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.

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.

I couldn't figure out where else to put this shot, so I'm putting it here.

The end.