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Published: August 10th 2010
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It took a while to come but Spring did finally arrive in Beijing. One thing I noticed about spring here is the occasional sand-storm, which coats the entire city in a layer of dusty sand and gives the sky a peculiar orange tint, the likes of which I have never seen. They do say that Beijing's future existence is threatened by the advance of the Gobi desert. In fact, one of the environmental engineering mega-projects which is under-way is to build a 'great green wall' of trees to try to slow the advance of the dunes. I suppose we shall have to watch that space to judge if it is successful.
Spring was an incredibly short, though generally pleasant season. The turn-around time between the harsh, bitter winter temperatures and the sweltering heat of high summer was no more than a month by my estimate.
I wanted to take this opportunity to record a couple of random observations from my time living in this city. First, traffic management. This may not sound like an interesting topic; but it's a gripe I feel I need to air, and something that anyone who is considering visiting China would do well to
be aware of, so do bear with me...
Where I'm from, generally speaking, when the green man light shows, that means it's safe to cross the road. Not so in China, dear readers. Allow me to elaborate. In China, people drive on the right side of the road (though actually, bikes, motos and tuctucs drive on both!), if you're turning right at any junction on a Chinese road, it is officially permissible to ignore the traffic lights. Hence traffic planners are directing people and cars to traverse the same piece of tarmac at the same time. A bad idea? Quite possibly. I've come to the conclusion that you're actually less likely to involve yourself in an accident if you cross the road when the man is red; at least that way you're more likely to have your wits about you. I'm not sure if this traffic policy was simply ill-conceived, or if it's some kind of compromising of pedestrian safety to satisfy the need to keep traffic moving. Either way, it seems sub-ideal from my perspective.
One sight in Beijing which puzzled me for a while, was that of elderly people walking around slowly and rhythmically clapping their
hands together. Initially, I had supposed that this might be some kind of oriental cultural tradition, possibly paying respects to dead ancestors or warding off ghosts etc... Oh Tom, thou art an ignorant foreign devil! On later enquiry I have discovered that this is a popular way for Chinese people to exercise... apparently there is some physiological benefit to clapping ones hands together...
Things I have done in Beijing since the great thaw, when ice rinks turned back into lakes and plants came back to life, include exploring the older parts of the city, the 'Hutong'. These are great to cycle around, because there are no cars, generally, making them relatively peaceful and healthy environments. You can witness the comings and goings of local people, the older traditional buildings, street-side mah jong and chess sessions, and of course the all important street food. Many of the Hutong have been knocked down for re-development, but the ones that remain are protected by planning regulations, I think. I reckon they are pretty good neighbourhoods to live in, being free of traffic and low-rise. Though the necessity of using public latrines is a possible draw-back.
As the temperature rose, it became
possible/desirable to leave the city and see some of the surrounding countryside. The nearby town of 'MiYun' is the gateway to an array of interesting sights and countryside locations. From MiYun we took a taxi to a smaller village who's name slips my mind. During springtime, whole sections of countryside in northern China are covered in blossoming fruit trees. Winding along a mountain-side road in this taxi I was really struck by the natural beauty of the landscape of mountains covered in blossoming fruit trees; a natural wonder that seems a world away from the smog and noise of downtown Beijing! Later that day we went walking in the mountains, generally enjoying the views and fragrance of the mountains. The next day we discovered a mountain with a large hole in the middle through which you could pass by way of purpose-built ladders, it reminded me of moon-mountain in Yangshou. Unfortunately the camera was out of battery.
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Chris Bennett
non-member comment
Enjoy it while you can
Dear Tom, Looks great, although I am slightly worried by your interest in pedestrian crossings. I heard on the radio this morning that there are currently 150 airports under construction across China so let's hope a few more Chinese carry on playing Mah Jong and forget about the urbanisation. The mountains look good. I've just got back from a triathlon in the Alpes, perhaps you could start a triathlon out there and I will come and join you. China Trisis. All the best, Chris Claire, jack, Macs and Oli