Monthly Archive for March, 2007

Subway Cave-in

Published
by
David
on March 30, 2007
in China
. 2 Comments

On Wednesday morning the underground subway station, which was under construction, next to my hotel (in Haidian district) collapsed trapping six migrant workers who have still not been recovered as of today (Friday). Instead of alerting the rescue authorities the contractor apparently tried to cover it up by sealing the site and confiscating remaining workers mobile phones, only reporting the incident 8 hours later.

Beijing Subway Collapse

Experts fear there is little chance that those trapped have survived and although there will no doubt be an investigation it calls into question again whether safety is being sacrificed in order to speed up construction in time for the 2008 Olympics. Beijing plans to add 84 km of new subway lines by August next year.

Beijing Subway Collapse

“The Beijing organizing committee for the 2008 Games said recently that none of the tens of thousands of workers had died during the construction of Olympic venues.” This says just about everything you need to know about the transparency of the CPC, let alone the callousness of the constructors.

China Subway Collapse

Photos from AP.

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Temple of Heaven

Published
by
David
on March 27, 2007
in China, Photography and Travel
. 2 Comments

Conceived as the meeting point between heaven and earth, with the emperor being the intermediary, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing is highly regarded as one of the best surviving examples of Ming design. Set in the centre of Tiantan park the temple itself consists of a number of beautiful buildings all adorned with striking dark blue tiles. These include:

  • The Earthly Mount - a platform on three levels of marble stones, where the Emperor prayed for good weather.
  • The House of Heavenly Lord - a circular building, built on a single base of marble stone, where the altars were stored.
  • The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests - an outstanding triple-gabled circular building, built (without a single nail) on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests.

If you’re wondering why it looks like it was just painted yesterday then you’d be right - in 2005 it was given a makeover in time for the 2008 Olympics at a cost of around 47 million yuan (approx 3 million GBP). Whilst it looks stunning it does make you wonder if it’s new appearance is in keeping with its actual age, having been completed in 1420. I guess restoration is always a balance between maintaining the aged look whilst preserving the underlying structure.

If you’re in Beijing this is definitely not to be missed!

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Bejing’s Underground City

Published
by
David
on March 25, 2007
in China, Cool and Travel
. 4 Comments

Few guide books mention it and even less locals know that Beijing hides beneath its streets some of the most elaborate bomb shelters in the world. Built in 1969 during the cold war on Mao’s orders by reportedly over 70,000 workers the tunnels stretch for over 30km and cover an area of 85 square km at around 20m below the surface - ironically this would never be deep enough to protect against nuclear attack. Allegedly the tunnels link all corners of the city but the structure is unknown and many of the tunnels have become unsafe to enter. It is claimed to have had over 90 entrances originally although today only a small “approved” section can be visited legally by tourists (locals are discouraged from entering and some web forums suggest that they are not allowed down altogether).

Beijing Underground City

Finding the entrance on it’s own is not an easy task as it’s located in the middle of a run down Hutong and you’d have difficulty finding anyone who can tell you the way to it (the address is 62 West Damochang Street, Qianmen for the adventurous!). On arrival I was disappointed to be told that photography was not allowed, however, this didn’t stop me covertly taking a few shots with my mobile phone camera set to silent… until I was caught and given a harsh telling off in Chinese by someone dressed in military fatigues… oppps!!

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Walking along the dark tunnels feels very much like stepping back into 1970s communist China with the walls lined with decaying pictures of Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao with many of his comrades along with slogans calling people to “dig deep, prepare provisions and oppose hegemony” and photos of grand military parades. In reality it must have been a pretty grim job to build in the first place, especially considering the futility of its design, let alone the possibility of a large population living down there.

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More information can be found at these places: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. My photos here.

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Ping Pong

Published
by
David
on March 18, 2007
in China and Cool
. 3 Comments

Last week I played in our (partner) company’s Table Tennis tournament. Given that the national sport of China is Ping Pong (even though it originates from England) I probably should have put in some practice first… it was fun but sufficed to say our team lost. Badly. Next time however I will not be such a pushover; I have resolved to practice at least 15 minutes everyday next week until I can at least put up a half-decent fight! Something tells me I’ll never be able to hit it as fast and accurately as they do though!!

Ping Pong

Whilst we await this forthcoming miracle here’s something a little more fun from these shores…

If that wasn’t crazy enough for you how about this - the Chinese have just unveiled the world longest bus. At 25 meters long it has “five doors, 40 seats, carries up to 300 passengers and, according to a driver, “is flexible when cornering.”". I’ll be sure to be looking out for this one of the Streets of Beijing! Follow the link for photos of what must be the most insane transportation vehicle to be legally on the roads!

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Yiheyuan (Summer Palace)

Published
by
David
on March 13, 2007
in China, Photography and Travel
. 0 Comments

It can be hard to describe the magnificence of some of China’s ancient architecture, whether it be for it’s sheer scale, dynastic elegance, or the artistic harmony with which it blends into the surrounding landscape; it cannot fail to impress. Amongst these places I would have to include the Summer Palace (or Yiheyuan in Chinese), an imperial garden in Beijing, which I visited last Sunday.

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Surrounding the extensive man-made Kunming Lake lie a number of multi-eaved halls, bridges, pavilions, and walkways (the longest travelling over 700 meters and covered with more than 8000 paintings!). Having been extensively restored after multiple attacks by Anglo-French invaders in the late 1800’s (a point which is continually repeated!) the site is in remarkable condition and contains some fascinating artefacts lucky enough to survive its turbulent history.

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For me the most impressive part was Foxiangge (Tower of Buddhist Incense), a three-storey octagonal pagoda which stands near the top of the hill with an amazing panoramic view of the entire park. Standing here you could imagine how the ruling Emperor/Empress must have felt surrounded in such magnificence… pretty powerful atmosphere.

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View over Paiyundian (Cloud Dispelling Hall)

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Marble boat on the north shore (no, not a real boat!)

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Seventeen-arch bridge leading to South Lake Island

All-in-all a great place to visit on a sunny day, although best to go early to avoid the crowds! Lots more photos in the usual place.

On a lighter note… I went to the cinema at the weekend to see an American film that had just come out, thinking it would be a nice way to spend a Saturday evening, only to find they’d dubbed the film into Chinese!! Having been thwarted by this I ended up spending the evening scratching my head wondering what it had all been about! I don’t think it was all that good anyway so perhaps not having any understandable dialogue was a bonus ;)

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