standing in the quiet courtyards of qufu i could imagine an ancient chinese peasant actually believing the aphorism that the mountain is high and the emperor is far away , but in modern peking a special section of the old forbidden city is reserved for the nations elderly rulers and there are very few who pass by that high brick wall everyday -- and they number in the millions -- who would make the mistake of thinking that the government does not steadfastly control almost every aspect of their existence .