It has been a while since I have made an update. In between I have gone with friends back to Tiananmen and explored the city, I have gone to a Beijing Indie concert in D22, and gone on a 4 hour bicycling expedition of the city, which involved riding my bicycle beside 14 lanes of traffic. Not including the moped lane.
First view of Tiananmen. We wanted to see the body of Mao, but you can only do that after March 26. We pass through security checks to the square instead. At the end of it is a huge pile of cigarette lighters people were forced to give up.
In the square...
Toward the Forbidden City
You can buy refreshments here...
Hen duo ren
In the Forbidden City there are many gates...
You could see the city of Beijing in the distance, which was quite nice.
Giant pots, not sure what they are for...
In an inner garden, people throw 50 yuan notes in the water, the equivalent of 9 dollars!
bu zhi dao
The money thrown in the water (ice)...
Freezing and cold we catch the first bus that pulls up back into the city of Beijing. It is not always this smoggy...
A city of contrasts. Beijing is full of modern style buildings with unusual architecture. None of them are sky scrapers in the true sense. Instead it has these modern block buildings with tons of space around them. It makes you feel like you are in a vast landscape.
Inside a very posh and very empty 4 story mall on a Sunday.
Versace
Gates, I saw them riding my bike too, I think they are for Fuxingmen.
Really steep escalator.
Inside D-22 indie bar, to see a local electronics band called "White". The bar is mostly housed by foreigners and a few locals. We meet two of them who play several games of foosball with us. I talk with one
"Where are you from?"
"America", I answer.
"I have friends who went to America...I don't think they are coming back", he says.
I nod.
I thought about going to America, but then, I don't know, my parents are here...I think I will get married, get a good job, and have kids, and stay here." I look at him and nod. I understand.
This is the start of my bicycle tour in Guomao, which is "Downtown" Beijing. But I am convinced the downtown of the city is dispersed throughout...
That building be cool
At least 4 lanes on each side, sometimes 7. This is the main drag of Beijing, and goes past Tiananmen.
And then I make it to the Microsoft building, where I know my Chinese friends live, and call them to guide me back to the school so we can study Chinese and English. Tsinghua is full of motivated and smart students. I traveled with my roomate to the Library this morning (9:25 a.m. on a Saturday) only to find a long, long, queue of people waiting to get in when the doors open at 9:30. It was perfect. I loved it.
Thanks to my roommate for the photo.
