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Day 10, final day in Beijing, some parting thoughts:
The reports of a unified Chinese internet are greatly exaggerated.
Beijing by bicycle is still a great way to get around.
Wang Fei and Dou Wei had a baby and she is now of age and making her own music: Leah Dou.
The heart and soul of China still beats strongly in Beijing.
I'll bring Jamie and the boys on my next visit here.
Peace out, and thanks for all the duck!
Day 9, a Friday, and I'm approaching the end of this trip. After a sleep in, some yoga and coffee at Base, I jumped on the bicycle for one last hurrah around Shichahai. I stopped to sit and chat with a swimming unkle who asked how the outside world saw China's military build-up. I gave him the popular view, then my own, and his thesis seemed to be that "a strong China results in a stable region".
Lunch on a rustic rooftop was off the charts, I had forgotten how much I love "ma dofu" (not to be confused with "mapo dofu":
In the evening I met my old colleague Henry who is still doing an amazing job at Jagermeister China. We met at his hotel in Chaoyang and had one more Beijing duck meal for good measure (this one was slightly more oily, which is only appropriate for a Shanghainese friend):
After dinner, we hit Solo and caught up on ten years of growth and office politics of Jager in China, as well as some of the ways that netizens show their derision of official pronouncements without getting censored:
From there it was over to Dada for the fourth and final time, and I made it count!
The owner Michael even presented me with a participation trophy :)
"When one door is closed, many more are open" - Bob Marley
"不比较，不计较，心存感恩" - Henry Shen
On Day 8 I took the train to the Temple of Heaven, and among the masses of domestic (and a few international) tourists, gave my own thanks and praises to those who came before me.
It's all about data in China these days, and I was glad that the ticket office accepted my Singapore ID card as I had failed to bring my passport with me. Go, SG60! Taking a turn away from the masses, I wandered through some forested paths and came upon a flock of white doves, which reminded me of both Bob Dylan and Columba Design at once:
Back at Base, I tucked away that peaceful, easy feeling so I can recall it whenever needed. While Beijing's overall air pollution has improved greatly when you look up at the sky, at street and subway level I found myself wanting a shower after being out in the grime and grit for any length of time. In the evening, I took Federico for a local Beijing duck dinner and reflected on how in Beijing, the city is built with intent.
Day 7, Wednesday, kicked off after yoga, coffee and cherries with a bike ride to the closest Bank of China branch. I wanted to update my personal data so I could connect my bank account to WeChat, but failed as I didn't have my passport from 2011 on hand (!) "I'll be back", I told them. I cycled past 天安门 again for good measure and parked my bike outside Xidan metro station.
From there, I took the subway west and navigated to a Converse outlet store (kind of) where I picked up some black Chuck Taylors for a good price. Elected to take a car back to Xidan to make that four modes of transport in one day. Remembered how much Beijing taxi drivers love to chat and this gent from Shandong was no exception.
Had a quality late lunch and picked up a fishing vest to complete my day of shopping:
Was reminded of the May Fourth Movement (respect to the Digable Planets):
Before an evening where I played host to the Penang brothers, plus Federico from Italy and his fiancee Sarah from Germany. We hit Solo and Dada and bumped into El-Mar of Kokomo fame - luck would have it he's from the same part of Germany as Sarah. Beijing.
Above sign found inside Dada - never a truer word has been written.
Day 6 kicked off with a free ride west in a tricked-out Dodge Challenger courtesy of the previous night's fast friend, a Manchurian dude named Lan who was taking the day off as he plans to quit his job in client servicing at a top bank. Lying flat is very much a thing.
香山 or the Fragrant Hills for a bit of scream therapy was the plan, and I walked and walked but the summit did not reveal itself! Some centipedes and millipedes did however, along with lots of greenery:
Everywhere in Beijing, it seems, there's evidence of the longest continuously running civilisation in the world:
Back at Base in the afternoon I hydrated and reacquainted myself with all sorts of hutong sights. Mr Bean would fit right in here.
On Day 5 I stayed close to Base and washed my clothes. Someone had hung a gourd on my bicycle overnight which I found a nice touch, as it's a symbol of protection and good fortune:
I met two lovely brothers from Penang, Stephen and Oliver, and indulged in my peripatetic lifestyle by helping them sketch out a brand and user research approach for their new business idea.
For dinner I further indulged in the traditional Chinese meal of wagyu beef burger and fries at Jing A, one of Beijing's best craft breweries (it was acquired by Carlsberg China in the last decade).
Sunday 18 May, day of rest.
On day 3 I took the subway system north and made a pilgrimage to my alma mater, Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU or 北语, as Chairman Mao famously wrote on the main gate). At said gate it appeared I wasn't going to be allowed in, as the security was checking everyone for current student or staff ID. With a bit of polite persistence, however, I blagged my way in and a super green, peaceful campus revealed itself:
I spent a few hours strolling down memory lane (including the exact same spot where I learned to love Yo La Tengo in 2001) and was interviewed for a bilingual promo video for prospective exchange students to study at BLCU - things just flow in Beijing. I then took my leave and navigated the train system eastward to visit a friend from Jagermeister days, Weng Weng. He's an OG musician, business owner and general good guy - Solo is his current bar in Beijing and we hung out with his business partner Rabbit before heading in Weng Weng's Volvo to "that outdoor bar in the corner of Chaoyang Park" where he played a 9pm DJ set.
I met another OG this evening, John from Xinjiang, who described himself as a 中国老外 due to his fair skin, long hair and ever-present guitar. We didn't connect on WeChat, which was a shame, but also refreshing. 如果有缘分我们就再见。
Day 2 in Beijing saw my bicycle come into its own, riding around Houhai, to Xidan, and right past Tian An Men without the need for booking, registering or paying for the opportunity to stand on the big dusty ol' square. Great local hack as electric scooters are not allowed in this area:
After 10 RMB 小吃 for breakfast, lunch of 凉皮cost the same amount and was both generous and delicious:
A bit of dairy for my room came up to only 30 RMB too at the local market in the hutongs:
In the evening, it was time to meet up with a friend from the music and F&B industry. He told me the economy is really weak - businesses closing down left, right and centre, people losing a third or sometimes even half of the value of their homes, and massive youth unemployment. Against this backdrop I decided to support the little guy at Ritan Plaza, the home of trade with Central Asia, where I encountered a happily drunk Tibetan rapper and fulfilled my inexplicable desire to buy socks in China:
Dada Beijing, a leading light of China's underground dance music scene, was my final stop for the day and it didn't disappoint - why can't more bars be this dimly lit? Sadly, even Dada is not immune to the economic headwinds (plus young people drinking a lot less) and is due to close at the end of this month.
In Beijing, the past is neither erased nor venerated, but constantly negotiated in the shadow of the future (thanks, deepseek, the rest is all me).
Making my way from Beijing's newest airport (Daxing, south of the city) to Qian Liang Hutong today, one of the first things that struck me was a circular economy design flourish in the paving of a hip new F&B area, nestled right in amongst preserved courtyard houses and rambling hutongs. Check out the repurposed curved roof tiles below.
My base for the next ten days (literally, Base Beijing) is a spacious serviced apartment with an industrial chic spin, and there's no shortage of espresso to be found:
Staying so close to the centre of gravity in Beijing allows me to use a bicycle as my preferred mode of transport, and my friend here was kind enough to lend me one. The traffic is reassuringly chaotic, with cars, bicycles, electric scooters and 三轮车 delivery drivers constantly jockeying for space. A good number of people seem to know how to give way and merge.
The tech highlight of the day was a friendly and unassuming robot who would receive 外卖 orders of takeaways from delivery riders in the hotel lobby, then autonomously communicate with the elevator and recipient to get the food to their room quickly. Nifty:
And the nature/culture highlight of the day was Jingshan Park (just north of the Forbidden City) for a reasonably priced 2 RMB (they happily accepted my crumpled old notes). This spot gets me every time, even the madding crowd couldn't dampen my enthusiasm for these views:
Leo & Lucas, Boxing Day 2015
Auckland, December 2015
Jamie & Leo, Parnell, Jan 2012
KAI at MANGERE BRIDGE, JAN 2012