Qianmen and the quest for Peking duck

After our depressing day at the zoo yesterday, Ted an I decided that we needed the ultimate pick-me-up: a traditional Peking duck meal. Ted, being the ultimate foodie, had already researched where to get the best duck in town, and declared we would head down to the Qianmen neighborhood in search of this culinary delight.

On the way we couldn't help but stop by Tienanmen Square again, as there were only thousands of people there today in contrast with the millions on national day. But to tell you the truth, we were drawn to the area by catching a glimpse of this sight through a hutong:












It was the new national theater which was just completed this year, and Ted and I couldn't help but be drawn to it like a fat kid to a twinkie. I have to say, it looked beautiful in the pollution filtered morning light, as Chinese tourists walked around its moat taking in the sight before moving on to the Great Hall of the People. Complete with Egyptian-inspired papyrus bundle capitals and red flags waving for national week, the building was quite impressive, and made a powerful impact upon the square.

The square itself is also quite impressive, as it is surrounded by massive government buildings that were built to inspire. There are also monuments to laborers on the square which flank Chairman Mao's mausoleum, which was closed for the day. Too bad, considering I got all worked up to see the man after being offered the coolest item I've spotted in Beijing thus far: the Chairman Mao watch, complete with "solute to the people" action, as demonstrated on Ted's blog.

After completing the tourist's loop of the monuments, we shuffled through the crowds to get to the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall. A magnet for laowai like ourselves, we joined other white tourists to see all of the wonderful plans that Beijing has for the future. Or we all just came to see the huge model of the city of Beijing. Whatever.

Covering a whole floor, the model shows every little detail of metropolitan Beijing. But being the history nerd I am, I was immediately drawn to the preservation section of the planning hall, which went into detail about the evolution of preservation agendas implemented by the municipal government. It was very informative, so I took a picture of every single display they had, models of siheyuan and all (siheyuan are the traditional courtyard houses of the hutong).

Being that I was inspired by the planning hall, Ted and I decided to swing through the Qianmen hutongs to get a glimpse of the neighborhoods that inspired my thesis topic, which was an eye opening experience. As you can see, it looked as if a bomb went off in these areas, as walls were missing, bricks were wearing away, and the streets hadn't even been paved, which is a luxury that most hutongs have been afforded over the years in Beijing. What was even more interesting is that we had entered from a back area that was not blocked off, but it was obviously a construction zone. It was hard to tell what kind of work they were doing, but by comparing it to work that had already been done on the main street to the west, they were preparing to build a wall in front of the homes to block them from view.

Seeing this, and then immediately walking onto the main street where they had constructed new walls in attempt to hide the homes from view was a huge wake-up call. Ted and I had seen many new walls around the city and got small glimpses here and there of the crumbling buildings behind them, but we had not yet actually walked behind any of these walls to see the utter destruction that lay behind them. In our little hutong the homes are fairly run down, and also stand behind new walls that hide the true state of the structures, but it comes nothing close to this. We found out today that our hutong is actually one of the protected areas under a new conservation plan in Beijing, which means that new buildings going up here are in the old style, and the ones that remain are kept in at least standing condition. Here, who knows what will happen to these structures, how long they have been ignored, and if people will continue to live here in the future. I do have to admit though that I laughed most of the way through the hutong, as the construction workers got a kick out of the laowai walking through that part of town, laughing at us and saying hello. Those Beijingers and their sense of humor ...

After trekking down to Tienanmen and Qianmen, Ted and I had worked up an appetite, and decided upon a place in a still-standing and decent hutong a little west of the bomb site seen above to dine on duck. While we really got the laowai price (240 yuan! What?), we also got one superb meal that we will still be drooling about when we get home. I took a picture so we could share it all with you:

The one and only Peking duck, sliced table side, with plum sauce, pancakes, what we identified as slivered daikon radish, cucumber bites doused in vinegar dressing, duck soup made from the leftovers after slicing, and no meal would be complete without a glass (or six) of Tsingtao. Enjoy!

I know people use the phrase "concrete jungle", but come on ...

You want to know what the saddest thing in Beijing is? Let me show you:
That's right, folks. Right in the midst of boundless pride associated with national week, Ted and I witnessed one sad excuse of a zoo today at the Beijing Zoo. While we had heard that the place was ghetto fabulous and the admission was only 20 yuan (compared to the 100 yuan for the new aquarium), we still thought it would be worth the walk to see the pandas and such at the largest zoo in China.

Well, I guess you get what you pay for. Not only did we get to see exotic animal species such as nutria and skunks, but we also got to see animals in exquisite cages which included such luxury items as fake plants and painted backgrounds. As Ted put it, you could just see the designer saying, "They're just stupid animals; they can't tell the difference if it is real or painted on!" But the worst was probably a tie between the big cat house and the nocturnal animals. As you can see, the big cats all looked like they wanted to die: they were either curled up in a corner or pacing furiously, looking as if they wanted to tear the head off of every last one of the gawking zoo goers. The nocturnal animal house featured cracked windows which looked like they had been patched with spackle and animals that were traumatized by endless flash photography and screaming children. Don't worry though, there was a sign saying there was no smoking allowed.

Other wonderful interactions witnessed at the zoo were children throwing trash and food into the open enclosures, a man throwing rocks at a sick wolf that was missing one ear, and a man tapping on the glass of the outer cage for polecats, which were all housed in cages ... inside the glass enclosure.

Even as sad as those images are, the worst thing witnessed on the day was at the bear enclosure. Looking depressed and hungry, one bear began to paw at a cracker that a kid threw down into the mud and concrete enclosure. I kid you not, there was a construction zone directly behind the bears, concrete was everywhere, the only "natural" thing there was dirty looking water in the corner, the trees were even surrounded by concrete, and the bear sat there, trying to paw a cracker out of the mud.

As sad as it was, Ted and I decided to go check out the main attraction before heading home, the giant panda house. While these enclosures had obviously had more time and effort put into their construction, the pandas were so put off my the chaos and flashbulbs surrounding them that they sat facing the back wall of their enclosures as to avoid the herd of pushing gawkers and small children, all being yelled at by some dude with a megaphone who was probably there to control the crowd.

So what we thought was going to be a nice half day at the zoo turned out to be the downer of the week. After seeing such horrible enclosures and depressed animals, we couldn't help but take it home with us, as we haven't stopped a second to catch our breath from the time our plane landed this weekend. Needless to say, we spent the second half of the afternoon relaxing on the roof of the hostel, reading, emailing, and soaking in the sun of what was the most beautiful day so far of our stay in Beijing. Yes, we could even see the moon and some clouds, which was a first, as we usually can't even see the sun on an average day because the pollution is so bad.

After some much needed relaxation and some store-bought soup with steamed buns from the hutong, I think we will be ready to hit the streets again tomorrow.

Update: we can finally see our blogs!

... but who knows how long it will last. Ted and I have had a lot of fun navigating the blogger interface with everything in Chinese characters and all, and have finally figured out how to access our pages, and therefore comments, at the moment. But we have also noticed that we have not been able to access, up to this point, other .blogspot pages linked from google searches, so who knows how this development happened, or how long it will last.

But we do love to read your comments, either in China or when we get home, so please drop us a line!

It's National Day!

What a day! Let's just set the mood with this picture:

But before we got all flag-waving and patriotic in Tienanmen Square, we started our day early at the Xi Dan shopping district, just west of the Forbidden City.

Shopping in Beijing is a little tricky, because it is hard to know when you should haggle. While one mall in the district will have much more chic items that seem to be set in their price, other malls next door will sell lower quality goods to younger shoppers, and are much more flexible with their pricing policy. Even with this hurdle, Ted still managed to buy me a compact mirror with an elephant on it using his limited Mandarin. I would be lost and starving at this point without his knowledge of some key phrases, although I can count to ten now, ask how much something costs, and most importantly, know that I am a "laowai".

"Laowai" means foreigner in Mandarin, and no, it's not of the "Head Games" and "Cold as Ice" variety. It is the "Oh my God, what planet do blonde people come from?" type of foreigner. With National Week beginning today, Chinese tourists from around the country have poured into the city to see the ancient monuments, but seem much more taken aback by my blonde hair and blue eyes. One family in Tienanmen Square insisted that I pose for a photo with their young, adorable daughter, both of us waving small Chinese flags. Even earlier in the Forbidden City, I thought I was in the way of a photo being taken by an elderly woman, when in fact she was taking a photo of me. Once I realized what she was after, Ted and I posed for a nice picture for her to show her family. I also saw her snap a more candid shot as Ted and I were walking away ... she just couldn't get herself enough "laowai" for one day.

But as Ted pointed out to me, it is a point of pride to many people that young foreigners come all the way across the world to see their great culture. Walking around the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square with literally millions of Chinese people from around the country, we felt like we were sharing in their national pride and their celebration, rather than imposing on their special day. Many people, seeing that we were Americans, would tell us "Hello", to which we would answer "Nihao," drawing huge smiles. My favorite thing to do was say "Nihao" to some of the cute kids on the street, who would be waving their flags, reveling in the celebration. While many were stunned by the big blonde walking by, their parents would smile and laugh, and tell them to say "Hello" back, clearly enjoying the exchange.

Today really made me re-think some common perceptions that people back home have of China and the Chinese people in general. What has surprised me throughout our short time in Beijing thus far has been how warmly people have received us throughout the city. While we stick out like a sore thumb without trying, even the smallest efforts on our part to use Mandarin words and phrases here and there does wonders for eliminating the "laowai" stigma. Often Ted and I see other tourists from Germany, France, Australia, and the US, and even we try to avoid them as much as possible. They seem very set in their comfort zone, demanding that their Chinese hosts accomodate them as much as possible so that their vacation is as sanitized as possible. But one will find that when you are willing to meet Beijingers half way, it not only makes the interaction easier for everyone, but also seems to lighten the mood and make everyone involved smile and laugh. What's better than that?

Filling in the gap ...

So far, I know I've only talked briefly about first impressions and posted some of our first photos, so I thought I would describe Beijing a little bit more for those of you stateside.

Despite what people may think, Beijing is a very friendly, laid back town. People here, while enjoying ripping us off for 10 cents here and 5 cents there, seem to put up with us few anglo tourists with great patience and a necessary sense of humor.

The people are also very social. While you will see individuals mulling down the streets to get here or there, most of the time people here are in groups, or with close friends or family members. It is not out of the ordinary to see a daughter or son escorting an elderly grandparent to go shopping or to go walking in the park, a young couple playing with their adorable little children, or best friends, no matter what sex, walking arm in arm or hand in hand.

Games are also very popular, especially with the older gentlemen. Walk by open doorways at night in the hutongs, and you will see cards, dominoes, and go games which will draw crowds of onlookers to take in the action. These games are played everywhere, from the park to the street outside their shop.

While Beijing is a fantastic city with a lot of things to see, walking around the city can be daunting at times because of the pollution and the sheer scale. City blocks are very big, and what looks to be a short distance on the map will take hours to trek. Yesterday alone Ted and I walked for about seven hours, but as always, Beijing by foot is the best way to experience the city. Why? Because it is only off of the main streets do you find the hutong, which are a world unto themselves in Beijing. I don't have any pictures yet to really show you what it is like, but let's just say that the noise from the streets fades far away as hordes of shoppers come to these back alleys for everyday goods. Need some used shoes, fresh vegetables, or delicious baozi? Everything can be found in these tiny little alleys, which are well-trafficked during the day, and off-the-hook crazy at night.

Even though it is raining today, Ted and I are still going to brave the crowds to visit the Forbidden City on the National Day. And because we are taking in the local traditions, we are going to make a stop at one of the biggest shopping districts in Beijing, Xi Dan. Check out Ted's blog later to see some of the best products we could find.

Bye for now!

We finally got our luggage: here are the pictures to prove it ...

We were up on our hotel's rooftop terrace when we found out the good news ...

so we decided to hit the streets, where we came across the Drum Tower where Ted got friendly with the locals.


The view was amazing ... or at least it would have been if it weren't for the smog ...

but we had a great time anyway. After that, we ended up wandering towards Houhai Lake, where we found China's answer to Tenacious D ...

which made us want to get some more exercise. Luckily, you can find these jazzercise palaces in little corners of Beijing ...

along with a starbucks next to the lake. How great is this place?

But tomorrow the fun really starts, as every one is getting ready for National Day. The flags are out and waving proudly, and there are even more men standing around on the street in ill-fitting uniforms than usual. We'll be going to Tienanmen to catch all of the patriotic action and get caught up in the national fervor.

Also, if you want much more eloquent accounts of our travels, you can always go over to Ted's blog at http://www.flyingelephantexpress.blogspot.com. We can't read our blogs here in China (we haven't seen the great wall yet, but we've sure come across the great firewall), so you should. And as always, you can always email Ted or I if you want to keep in touch.

Could my feet be any dirtier?

I couldn't have been in a worse mood when they told us that our tickets on the Air China flight did not exist.

It had started with a canceled flight out of Eugene, then our e-tickets listed us coming back from Beijing but not going there, and on top of it all, before we could even make it to Beijing with our imaginary tickets, we had to stop over in that wonderful facility we all know and love, LAX. Because some of you may have eaten recently I won't go into the details, but let's just say that the public toilets in the hutongs of Old Beijing smell better, and that's saying a lot.

While we finally got our seats and made the 1:40 AM flight, and even watched a touching story about an opera troupe who falls onto hard times before working their way back to the top while cruising over the pacific, little did we know that our whole two bags did not catch the same flight. Maybe they had imaginary e-tickets, too.

So weary, tired, and sick with the worst head cold I've had in quite a few years, Ted and I decided to brave the streets of Beijing in clothes we have been wearing for I don't know how many days. Even though we stunk (and still do at this point, by the way) it didn't stop our first con from coming up to us right outside of the airport door asking if we wanted a taxi, only to attempt to lure us to the parking garage to his private car.

But after hopping into a real cab, it was time to actually see what this whole China country was about. First impressions:

1. Man, I miss the Oregon air. The smog is thick and you can taste the pollution, although it does do a heck of a job blocking the entire concrete jungle from view, which is nice when you are in the park.

2. I think Ted needs a man purse. I have seen quite fashionable hordes of businessmen in khakis and polo shirts with very expensive leather purses, and to tell you the truth, they put my tacky cheap purse to shame.

3. I love the park. Beihai Park is absolutely amazing. It has everything from roses, water lilies, and ancient architecture to knick knacks, cute old couples doing tai chi, and tango dancers. And weeping willows. Love it.

4. Everyone thinks I'm hot. Ted likes to point out that every other man on the street stares at me, but I think he's just jealous that he's not getting all of the attention.

5. Did I mention that the food was delicious? For 8 bucks (which was more than likely the jacked-up "laowai" price) Ted and I shared tea smoked duck, sichuan beef, and a Tsingtao, which hit the spot after walking around the park for hours.

So for all of you in the fam who want to know, I'm doing fine, I'm staying safe, and yes, I'm having a great time. Despite the smog, some nasty smells here and there, and seeing a few hutongs being torn down just in our first day of travels, I've really enjoyed our time in Beijing so far. The people are very nice, the food is amazing, and what areas of the city are preserved are absolutely stunning.

Because of the luggage situation Ted an I didn't have our cameras today, but I promise as soon as China Air delivers our bags, we'll be hitting the streets, snapping pictures, eating dumplings, and walking them off just as quickly as we shoved them into our mouths.

And a note to Facebookers: apparently the Chinese government does not want us to access the site, so we may not be able to keep in touch that way. If you need to get a hold of Ted or I, just send us an old-fashioned email, OK?