day three: beijing

Day 3
January 1, 2008

NAMOC, Beihai Park, Houhai at night

We ended up getting a pretty late start on New Years Day after coming home so late and having the experience that we did. I finally found some light in my darkness and resolved to *not* spend one more minute in China feeling sorry for myself or feeling guilty. We made it over to the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) about an hour before it closed. We saw some pretty incredible art in that space. There was a beautiful exhibit of Chinese wood block prints from the 1930’s-1950’s. They were incredible pieces documenting the experience of life in China in all its political and social turmoil. Scenes of famine, war, the starkness of life as it was. All depicted in simple black and white woodcuts. It was truly a scene of spectacular quietude, so simple and understated in their design but so powerful in their content and emotive impact. We wandered the museum’s first floor, finding pieces of modern art, powerful portraits, comedic cartoonish photo-like images, a gorgeous black and white photo of a lotus leaf that had been distressed and fractilized, Botero-like sculptures and paintings by a Russian artist. I was glad to be back in a space of light and to find some inspiration.

We meandered out of the museum, trying to make it to Beihai Park before the sun went down. Beihai isn’t too far from the Forbidden City. The park is associated with Kublai Khan’s palace, the center of Beijing before the Forbidden City replaced it. It consists of a lake (Beihai means “North Sea”) surrounding park are and an island in the southeast corner of the lake called Jade Islet. Atop the islet is a white Buddhist dagoba that was built in 1651 for the Dalai Lama’s visit. I had read quite a bit about the park and had hoped to get there on our day off from the tour. So, while walking towards the park, we realized we were running out of time. A guy with a bicycle rickshaw offered to take us to the spot for 20 RMB (~$3.00), or so we thought. But he started to take us in the opposite direction. And Jim kept insisting that we go the other way, which we needed to do. Then there was some yelling at the guy and confusion, and I got a little freaked out – here we were in Beijing with nobody but this guy around yelling at us because we were getting out of the rickshaw we had agreed to take. So, I was a little out of it and scared, thinking it would just be better to stay on the damn bike even though that was ridiculous. Finally, Jim convinced me to get out of the rickshaw and we walked in the direction we wanted to go. The guy came around and wanted to pick us up again and take us the direction we wanted to go. So we got on. We rode about 3 minutes down the street and he stopped at the entrance to the park. When we got off, the guy told us he wanted $20, TWENTY US DOLLARS, not 20 RMB. Which is quite literally insane. Completely insane. We were already pissed and I was shaken up and couldn’t believe this guys actually wanted US money from us as we haven’t had any dollars in at least 9 months. It was so bizarre. So we gave him the 20 RMB and walked away. Jim said that as he turned around to look at the guy, he saw a smile spread on his face. Who knows. Seems he may have been satisfied with his swindle after all.

So, Beihai Park, finally. Sunset was gorgeous. Twilight set in on the park and we wandered around the shore of the river taking pictures. The white dagoba stood tall upon the island, illuminated by soft yellow light from different points on the peak. We made our way up a path to get up to it, but soon found that the gates were shut and the paths closed off for the evening. Bummer. So, we made our way slowly around the lake, enjoying from afar the lights of small traditional houses along the shore of the lake. Turning a corner, I saw a mother and her son coming down from a rocky path that led up to some kind of temple just above us. We decided to explore, and as I scrambled up the rocks, I saw that the path actually took us all the way up the backside of the dagoba’s peak. And suddenly, I found myself standing right there in front of it. It was still closed, but we could at least walk around it and get some good night shots from the peak. I found a couple of lookout platforms on one side of the peak and saw below us what looked like some kind of café. Red lanterns glowed in the dark and soft Chinese music floated up to the place where I stood. I waited for Jim to make his way up the hill and we decided to descend down some rather dark rocky steps to see what we could find.

Reaching the bottom of the path, we found a small garden, and on the other side, a long walkway, much like what we had seen at the Temple of Heaven. Lit from the ground all along the walk, the pathway formed an arc around the garden behind it. At one end of the walk, two girls stood in red hooded capes, facing each other, as if welcoming guests through the archway. I turned my head and saw that red lanterns lined the wall to the right, beyond which was the lake. I walked out in to the air, beyond the walkway and noticed that the walk was actually part of a larger building, all of which was painted in traditional Chinese colors and patterns. I walked further down the path, so excited at my discovery, the air chilly on my face, my eyes wide with amazement at this gorgeous scene. I was all alone. No one was on the path. I saw the red hooded girls whispering and heard muffled laughter at the end of the walk. I felt as though I might be in a David Lynch movie. That sense of hyper-reality, the bold red, the colors and light and stillness of ice in water. A few people came around the arc in the path. I walked a little further, and heard heavy steps coming towards me. Two other red capes fluttered past me and swept down the path from where I came. As I rounded the curve, A pair of gold doors stood open. Two of the red capes standing in the doorway, greeting guests.

We had stumbled upon the Fangshan Resturant, a very famous restaurant in Beijing that serves multi-course meals of imperial cuisine based on the food served to the Empress Cixi (who was not a very pleasant empress, to say the least. See the Summer Palace entry later for more on her). I had read about this place, too, but was pretty sure we wouldn’t make it. But, kismet. Here we were. We decided to spend the cash to have this experience. We stepped over through the doorway into a courtyard lit by red lanterns. We were escorted into the main dining room which was gilded and opulent. The tables were set with gold table cloths and yellow Chinese patterned china. We ordered one of the lower-priced set menus as well as some 8 Treasures tea. And we were off. The taste experience was so interesting. On our menu were dishes of lemon duck, bok choy, and, of course, camel hoof. Yes, seriously. Camel hoof. It wasn’t very delicious. Kind of slimy and soft. As Jim kept saying, if you want to try the camel, go with a steak. Don’t eat the foot. But still an experience, nonetheless. The 8 Treasures tea was delicious and fascinating. Every few minutes a woman would come to our table with another one of those uber long-spouted brass teapots and refill our cups in total theatrics. It was a kick. It was a delightful meal and a really lovely way to reset my brain after a difficult night.

After our decadent dining, we headed back to Houhai (yes, again) which was nearby, to do some shopping and find a café to sit in. We managed to find a couple of really great shops and braved the bargaining dance only to be rewarded with a good haul of stuff. Found some beautiful wall hangings, a statue of Ganesh, a Monkey King statue, and other sundries. Found the No Name bar of which I had read so much, and settled in with a nice cup of Irish coffee in a totally pleasant atmosphere by the lake. Houhai is a lake district that is surrounded by hutongs and lined with bars, restaurants and clubs. The neon factor is high there and the pull on the street to get you into the bar is strong. But the No Name bar stands on its own. You’d miss it if you weren’t looking for the low light, easy going atmosphere as the blaring neon swallows it a little. But just at the edge of the lake (actually Qianhai Lake as Houhai is just north of the footbridge), right before the footbridge from Yandai Xiejie street, is a little café covered in wintry trees and decorated with rattan furniture where you can lounge, have a snack and a drink, watch the resident fluffy white cats lounge with you while listening to mellow reggae. At least, that’s what we did. It was a nice surprise to find it as I thought it didn’t exist. And so concluded day 3. A little writing, and a little mellowness inside a busy tour through a busy city.