The last time I was home during the summer was in 2006. Very excited to be back in a different season from the usual winter/Christmas excursions. But I would soon wish it's winter. Beijing is hot~
This picture was taken in April at Central Park.
Thirty years of commercialization transformed Beijing from an ancient capital to a forest of glass and steel. But the most important change is not what Beijing has built, but what it has lost. Namely, its blue sky. Its centuries-old courtyards and its cultural heritage.
At the center is the infamous CCTV (China Central Television Station) building. Nicknamed "the Giant Panties," the structure is an example of Beijing's architectural experimentalism at its worst. Its oddity defies words.
Stuck in Beijing traffic. A random thought: on the plane back, I saw an interesting headline on the Chinese newspaper my neighbor was reading: Communist Party Members Must Not Interfere With the Judicial Process. Right, that is news?
But not all experiments are disasters. Beijing's new airport is a successful blend of the modern and the traditional. Its dragon shape and large red pillars are distinctively Chinese.
On the airport shuttle train between terminals.
Recently, there seems to be a more pronounced realization that Beijing is quickly losing its identity. With the exception of the Tiananmen Square (okay, maybe the new airport too), there is almost nowhere else in the city that reminds people that they are in China.
Things Chinese are "in" again. The Ritz Carlton on financial street is a new hotel in Western Beijing that is everything Chinese. Its lounge has a neat display of calligraphy brushes.
The elevator door has a Chinese design.
Inside the elevator.
There is a renaissance of classic-styled Chinese restaurants. We went to one restaurant called Kong Yi Ji around Chaoyang Park. Near the door, a display of old pails.
The entrance
A traditional musical instrument called Gu Zheng is played during dinner.
At the left is a place where tea is prepared. There are semi-private rooms with bamboo window blinds.
Menu comes with pictures, including this roast duck, posing perfectly.
Jugs for wine.
Even the bathroom is complete with antiques.
The bathroom
Food here is of the Southern style…simply delicious.
Next, we went to a Cuban restaurant and bar. The wooden door seems to be recovered from an old house.
