Today, lessons went well. After it, we had lunch and left for the National Museum. When we got there, I was surprised by the size of it. The National Museum was beyond huge. It reminded me of the Smithsonian. Everything from the paintings to the pillars was large. First we toured around the coin room. The coins that were before the Qin Dynasty were especially interesting. Since it was the Warring States Era, most states had different coins. Some of these coins were actually knives! Can you imagine getting mugged for money with money? It’s nuts. After exploring that area we ventured across the hall to an area full of old relics. I am not sure what dynasty it was under, but we saw a giant copper tub-like thing that apparently was used to put incense in after worshiping Buddha. It was one of the oldest artifacts in the museum.
After the museum, we headed to the National Theater. In order to get there, we had to cross Tian’anamen Square. It felt very strange being in that square, knowing what I know about its history, and knowing that most of the citizens there were only aware of the edited version. What really struck me was the tens of cameras attached to every light pole, and knowing the kind of media blackout that had occurred there. It was pretty crazy.