Sunday, March 09, 2008
Beijing, China, 29 Feb-2 Mar 2008: 老百姓
Common Folk
Less than 6 months to the Summer Olympic Games, Beijing is a hive of construction activities. In the Forbidden Palace, scaffoldings clad the 3 Great Halls, and modern slate tiles replaces uneven stone slabs gouged out from the ancient hallowed squares. Large parts of the traditonal Dazhalan quarters near Qianmen and hutongs adjacent to Wangfujing Street have been systematically torn down, their detritus shielded by giant billboards promising urban revitalization of meretricious appeal. The hoi polloi, 老百姓 Lao Bai Xing, soldier on bravely, immutable in the sea of change swirling around them. Guards at the Forbidden Palace shout at tourists who linger too long on the bridges leading to the south entrance. Hungry customers jostle to buy their lunch orders of steamed buns Xiao Long Bao. Intrepid office workers brave the jungle of commuters on the subway and public buses. Brusque security guards patrol the busy warrens of shops selling luxury knockoffs in the Silk Street Bazaar. Life goes on. Amid the rush, there is time for reflection. Monks and nuns take in the sights at the Forbidden Palace, sharing in lunchtime victuals on the benches outside Qianqinggong, the Inner Palace. In Beihai Park, enthusiasts huddle together and sing heartily to violin accompaniment on a crisp late winter Friday afternoon. A solitary man carefully wields a large water brush over the pavement, his ephemeral writing drying up and disappearing with the angled rays of the setting sun. |
Labels: Beijing, China, garden, lake, palace, people
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 31 May & 3-4 Jun 2007: Sojourn
I AMsterdam
Had a conference in Toronto in early June. Flew KLM, transiting in Amsterdam. Just perfect! Squeezed in a few hours' city tour on the way there, and an overnight stay on the return leg. I was last in Amsterdam 7 years ago (ESC conference, which coincided with Sail 2000). This time round, I got to see many of the sights again, plus some new ones: Amsterdam's canals, Museumplein (near to my hotel), Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Walletjes (red light district, where the action starts at 11pm), etc. The museums were fantastic. Managed to buy a last-minute ticket to a piano recital at the Concertgebouw: Maria João Pires playing Schubert Impromptus and Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op 110. Beautiful tone and expression, great performance. Taking it easy, I took a leisurely stroll through Jordaan, in the west of town. This former working class area has become gentrified, with yuppie shops and pretty boathouses along the many small canals that traversed the district. The Jordaan jaunt ended in Prinsengracht, near to Westerkerk Church and Anne Frank House, from the secret annex of which, the toll of the church bells could be heard and the sharp spire seen. I also visited Beginhof, former courtyard home of the Beguines, a religious women's order. It was a secluded oasis of peace and tranquility in the midst of Spui, a busy commercial district. |
Labels: Amsterdam, garden, museum, Netherlands
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These are the 30 countries that I have ever set foot on. Airport stopovers don't count!
