Blogs from Dongzhimen, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, Asia

Now 2 weeks into my 5th China trip; the 4th to teach at HUST in Wuhan. Arrived in Beijing, returning to the Xiao Yuan Alley Courtyard Hotel in Liji hutong the heart of Dongzhimen, just east of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I stayed in Xiao Yuan my last stay in Beijing and so it was a comfortable return visit. Beijing has become an expensive city, especially during peak summer travel months. The Xiao Yuan is perfectly located, easily accessible by subway just one stop from the terminus of the line from Beijing Airport into the city. There are some great, small restaurants nearby serving Beijing cuisine as well as food from many other parts of China. This return trip to Beijing en route to Wuhan was primarily to reconnect with my first TA from ... read more

My brother said, “I guess it’s too bad you’re in Beijing at this time, no decorations to get you into the Christmas spirit.” I laughed, “Are you kidding? Nobody does bling like the Chinese. The Christmas decorations are great. The outdoor displays at shopping centres are huge and colourful!" I hope my photos capture the bling. While I have you captive, maybe I'll tell you something about winter in Beijing. It snowed about a week ago and it was amazing to see so many people out sweeping the sidewalks. I heard that seniors are told that if they come out early in the morning and sweep, they will be paid maybe €1/$1 for a few hours work. I appreciate their work because they make it safe for pedestrains to walk when the streets and sidewalks are ... read more

Hi Everyone, I really must apologise for taking such a long break from this blog. The problem is that I am having so much fun living in Beijing. I never imagined that there would be so much to do year-round. I have a weekly two-hour one-to-one Mandarin class, plus a taije class once or twice a week. Almost every week, sometimes even twice, I go to Chinese films in one of three or four venues that play films made by Chines directors, not Hollywood-style, with subtitles in Mandarin and English and often a Q/A afterwards with the director. On the weekends when I’m not travelling I go hiking to the mountains and villages outside Beijing with the Beijing Hikers or the Culture Yard. I’ve also made a real effort to visit some of the popular tourist ... read more

OK.. I have to get better at doing this blogging stuff.. so here goes... As for the heading... Beijing is a big, busy place. Yeah, I know, chronic understatement. Think of it as the whole population of Australia living in one big city. And with so many people all in the same spot, there just seems to be more people than space sometimes. But the place where it is most evident is on the roads. Yesterday, I found myself stuck in Gridlock traffic, kilometers away from the center of Beijing at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. The only time you may experience that back home is if you are leaving a major event (ie. concert, sporting event etc...) but this was just a normal sleepy Saturday in China. It was while I sat in the traffic ... read more

Views from the apartment... read more