Russian architect, K. G. Skolimovskii, who master-planned the city.

Engineer Street is marked at both ends by a significant monument – at the beginning of the street stands the former Russian Library, built in 1900 in an effusive, Victorian / Bavarian / Swiss style, reminiscent of fairytale castles in the Alps.  At the other end of the street stands the former Dalny City Hall, also built in 1900, in a more traditional Russian style the likes of which may be found in St Petersberg.

While the Library itself has been immaculately restored and today houses an art museum, the City Hall stands empty and somewhat derelict, awaiting a decision as to what else it could be used for.  In the meantime, the square in which it stands is surrounded by high-rise apartments.

In between Library and City Hall extends today’s Russian Street, where there are apparently 8 instances of Russian-era architecture still standing and rather sensitively restored.  These stand amidst new buildings the Chinese have built in a “Russian-style” in the 1990s, when the former mayor of Dalian, Mr Bo Xilai, had the idea of restoring and repositioning the street as a sort of Russian-style themed shopping street.

It isn’t easy to distinguish between the authentic buildings and the new ones.  In the gallery below, documenting my walk through the street from end to end, I try my best to do so.

Russian Street was the heart of a residential area – around the main street itself stand dozens of old villas and houses, most likely built in the Japanese era.  Some have been demolished, but whole tracts of them had been restored and transformed into a new luxury hotel in what I can only call a “generic European fairytale style” the Japanese were extremely good at, and – so it seems – the Chinese seem to be catching on to.

It was a fitting transition between Russian and Japanese Dalian.

Russian-style building on Russian Street. This one looks to good to be real.

Another restored facade on Russian Street – judging from the design, this could be an existing building that has been “Russian-ised” by the Chinese.

View down Russian Street towards Dalny City Hall.

Spires on Russian Street.

Villa on Russian Street. This is probably an existing building.

The turreted structure to the left is possibly an existing building, with a new structure appended to the right.

This could have been a former Orthodox Church.

Russian-ised building.

Another Russian-ised building.

This very distinctive roof suggests this could be an authentic, restored building.

The Neoclassical archway to the right is the former gate of the Naval Academy. The building behind looks real and is part of the Academy compounds.

The Naval Academy.

Dalny City Hall, standing silent and somewhat derelict in its own square.

Around Russian Street stood many villas, some of which have been restored as a fairytale-like luxury hotel, complete with Cinderella coach.

Former Government Offices in the Japanese Era, sitting just off Zhongshan Square. Today it is the Department of Transport. Buildings with similar Imperial Japanese styles exist in Seoul and in Tokyo.

In the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War in 1907, Russia surrendered the city of Dalny to the Japanese, who renamed it Dairen, and would rule it for the next 38 years.

The city of Dalian today still retains significant vestiges of its Japanese past, in terms of the urban planning of the city beyond Nicholas Square (today’s Zhongshan Square) and in terms of the hundreds of colonial-era buildings that still stand – many of these, particularly the more monumental ones, look ostensibly European in architectural style, but are actually examples of Imperial Japanese architecture.

Rather understandably, the Dalian authorities have gone to great lengths to emphasise the city’s Russian past over its Japanese one, even if the latter is still palpably present today. As such, I could find out very little about many of the buildings that are featured in this gallery.

This was true even of the most imposing monumental Government buildings standing on today People’s Square – the square and edifices were built by the Japanese as the centre of the colonial government in the city, as opposed to Nicholas Square, which remained its commercial heart.

That said, the city is remarkably pleasant to stroll in – by Chinese standards at least.

What is surprising is just how Japanese the city still looks!  Bits of the city remind one of suburbs in Kyoto or Fukuoka, with their streets lined with jacaranda trees, and their quaint little Japanese-style shopfronts and residences.  There are even two shinto temples that still remain near the city centre, albeit converted into theatres.

The architectural styles and urban planning principles would also be replicated in Keijo, the other showpiece city of Japanese Imperialism in Korea, more commonly known today as Seoul.

But to say more would be jumping the gun.

Today’s Municipal Government building on People’s Square was built in the 1930s by the Japanese.

Today’s Police Headquarters on People’s Square was built by the Japanese too, in the 1930s.

Japanese-style architecture on Government offices in the vicinity of People’s Square.

More Japanese-era Government offices in the vicinity of People’s Square.

Dairen City Hall, on Nicholas Square is an iconic piece of Japanese architecture in the city.

The bridge leading towards Russian Street channels Nihonbashi in Tokyo.

Zhongshan Hospital was also built in the Japanese era.

Commercial buildings erected in the Japanese era – these are off Zhongshan Square.

Commercial Building in the vicinity of the Dalian Train Station.

More Japanese-era commercial buildings.

Commercial buildings.

Commercial building.

The Dairen Train Station was actually built in the Russian era in 1903.

Small businesses, juxtaposed against towering skyscrapers.

Japanese style shopfronts.

Japanese style shopfronts.

Commercial buildings

Commercial buildings

Commercial Buildings

Dairen’s former Shinto Temple is today’s Dalian Peking opera Theatre.

Another Shinto temple with a typical Japanese style pagoda.

Japanese-style residence in the vicinity of the shinto shrines.

Japanese era boys’ school campus.

A Japanese style turret, campus of the Boys School.

The Dairen tram started operations in 1909 and is still going today. These cars date from the 1930s.

The Imperial Japanese Gothic facade of the Yamato Hotel. Today it is known as the Dalian Hotel and sits on Zhongshan Square.

The grande dame of Dairen’s hospitality scene was the Yamato Hotel 大和旅館, built in 1914 by the occupying Japanese on Nicholas Square.  It was the equivalent of the Astor House Hotel in Shanghai, and the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, hosting the likes of Royalty and celebrities who passed through Dairen en route to Japan on their round-the-world tours.

The Yamato Hotel chain was owned by the Southern Manchuria Railway Company, which built seven Yamato Hotels in the Japanese colony of Manchukuo, today’s Northeast China. Almost all of them still stand today – most notably in the cities of Shenyang (Mukden), Harbin, and Changchun (Hsinking).  But arguably the famous of them all was the Dairen Yamato.

What a pity then, that of all the Grand Hotels on this second leg of the Grand Tour, the Yamato Hotel remains in disrepair and in urgent need of being refurbished.  Not that it was the subject of anti-Imperialism.  After the Japanese were vanquished, the hotel was renamed the Dalian Hotel 大连宾馆 and continued to play host to leaders of the Communist Party – the former Bo Xilai used to entertain and house his guests here.

But it seems as though history stopped for the hotel in the 1960s, and hasn’t restarted since.  Outside, the hotel is as majestic as ever before, if a little Gothic; particularly on a rainy day, when it looks positively like an edifice in Gotham city.

Even one steps into the lobby, the sense of grandeur and history remains.  But once past these public areas, everything falls apart.  The corridors are shabby and in dire need of cleaning.  The rooms are painfully inadequate for the modern traveller, lacking even a safe for valuables, and with furniture that is straight out of the 60s.

I had planned to accommodate myself here for the duration of my stay. But one look at the room I was in, and I decided to check out immediately, forfeiting one night’s board; which was more expensive than the 4-star international business hotel chain I checked into later on.

Help, please, Raffles Hotels & Resorts Group, or Starwood Luxury Collection.  Help save the Yamato Hotel!

Close-up of the Yamato Hotel’s iconic cast-iron entrance.

The sumptuous lobby space still looks pretty much the same today.

Another view of the lobby area.

View of the lobby area towards the ballroom, past the arches.

Corridors on the mezzanine floor.

Cafe in the inner courtyard.

View from the second floor cafe out onto Zhongshan Square.

The shabby and dilapidated corridor leading to my room.

Close-up of the facade.

The Hotel’s cast-iron logo.

The Yamato Hotel on a rainy day.

Shanghai

I don’t believe for one moment that Home is just one city.

At least, it has never been that way for me.  And I suspect that for many people – be it migrants, refugees, frequent travellers or even armchair travellers, Home is also not just one place, but many.

I have called multiple cities home, for various reasons – and all of them occupy a space in my heart and my memories, again for these various specific reasons.

Home can refer to the city I was born in – in this case there’s only one.

Home can also refer to those cities in which I have literally, made a home in, i.e. lived in for a couple of years, or even a couple of months…

Home also applies to those cities in which I have family, particularly close or immediate family.

And also those cities in which I have very close friends – friends who have been my family in times of need.

And naturally, the city – if one happens to be separated from one’s beloved for various reasons or another – where the Beloved is.

Home is also those cities in which I have found love, or have had a formative experience that changed me forever; where I have found myself, in other words.

And cities with which I feel an enormous amount of resonance, perhaps because I have grown up reading books set in that city, or watched TV programmes set in that city, or because I simply feel immediately at home in that city.  I feel comfortable, and accepted.

Home is also aspirational, by which I mean those cities I dream of making my home, whether or not I ever do.

And home could be those cities (or places) that you originate from, by way of your parents or grandparents – your ancestral hometown.

So how many cities/places do I call Home?  Let me list them all.

Singapore… London… New York… San Francisco Bay Area… Toronto… Paris… Shanghai… Dubai… Hamburg… Berlin… Venice… Jakarta… Xiamen… Quanzhou… Fuzhou…

How many cities/places do you call Home?  What other definitions of Home are there?

Singapore

London

The Gyeongbukgong Palace 景福宮 Complex is the largest palace complex in Seoul and was built by the Joseon Emperors.

And so at last we have left China, and made landing on Korean soil.

For 500 years, the Korean Peninsula was a tributary state of Imperial China, first under the Ming Dynasty and then the Qing Dynasty.  Korea itself wasn’t called Korea (which is derived from the earlier Goryeo Dynasty 高麗王朝) during this period.  Rather, with permission from the first Ming Emperor Hongwu 洪武, the kingdom was renamed Joseon (朝鮮), and the new dynasty, established by Yi Seonggye 李成桂 – now King Taejo 太祖大王, which simply means the First Emperor of the Dynasty – named the Joseon Dynasty.  The capital of the dynasty was shifted to Hanseong 漢城, what is today known as Seoul.

Guard in traditional Korean attire, at the gates to the Gyeongbukgong Palace.

The Namdaemun 南大門, or South Gate dates back to the 14th century. It used to be one of the main entrances to the walled city of Hanseong.

The dynasty would last between 1392 to 1895 – one of the longest dynastic reigns of any imperial entity in the world.  Following which, for a brief period of time between 1897 to 1910, Joseon would pronounce itself independent of the Chinese, and a new Korean Empire or Daehan Jaeguk 大韓帝國 would come into being, proclaimed by King, later Emperor,  Gojong 高宗 of the former Joseon Dynasty.

In these short 13 years, the Emperor attempted the sort of western-style modernisation and reforms that Japan had undergone during the Meiji era.  During this period, when Korea opened itself up to the world, Europeans also made an initial, tentative entry into Korea, establishing their consulates and residences in the former legation quarter of Jeongdong – which still stands today, and is a surreal, fairytale landscape of European buildings in an otherwise high-rise city.

Lady in Hanbok at the Deoksugung Palace 德壽宮, the residence of choice of the Daehan Emperors. Note the European style architecture of the palace.

The Jeongdong district was Hanseong’s Foreign Legation Quarter – and still bears witness to that history today.

What remains of the former Russian Legation, in the Jeongdong District.

View of the Deoksugung from the Seoul Art Museum, Jeongdong District.

But the Gojong Emperor’s efforts would ultimately be in vain.  By 1910, Imperial Japanese forces swept into Korea and “annexed” the Empire.  For the next 35 years, Korea would become a colony of Japan.  The Japanese chose, as their Imperial Capital, Hanseong – the city of the Joseons, renaming it Keijo 京城, or simply, Capital City.  In the course of Imperial Rule, they would undertake a systematic policy of cultural destruction – demolishing important landmarks of Korean history and identity, and replacing these with their own pseudo-European style Imperial architecture.

The Keijo City Hall, built by the Japanese, is today’s Seoul City Hall. Demolition had already begun a few hours before the Seoul Cultural Heritage Administration declared the Building a national historic building and had to be preserved.

The Bank of Korea building, built by the Japanese in the Keijo era, juxtaposed against Seoul’s modern skyline.

The most famous of these buildings was the former Japanese Government-General Offices Building, which was erected within the grounds of the Gyeongbok Palace – the former Imperial Palace.  Whole tracts of the palace grounds and its architecture had been demolished in order that this building be erected. In the 1990s, public pressure moved the independent South Korean Government to demolish the Offices and restore, in its place, the former palace structures that the Japanese had destroyed.

The former Japanese Government-General Offices Building, sitting on the grounds of the Gyeongbukgong Palace.  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_General_Government_Building_1995.jpg

In the aftermath of World War II – Japan surrendered to the Soviet Union and the United States of America, who occupied the Northern and Southern halves of the Korean Peninsula respectively.  Even though the plan had been for a unified Korea, the Cold War led to the Peninsula being divided, as it still is today.

The South eventually gained independence as the Republic of Korea in 1948, declaring independence in the former colonial Japanese Government General Offices.  It’s Chinese name became 韓國. In the meantime, the North also declared its independence that same year, and interestingly, is referred to as Joseon 朝鮮 in Chinese even today.

The capital of newly independent South Korea remained in Keijo, which was renamed Seoul 서울 – a Korean word referring to “Capital City”; and a word which, interestingly has no corresponding Hanja or Chinese characters.  For the longest time, Chinese speakers continued to use Hanseong 漢城 to refer to Seoul – since there was no equivalent Chinese character.  In the mid 2000s, however, the Seoul Government finally suggested the name 首尔 “shou-er”, a transliteration of Seoul in Mandarin Chinese – and the name has been used ever since.

A view from within the Gyeongbukgong Palace towards the skyscrapers of modern-day Seoul.

Today, contemporary Seoul is an enigmatic creature, being one of the most modern, high-tech cities in the world, and yet also one of its most historic.  Traces of its imperial past – whether Joseon, Daehan or Japanese cling on splendiferously alongside the forest of skyscrapers that have become the new norm in this confident metropolis.

Alongside these pieces of architectural heritage, two of the other interesting attractions include an ancient stream that used to run through the city, was built over in the mid 1900s, and in the 2000s, has been once again revealed and restored to become a living, green heart cutting through the city centre.  This is the Cheonggyecheon Stream – now a very popular Park and the city’s equivalent of New York City’s High Line.

The other attraction is of course, Korean cuisine, which is known for being fiery and hearty – think kimchee and beef barbecues – and also wildly adventurous – think sannakji, or live baby octopus, the tentacles of which one crunches in one’s mouth still writhing.

It’s a heady experience.

The Cheonggyecheon Stream is one of Seoul’s most popular attractions today.

Sannakji, or live baby octopus. Not for the faint-hearted.

Unique brickwork in the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

We start our tour of Seoul from when it was called Hanseong 漢城, and ruled by the Joseon Dynasty (also transliterated as “Chosun”).

The architectural heritage of the period remains in the form of five imperial palaces within the city limits, and the impressive Royal Shrine of Jongmyo, where (almost) ALL of the Joseon Emperors and their wives are interred.

Many of the palaces were desecrated by the Japanese when they exerted colonial rule the city. In one case – the Gyeongbukgong Palace, the most important palace of all – the Japanese actually demolished much of the complex, and built their very own Government-General office building on the site.

This gallery takes in three of the five imperial palaces and the Jongmyo Shrine.

Gyeongbok Palace 景福宮

The first palace – the Gyeongbokgung, or Gyeongbok Palace – was the primary palace of the Joseon Emperors, and also the city of Hanseong’s largest palace.  It sits at the foot of Bugaksan mountain and along a north-south axis much like its counterpart, the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Architecturally, the palace – and many of the other Imperial Palaces in Seoul – draws much from Ming Dynasty palace architecture, complete upward swooping roof edges, adorned with mini-gargoyles.

Interestingly for Gyeongbokgung, however, there is a specific section of the palace grounds where orange brick has been used in the construction of a series of walls and ornamental pillars, adorned with Korean design motifs.  The palace is also known for the one of its kind Royal Banquet Hall known as the Gyeonghoeru 慶會樓 - a traditional wooden pavilion sitting on 24 pairs of stone pillars.

The palace was destroyed twice by the Japanese – the first time in 1592 when Joseon was invaded from the East, and the second time in the early 1900s, during Japanese Colonial Rule.  The first time it was laid waste, it sat ruined for 273 years until the King finally decided to restore it in 1867.  The second restoration of the Palace is taking place even as I write with most of the “traditional” structures the tourist is likely to see, being modern day reconstructions of the original.

That said, notwithstanding the fact that most of the palace complex today is a contemporary restoration, it is, quite arguably the most beautiful and awe-inspiring place in Seoul.

The Heungnyemun.

The Geunjeongjeon, or Throne Hall.

Close-up of the Geunjeongjeon.

Crowds in the Gyeongbokgung complex.

Close-up of traditional roofs, betraying influence of Ming dynasty palace architecture like in the Forbidden City in Beiijing.

Pagoda

The Jagyeongjeon.

Entrance laid out in brick.

The Gyeonghoeru

Changdeok Palace 昌德宮

The Changdeokgung is at least as old as the Gyeogbokgung, having been built in between 1405 and 1412.  It was the seat of the Royal Government until 1868 when the Gyeongbokgung was restored.  Notably, it was also home to the very last Korean monarch – the Emperor Sunjong of the Daehan Jaeguk era.

Unlike Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung survived the Japanese colonial era mostly intact, with many of its original buildings still standing. Also unlike Gyeongbukgung, which was heavily influenced by Ming architecture, Changdeokgung maintains an older and more restrained form of indigenous architecture from earlier Korean dynastic periods.  The palace was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1997.

The palace is known for its Secret Garden, once known as the Biwon 秘園, or Forbidden Garden and open only to the Royal Family. Today of course, it is open to the public, though only if one takes a guided tour.

The other interestingly architectural landmark in the palace is the spectacular Injeongjeon Hall, which was the main throne hall of the Joseon Kings; and also the Seongjeongjeon Hall with its unique cobalt blue tiled roof.

Pavilion, in the Biwon, or Secret Garden.

Changdeokgung Complex

Close-up of stunning architectural detail.

Changdeokgung complex

The Seonjeongjeon – with its unique blue tiles.

Interior of a reception hall.

The Injeongjeon, or Main Throne Hall.

A sub-palace complex in Changdeokgung that betrays an older and simpler Korean architectural vernacular.

Jongmyo 宗廟

Next to the Changdeokgung sits the Jongmyo, or Jong Shrine, built in 1394.  It is built to Confucian principles and houses the memorial tablets of the Joseon kings and their queens. In total, 19 kings and 30 queens and memorialised here, with only two kings missing from the whole of the Joseon era.  And a memorial service is still conducted each year by the descendants of the Joseon emperors in accordance with ritual, and accompanied by traditional Korean court music.

The shrine itself is one of the longest buildings in Seoul, and it was inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1995.  The Royal Rites and accompanying Royal Court Music, called the Jongmyo Jerye 宗廟祭禮 and Jongmyo jeryeak 宗廟祭禮樂 respectively, were inscribed onto UNESCO’s list of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2001.

The main Shrine of the Jongmyo Shrine Complex

The secondary shrine.

The spirit path

Deoksu Palace 德壽宮

The final Joseon era site on this visit is the Deoksugung, which became a royal palace by default after the Japanese invasion of 1592, when the Gyeongbokgung and the Changdeokgung were burned down.  It is significant in being the residence of Emperor Gojong, who was the last King of the Joseon era, and, after proclaiming Korean independence from the Chinese, became the first Emperor of the Daehan Jaeguk era.

The palace is unique architecturally in that it houses instances of European architecture alongside traditional Korean architecture.  Like the Gyeongbokgung, much of it was deliberately demolished by the Japanese during the colonial era; though unlike the former, many of these structures have not been restored.

Interestingly, along the walls of the palace sits Jeong-dong, which served as the Foreign Legation quarter of the city of Hanseong (and the subject of the next post). Palace and Legation Quarter would be inextricably linked to each other during the tumultuous years between the Joseon and the Daehan eras, with the latter playing a pivotal role in the preservation of King Gojong’s life, and his subsequent return to declare his kingdom’s independence.

Entrance to the Deoksugung, with its very popular re-enacted changing of Imperial Guards.

One of the traditional palace structures in the Deoksugung.

European palace structure in the Deoksugung, housing a museum.

The Deoksugung, juxtaposed against Seoul’s modern skyline.