For the second time in one week I’ve arrived back in China’s sprawling capital, Beijing. I spent last weekend (and the days either side) in the coastal city of Qingdao (pronounced Ch’ing-tao) eating good food, walking many miles, and generally enjoying the local environs With a population similar to London (around 7 million) this is however not a typical coastal city.
Having been occupied by both German and Japanese forces in the last decade of the 20th Century the city feels less Chinese in some respects with clear evidence of European architectural influences and a more international population with a large Korean community (probably due to the city being a center of electronics manufacture).
Famous around the world for being the home of Tsingtao beer, the city will also get a boost next year when it hosts the Olympic sailing competitions which will take place along the shoreline directly offshore from the city. By any standards the beaches are impressive, even more so I would imagine in the summer season.
Curiously whilst visiting the vast German underground fort (in the middle of a mountain!) we came across a film crew shooting some sort of Chinese drama with a bunch of American extras acting the part of colonial aggressors (or so it looked). We stayed to watch for a short time - things clearly weren’t going too well as at one point the Chinese director slammed down the script and started shouting at people. We bid our farewells!
Last, but certainly not least; In the former German rulers mansion I *actually touched* the bed where our dear leader Mao slept during his summer holidays there in 1957!! Felt almost like a religions experience - wow
One of the best parts of my visit to Nanjing was seeing the center of the city at night. As can be seen throughout Asia neon lights adorn nearly all shop/restaurant fronts creating a multi-layered array of colour which is quite a spectacle to behold (think Blade Runner without the flying cars!).
On the night I took these photos there were apparently approx. 40,000 people wandering the streets around the Confucius Temple due to the New Year and a special lantern festival. That evening I ate some traditional fried Chinese dumplings with “chi dou yuan xiao” (a thick soup of rice glue balls with small red beans) in a small restaurant crammed with locals. I’ve just about got used to being stared at constantly but it’s still rather disconcerting when you’re trying to eat (Note to self: avoid dropping dumpling in soup in future!).
At the beginning of the New Year festivities I had the good fortune to spend 3 days in Nanjing, one of the earliest established cities in southern China (about 2 hours from Beijing by air). Whilst the weather was overcast and gloomy I had a great time there and saw some impressive sites, both historical and modern.
I’m a bit pressed for time at the moment as I’m working today and will fly out to Qingdao tomorrow morning - once I’ve finished “jet-setting” around next week I’ll update this post with more details
Saturday night was probably the closest I will ever come to experiencing life in Baghdad (figuratively speaking!). With the Chinese New Year festivities upon us again it seems that every man, woman and child were out setting of fireworks; on the streets, out of windows, and more worryingly at each other! With the government ban on fireworks in Beijing being lifted only 2 years ago it seems everyone was in some sort of fever to set off as many as they could and they certainly succeeded. Throughout the city it sounded as if gun battles were taking place with loud bangers ricocheting of every wall, throughout the day and night, reaching a crescendo at midnight with apocalyptic magnitude!
Here’s another 15 second taster:
It’s now 4 days later and there are still a few going off in the evenings although things have calmed down now somewhat. I dread to imagine how many people lost fingers/eyes over the past week!
Update (22/2): It’s now the fifth day of the new year which I’ve been informed = more fireworks. Will these people ever stop!!
One of Beijing’s lesser know historical attractions are it’s Hutongs surrounding the Forbidden City which I visited when lost on my way to Beihai Park. These fascinating ancient residential areas are made up of narrow alleyways with traditional buildings arranged in closely packed quadrangles. As if looking through a window on to a lost world you get the feeling of stepping back in time here (even the locals look authentically old!), but still within sight of the icons of modernity which dominate Beijing’s skyline. Unfortunately some Hutongs were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but luckily many are now designated protected areas. Still, as seems to be the general case in China: out with the old, in with the new…
With a population similar to London (around 7 million) this is however not a typical coastal city.
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