In the winter of Dec 2006 on our way to New Delhi, we planned to break our journey for 4 days in Beijing. We choose a Hilton Hotel to stay so that we get good American food.
There was abundance of varieties available to eat and the breakfast was included in the room tariff on the top of it.
Enjoying the Breakfast
The Hilton gave us sumptuous breakfast everyday and could eat dry snacks and coke for rest of our day time needs.
On the third day in the morning as we were schedule to leave for a visit to "The Greta Wall Of China" at 8.30 AM. we heard a lot of sound of music involving wind instruments and Drums etc. As I peeped out of the window, I found that a wedding procession led by newly wedded couple was entering into the Main gate of the hotel. They were accompanied by huge red masked lions on either side of the couple, dancing along with the wedding procession.
The newly wedded couple with their near ones
Getting anxious to see a wedding party dancing on the roads reminded me of similar weddings in India. I hurriedly headed down to the Lobby on the ground floor and requesting Harvinder to follow quickly. I started enjoying the color, the music of the band, the dancing of the mimic lions, beautifully dressed up wedding party and extremely well dressed wedded couple in western outfits. The language was big barrier to communicate by not the fun. We always kept the address of the Hotel and destination written on a paper always handy with us in case we may not get lost.
The video shows lions dancing while I bless the couple.
Suddenly the groom came rushing towards me and gestured to have picture with the new couple. Both me and Harvinder were astonished to be invited by strange people in a strange land initially. But I looking at the opportunity agreed to his request. I also handed over the Camera to a another photographer of the wedding party. I also requested Harvinder to accompany me. Now for next 5-7 minutes, there was thunderous sounds of drums, music & tremendous and robust dancing of the Lions behind us.
Lion Dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other Chinese traditional, cultural and religious festivals. It may also be performed at many other important occasions such as business opening events, special celebrations or wedding ceremonies, or may be used to honor special guests by the Chinese communities.
This young man with his national flag tightly held in his hands was happily posing with foreigners on the Tienanmen Square, Beijing which was beautifully decorated with floats of Mascots of ensuing Olympic Games.
The city looked uprooted as if everything from building to roads to rails to airways were being upgraded or freshly built. On either side of the main highways, the old city areas and slums were camouflaged with huge huge paintings and hoardings. I walked to see myself behind one of the huge hoardings to find out unfortunately similar slums matching our own in India. The local guys were par excellence in marketing their goods. Just go their for window shopping, you would just return with satisfactory buy by paying a smallest fraction of your estimate in mind.
Where ever you go, there were crowd of people after you to have picture with you with a smile. There was this man who was after me to get a picture with me in the back drop of different historic monuments. I could not know his name because of language barrier, but I can guess that he was extremely warm person and seemed to be influenced by my turban. Strangely I was communicating with them without speaking with them.
First time in my life I was so close to pleasant strangers who were so full of warmth to an unknown human being whom they not only befriended quickly but also offered a huge place of honor of blessings.
I commend their culture.
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