It has been way too long since I have updated, and now I will do an update in two parts. Took a trip to Datong and WuTaiShan, towns and cities in other provinces of China. Then there has been life in Beijing. Here are some photos:
My writing teacher, and a typical class lesson.
Cappuccino at Charlie Brown Cafe, bought at Western Prices. A bottle of water is 20 cents USD, but the coffee is still 5 USD.
Peacock at the Old Summer Palace
A really really really really long Dragon Kite. 很长吧！
This is the train we took to Datong and WutaiShan. 6 hours, standing room only. But really not all that bad.
Dining car and view out at the desert landscape.
The caves at Datong. There are Buddha statues inside.
Another photo.
Ornate and I forget how old. At least 1000 years.
Some of the paint still has not faded.
Some of the Buddhas were really really really big.
Road to WuTaiShan in the mountains. Shan is the Chinese word for mountain.
It is the first of May, but there is still snow on the mountains. Despite this, the weather is really not all that cold. Just beautiful spring weather.
The town of WuTaiShan. Home of many religions and many many many Buddhist temples. We spend the night in one, which is a bit like spending a night in a hostel, but is still a temple.
Bronze temple.
I get a fair amount of people staring at me, because to be honest, most of the time I am the only non-Chinese person around. Some ask me to take a photos with their child.
View after climbing over 1000 steps in 27 minutes. In the far distance is a white Pagoda built by the Hindus over 1000 years ago.
Another Pagoda. Around it are fliers written in the Tibetan language.
There are a lot of steps here. And gates too.
Back in Beijing and hanging out with my classmates and friends. There is Willian who is half-Taiwanese half-Japanese but is really Brazilian. Yannick from Gabon who will study international business at Tsinghua for 4 years. Then there is WeiWei who is Chinese from Henan province and came to Beijing for 2 months to work for a while and experience the life here. She studies law and hopes to go to York in England next year. It is interesting to meet Chinese who have been in Beijing less time that we have, and how we know the city more. Weiwei talks about coming to Beijing and how she wanted to make a life for herself and be somebody and how this is true for so many Chinese...
Army soldiers near Tienanmen as we go to see Mao's body, still preserved and resting.
View of the forbidden city in Beijing from a park.
Temple at the top of the park.
This is a view of Tsinghua campus where I study from the 4th floor of the canteen where I hang out with my roommate and we chat on a lazy Monday evening.
A hutong street in Beijing that has really turned into an Urban revitalization project with trendy bars, restaurants, and office spaces.
It still has history though, and a 75 year old lady stops us to chat for a while.
People dancing in a square at night near Zhongwancun.
Weiwei will leave tomorrow and spend less time in Beijing than we will. We have a going away party and sing Karaoke till 1 a.m.
Inside Carefoure, a big mega-mart like Walmart. Always packed with people.
Rice for sale. Lots and lots of it.
Around Zhongwancun, a big shopping neighborhood, but there are a lot of shopping neighborhoods in Beijing.
Yeah, feed the birds, tuppence a bag.
Michelle, 我的迷人女朋友。
Flowers in a park, because it is spring. Etc...
That is mostly it. I am a month behind and have another month to catch up that includes a conference, seminars, mosques, and more. Will try to post again soon. Otherwise life in Beijing keeps moving on at a pace as I learn how to build stable websites, study Chinese, and plan trips to Japan and Korea this summer. Then I will travel in China in August, return home, see family, and then go to San Francisco.
