Correr Es Mi Destino » Beijing 2008

Above Ground

Zhu — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:00:35 +0000

Up In The Sky

The best part of my Beijing — Helsinki flight? The window seat!

Beijing Airport

The New Aiport Terminal

Above Beijing

Can You See The Great Wall?

Above Mongolia

Above Siberia

Above Finland

Up In The Clouds

We have come full circle… back to Canada just in time for fall, and then the dreaded winter!

Beijing Memo

Zhu — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:03:01 +0000

Waiting To Cross

Here we are, the Beijing series is almost over! Fall is setting in Canada and I’ll soon post pictures of the beautiful leaves colors we have over there.

To finish this Beijing 2008 series, I’d like to give you a few tips for your next trip to China’s capital.

Where to stay

We stayed in two budget places in Beijing, first in Dongzhimen, then in Wangfujing.

The Golden Pineapple Youth Hostel (56RMB — 258RMB): the hotel opened in 2008, so it’s brand new. It actually look like an proper hotel rather than an hostel! The double room were small but very comfortable, with TV, A/C, phone, bottled water and private bathroom. The staff was nice but I overheard a lot of arguments and misunderstandings at the front desk because the employees don’t really speak English. The location of the hotel was very good: it is about five minutes walk from both subway stations, in a small alley, close to restaurants and business. A Seven Eleven is right next door, handy for last minute snacks and drinks.

Address:
Golden Pineapple Youth Hostel (金菠萝国际青年酒店）
N0.18, Xinzhong Jie, Dongcheng District
(opposite The No.55 Middle School And South Gate Of Seasons)
Beijing, China 100027
Phone: +86–10-84472899
Fax: +86–10-84473458
Email: bih-yh@sohu.com
Subway: Dongzhimen or Dongsishitiao

Wangfujing International Youth Hostel ($6-$15): this place was definitely more hostel-like, with dorms beds, a pool table and a few drunk travelers. The double room with private bathroom are located downstairs between the reception, the pool room and the restaurant: very noisy! The double upstairs with shared bathroom are quieter and cleaner. The shared showers are clean. There is free WiFi access, even though the network is pretty weak. The staff is young and speaks good English. The location is great, just a few minutes walk from Wangfujing.

Address:
Wangfujing International Youth Hostel (王府井青年酒店)
No.21 Xi Tang Zi Hutong (behind Taiwan Hotel), Dongcheng District
100006, Beijing
Subway: Deng Shi Dong Kou

We book the Pineapple hostel online before we left due to the new visa requirements. We used hostels.com and it did a great job.

How to get around

Buses (1RMB; 0.40RMB with an IC Card): buses runs throughout the city. Stops are written in Chinese and in Pinyin so if you know where to get on/ get off, you will be fine. However, buses are often crowded and chaotic, not to mention the hortizontal queueing to get on… Check the Beijing Public Transportation website for buses routes (in English).
Subway (2RMB): this is probably the most efficient way to get around. Subway stations are written in Chinese and in pinyin and stops are announced in both languages. There are currently 8 subway lines, more will be added in the next few years. You can get a magnetic card (一卡通）for a 20RMB deposit and refill the card instead of buying single tickets.
Taxis: they are plentiful and cheap. Taxis are now metered and rides in the city are usually between 10-30RMB, to the airport it’s about 100RMB. Drivers almost never speak English, so carry the name of your destination in Chinese on a piece of paper.

What do visit

So many places! Just to name a few: Qianmen; Tiananmen Square; the Forbidden City; Beihai Park and the Summer Palace; the Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple… I guess the Olympic Park will also be open for tourists and trust me, the Bird Nest is worth the visit!

You can also just wander in the street to soak up the atmosphere, or marvel at how modern Beijing can be.

The Great Wall is also a must see!

Where and what to eat

A traditional Beijing Duck at the famous Quanjude restaurant (Qianmen or Wangfujing)
Baozi at Goubuli (in Wangfujing)
Great Thai food at Serve The People (Sanlitun)
Snack at the Wangfujing night market (insects included)
Cheap meals from all over China at the Xidan shopping mall or in the Wangfujing shopping mall

Where to shop

Experience the Silk Market… love it or hate it! (subway: Yong An Li)
Shop with trendy young people in Xidan (subway: Xidan)
Find anything you need in the Fuchengmen mall, from clothes to Ipods, from souvenirs to pens and pencils (subway: Fuchengmen)
Bring home some souvenirs from the busy Wangfujing market (subway: Wangfujing)

Nightlife

You can always head to Sanlitun, the traditional nightlife district. But I recommend you to take a walk in Houhai (subway: Gulou). The scene is much better and the location is just magic, with all the lights reflecting in the lakes.

Last tips…

Hang out in the parks early in the morning to spot the elderly doing Taichichuan, writing calligraphy on the street, or singing.
Visit Lao She’s house (Fengfu Lane, West St., Dengshikou, Dongcheng District) to have a look at one of Beijing’s best writer’s life… and admire the small courtyards, typical of Beijing.
Head to Tiananmen for the flag ceremony, everyday around 7:30am and 5pm (schedules available)
Experience a Chinese massage!

Have a good trip! 一路平安！

The Silk Market Experience (北京的秀水街)

Zhu — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:43:23 +0000

Beijing

Visit Great Wall,
Eat Beijing Duck
Shop Silk Market

Even my plastic shopping bag encourages me to shop till I drop. This is pretty much the new communist motto of China, after “let a hundred flowers bloom: let a hundred schools of thought contend” (百花齐放，百家争鸣), “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” (枪杆子里面出政权) and “the revolutionary war is a war of the masses” (革命战争是群众的战争) .

You can shop for pretty much anything in China nowadays, from cheap Cultural Revolution memorabilias to expensive imported beauty products, from silk embroidered clothes to ivory chopstick. But there is one place Westerners are very fond of: the Silk Market, aka Silk Street (秀水街）.

A few years ago, the Silk Market was an open-air market located nearby the American embassy, on Xiushui Dongjie. The shopping alley consisted of 410 stalls selling mostly knock-off luxury name brand garments and tourist souvenirs.This was the place to buy a Nike tee-shirt, Adidas shoes, Levis jeans, Giorgio Armani watches, Ray Ban sunglasses, Vuitton hangbags etc. Although absolutely illegal because they were counterfeit, the clothes were very popular because they were cut on the large side, suiting fat Westerners like us much better. Because the market primarily targeted Westerners, bargaining and haggling was not only recommended but essential if you didn’t want to pay $30 for a Mao lighter.

The Silk Market still exists, but like a lot of place before the Beijing Olympic, it was upgraded and it re-opened in 2005. Mission accomplished: the market is now in a 35,000 square meter complex houses, spread over seven floors with three levels of basements. Each floor is dedicated to a different type of goods: from the basement to the top: suitcases and handbags, clothes, teeshirts, kids clothes, jewelery, watches, sun glasses, calligraphy and other Chinese souvenirs. Sure, vendors have being sued for trademark infringement but hell, counterfeit goods are still here.

Once you enter the underground Silk Market at the Yonganli subway station, some 1,700 retail vendors and over 3,000 salespeople are waiting for you, the 白鬼子 (our nickname, the “white ghosts”). And as we walk through the narrow alleys, we are nicely asked to part with our Yuan:

— Look, look, you want teeshirts, lady, teeshirts, you need teeshirts!
— Underwear, you want underwear, you do!

I quickly glanced at my reflection in the mirror: did I forget to wear a bra today? Apparently no. And I also had a teeshirt on me. I did not need underwear nor this particular teeshirt.

But it was already too late. I had made eye contact with a red Gucci teeshirt. The salesperson, a young woman, grabbed my arm:

— Which one? I give you good price!

Trapped. I did not want a teeshirt. And I was also seeing the underwear woman in the corner of my eye, about to grab me as well. I moved away while both of them turned around for a second to take their giant calculators (bargaining is always done with a calculator for two reasons: the language barrier and mostly to make sure no one else hears the “very special price” you are given). I had been inside the Silk Market for less than five minutes and I already wanted to get out.

Most vendors knew English. Their vocabulary included sentences such as: “super quality”, “color is well with your shape” and “this is real (insert brand name here)”, which they yelled loudly to each foreign walking by their stall. Headache.

I hate to be rude but I didn’t want to chit chat with salespersons who grabbed my arm or my hand, ran after me or tried to shove their merchandises into my face. Yet, I wanted to buy a couple of stuff.

I sat on a bench (the one and only bench available in the whole complex) and tried to think of a strategy. My problem was, I wanted a couple of teeshirts but I wanted: 1) to check the quality closely 2) larger-than-Chinese-size stuffs 3) a good bargain. But every time I made eye contact with some clothes, mentally judging their size, pushy Chinese women started bargaining. I didn’t want to bargain before I was sure I wanted whatever I was looking at. Yet I couldn’t look at any goods without being asked to buy. Vicious circle.

I finally found a stall where the one and only salesperson was busy with other customers. I took one of the teeshirt displayed. I liked the style, the color and the size looked fine. Let’s rumble!

— How much?
— I give you very special price.
— How much?
— This is real Louis Vuitton.

(No point in pointing out that, last time I checked, Louis Vuitton didn’t do teeshirts)

— How much?
— 1,000 RMB.

Yeah, right. As if. That’s about US$150. I was laughing out loud.

— This is real. Friend price. You speak Chinese, I give you good price. 800 RMB. Final price. You tell me a fair price.

I quickly typed “30” on the calculator.

— No no no, no good. Final final price 500RMB.

It took another 20 minutes of negotiation before I got the teeshirt for 60RMB (about US$8). I was fairly happy with that and started walking away… till the girl in the next stall grabbed my arm:

— Now you buy one more! Which color?

I did not buy one more (quickly walked away) and moved on to the other side of the market. I was offered silk scarves (“how much you pay?”), pens (“very good and very real”), jackets (“cold, you need jacket!” — it was about 45C outside but never mind) and more underwear (“very cheap for you”). I was humming “no, no, no” like a mantra. Making eye contact was their cue to attack. Looking even remotely interested could result in the salesperson announcing his “special no joke price” and grabbing whatever part of your body you had available.

“One world, one good deal” the sign said at the entrance of the Silk Market. Hope I got a few, cause this was an Olympic sport! I gave up on exhaustion a couple of hours later and 200RMB lighter. The Silk Market is definitely an experience — but not necessarily a nice one — of bargaining. Here, the girls are more likely to use cheap tricks like shortchange you, being aggressive and pushy, plus the quality of most items isn’t great. In most of the other markets, you will bargain for fun and the atmosphere will be much less oppressing. You want teeshirts now? I give you a good price… friend.

Beijing By Night

Zhu — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:00:30 +0000

Beijing By Night

Between 10pm and 5am, the city is alive and thriving. Night markets, busy streets, lights everywhere — life doesn’t stop in Beijing.

A Chinese Massage Story

Zhu — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:55:03 +0000

A Small Chinese Spa

I was introduced to massage by my former boss in Hong Kong, Ning. Now don’t imagine inappropriate work incentives: Ning may have paid me a ridiculous wage and asked me to work on weekends too often, but he wasn’t this kind of man. Besides, he was anything but attractive to me. He was in his fifties, bald, and he tucked his shirt into his pants. He was also married to my very bitchy manager Jojo. All that also somehow explains why when Ning asked me to come with him for a massage, I didn’t bat an eyelash.

We were then on a business trip in Shenzhen, across the border. The whole weekend had been kind of crazy: I had just discovered we would be sleeping at our small office instead of at the hotel (and by “at the office”, I mean we literally slept on the waiting room sofa) and I had been introduced to about 50 people over a very Cantonese diner (pig intestines and chicken feet).

After the terrifying diner experience mentioned above, Ning and I had rushed into a taxi. It was close to midnight and I thought we were heading back to the office/ hotel. But we had stopped in front of a tall building. “Relax time”, had said Ning. For a second, a lot of things crossed my mind. But I shrugged and followed him. Eh, I was 18.

We were greeted at the front of the building by two Chinese women who fussed around us. One led Ning away and the other one motioned me to a different door which opened on a small bathroom with a shower. “Please, take off your clothes and make yourself comfortable”. “Great”, I thought, “Ning actually sold me to a pimp. I guess I should have finished the report that was due two weeks ago…”.

I did what I was told. I took off my clothes and took a warm shower. I changed into loose cotton clothes that were provided and waited at the door. Soon enough, the woman came back and led me to another room, where I found my boss similarly dressed and already lying on a massage table.

A light bulb switched in my head. Massage? Fully clothed? Sure! After a couple of minutes, Ning was snoring and I was being massaged by two guys. “Quite surreal”, I thought, “but nice.…” The massage itself lasted for a couple of hours. All in all, we spent the night there. After the massage, we relaxed for a while in comfortable chairs sipping cold tea and smoking cigarettes (well, at least, I did. Ning was still sleeping). And then, I had a feet massage, followed by more tea and cigarettes. I never had a better time with my boss.

And so I was introduced to body massage. In fact, I became quite addicted to it. I sometimes indulge myself in Canada, but massages are quite expensive… so I figured I’d get one in Beijing, where they are much cheaper.

A few days after we arrived, I found my way to a small Spa near the Worker Stadium in Dongzhimen: Bodhi (not a chinglish name!). It was well past 8 p.m., a perfect time for massage in China: most spa open late, and unlike in the West, it is common to be pampered at night. I climbed a few stairs and walked to the reception. The lights were dim, the voices were soft and hushed, and four Chinese women wearing traditional qipao were fussing over clients.

– Massage?
– Yes.
– Follow me.

I was led to a small room at the end of a hallway. She closed the door behind me. Clean clothes were on the chair as well as a pair of slippers. I changed—hoping the Chinese-sized clothes would fit—and laid on my stomach on the massage table. Candles were lighting the room with a warm yellow glow which complimented the wooden floor. I yawned. Long day.

It is custom in China to be massaged by the opposite sex and so a few second later, my masseur entered the room. I asked for a traditional Chinese massage, hoping to live my experience in Hong Kong again. I closed my eyes and started to relax, my arms loose. He started working on my back, gently pressing in between my collarbones.

Now, I don’t know if you ever had a massage in North America, but if you had, you must have noticed that everything is done to make you feel comfortable. You fill up a sheet with your medical history and must mention any condition that may affect your experience. You are sometimes asked to circle the body parts to massage on an anatomy chart. The masseur will then double-check and ask questions like “is that okay if I massage your lower back/ collarbone etc.?”. And you are strongly encourage to let the masseur know if anything makes you feel uncomfortable or hurts. In short, you are given a lot of privacy and massages are very gentle since most people want to relax.

Well, let me tell you, traditional Chinese massages are quite different. Two minutes after I had closed my eyes, the masseur was kneeling on my butt, twisting my left arm in a way I didn’t think it could or should be twisted. He then proceed to pinch my back (I didn’t even know I had fat in that part of my body!) and pull my fingers. Almost simultaneously. He stretched my back, my legs and pull my ears. He pressed, he tapped, he kneaded, he stroked. I did close my eyes but I didn’t sleep.

The whole experience was surprising to say the least but I wasn’t in pain. I could feel my blood flowing throughout my body and I was breathing regularly. It felt good. An hour later, I left feeling light and happy. How could such a rough massage do that, I wondered.

I went back for another traditional massage before we left. This time, it wasn’t in a Spa but in a small hutong behind the hostel. The masseur was waiting outside. He was a young guy from Hunan who didn’t like Beijing that much, because it was crowded and it didn’t have mountains and lakes, something that Hunan apparently had. He gasped when I told him how much massages cost in Canada. He massaged me with as much zeal as the previous time but this time, I was expecting it and enjoy it thoroughly. I walked out feeling so good, almost like if I was on drugs.

I haven’t had a massage since I came back to Ottawa. I’m not sure I’d enjoy the “western-style” massage now… and I have to pay about $70, while in Beijing my two massages averaged $15. I may have to go to Chinatown… Like an SM girl, I’m now addicted to rough massages!

Chinglish

Zhu — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:05:09 +0000

Commit No Nuisance

Forbid To Beam On

I spotted the first sign on the Great Wall. The sign in Chinese says: 保护文物 — 请勿便溺。 This can be translated as “Protect the heritage — don’t soil”. Was the original meaning of the sign too harsh for foreigners? We are here just encouraged to “commit no nuisance”!

I found the other one on the subway door. In Chinese, it says: 禁止倚靠。 This means “don’t rest/ lean on (the door)”. Which is understand much better than “beam on”!

Luxuriant Grassland, Please Don’t Trample

Please, Don’t Bomb Into The Ash Here!

I found that one when visiting the Ming Tombs, nearby the Great Wall. In Chinese, this is:芳草萋萋，踏之何忍。 A better translation would be “don’t step on the luxuriant grass”. Now, let’s look at the picture again: does it look like a patch of luxuriant grass to you? I thought so.

This one was my last Chinglish sign in Beijing: it was at the airport, in the smoking room. To be honest, when I first read it in English, I didn’t have a clue of what it meant. Now, the Chinese is: 请不要把烟灰弹入此外。 Literally, “don’t throw your ashes in there” (“there” was the air conditioning’s grille). Why “bomb”? I think this is just common airport paranoia…

Please Don’t Climb The Rockeries

Protecting The Wild Animals Is Protecting Mankind Ourselves

I found that sign at the Summer Palace. I’m being picky here, because “rockery” is a real word(just British). Still, it made me laugh.

This one was found on the Great Wall as well, nearby the Bear Park. In Chinese, it says: 保护野生动物，就是保护人类自已。 Basically, “Wildlife protection is also the protection of mankind”.

Take Care Of Head

Be Care Of The Distance

This one was taken nearby the Silk Market. In Chinese, this is: 小心碰头. This can be literally translated as “don’t bump your head”, or better, “watch your head”.

The last one is perhaps the most mysterious of all. I found it in the middle of a street and it says: 注意距离。The translation is almost accurate: it would say it’s more like “watch the distance”. But what did they mean? Could that be “maintain an appropriate distance” and thus refer to people rather than, as I had assume, to traffic? Was this sign encouraging the “个人区域” (“personal space”)? This is a mystery to me!

In all fairness, I must admit there are less “Chinglish” signs than let’s say ten years ago! Yet, they still make me laugh…

Beijing's Nightlife （北京的夜生活）

Zhu — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:26:42 +0000

In 1999, if you wanted to party in Beijing, Sanlitun (三里屯） was to place to be. The Embassy district was home to a bunch of Nightclubs, Western-style restaurants and a lot of action.

But Sanlitun changed. We did find the “Bar Street” (三里屯酒吧街） but I found it quite dark and depressing, not to mention seedy. Seeing “Lady Bars”, girls and a few pimps — right besides the Embassy compound — confirmed me in my first impression. This wasn’t my Sanlitun. This wasn’t the place where I had so much going to disco at barely 16. This wasn’t where I danced all night long, went bowling, munched on Wester food because I was sick and tired of eating rice.

We accidentally discovered the new heart of Beijing’s nightlife a few days later, walking around the Old Beijing. Most of the trendy bars are now in Hou Hai (后海), by Beihai. Bars, discos, restaurants and night markets are set around the lakes. It’s busy yet friendly and the lakes, in which the lights reflect beautifully, bring a cool breeze. The place was a weird mix of old and new. We walked through a few Hutong (small traditional alleys) to get there, but we spotted a Starbucks and a lot of Budweiser signs. Calligraphy brushes were displayed for sale right by the usual Culture Revolution memorabilias… and next to (fake) brand new Iphones! Once again, these are the many sides of Beijing…

Old Beijing (老北京)

Zhu — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:32:57 +0000

Bicycles Parking Around Xidan

Beijing thrives as the political and cultural capital of China but it also kept its roots and traditions. Cars are plentiful but people still bike everywhere, older people hang out in traditional parks and not around the Bird Nest, calligraphy is still an art that is practiced in the street and many traditions are still followed. This is also Beijing.

Biking To Work

A Small Alley

Colorful Door

An Happiness （福） Symbol

Money For Good Luck In a Temple

Admiring Calligraphy

Traditional Chinese Hutong (胡同） Near Qianman

Small Backyard

Playing In A Park

Prayers In A Temple

Hutong Near Xidan

Worker At The Summer Palace

Modern Beijing （现代北京）

Zhu — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:45:24 +0000

Beijing Skyline

Like many megalopolis in the world, Beijing has two sides: a modern one and an old one.

Most foreigners visiting Beijing for the first time will likely be amazed by the city’s size, its huge boulevards that don’t seem to end, its spotless sidewalks, its tall buildings and huge shopping malls. China borrowed from the West and you can now find McDonalds （麦当劳), Starbucks (星巴克), KFC (肯德基） and other “delicacies” everywhere.

The city got a facelift before the Olympics. There were only two subway lines until 2000 but it rapidly expanded to 8 lines and 123 stations after 2001, and additional lines are still under constructions. It is now the easiest way to navigate the city… Meanwhile, Beijing’s airport underwent a major expansion, adding the new Terminal 3, the world’s largest airport terminal. Brand new skyscrapers, the kind Chinese people used to see in Shanghai and Hong Kong appeared on the city skyline. The famous Silk Market was relocated in a modern building and pedestrian streets such as Wangfujing (王府井） were renovated.

The city has changed. Some regret it, some praise it, some love it, some hate it.

Qianmen (前门)

Zhu — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:30:01 +0000

Silk On Display at Ruifuxiang (瑞蚨祥）

Qiánmén (前门, “the front gate”), stands at the south end of Tiananmen Square. It was formerly the front gate of the Imperial City and it symbolized Beijing’s grandeur. Not surprisingly, Qiánmén is one of the most central district of Beijing. No matter what you look for, you will find it there, either in one of the busy hútòng or on Qiánmén street itself: Beijing Duck at Quanjude, shoes at Neiliansheng, silk at Ruifuxiang… these century-old establishments were purveyors to the Imperial Court and still exist today. You are in the heart of the historical Beijing.

Qiánmén is also famous for its labyrinth of ancient passageways and alleys, formed by lines of traditional courtyard residences, plentiful around historical districts: the hútòng. But since 1949, many of the old hútòng started being replaced by the high rises and wide boulevards of today’s Beijing. As the city was getting a facelift for the 2008 Olympics, many more hútòng were demolished, and people began to mourn the loss of Beijing’s cultural heritage.

Yet, many romanticize the way of life of the old hútòng. Hundreds of residents sharing one toilet, no heating system (or a pretty bad one), no private bath or shower (communal baths were still the norm in Beijing just twenty years ago!) and entire families packed under one roof, in a single room, 四世同堂(Four Generations under One Roof). Life was tough… yet a sense of community was lost when Beijing started developing.

But Qiánmén still offers a glimpse of old Beijing and there is a lot to see.

Qianmen, Main Door

Old Architecture

Qianmen Street

Smaller Streets And The Crowd

Packed Alleys

Cultural Revolution Memorabilia

Traditional Paintings

Qianmen at Night

The Back Of Tiananmen At Night