...without explanation.

     It's a cold, rainy day today. I had thought I might visit the Forbidden City today, but the majority of it is outside in the weather. Almost all of the historical sites in this ancient city are exposed to the elements. I did take note, however, of a museum that sits right next to Tian'anmen Square. I resolved to wait out the rain gathering whatever information I might find there.
     Even getting into the museum ended up being a bit of a chore. Trying to get to the front door, I was directed with point of a security guard's finger to go to the security check. This security check walked me right to the crosswalk that took me into Tian'anmen Square. Despite the rain, I took my time walking through the square to soak in the atmosphere.

     It's a bustling place with endless waves of tourists who are mostly Chinese snapping their selfies and hurrying to the constant lines at each entrance. Security guards stand on every corner and many seemingly random points in between. They appear bored more than anything. A deeper sense says that despite the commotiont there is very little going on here. It is more just a space for events to happen when they need to, rather than a space that has something happening all the time.

     I continue on to the next cross walk that takes me back to the side of the museum. There is a stone mob of people staring directly down at there cell phones. Past this I see a small building unattached to the museum that just a few people are rushing to. The building has lots of Chinese I can't read and the word "passport." I head towards the building. After elbowing my way to the front, as is the custom in China, I hand the clerk my passport. She types something into her computer, then hands me my passport with a slip of paper. I take the piece of paper with me to the side entrance of the museum. As I hand it to the woman attending the door, she passes me through to a security check.
     After passing through the security check, I now have free reign of the museum itself. I discover a space much larger than I thought with much more information. There are nineteen galleries that span five floors. Each gallery proves to hold several rooms worth of specific history. One holds the history of currency. Another holds the history of literature. A third holds a history of weapons. A fourth holds a history of international relations.
     The gallery that captures my attention the most is the one that has a history of the country as a whole. This gallery is by far the largest and has mutliple roomed sections that each contain a major chapter of China's history. It begins with fossils demonstrating early man's presence on the vast continent. It continues with exhibitions demonstrating development of tools. It is followed by exhibitions of early societal structures and finally compounds into the countless dynasties that stretched out for thousands of years leading up to modern day Chinese life.

     What I found most fascinating was how much could be interpreted by such a vast expanse of history. Walking through the birth and growth of this very foreign culture, I found a sense of my own becoming. There is an ongoing cycle from growth to creation to destruction to growth to creation to destruction and on and on again. It can be found in any society around the world.
     And it could be seen plainly walking through the halls where I could not read a single sign. While the displays were all in Chinese, the story itself was clear. Some stories are so universal, they need no explanation. They can be found not in examining our differences, but rather by observing our similarities. It is in these stories,
I found meaning.