The Return of the Horses

For those of you who were afraid that horse transportation was slowly disappearing, don't fret. The horse-drawn wagon selling industry is still alive in Beijing.

Haidan District, Beijing, China

It's a sign that the weather's warming up again and spring has returned when the horse-drawn wagons return to the streets selling fruit.

Qingdao

The first stop on my winter break travels was Qingdao, which is located on the southern most tip of the Shandong peninsula in northeast China. Leslie & I took the overnight train from Beijing to Qingdao and stayed in a hostel near the center of the old town. We had booked ourselves into a shared four person dorm; however since it was low season, we ended up having the entire room to ourselves the entire time we were there.

Now for background on Qingdao:

From 1897 to 1922, Qingdao was a German and Japanese concession city and as a result, much of Qingdao's old architecture still retains a German flair. In 1919, protesters in Qingdao headed the May 4th Movement against imperialism in China, with particular regards to the Japanese presence in Qingdao after the end of WWI. More recently, Qingdao hosted the sailing portion of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and it remains a popular summertime destination because of it's many beaches.

Some thoughts on my time in Qingdao:

• Qingdao is definitely a summertime city. Many things when Leslie & I were there were closed. Some of them might have been closed down early in anticipation of the Spring Festival/Chinese New Year, but I suspect some of them only do business during the summer catering to tourists. Plus, many of Qingdao's attractions revolve around the beach, which isn't a very hospital able place to visit when mercury is hoovering at freezing every day. 


• Qingdao is a hilly city. You know you've been in Beijing, which is a very flat city, for too long when your legs are sore after spending a day walking around Qingdao, even though the hills aren't really that steep.


• If you only stay in the older portion of Qingdao, it seems like a very small town. It's not until I took the bus out to the newer, more recently developed areas that I remembered that it's actually a city with a population of 8.1 million people.


• Despite claiming to be a big tourist destination, I don't think Qingdao sees many non-Chinese/ non-Asian tourists, which is ironic considering Qingdao used to be a German concession city and hosted a portion of the 2008 Olympics. Where ever we went, people were gawking at Leslie. I think we could count on one hand how many other Westerners we saw during our three days there. When we were at the Qingdao airport waiting for our flight to Hangzhou, a young Chinese woman actually exclaimed very loudly, "There's a foreigner here!" I don't think she expected me to be able to understand what she said.


• At least in the older part of the city, Qingdao has really maintained a German feel in their buildings. While some of the buildings were probably built when Qingdao was still a German concession, I suspect at least some of them were built later to mimic the more European styles of architecture.


• In the newer parts of Qingdao, it's obvious that Qingdao is still very much a city in transition. As we walked around the city, Leslie & I saw entire city blocks that were fenced off in anticipation of being demolished and rebuilt. There also a lot of signs for the metro system they're currently building.


• Things in Qingdao get started much later than in Beijing. Leslie & I arrived on the overnight train from Beijing at 8 AM. Coming from Beijing, we didn't think we'd have a problem checking in at our hostel and finding food. But we were wrong. Luckily though, we were able to call the hostel staff and wake someone up to let us check into the hostel. We soon figured out that morning that things in Qingdao didn't really seem to get moving until around 10 AM.

Now for the pictures I know you've all been waiting for...

The Protestant Church

May 4th Monument

St. Michael's Cathedral

  

Zhanqiao Pier

Greetings from Qingdao!

Since I know all of you are dying to hear about our (Leslie & mine) travels, here's a brief update.

Leslie and I arrived in Qingdao on Friday morning after taking an overnight train from Beijing to Qingdao. Previously, I had heard many horror stories about trains in China, so I had very low expectations about the train. However, when we boarded the train, I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually quite comfortable and the both of us slept pretty well.

Qingdao, as a city, has been quite interesting. It's a much smaller city than Beijing and it's very clear from the minute we arrived. Not that being smaller than Beijing is bad at all. In fact, it's nice to be out of the giant urban sprawl of Beijing finally.

Tomorrow we leave for Hangzhou. I'm excited to explore Hangzhou on my own; not to mention Hangzhou should be warmer than both Beijing and Qingdao. Tomorrow's  also Leslie's birthday so I'm going to make sure that we have at least a small celebration.

Stayed tune for more photos, and more updates on the road. For those of you who like the more insightful looks into life in China; be patient, they'll come later on.

Hongluo Temple

Last month's BNU-organized student outing was to Hongluo Temple (红螺寺), located in the outskirts of Beijing's Huairou district at the foot of Hongluo Mountain. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Northern China. Many people like to visit Hongluo Temple in the fall when the leaves turn red, yellow and orange. Unfortunately for us, our excursion was too early in the fall season so many of the leaves were still green.

For more information on Hongluo Temple: http://www.chinatravel.com/beijing/attraction/hongluo-temple/

Nanjing

Recognized as one of China's four great ancient capitals, Nanjing's historical importance is undeniable. In the past, it served as the capital of several dynasties including the Song, Qi, (a portion of the) Ming, among others. More recently, it served as the capital of both the Taiping Rebellion in 1853 as well as the capital for the first republic of China that was founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1921. Unfortunately, in the United States and elsewhere abroad, it's probably most infamously known as the site of the Nanjing (then known as Nanking) Massacre in 1937.

Nowadays, Nanjing's location on the lower banks of the Yangtze River still makes it a very important commercial and industrial city. The majority of the city still lies within the old city walls that date back to Ming dynasty. Today, portions of the walls are open now for tourists to ponder.

 Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

 Old city wall brick with brick-maker's stamp

 Old city wall cannon

Nanjing Lu at night

Nanjing Lu at Night

More pictures at Angela Photo Musings.

On my way to the 798 Space: a mini-adventure

On Tuesday, I set out to check out Beijing's 798 Space, an art district in the outskirts of Beijing. But before I tell you all about 798, I have to tell you about my journey over to 798. Because, as the saying goes, the journey is half the battle.

As I mentioned previously, 798 is located in the outskirts of Beijing, just north of the Fourth Ring Road. Since there isn't a direct way to get out to 798 solely using the subway, I looked on Google Maps for a good bus route(s) to take out there from BNU. Dutifully, Google Maps quickly spit out directions that seemed to coincide with the directions on the 798 website and I, of course, not knowing any better followed them.

But, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, those directions were not correct. According to the directions and map, the stop I was instructed to get off at would place me directly at the entrance to 798. Wrong. Very wrong. You know where I ended up instead? On a paved road that had  a dirt sidewalk on one side and a walled field around it on the other; in other words..it almost looked like the countryside. Definitely not where I wanted to be*.

After a few minutes of deliberation with myself and tentative walking around to make sure I really was in the wrong area, I decided to go ask the receptionist at a business hotel that luckily for me was located at the bust stop I had gotten off at. I have no idea what a business hotel (let alone a nice business hotel) was doing there all the way outside of the city, but nevertheless the receptionist was very kind when I asked her for directions (in Mandarin!).

As it turns out, I had completely overshot the 798 Space. In fact, I was so far that I couldn't even walk to it. I had to take a different bus back the way I came for roughly 10-15 minutes. (Needless to say, there isn't a dirt sidewalk over by 798; it's paved.)

All I have to say is, thanks, Google Maps; you were always so reliable before, but this time, you led me way astray. I don't appreciate that.

Regardless, I did eventually get to 798 after that little detour and it was definitely worth it. Using the abandon East German electronic factories from the 1950's, Bejing's contemporary art community has re-claimed the factories and turned them into various art galleries, cafes and stores. Since the factory workshops are sufficiently large, they are perfect for displaying art and large scale multimedia installations.

In some ways, 798 greatly reminded me of Brooklyn and Oakland/Emeryville, where many old warehouses have been converted into artist work-live lofts, among other uses. The space is also seemed very contained and separate from the bustling city that surrounded it; much like how Brooklyn always seems calmer than Manhattan.

Even the most of the other visitors of 798 seemed like they belonged in Brooklyn or Oakland. They all were young, like me, hip and interested in contemporary art and culture. It's the type of place I know a lot of my friends from home & New York would love.

Overall, it was a great outing for that day and I'll definitely be returning to 798 again (but not that dirt sidewalk place). And I have to say, I'm a proud of myself for figuring out how to go to my original destination, despite having completely misleading directions.

Here are some photos from 798. I should've taken one of the bus stop I got off when I was lost, but I didn't think of it at the time. Sorry!

I'm not convinced the Italian(?) here actually means what it says in English & Chinese, but I like the sentiment. 

 I'm not exactly sure why the Chinese military acts as security here. Maybe 798 lies right outside of Beijing Security's jurisdiction. Either way, this guy doesn't seem to be doing much. 

For more info about the 798 Space: http://www.798space.com/index_en.asp

*Note: For those of you concerned with my safety, rest assured that this detour occurred around noon on a sunny day and despite the country-esque surroundings, there were other people and cars around. I was in no danger whatsoever. 

Hútòng Redux

Last weekend, I followed a walking tour in my travel guide of the area just north of Beihai Park. It began at the north entrance of Beihai Park, went along the west shore of Qianhuo Lake and ended at Nanluogo Xiang, a recently revitalized hútòng (胡同) area of Beijing.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term "hútòng," hútòng are the  narrow streets and alley ways that used to criss-cross most of Beijing. Unfortunately due to the development boom of the last 20 years or so, many have been demolished.

First built in the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), the hútòngs were created to make it easier to enter and leave different courtyards. They also served as a means of ventilation and sunlight. By 1950, an estimated 6,000 hútòngs covered Beijing. In addition to serving as living quarters, they also acted as storehouses for supplies such as grain, candles and porcelain, and as the base for various craftsmen that supplied the Forbidden City with items like carriages, bows and paper.

Nowadays, many of the hútòngs have disappeared as Beijing has modernized and many families have moved out to high-rise apartments with proper plumbing, heating and private bathrooms. However, some of the hútòngs still remain, mainly in the areas within the Second Ring Road. An estimated 20% of the population of inner Beijing still resides in the hútòngs.

Some hútòngs, like Nanluogu Xiang and the hútòngs around the Drum Tower, have now been adapted for commercial uses. Over the past ten years, Nanluogu Xiang has been revitalized as a nightlife hot spot for tourists and locals alike. Now, Nanluogu Xiang serves as a model of how to convert other hútòng areas to viable commercial areas all the while preserving its historical appearance. While this revitalization isn't really a preservation of the hútòngs in the truest sense, this revitalization is necessary to keep all the hútòngs from being demolished by land-hungry developers.


Now for some pictures from my walk & some photos of the hútòngs themselves:

They really enjoy playing Chinese checkers here.

The revitalized Nanluogu Xiang

A glimpse into the courtyard of a hútòng building that's still occupied.

For more information on hútòngs: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/hutong/