Beijing

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Everyday after school finishes, it's a joy that Tracey and I explore and find somewhere new.

Even if we have been to that place before, in Beijing, the seasons and people and every day life changes and it is always new. Out of this, every day, there always comes one true thing of outstanding remarkable beauty.

These are the things I love China for and with it I can dip into a freedom of thought that I cannot in England.

I have exchanged living in the hutongs of Suzhou for the hutongs of Beijing. Stories unfold in front of me and in this way I can be part of and share some small flickering split second moments. These images rise and surface to make that exact Beijing moment in time a flickering time frame like a film unfolding in front of my eyes. It's special.

Here are snapshots of moments of a Beijing life in Winter that I have enjoyed seeing and here are some of the things of outstanding beauty that I have fallen in to.

22nd December: At Peking University, a lone ice skater sings to himself whilst skating and twirling in the only patch of sunshine on the frozen lake. The sharp gliding sound of his blades when coming sharply to a halt, spraying ice in a backward arc is a rare and very UnEnglish outside winter sound.
The smooth glittering sight and sound of this man so absorbed in his solitary pleasure will stays with me as one of my everlasting Beijing memories.

24th December: large Chinese birds in the bare winter persimmon trees at the Lama temple eating the last lonely unreachable fruits; which hang like big fleshy orange sacks. They peck and peck and, when everyone is not expecting it, the fruits drop to the temple floor - on this occasion, right by me. Pecky birds eating juicy unreachable fruits - beautiful.

25th December: walking from our old hutong, through the adjacent ones and in through the back gate of the Forbidden City. Finding ancient trees, and a man riding a rooster on every glazed yellow roof. Imagining the old days, with people running through the palace lanes. Wonderful. And the trees, as old as Methusalah.

26th December: Finding the Lomo shop. ooooh.

And today, 28th December, walking to the Drum and Bell towers then coming across the bird man who proudly presented his clever bird. The bird, brighter than us but dependent on its food choosing to return rather than fly to freedom. None the less, A very surprisingly beautiful sight of a very clever bird soaring to collect a glass bead infront of an ancient Drum Tower.

Every day I sink deeper into Beijing. I understand its layout more and more. The life here is fascinating, moving both at an ancient and fast moving modern pace. Kids play in the hutongs threading blue cotton across the lanes to catch people whilst all the high class designers are at Sanlitun, A Frank Gehry exhibition, Lomo world, kebabs on a stick, a 15km subway ride to school, the bitter north China wind, ooooh, the look of the XingJiang cake man and the crazy copy antiques market, the howling cat and the flying bird are all here and much more.

I'm only faintly touching it, at the moment.

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Photos

A tree, a gutter and an airconditioning unit
Hutong life

Comments

[liliram]

i'm hooked
You got me hooked with this ........"I have exchanged living in the hutongs of Suzhou for the hutongs of Beijing. Stories unfold in front of me and in this way I can be part of and share some small flickering split second moments. These images rise and surface to make that exact Beijing moment in time a flickering time frame like a film unfolding in front of my eyes. It's special. " There would always be moments. Moments which are special in a unique way, only to us. Our moments. We keep them, treasure them. Agree with you. They are special.