Beijing
I was lucky enough to travel to China in the mid 1990s before its economy really began to boom, so it has been a true pleasure to watch this one reclusive country fully emerge on the world stage in the years since then. The atmosphere and many attractions of Beijing are simply much too vast to try to attempt to capture in a single internet photo album, so at best the photographs below represent a mere random sampling of my many fond memories there...
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The city's pollution in legendary, and the snapshot below was my attempt to portray it in its purest form. This picture was taken in mid day with my telephoto lens pointed directly at the sun. No filters were used. It's the only place on earth I've traveled to that one could actually stare directly at the sun with the naked eye and suffer no ill aftereffects.
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There are several sections of the Great Wall just north of Beijing. My advice is to skip the teeming hoardes at Badaling and head to the more tranquil Mutianyu section, where I took the photograph below.
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Beijing is an ancient city but it also showcases some of China's best modern architecture. Below is a shot of the Sunrise Kempinski Hotel on the shores of Yanqi Lake on the northern outskirts of the city. The hotel's shape is said to represent the disk of the sun rising or setting along the horizon.
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Beautiful Beihai Park in the middle of Beijing is often overlooked by tourists but is a pleasant way to spend a few hours, not to mention housing enough different subjects to be a photographer's dream!
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In the famous Wangfujing shopping area, live scorpions wriggle on skewers waiting to be roasted by anyone insane enough to order them. Seahorses and starfish are also available for snacking should the scorpions not be to your liking. At first I thought this was just for tourists, but all of the signs were only in Chinese so I guess the locals must actually like this crazy stuff.
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Tienanmen ("Heavenly Peace Gate") Square, the largest public square in the world and the place where Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. The slogan on the left reads, "Long Live the People's Republic of China" and the one on the right means, "Long Live the Unity of the Peoples of the World."
Tienanmen Square. The picture on the left shows a guard in front of Chairman Mao's mausoleum ("the Maosoleum", in not-so-respectful speak), the one on the right is of his gigantic portrait that still hangs near the edge of the square at the entrance to the Forbidden City.
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One of the strangest effects China had on me was the desire to take pictures of people. Almost always when I travel I focus more on buildings, statues, scenery, and landscapes. But from my very first visit to the country, I found my camera lens pointed just as often at the people of China. Take this random shot, for example. I don't know why, but I found this man to be captivating in some weird way. He just sat there like some kind of fashion model, showing off the latest brand of sports coat. He never moved. At first I thought he was posing for someone, but a quick scan of my surroundings showed that there was no one else there with a camera. He just sat still. And watched. If he noticed me at all, he gave no indication...
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Beijing is a mix of old and new. This pedicab driver waits for customers at the entrance to some old hutong, alleyways in traditional neighborhoods that predate the invention of cars and are thus too narrow to accommodate them. In the middle of one of the busiest and most crowded cities in the world, one can disappear completely and savor peace and quiet.
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As if echoing my sentiment above, this sign near a hutong neighborhood almost demands that you feel at ease!
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China, one of the greatest places on earth to eat!
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By far the most interesting place to eat in the country that we came across is the Baijia Dayuan (Garden of the King) Restaurant, built on the grounds of a former royal residence. Women in traditional Qing dynasty dress slip in and out of dining rooms set in a courtyard filled with flowers, ponds, and fountains. Exquisite entrees are served while first-class entertainers perform. It was a truly mesmerizing -- but quite expensive -- experience.
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A snapshot of the restaurant's menu. As the old saying goes, the Chinese will eat anything! :)
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Beijing glitters at night. The photo below was taken while walking near Tienanmen just after sunset.
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In the summer of 2008 we succumbed to temptation and revisited China and Beijing to soak in some of the Olympics spirit. The city was decked out in colorful signs and murals. Below, the arrival at Beijing's brand-new impressive airport, and below that, a shot in the city of a gigantic billboard that dwarfs the lady sitting in front of it.
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Beijing was all smiles during the Olympics. The city was positively glowing with worldwide attention, and the Chinese people roamed the streets and mingled with athletes decked out in their national colors.
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At nights the streets were still packed with partygoers and others enchanted with the Olympic venues. Below, several shots of the unique Water Cube, the venue for Olympic swimming and diving competition.
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I couldn't leave Beijing without taking a couple gratuitous shots of myself posing in front of the National Stadium -- more commonly known as the Bird's Nest -- the site of the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies as well as track & field events.
