One more sleep, as they say, and it’s off to Xian by
high-speed train.
I have enjoyed Beijing very much, and would love to come
back in warmer weather to see the Summer Palace and see some of the temples I
missed. But, I’ve done quite a bit and enjoyed most of it – with the exception
of the night I spent in a hutong hotel that had no central heating and just a
tiny space heater for the room.
Picture me sleeping in long underwear AND pajamas, plus hat,
gloves and booties. Very sexy! I wrapped myself in the two quilts in the room
and managed to sleep, but no email that night – my hands were too cold.
Needless to say, I moved hotels the following day. A good lesson for winter in
Beijing – always ensure that there will be heat and hot water!
In addition to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen
Square and the National Museum of Art, my sightseeing mission here included the
798 Art District. It is an old factory area of Beijing that has been turned
into an arts hub, with about 40 or so galleries located in a few square blocks
of factory buildings and other spaces. I saw some lovely Chinese contemporary
work – including an exhibition at Pace Beijing – and stumbled upon a gallery
showing the work of Louise Bourgeois, the American feminist artist. I’ve seen
her work in NYC and elsewhere, so it was quite a surprise.
Just as interesting was a gallery featuring work from the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(N. Korea). It’s not something I’d see in the Western world very often, and it
was quite interesting. The work was largely brush painting, some with a modern
twist, although there was one oil depicting the Korean War. The exhibit also
featured an wall full of photos of Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong-un, visiting
many factories and taking part in official ceremonies. Weird to find such an
emphasis on the politics of the country as part of an art show.
I also took a cooking class, something suggested by one of
my colleagues as a way to get a different insight into the culture. It was a
wonderful idea. There were only four of us in the class: a German, a Brit, an
Australian and me. The teacher was a Sichaun native who has lived in Beijing
for years, and we helped her create three dishes: one Sichuanese, one Yunanese
and one typical of Beijing. As we worked we learned about Chinese cooking
philosophy and shared some of our own experiences.
As it turned out, I hit it off with the Australian
traveller, and she invited me to join her and a friend for a Mongolian hotpot
dinner. I’d done a hotpot meal in HK, but this featured the traditional brazier
heated with charcoal. We had a lovely evening of cooking, eating and chatting.
Today, I indulged the sports fan side of myself and visited
the 2008 Olympic sites: the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium and the Water Cube. Both
are architectural delights. The Bird’s Nest is used as a snow park for kids
during the winter with a snow ramp, a tubing area and giant snowmen.
The Water
Cube is used for swimming lessons and lap swims. It was fun to wander through
them and think back to 2008. Wow, time flies.
So, tomorrow, on to Xian and the terracotta warriors.
Beijing has been good to me, and here’s hoping that Xian is the same.
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