The Emperor and I

It was with much persuasion from my many Chinese friends that I decided to take a trip to China a few years back. As I live in a community that is becoming largely dominant by the Chinese and their culture, I thought I knew quite a lot about them. But what I was about to discover on my adventure would prove to be quite an eye opener about what I had always believed.

It all started as planned and as I had always imagined it. As I flew into Hong Kong the flickering lights of this beautiful city lite up the seaside as if it was a great jeweled city. More amazing than anything Elizabeth Taylor ever wore around her neck. As I departed from the plane, gathering my luggage, making my way for my ride to my hotel it all started to come alive. This beautiful city by the sea with the majestic mountain range as its backdrop was just stunning. More so than any picture I had ever seen. If this was just a precursor of my adventure in China than what ever could I expect to come...............................

The next morning I arose early to begin my tour of Hong Kong and month long tour of mainland China. Before I left this jeweled city of course I had to do some shopping, as so many of my Chinese friends have the most fabulous clothes they have bought here. I couldn't wait and yes I did do the old trick of packing a "large" folding tote in my luggage for things I might buy on vacation.

Oh, the shopping, dining, shopping, dining.......time to move on from Hong Kong before I over eat and over shop. Besides I still have Shanghai and Beijing to explore with all their great clothing stores as well.

So onward I go. Next stop, The Great Wall of China, and great it is. There is no way by a picture or a documentary on T.V. that you really can get the true impact of this wonder of the world. I'm in ah of the length, the architecture, again the beauty. Words can not give it justice. I can't believe I'm actually here. Walking this great wall............wow, I'm speechless.

As I continued my adventure north passing through many towns and cities including Shanghai and Beijing, (and yes I picked up a "few" outfits there also) I decided to make an unplanned stop. I had read about a small village bordering the area of Mongolia that had grabbed my interest. A somewhat remote yet modern and very wealthy region for this area.

It was a city hidden away among a vast mountain range, as if it was it's own country within a country. To even enter the city you have to drive through a very narrow opening that had been carved out of the huge mountain range that surrounds it. As I continued down the road I could start to see it. It was like something out of the days of the old Dynasty's when the Emperor ruled, only with a modern high tech touch. There were many buildings of marble and slate with high pillars that led to two story high mahogany doors that opened to what looked to be a palace.

There were many of them lining the streets everywhere I looked. The Chinese version of ranch style tract homes, I thought to myself. Then I saw far down the end of this street what looked to be like the Chinese version of Hearst Castle. It was massive, rising out of the horizon like an Oasis. This marble and glass Goliath monument which I found out had been built for the....Emperor? "This city has an Emperor", I said in astonishment. How could that be in this day and age. Was this a city lost in time, hidden away from the rest of mainland China? It appeared so. But what was most astonishing was the Emperor himself who I was about to meet at a dinner party I was lucky to be invited to that evening.

I was asked to dress in traditional attire from the old Dynasty as the Emperor was extremely particular about how one was dressed when entering his castle. Yet not to over dress as to over shadow his lovely wife. Luckily all the shopping I had done had not been in vain as I had picked up an outfit in Beijing I thought would be just right for the occasion.

The driveway to the huge estate was almost a half mile long, lined with large pine trees and statues of what looked to be like Greek gods. Interesting, I thought.......What to expect next, I thought as I parked and entered the gates to the estate. Many guests had already arrived and had gathered around a rather tall very white Caucasian man dressed in what looked to be that of traditional attire of an Emperor from the Royal Dynasty reign. "No," I said to myself, it couldn't possible be.........The Emperor? I gasped, this big white goofy looking guy? No way.........But to my amazement, it was true. As it turns out this big white goofy looking guy had come from Denmark years ago looking for his fortune in China. He found it alright.......In the family of his beautiful wife Yili. Seems whoever married her according to tradition would inherit the Kingdom and become the next Emperor. Emperor Randolph, they called him.

I decided I wasn't going to let this ruin my evening and would make the most of it. He was actually quiet a jovial fellow and his wife couldn't have been more gracious and lovely. Her devotion and love for him was more than obvious, however I was not sure of his for her. He basked in the glory of all the attention and admiration he got as Emperor of this small yet wealthy city. As for the money he married into.................well, you know the story, there all the same. Man meets wealthy beautiful woman, charms her, tells her he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. That he has never met anyone as unique, beautiful and wonderful as her. He can't imagine living his life without her, and on and on it goes. We fall for it every time.........................Why, when we know it's a lie? Because, we just want to believe that this guy might really love us and be the one who's being truthful and not just feeding us another line of b.s......Because for the most part women are honest with their feelings and can't understand all the drama behind the lies men tell us. When we say we love you, we actually mean it, it's not some mind control game for us. It's life, our lifes and it's real, not a game. We're not some toy to be discarded when your tired of your game with us, we're human, we feel and we have a heart. We will marry you because we love you, money or no money, good looks or no looks. If we love you, we love you. Money, looks or fame don't make us love you. We love the person you are inside not the mask on the outside.

I depart from China and Hong Kong leaving with me many fond memories and pictures to recall them by. I have learned some things new and have also learned that no matter how far I travel from home there will always be somewhere the great pretender masquerading as a faithful lover and devoted husband.