Beijing

Posted on: September 08, 2009 at 10:35PM

One morning, we were driving north around the Forbidden City heading to some destination when we passed the gates of Jing Shan Park. Something was clearly going on as people streamed into the park or milled about outside the gate. We asked our driver to stop and slipped into the park where our ears were bathed in a cacophany of sound: accordian bands, a cappella ensembles, big band music played from tinny portable tape decks for aging dancers swirling in graceful circles around a chalked dance floor. Everywhere you look, a different cluster of Chinese carried out a different artistic activity. Kites. Sidewalk caligraphy. Endless alternatives. It was Sunday and everyone was off. Up the hill, a Buddist temple rose above the trees of the exquisite gardens. So we climbed through the vegetation and crowds until we reached the top of the hill and stood looking south -- at the entire Forbidden City at our feet, with Tian'an Men Square still further south below it. And it being Sunday, when the factories are turned off and after a Saturday night rain, we had a rare, clear view of the capital. It was fantasic. So, if you are in Beijing on a Sunday, go to Jing Shan Park for the view and for the people. report a problem