On day 10, our last full day in Yangshuo (阳朔), we took two bamboo rafts along the Li River (漓江) to Fuli Old Town (福利古镇). The town appeared incredibly poor and run down. You only have to see the photo of the cinema to realise that most of the youth has long since moved out. Despite this impression though, there was a general feeling that it wouldn’t be too long before the newly rich started to return in order to escape the noise of the larger towns and cities.
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Day 9 was a day for exploring on foot. After a late start we decided to walk along the river and then back into town past all the market stalls. I’ve never seen so many market stalls selling the same thing. They must coordinate with each other to ensure maximum spacing between stalls selling the same stuff.
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On day 8, we woke up in Yangshuo (阳朔). We hired bicycles and cycled out of town. With no particular destination in mind, our stops were determined by a combination of thirst and curiosity. We were privileged to be able to speak with a 90 year old lady smiling as she dug up her sweet potatoes on her farm. Although brief, this encounter really brought home some of the contrasts that still exist in China today.
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Day 7 we planned to fly down to Yangshuo (阳朔) early afternoon to allow ourselves time to look around and settle in to our hotel. It didn’t quite work as planned. We were woken to cries of, “比尔，北京下雪”. The snow had come early in Beijing and as a result we spent an extra four hours in Beijing Capital Airport. Somehow, we made it down to Yangshuo the same day and settled in to our rooms in the Morning Sun Hotel.
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Almost a week in to our stay in Beijing and it was time to visit the extended family, followed by everyone’s favourite, Beijing roast duck (烤鸭). We finished the day with a second visit to the Temple of Heaven park (天坛公园) where Alicia’s father managed to get us access to the chrysanthemum exhibition. Exhausted, we returned home early to prepare for our trip to Yangshuo (阳朔).
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By day 5, we were starting to tire and so after a late start headed for the Lama Temple (雍和宮). After the Lama Temple, we wandered along Nanuoguxiang (南锣鼓巷), stopping for lunch in a Korean restaurant. As we wandered back to my parents’ hotel in the rain, the girls shopped while the guys watched. We ended the evening with dinner in Oriental Plaza (东方广场) with my cousin in-law and her husband.
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Day 4 took us to the North West of Beijing, out to the 798 Art District (艺术区) at Dashanzi (大山子). Alicia’s dissertation looked at the growth of 798 and has since worked with/for several people and galleries based here so this visit had just a little business thrown in as well. The Chinese tend to blur the lines between business and personal and on this occasion I can’t say I complain as we got to see a couple of “VIP” only exhibitions. On the way home we stopped off to see the giant LED screen (世贸天阶 or 天幕) at The Place Mall. This wasn’t just a trip to see a very big TV screen, as there is a small significance to this place; it has long since replaced my father in-law’s old school.
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Day 3 was a day of contrast. We began with the Forbidden City (故宫 or 紫禁城) before wandering around HouHai (后海) and into some of the surrounding Hutongs (胡同). We stumbled accross the Soong Ch’ing-ling (宋庆龄) museum which, I have to say, is one of the best museums I have ever been to world-wide and well worth a visit. We ended the day with coffee in QianMen 23 (前门23) located just off Tian’anmen Square (天安门广场).
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