Battling Bureaucracy or how to spend much time achieving little or why learning Chinese would have been a good idea The Post Office Last Friday I organized a student for interpreting duty and we went to the local post office to post stuff home. After an about 10 minute walk we arrived to be told […]
The Summer Palace Last time I visited the Summer Palace I entered from the south via water. This time I entered from the north gate which is more elevated and hilly than the lakeside entrance. I walked down the hill until I reached the Tower of Buddhist Incense, an impressive building overlooking the lake and […]
More Qianmen and Dashalan Last weekend when I visited Beijing I stayed in the Qianmen area at the same hostel as the previous visit. Staff is good, it is accessible, the price for winter accommodation is right and the surroundings are interesting. It was a bit far from my intended destinations but I was prepared […]
Hutongs part three, Yan Dai Xi Jie, Tobacco Pipe Lane After farewelling the teachers and student I walked on a little further, reached the required road and crossed it. I was now close to Qianhai Lake, the southern-most of three connected lakes which used to be part of the Grand Canal and now part of a lively […]
Hutongs Part 2 Nan Luo Gu Xiang Hutong My Chinese rogue deposited in the middle of Nan Luo Gu Xiang Hutong (alley). I didn’t know which way was north or south or how far an end was until I walked far enough to work it out. In any event it didn’t matter. Nan Luo Gu […]