Watching Beijing come to life in the early morning is like watching an orchestra warm up. Each little vignette is like a part of the city tuning itself for the day. David rented a bike and got in a couple of hours of eavesdropping on the avenues and hutongs (a lane) of this noble capital city before breakfast. What a grand symphony.
Workers casually pedal their bikes to work (bikers are a bit more civil in Beijing than Shanghai). A man and a woman prepare and fry dough in their sidewalk stand. An elderly man in a bright red cap takes his mina birds out in their cages for their morning “ni haos” beside Ho Hai Lake. A half-dozen swimmers ease into the breast-stroke across Ho Hai. Three woman practice a form of Tai Chi with brilliant Red and yellow fans in their right hands snapping them crisply at every turn. Bike-drawn wagons haul their loads of leeks and melons to a nearby market. Gymnasts swing on the outdoor gymnasium by the Lake. Ping pong games are played a few feet away on concrete tables. Construction workers on nearly every block repair curbstones, walls,
pavement, rooftops and storefronts. Restaurant workers grab a smoke on a sidewalk plaza before heading into their kitchens. A woman carriers a spectacular display of pink lilies to her office. Octogenarians sit on benches in the shiny, renovated parks watching this orchestra play itself out. You can almost hear the soundtrack in the background…
have a look.
Watching Beijing come to life in the early morning is like watching an orchestra warm up. Each little vignette is like a part of the city tuning itself for the day. David rented a bike and got in a couple of hours of eavesdropping on the avenues and hutongs (a lane) of this noble capital city before breakfast. What a grand symphony.
Workers casually pedal their bikes to work (bikers are a bit more civil in Beijing than Shanghai). A man and a woman prepare and fry dough in their sidewalk stand. An elderly man in a bright red cap takes his mina birds out in their cages for their morning “ni haos” beside Ho Hai Lake. A half-dozen swimmers ease into the breast-stroke across Ho Hai. Three woman practice a form of Tai Chi with brilliant Red and yellow fans in their right hands snapping them crisply at every turn. Bike-drawn wagons haul their loads of leeks and melons to a nearby market. Gymnasts swing on the outdoor gymnasium by the Lake. Ping pong games are played a few feet away on concrete tables. Construction workers on nearly every block repair curbstones, walls,
pavement, rooftops and storefronts. Restaurant workers grab a smoke on a sidewalk plaza before heading into their kitchens. A woman carriers a spectacular display of pink lilies to her office. Octogenarians sit on benches in the shiny, renovated parks watching this orchestra play itself out. You can almost hear the soundtrack in the background… have a look.
No comments:
Post a Comment