Day #88: Hou Hai

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Hou Hai is the local colloquial name for a pair of lakes (individually called the "Back Lake" and "Front Lake) connected by a narrow waterway. It is always crowded during the day with of Beijingers swimming in the lake or sailing around in hired motorboats and pedaloes (recreational boating is very popular in Beijing. It is possible to hire boats by the hour on every park lake or pond of any size that I have seen). It is amusing to watch the boat pile-ups under the narrow bridge that crosses the connecting waterway.nd shopping in the surrounding hutongs. But at night Hou Hai really comes alive, as the lakes are surrounded by bars and restaurants.

The bars are more interesting: they mostly follow a similar design of a downstairs area with brightly upholstered sofas (floral, Laura Ashley-type fabrics are fashionable) spilling onto the lakeside walkways, and an upstairs roof garden. Almost all have a resident performer, usually a singer with a guitar, usually singing in Chinese but sometimes English, although one we saw had a pole dancer.

Flying kites is also popular and at night in the sky I saw what looked like flying saucers or Chinese lanterns but turned out to be kites where the sails are lit up, usually either orange or flashing blue and red. The flying lines aren't visible in the night sky, so they look like bodies hovering in the sky, very strange until I realised what they were.

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