The smell of urine and other signs of human life are inescapable in a city the size of Beijing, but the competing aromas of frying noodles, duck or newly blooming lilacs and plum blossoms give me occasion to
continually wander the jam packed streets. It is a reminder that life all conditions and qualities continues regardless of its attention and perhaps because of its inattention. A old woman reminded me that the Chinese are a vigilant and people as she quietly hummed to herself while tending to her cardboard house set up between two doorways, brushing off dirt and up holes in a way that seemed to help her maintain as much
dignity as possible.
The sheer amount of people in this city is more intense than in Shanghai, perhaps because the tourist areas are an intimate part of history and layout of the city. Chinese tourists blend with locals who mix with officials and they all fight for common ground on the same narrow streets that are constantly under construction to make way the newer, bigger and better that China continually promises. I have been alternately amused and angered by the way people move (and fail to move) in a city that seems to put up with tourists as an
afterthought. Aside from the moving vehicle issues and traffic congestion, the swarms of people are a little bit more difficult to deal with. Most crowds of people have a general flow to them, stay to the right, step out if you wish to stop, fast people go around... similar to traffic rules, right? WRONG. In the same way that Chinese motor vehicles believe they always have the right of way, the people walking on their own two feet seem to generally forget that there are a hundred billion other people on the VERY SAME ROAD as them and don't realize that stopping abruptly to feed your boyfriend a spoonful of ice cream while people are shoving every which way and going all the wrong ways at once is generally a BAD idea. But hey, China is crowded, right? You betcha. I'm looking forward to seeing Chairman Mao's preserved body on Tuesday, I've heard the crowds are outrageous.
continually wander the jam packed streets. It is a reminder that life all conditions and qualities continues regardless of its attention and perhaps because of its inattention. A old woman reminded me that the Chinese are a vigilant and people as she quietly hummed to herself while tending to her cardboard house set up between two doorways, brushing off dirt and up holes in a way that seemed to help her maintain as much
dignity as possible.
The sheer amount of people in this city is more intense than in Shanghai, perhaps because the tourist areas are an intimate part of history and layout of the city. Chinese tourists blend with locals who mix with officials and they all fight for common ground on the same narrow streets that are constantly under construction to make way the newer, bigger and better that China continually promises. I have been alternately amused and angered by the way people move (and fail to move) in a city that seems to put up with tourists as an
afterthought. Aside from the moving vehicle issues and traffic congestion, the swarms of people are a little bit more difficult to deal with. Most crowds of people have a general flow to them, stay to the right, step out if you wish to stop, fast people go around... similar to traffic rules, right? WRONG. In the same way that Chinese motor vehicles believe they always have the right of way, the people walking on their own two feet seem to generally forget that there are a hundred billion other people on the VERY SAME ROAD as them and don't realize that stopping abruptly to feed your boyfriend a spoonful of ice cream while people are shoving every which way and going all the wrong ways at once is generally a BAD idea. But hey, China is crowded, right? You betcha. I'm looking forward to seeing Chairman Mao's preserved body on Tuesday, I've heard the crowds are outrageous.
The crowds in the city have thankfully made my time in the "countryside" of China a hundred times more valuable. I spent two days at the Great Wall in Jinshanling, one of the longest sections of the wall still
intact and in relatively good condition. Parts of it have been restored, but other areas were quite a bit run down, which meant that if I was willing to scramble a bit and risk tripping on uneven ground I would get some time to myself on the majestic stone river winding across the mountain ridge. On my second day there I walked as far as it was possible to walk without leaving the actual wall. I had not seen a single soul for at least ten minutes so I finally sat down at the edge and just listened to the wind. The clouds were gradually
moving aside to let the sun shine and warm my skin, and the chickadees were chattering away in the crooked pines, clearly excited about the coming spring. I am glad I took in as much fresh air as possible,
knowing I would shortly be returning to the smokey grey concrete flatland.
On to Vietnam in a few days, I will update more when we get there!!
Love, Maia
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