| Oct 29, 09 by Ya |
2009 National Day's Snapshots |
On October 1, 2009, China celebrated its 60th National Day (the first was in 1949). This year's celebration in Beijing included a military parade - the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, etc. Robert Song was able to take many snapshots on the jets that flew over the City. The security prior and after the Day is the tightest I have remembered in the past 30 years.
2009's National Day celebration included a military parade - the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, etc. Robert Song was able to take many snapshots on the jets that flew over the City. Beijing. October 1, 2009, by Robert Song.
A military tank left the central city passing the street. Beijing. October 1, 2009, by Du.
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| Aug 13, 09 by Ya |
33,996 Beijing Residents Played Taiji (Tai Chi) |
I went to the open space in front of the Bird Nest to play Taiji (Tai Chi) with other 33,995 Beijing residents at dawn on August 8, 2009. The organizer said that one of the event's purposes is to break the Guinness World Records. The previous record was created by 30,648 residents in Luoyang, Henan province, who played Taiji together at the same time in April 2004. This time we started at about 7:15 AM and played nearly 6 minutes. We had to stop because of the thunderstorm with occasional thunderbolts.
Our Taiji Show was also the prelude of the opening of the National Fitness Day. However, the storm held off everything. The organizer passed raincoats out to us, but most of us were still soaked. I had fun.
Ya had fun playing Taiji in front of the Birds Nest with other 33,995 Beijing residents.
The Taiji Show was also the prelude of the opening of the National Fitness Day. The opening ceremony is at the Beijing Olympics 2008 site. Here is a photo taken in front of the swimming pool, the Water Cube. Beijing. August 8, 2009, by Ya Chen.
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| Jul 5, 09 by Ya |
National Centre for Performing Arts |
The National Centre for Performing Arts is next to the Great Hall of the People. Its address is No.2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, P. R. China. Its Opera House has 2,398 seats. In addition, it has a concert hall with 2,019 seats, a theatre with 1,035 seats, and other facilities. In July 2009 Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc is having a concert in the Concert Hall, Les Choristes En Concert. Another performance in July is the Peking opera, Grand New Epic Peking Opera: Red Cliff. French architect Paul Andreu designed the Centre. The construction completed in 2007. Closed to the Centre are sights you can visit and see including the Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and Qianmen. The Centre's site is http://www.chncpa.org.
The National Centre for Performing Arts is next to the Great Hall of the People.
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| Jun 4, 09 by Yuyu |
A Special Day |
On this special day I took a long walk across the western side of the Beijing city. It's a hot day for a long walk. The temperature reached 96.8 ¡ãF (36 ¡ãC). It was lunchtime when I arrived the Square. The place's scattered with many guys, nearly ten thousands. Yes, it's that many. They look fit. Having to stay in the heat for a long time, most of them carried umbrellas. Many of them were having lunch together when I got there. Every path to the Square had a checkpoint. People had to go through x-ray to get in, like you would go through when you pass the security check at an airport. If you carried a bottle of water, you would be asked to drink some before you enter. When I returned home in the afternoon, the sky was cloudy and rain fell.
Simply remember, when you visit the city on this special day, you will need to allocate more time than usual for these special activities.
Every path to the Square has a checkpoint. People have to go through x-ray to get in. In front of the Revolution History Museum, Beijing, June 4, 2009, by Yuyu Dong.
The place was scattered with many guys. They look fit. Most of them carry umbrellas. Here is a group of them in yellow shirts and blue umbrellas. In front of the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, June 4, 2009, by Yuyu Dong.
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| May 21, 09 by Ya |
Beijing Books Building at Xidan |
Beijing Books Building at Xidan is a popular place in the busy Xidan shopping area. The building has many bookstores that carry books, DVDs, and CDs. Most shops sell Chinese products that were published in China. Some offer imported books and CDs with origins of places such as the U.S., England, Germany, France, etc., with the original content. Most people shop and buy books there while many young kids would sit down, stay and read until the time when the stores close.
Young readers sit on the floor in the hallway behind the bookshelves. Many would read there until the store closes. Beijing Books Building at Xidan, December 16, 2008, by Ya Chen.
Books piled up along the wall, a wall mounted with the design of ancient Chinese books and words in copper. Beijing Books Building at Xidan, December 16, 2008, by Ya Chen.
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| Feb 17, 09 by Robert |
Chinese New Year Eve Day at Beijing Baiyun Guan Taoist Temple |
This is Year 4707 in the Chinese calendar. The Taoist New Year Eve ceremony was held on January 25, 2009 at Beijing Baiyun Guan Taoist Temple. Many Chinese in Beijing went and watched it out of curiosity, with few understood it. I have to admit that I am one of them. Beijing Baiyun Guan Taoist Temple is where the headquarters of the Chinese Taoist Association are located. You may find more English information about the Chinese New Year ceremony from the sites such as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year, or through a key word search. However, such readings in Simplified Chinese can be rarely found here.
The Taoist New Year Eve ceremony for the upcoming Chinese New Year, Year 4707 in Chinese years (2009 in the Western Calendar), Chinese New Year Eve Day at Beijing Baiyun Guan Taoist Temple, January 25, 2009, by Robert Song.
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| Jan 10, 09 by Ya |
A better photo-Christmas Eve at South Cathedral Beijing |
At Christmas Eve on December 24, 2008, people line up outside of South Cathedral waiting to get in to celebrate Christmas. The neon sign in Chinese says 'Merry Christmas'.
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| Dec 25, 08 by Ya |
Christmas Eve at South Cathedral, Beijing |
South Cathedral at Xuanwumen in Beijing is not open to the public during regular days, but it lets in everybody to pray and celebrate at Christmas Eve. I went there at 7 PM, Wednesday, December 24, 2008. Outside the Cathedral, people after people have lined up waiting to get in. The queue feels like miles long. The wait time is about 2-3 hours. I went there again when it is close to 12 midnight. The crowd is smaller. I was able to take pictures of the Cathedral.
At Christmas Eve on December 24, 2008, people line up outside of South Cathedral waiting to get in to celebrate Christmas.
You can see a prayer is praying. It is 12 midnight, December 24, 2008. Many people celebrating and praying there may not necessarily be Christians. They are there simply to celebrate a major Western holiday.
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| Dec 17, 08 by Robert |
Christmas at Beijing Concert Hall |
I felt Christmas here in Beijing Concert Hall on November 30. I went that date for a piano solo. It was November 30, 2008, at Beijing Concert Hall at Liubukou. I was greeted by a row of red poinsettia that were perfectly lined up along the border of the stage. The music was the classics written by European composers. Red poinsettia is not a native plant in Beijing. It was introduced recently because of Christmas. Many people here don't know it is a plant for the celebration. The bright red poinsettia matches well for what is intended to convey at the concert.
Red poinsettia (һƷºì) decorated along the edge of the stage, Beijing Concert Hall (±±¾©ÒôÀÖÌü).
In the lounge, one side of the walls is mounted with the face sculptures of well-known musicians - some of them are Chinese, and many are Europeans.
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| Nov 17, 08 by Yue Zai |
Jiuhua Spa and Resort in Changping, Beijing |
On a business trip to Changping, I stopped by Jiuhua Spa and Resort. I think it's a good idea to bring this modern resort to the front after chewing on the legacy of Beijing. Changping is to the north of the city, an outskirt where the Ming Tombs are. It's based on ragged highland. Some areas are famous for their hot springs. The Jiuhua Resort is built on them. The resort is designed for both families and businesses. It has public pools with the springs gushing, and private hot tubs in courtyard houses (siheyuan) for families.
The above is the gate of the Jiuhua Spa and Resort.
The above is Jiuhua's price list (¼Û¸ñ) for using their hot spring facilities. It's effective October 1, 2008. They are in Chinese yuan. The first is for Hot Spring Silver Card, 2,400 Yuan. The others after it are Hot Spring Gold Card 3,000 Yuan, Entrance Ticket 300 Yuan, Massage 188 Yuan, Foot Massage 198 Yuan, Wellness Care 298 Yuan, and Private Hot Tub 696 Yuan.
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| Oct 8, 08 by Jinfeng |
Prince Gong's Mansion in Beijing |
I spent 40 days in Beijing this summer. The days were filled full with excitements and surprises. No doubt the trip is a Dionysia to me. One of the sites I visited is newly opened Prince Gong's Mansion (Gongwangfu) in Beijing. After going through many changes over hundreds of years, there were only a few royal family's residence left. Among them Gongwangfu is the most completely kept in its entirety. The Mansion was open to the public on August 20, 2008. In Beijing, you can enjoy the modern luxury and excellence, at the same time, ride in the rickshaw along the winding, brick-walled hutong, feel the slight jolts, watch the sunset over the tranquil inner-city river, and sense the breeze seemingly coming from centuries ago that carries the original Beijing's legacy and charm to today.
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| Sep 28, 08 by Song |
China's National Day |
China's National Day is on October 1. Celebrating this date, most of the business and government offices in China are closed for business starting Monday, September 29, 2008, and resume on Monday, October 6, 2008. Combining the two weekends with the date of the holiday is a custom in China. The Chinese name the combined long holiday time "changjia", meaning "long holiday". Fifty-nine years ago on October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was announced to be founded.
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| Sep 14, 08 by Ya |
The Moon Festival in Hong Kong |
I went from Beijing to Hong Kong for the Moon Festival Holidays. The lantern festival at Tai Hang sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board brought much joy and fun to the local families. The lanterns there are a mix of modern technology, concept and traditional Chinese art, innovative, free-minded, and joyful. The moon stands perfectly right above the site where the creative lanterns smile at the locals.
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| Sep 8, 08 by Song |
The Moon Festival |
The Moon Festival is on Sunday, September 14 in 2008. Moon Festival becomes an official holiday in China starting this year. Most public facilities in China observe the holiday by taking, for this year, the day before (Saturday) and after (Monday) off to make a 3-day long weekend, from September 13 to September 15.
The Moon Festival Day has another name, Mid-Autumn Day. The day is always on the 15th day of the 8th month of the year, the Chinese Lunar year. On that day, the moon is visible as a fully illuminated disk. People, after a year of hard working and having had some harvest of the year, getting together with families to celebrate. The full moon is also a symbol representing a full and complete family. There are many Chinese myths around the moon.
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| Sep 8, 08 by Ya |
Jade Rabbit Mom, Dad and Family |
Jade Rabbit Mom, Dad and Family at Daoxiangcun, Beijing.
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| Sep 8, 08 by Song |
Jade Rabbit On the Moon |
One of the Chinese myths around the moon is about Lady Changer and a rabbit family.
Long time ago there were 10 suns in the sky. The earth was extremely warm, so warm that plants withered and animals could not live. A warrior, Houyi, came along. He marched, climbed, and finally reached the highest point of the Kunlun Mountains. Using his arrows, he shot down the suns one by one. After 9 suns were down, he left the last one untouched in the sky, but ordered the sun to rise and set on a schedule to support the earth.
Houyi married a beautiful girl, Changer. Many young men gathered asking for to be trained by Houyi to be a warrior. One day Houyi met Goddess Wang and received a small package of herb that secures immortality. However, the herb also automatically lifts an herb-user away from the earth forever. This was nothing Houyi wanted because Houyi did not want to leave his wife. He passed the herb to Changer and asked her to keep it safe. The secret was discovered by one of the students, Pengmeng.
One day all the students followed Houyi out to hunt in the Mountains. Pengmeng sneaked out of the group. He, with a sword in his hand, found Changer and asked her for the herb.
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| Aug 27, 08 by Ya |
The Bird's Nest on August 23, 2008. |
The Bird's Nest on August 23, 2008.
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| Aug 27, 08 by Song |
Cheer Your Team On |
How do you cheer your team on in a game? "Win, Win, Win, 49ers!" Probably. Or, "Go, go, go, Team USA!" Somehow, the cheer can be translated literarily into Mandarin and at the same time almost keeps their original strength and rhyme.
How about the other way around? The Chinese cheer "jiayou"(¼ÓÓÍ) seemed having confused many English speakers during the 16-day Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Simply meaning "give some gas", "jiayou" is commonly used by Chinese in a game for cheering their teams. It recently has been extended by many Chinese, especially those living out of China, to applaud the progress that Chinese people have achieved in the past 2 decades and cheer them for a better moving forward.
Being interesting here is that the English cheer can be translated, or trans-created into Chinese easily, but not the other way around-the Chinese cheer "jiayou" has a difficult time finding its English match.
Reference sites: worldjournal.com, misslinguistics.newsvine.com.
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| Aug 18, 08 by Song |
Michael Phelps, cool! |
Is the number "8" a coincident to the Chinese belief? Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals in 8 days at the Olympic Games that started in Beijing, China, on 08.08.08. His 100-meter butterfly that gave us a moment of breathless ends with the number "8", 50.58 seconds. Many Chinese believe the number 8 is a lucky number.
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| Aug 18, 08 by Ya |
Beijing Qianmen during the Beijing 2008 Games |
The photo on the left is Beijing Qianmen (Front Gate) during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Beijing Qianmen is a place that the book, Beijing Show and Go!, recommends to visit. The photo was taken on August 8, 2008.
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| Aug 7, 08 by Yue and Robert |
The night before the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony |
August 7, 2008, the night before the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony. We (Yue and Robert) went to Tiananmen. It's humid. The air's thick. The crowd's overwhelming, most from other cities out of Beijing. We took a photo of a model of the Bird's Nest.
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| Aug 7, 08 by Yue and Robert |
The night before the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony |
August 7, 2008 is the night before the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony. We found it difficult to take photos at Tiananmen because of the crowd. But we were able to get a couple of snapshots the way we like.
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Aug 3, 08
by Song |
Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics |
According to today's Contra Costa Times, 3 athletes are from the Lamorinda tri-cities and are on the team competing for the United States in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Among them, Natalie Coughlin, the world-record holder in the 100 backstroke, is from Lafayette
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Aug 3, 08
by Song |
Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics |
Five days to go before the Games' opening in Beijing. What do the common Beijingers think about the Games? Under the worldwide spotlight and the local controls, the residents in Beijing, as always, are managing the stress with the Beijing-style humor, playing on words. Olympic Games in Chinese is shortened as Ao Yun. "Yun", the games, has the same pronunciation as "pregnancy". So, Beijing residents describe themselves currently being in three types of "pregnant" modes
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Jul 26, 08
by Song |
Internet |
According to the People's Daily Overseas Edition, visitors may use wireless broadband free of charge during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
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Jun 18, 08
by Song |
Food |
"Mapo Tofu" will replace the translation, "Beancurd made by a pock-marked woman"
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Jun 18, 08
by Ying |
Sights to See |
Summer Palace in Winter. I visited Summer Palace in the winter of 2004. Here are two beautiful photos. One is the Stone Boat, and
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Apr 5, 08
by Song |
Sports |
The book's photographer, Ya Chen, is also the first place winner in the 2008 Beijing Tai Chi (Taiji) Championship
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