3/26/2007 ~ Beijing: Wangfuling Street

On the Rio: Odetta ~ Sail Away Ladies

Apologies for my prolonged absence. I made a home visit for a family event and upon my return have been embroiled in a project internal audit...and trying to get over the jet lag.

I did manage to take a short weekend jaunt to Beijing though this weekend.

After arriving at my hotel, I went for a walk down Wanguling Street, and was pleasantly surprised to find several street performances underway. One was of a girl drum group, quite mesmorizing.

The second act didn't capture my attention, or maybe I just wasn't interested in watching prancing "mud men", since I didn't know the story being told.

But before I left I was able to capture this photo of a Chinese man watching the performance. I've been experimenting with black & white photos of late (I did an entire series of photos while in Beaver Dam, WI (my home town) of the places I haunted while growing up. Too many memories to mention.

The streets in Beijing seem much wider than Shanghai, and traffic rules were somewhat obeyed. But the streets were just as crowded, for a city of a mere 13 million. And there are fewer skyscrapers. I also noticed a lot more Westerners, but maybe that was because I spent my time in the prime tourist areas.

I ate lunch at an Asian (possibly Japanese?) fast food place, Asijen, a noodle restaurant. We have one near my office as well, and they serve a mean spicy beef noodle (soup) dish. Bring extra napkins. With a (liter) beer my lunch cost $4, and it was so filling I didn't need to eat the rest of the day.

I continued on my journey, and came across a very interesting kite being flown.

Each strand is a Chinese opera face.

I also came upon the famous Pearl Market, but it overwhelmed me, so I left quickly.