The first time my mom took me to Beijing was in 1996, the year I finished the primary school.

This is the Meridian Gate, my very first glance of the emperor city’s power. It’s an iconic corner of the the Forbidden City. You might have seen the red walls on tons of postcards from Beijing.

In Chinese medicine theories, “meridian” means a pathway in the body along which vital energy flow. Opening the city map of Beijing, it’s easy to locate the meridian cutting through the city. For local denizens, the central line is also called the Dragon’s Pulse.

“This is the greatest south-north central city line in the world. The unique and magnificent sequence and order of the city are engendered by this line.” said Liang Sicheng, who’s been named as the father of modern Chinese architecture.

An aged taxi drivers once told me, “It says there’s a tremendous dragon sleeping under Beijing. They chose the location to build the Forbidden City simply because there lies the dragon’s nest… Heh, nest my ass.”

For most people in this city, the stories and mythes around the central line sound like something from another world. Though the area is seen by world as the real Beijing, it doesn’t exist in ordinary people’s lives.

Walking with tourists under the walls might not always be a pleasant experience as that from Lonely Planet. Every day, no matter weekdays or weekends, it’s crowded and noisy. The high rising buildings would make you feel depressed, especially when breathing the polluted air.

People come to see the sights, to feel the power, to find themselves, or just take pictures of it and leave it as other postcard symbols around the world. This is Beijing.

After living here for 6 years, I still feel like a tourist, walking through the same background. Again and again.