Beijing is Picturesque

To my Western ear, the names of the city’s major attractions often sound hard to take seriously: the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the Hall of Supreme Harmony (not to be confused with the halls of Central Harmony and Preserving Harmony).

I mean, some of these classical superlatives you’d swear came straight out of National Lampoon, or some similar attempt to spoof Chinese culture. I am not making up the following labels on the various halls and sub-palaces that I passed during my wanderings around the Imperial Palace and the Summer Palace:

Literary Profundity

Beneficent Causation

Mental Cultivation

Eternal Safety

Tranquil Longevity

Reason Enhancement

Scrupulous Behavior

Proper Places and the Cultivation of Things

Earthly Tranquility

Heavenly Purity

Character Cultivation

Lasting Brilliance

Accumulated Refinement

Veranda for Rest Quiet

Eternal Peace

Endless Mists and Clouds

Chamber for Reading the Classics

Jade Islet in Spring Shade

Studio of Painted Boat

I saw no sign of plazas or monuments named after people. However, each sign did contain a modern twist. In small letters at the bottom were the words, “made possible by the American Express Company.”