So many photos of China. How will you find the one you're looking for?
With this handy list, of course.
China (1) The 798
China (2) The Forbidden City
China (3) The Great Wall
China (4) Lama Temple
China (5) Xicheng & The Hutongs
China (6) Tea City & The Temple of Earth
I also put together a China Highlights post for my word blog, since that seems to be a popular option for those of you with things to do other than look at someone else's vacation photos.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
China (6) Tea City & The Temple of Earth
When: April 25 & 27, 2007
Where: Malian Dao, Beijing
Words: Tea City
Tea City
Along Malian Dao, a mile-plus stretch of Beijing devoted to tea merchants and giant tea emporiums, it's not hard to find something to drink.
teastravaganza
merchant from the southern province where the finest white teas are grown.
the one we bought had just arrived at the shop that morning.
Lunch was much harder to track down—but after lots of walking and a lucky turn, we discovered a noodle place. We were the only customers. Afterward, the owner took us to his childhood friend's tea shop a few blocks away.
On my last day in Beijing, I met up with Stacey at Andingman Bridge.
After a killer lunch (this post seems to have an extra theme), we took a walk through Temple of Earth park.
Given that the park's name is firmly rooted in the ground, I wasn't too surprised by the practical items for sale outside the public bathroom.
look, ma, i'm anthropomorphic!
Inside the park is a cute art gallery with a courtyard that can only be described as red. Extremely red.
Outside the gallery, the Temple of Earth is lush and green. And, like the Great Wall, quite well-lit.
"green green little grass. please do not disturb."
(in chinese, it rhymes.)
I couldn't figure out where else to put this shot, so I'm putting it here.
The end.
Where: Malian Dao, Beijing
Words: Tea City
Tea City
Along Malian Dao, a mile-plus stretch of Beijing devoted to tea merchants and giant tea emporiums, it's not hard to find something to drink.
teastravaganza
merchant from the southern province where the finest white teas are grown.the one we bought had just arrived at the shop that morning.
The Temple of Earth
On my last day in Beijing, I met up with Stacey at Andingman Bridge.
After a killer lunch (this post seems to have an extra theme), we took a walk through Temple of Earth park.
Given that the park's name is firmly rooted in the ground, I wasn't too surprised by the practical items for sale outside the public bathroom.
look, ma, i'm anthropomorphic!Inside the park is a cute art gallery with a courtyard that can only be described as red. Extremely red.
Outside the gallery, the Temple of Earth is lush and green. And, like the Great Wall, quite well-lit.
"green green little grass. please do not disturb."(in chinese, it rhymes.)
In Closing
Outside the massage parlor where I got the cheapest deep-tissue backrub of my life ($7 for a full hour—what's that I hear? The sound of you booking a flight to Beijing?), there was some kind of construction project.
You know, the kind where they need giant spools.
You know, the kind where they need giant spools.
I couldn't figure out where else to put this shot, so I'm putting it here.
The end.
China (5) Xicheng & The Hutongs
When: April 26, 2007
Where: Xicheng District, Beijing
Words: The 798 / Scaling the Walls
On my way from Lama Temple back to Stacey's neighborhood in the West City (Xicheng), I stopped to admire this ridiculous not-quite-car:
I hope it didn't try to tackle downtown traffic with the big boys, but it probably did. Beijing drivers are fearless—and if you want to cross the street on foot, you have to be also.
The subway is pretty easy to navigate (only a few lines), but be careful what you bring along for the ride.
Two quick turns away from Jishuitan station and the throngs on Xinjiekou Street, and you'll find yourself on the banks of a quiet chain of lakes.
The lakes have a guardian who stands with his back to the city streets. Can't really blame him—the water is a much calmer companion.
Some of these fishermen were in business suits, just escaped from the office; some sunburned and wizened. It looked like the city had grown up around them.
The men anchored their lines to the lakeside pathway using chunks of brick. On a second look, they turned out to be pieces of the path itself, broken off over time and put to new use.
Cross the narrow paved road behind the lakes, and enter the maze of hutongs.
My huntong wander brought me back out on Xinjiekou a few blocks from Stacey's building. It's one of the most popular bargain shopping streets in the city, with little noodle shops and bakeries tucked between eager retailers (with bullhorns!) and crowded banks.
Strangely, the street also houses a small museum dedicated to Xu Beihong, celebrated for his calligraphic-style paintings of horses and other animals.
Bare essentials for the modern traveler: tea, rice, guidebook, MacBook.
Please excuse the shoddy self-portrait. I couldn't resist the urge to title it:
screenshot
Where: Xicheng District, Beijing
Words: The 798 / Scaling the Walls
En Route
On my way from Lama Temple back to Stacey's neighborhood in the West City (Xicheng), I stopped to admire this ridiculous not-quite-car:
I hope it didn't try to tackle downtown traffic with the big boys, but it probably did. Beijing drivers are fearless—and if you want to cross the street on foot, you have to be also.
The subway is pretty easy to navigate (only a few lines), but be careful what you bring along for the ride.
Two quick turns away from Jishuitan station and the throngs on Xinjiekou Street, and you'll find yourself on the banks of a quiet chain of lakes.
The lakes have a guardian who stands with his back to the city streets. Can't really blame him—the water is a much calmer companion.
Some of these fishermen were in business suits, just escaped from the office; some sunburned and wizened. It looked like the city had grown up around them.
The men anchored their lines to the lakeside pathway using chunks of brick. On a second look, they turned out to be pieces of the path itself, broken off over time and put to new use.
Cross the narrow paved road behind the lakes, and enter the maze of hutongs.
Xinjiekou Street
My huntong wander brought me back out on Xinjiekou a few blocks from Stacey's building. It's one of the most popular bargain shopping streets in the city, with little noodle shops and bakeries tucked between eager retailers (with bullhorns!) and crowded banks.
Strangely, the street also houses a small museum dedicated to Xu Beihong, celebrated for his calligraphic-style paintings of horses and other animals.
Bare essentials for the modern traveler: tea, rice, guidebook, MacBook.
Please excuse the shoddy self-portrait. I couldn't resist the urge to title it:
screenshotMonday, June 4, 2007
China (4) Lama Temple
When: April 26, 2007
Where: Lama Temple, Beijing
Words: I didn't blog about this pretty temple, but I did manage to ride by it during just about every taxi ride we took all week. So it was constantly on my mind, if not in my pen.
I didn't stop to carve a seal, but apparently famous people do:
door detail
"It was built in 1744 A.D. There is a bell inside. Lama ring it when hold the ceremony."
do ya feel lucky, punk?
Given the serious volume of incense, I'm not sure how the monks (or the public) managed to obey this rule:
People kept coming up to these—not sure what to call them, wheels?—and spinning them for a while by hand. I figured luck must be involved, so I tried it also.
Lama Temple seems to have hired the same decorator as the Forbidden City:
There was a crowd of sullen German tourists just to the right of this tree. They were middle-aged and all wore identical outfits. I cropped somebody's fanny pack out the frame.
In the final building at the back of the complex, the emperor holds court.
Where: Lama Temple, Beijing
Words: I didn't blog about this pretty temple, but I did manage to ride by it during just about every taxi ride we took all week. So it was constantly on my mind, if not in my pen.
Yonghe Gong: Lama Temple
I got out at the Lama Temple subway stop and wandered around confused for a while. It's very humbling to think of yourself as a seasoned traveler, then suddenly find yourself unable to read a map, translate street signs, or ask anyone for help.
Thank goodness for the discreet but handy sign I finally spotted:
Thank goodness for the discreet but handy sign I finally spotted:
The temple buildings are overwhelmed by incense, but the pathway leading up to them had some of the freshest, greenest air I breathed in Beijing.
I didn't stop to carve a seal, but apparently famous people do:
door detail
"It was built in 1744 A.D. There is a bell inside. Lama ring it when hold the ceremony."
do ya feel lucky, punk?
Given the serious volume of incense, I'm not sure how the monks (or the public) managed to obey this rule:
People kept coming up to these—not sure what to call them, wheels?—and spinning them for a while by hand. I figured luck must be involved, so I tried it also.
Lama Temple seems to have hired the same decorator as the Forbidden City:
There was a crowd of sullen German tourists just to the right of this tree. They were middle-aged and all wore identical outfits. I cropped somebody's fanny pack out the frame.
In the final building at the back of the complex, the emperor holds court.
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