November 19, 2010 - Beijing, China

Wangfujing Street

"Mellow is the man

who knows what he's been missing

many many men

can't see the open road..."

~Led Zeppelin, Over the Hills & Far Away, Verse V

The accommodations at the Longmi Hotsprings Hotel are a little primitive and unsanitary, even for China.  My "villa" is placed about 1/2 mile from the Main House near a horse track, on the ground floor with broken-taped-up windows, and no heat.  I can deal with all this, but the non-operating show is frustrating.  Besides cleaning myself with a amusement-park hot-springs swim, I've resigned myself to not showing for my entire China visit.  There probably won't be any training this week either - the workout room consists of a ping pong table and it's too cold to run outside.

Early this morning, a group of U.S. educators jumped on the Beijing Ditie (subway) towards the Beijing Hotel and downtown.  A quick wander through Wangfujing Street to observe (but not partake) various insects-on-a-stick, candied fruits, and other traditional Chinese foods.  Next, a taxi ride across town with a friend from Alabama who often takes in the Pearl Market for beautiful jewels at rock-bottom prices.  Unexpectedly, I gave myself a very nice holiday present this year.

But the afternoon was a return to my favorite Art District world-wide, Beijing's 798.  This past summer 798 Art District was introduced to me and I'm continuously amazed that controlling Communist China has allowed such a free flowing exchange of artistic release to be supported, and even publicized by the government.  Huge statues of screaming citizens best express what some feel living within the regulating and propaganda driven society.  Perhaps it's also the coffee shops, boutiques, and cozy winding streets that appeal to my western mentality.

The evening closed with a traditional Peking Duck dinner, a trip to China's largest book store, and another long ditie ride back to rural Beijing.