Carrying pretty wooden cages, often with velvet covers, white haired men fill the streets as they make their way to the nearest park, swinging their cages as they walk, an effective way to maximize a walk for the bird I am told. Once they've arrived at a park, they most usually find a suitable place to loiter, or friends who have already found a suitable place to loiter, and then they neatly place their cage and bird on a nearby branch and sit down for a nice long chat. Some men like to whistle to their birds, but most just sit quietly with a friend or two talking.
Public gatherings are very much a part of older Chinese society, and last night while biking home I noticed again how many Beijingers like to sit on the sidewalk at night and chat, fanning their over-sized white fans. As young couples walk by, and this city seems to have an endless supply of them, they sit and talk and fan. Time seems not to matter to these Beijingers. This can be disconcerting if biking on the road, because one is caught in between the new and the old, the fast and the slow. The world on the road whizzes by, buses, cabs and cars speeding along. Meanwhile, the world on the sidewalk offers some quiet refuge and conversation with those who have lived long enough to see this city change into a modern metropolis. These public activities are a glimpse into an old Beijing, where modern glass buildings hadn't yet shaped the capital's landscape.
Comments
Thanks, Alexandra, for describing the old and the new so vividly. I can just picture you biking along trying to avoid the hazards of the new and at the same time, absorbing the the ‘quaint and quiet’ of the old.
Keep the stories coming, allowing us to view Beijing from your perspective.
Thank you for your intriguing perspective of life in Beijing. I have never been to China and through your article you have opened up a part of life there for me which I could never imagined existed.
It was a most enjoyable and interesting read!
I look forward to many more articles from you!!
As a Chinese, I am happy to see people from other countries expecting to pay a visit to China. Beijing has its unique cultural features as the historic and modern capital of the nation.Actually, I have never been to Beijing,I am just a little bit familiar with the unknown city for me. You are so observant that you picked up so many interesting scenes from your visit.I really enjoy it.Thank you.
I love your description of the old men and their birds. I remember this vividly from when
I was in Beijing in the early 1980’s. The
juxtaposition with the new modern city must be
as you describe, remarkable! Keep up the good work
its in 2008, 8th of 8th Month . Opening time is 8:08 local time. so 08/08/2008 @ 8:08 PM. Is it just a co-incidence or lucky no thing?
I was in Beijing just three years ago for a visit. Beijing is so full of the new matropolis set against a backdrop of the old Beijing. While it may seem to be a backdrop it is very alive and rich and seen in so many places.
Thanks for the revisit to such a beautiful city.