Hello from Beijing!

Hello from Beijing! I got here about a month and a half ago, following my husband who is posted here for a two year work stint. We hail from America’s Northeast, and this move kicks off his career abroad, and my first time living outside the US. I meant to start blogging sooner (mainly with the goal of keeping friends and family informed) but I’ve been cowed by the questions of how and where to start—there’s a lot to talk about when you move to a new place, especially if it’s, you know, China. But it turns out this week’s A+ weather was the motivation I needed! It’s warm (not hot), breezy, blue-skied and sunny—think Boston in early fall. After a hot, muggy, and dirty summer, the expats around here are smiling and drinking a lot—dare I say frolicking? Nah. But they're happy. 

Beijing has been awesome, regardless of the weather. There’s a lot to see/do/eat here—even a quick walk around the neighborhood is entertaining. I’ll see a man shooting birds with a slingshot, a woman in heels and a suit buzzing through traffic on a scooter, or see/smell giant yams roasting on the back of a bike. 

More neighborhood anecdotes to come, but in honor of the weather and to prevent a four foot long first post, I’ll talk about the parks I’ve been to first. Please forgive/correct any misquoted facts, my research on Beijing/China has just begun. 

Cute kid on the water at Chaoyang Park...the lighting is bad so cuteness is dimmed.

We live near Chaoyang park, which is Beijing’s biggest gongyuan (park…in Mandarin) and lies east of the third ring road. (Beijing is laid out in concentric circles around the center of the city, and the concentric roads are called second ring, third ring, fourth ring, etc.). We went to Chaoyang Park a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful day and rented an electric boat to drive around the park’s waterways. Traffic on the water was somewhat hair-raising—we saw several 3-8 year olds manning the helms, and let’s just say most of them were reckless drivers—but everyone was having a good time. In the US you’d expect a full safety briefing and how-to on using the boats, but an attendant just pointed at the ignition and shoved us away from the dock with a pole. Life jackets? Don't be ridiculous. 

Somewhat intimidating, decrepit, mystery palace we boated past in Chaoyang Park. 

The park itself is beautifully manicured—green lawns (no walking on grass) flowers, fountains, small ornate structures, and courtyards. Within the boundaries of the park there’s also an amusement park and a water park, and the volleyball stadium used during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Yeah, there's a lot going on in there. Walking around the park on a clear day, there are some great views of the city.

Beijing from Chaoyang Park. The building that sort of looks like a crooked "M" (in the middle) is the CCTV Headquarters building, and I've heard that its nickname in translation is something like "the big boxer shorts" or just "big pants." Fact checking underway.

Another view of the city from a different part of Chaoyang Park.

Last weekend we went to Beihai Park in the center of Beijing near the Forbidden City. It was originally an imperial garden, built in the 11th century. Like Chaoyang Park, Beihai also has a lake, and a path that circles around it. In the middle of the lake there’s an island called the Jade Islet that’s actually made from the land dug up to build the lake. There’s a white tower at the top of the island (called the "White Dagoba") that was apparently built in the 1600s. Below the tower, there’s a beautiful Buddhist temple called Yong’an. No photos allowed, otherwise I’d give you a peek. There are other Buddhist temples, pagodas, and smaller gardens within the park, but we didn’t get to all of it. 

A view of the White Dagoba on the Jade Islet in Beihai Park. Check out the lotus bounty.

View from the White Dagoba on the Jade Islet in Beihai Park.

On the Jade Islet in Beihai Park.

It was crowded when we were there, which made for great people watching. Hundreds of super cute kids running around. There were also particularly great T-shirts on display (I'll tell you more about that some other time). 

Speaking of people watching, we also visited Ritan (Temple of the Sun) Park, which is south of us and free to enter (unlike the other two). This might be my favorite of the three. The park surrounds an altar that was built in the 1500s for the Emperor's ritual sacrifices. It was opened to the public hundreds of years later, in the 1950s. We took a relaxing walk around the park and watched people exercise, sing, stretch, play mahjong, read, and nap. Napping is huge here. As is taking advantage of parks.  

Inside Ritan Park. 

On a funny note, this is what the sign in the public bathroom at Ritan Park had to say.

That’s all for now, but more to come! Please don’t judge my mediocre phone photography...I've been having trouble with lighting.