My second day in Beijing still required me to take one of the hotels umbrellas out with me, although the heavens played ball, the humidity kicked temperatures up a few notches! I wanted to snatch some Hutong vibes during that second full day in China's gargantuan capital, determined I felt for sure! My go-to APP helped me sniff out another attraction, well two! Yes!
I stuck to Line 7 like glue, I headed towards '北京西站/Beijing West Railway Station' but really '虎坊桥/Hu Fang Qiao' was my intended destination! Turning right like my Chinese maps told me to do so, I blocked out the construction that was being carried out in front of me. I was much too hungry to give a damn, I needed food and those cravings needed to be sorted! I firstly ordered a '肉饼/Meat Pie' because they looked mighty fine and sure that one tasted amazing! Feeling like that meaty situation wouldn't be enough, I ordered some noodles for later on and a warm carton of '豆浆/Soy Milk'. I wasn't in the mood for the sandals that I was wearing, they had crucified by ankles and quite frankly I knew they would be going in the bin! I managed to buy two plasters from the shop next door, I admired the resourcefulness of those shopkeepers! A temporary fix, I needed to eat those noodles but the feistiness omitted from that coffee shop individual didn't impress me! Why was she so judgy? My noodles didn't smell! No, not a mood!
I didn't actually care, I respectfully sat down outside a closed bar on their front step where I ate my noodles. People stared at me like I was committing an actual crime, being a foreigner in that capital city really isn't a mood. I remembered how challenging it had been for me to deal with those piercing stares, it was giving '外星人'Alien' Realness! Those first Hutong moments since 2019 impressed me, those Beijing alley ways weren't flashy nor did they have me running for the main road! For me, it was all about seeking something familiar through new eyes, I was ready for Beijing! The rain had so kindly decided to ease, I didn't expect that dry spell to be a consistent thing. If truth me told, it was great to enjoy those snacks within that Hutong environment without checking my maps for the next destination, I really trusted the city during that moment with Beijing leading the way. Sure, the current situation required me to think on my feet, that I absolutely did! Sure, I embraced those Hutong alleys furthermore! Me, an alien? No, not this B!
Hitting '大栅栏西街/Da Shi Lan West Street' triggered me slightly because I had clocked '大栅栏/Da Shi Lan' during 2019, I wasn't feeling it! Not wanting to relive that 'tourist Hutong mess', I trusted the process and within a few minutes I was able to find several credible turnings away from that developed Hutong situation. Meanwhile my feet were in absolute bits, I needed a pharmacy and I needed one fast because my wounds really needed tending to! I cursed those once comfy sandals with venom! Plasters and antiseptic wipes had me back on the road, it was actually grim but after living in China I knew that my makeshift antiseptic clean and cover up would suffice! Back to those side streets, I was not disappointed because those 'everyday life' looking Hutong moments had me living as the rain tried to make a comeback! I loved walking past those normal Hutong residences, they were super ordinary. By hook or crook I was determined to make the best out of that Beijing day out, I was doing the most! Hutong or bust!
The seclusion within those side Hutong residences felt like bliss, I had been stared at like I had blue skin when I was walking down that 'more popular' Hutong path. One child pointed at me and shouted '老外/Foreigner' with conviction, I knew deep down that the child didn't mean any harm by his words, he was just expressing what he saw! I stopped in my tracks to address the situation because I wanted to suggest another term of phrase that he could well use. I bent down to his eye level and suggested that saying the following question might sound less abrasive '你哪个国家吗/What Country Are You From? The child understood but his parents did appear to be a little embarrassed and for that fact I wasn't mad because it was a learning experience for us all. In my everyday life in Ningbo, people don't stare at me and neither do they make any point to tell me that I am a 'foreigner'. Beijing brought back that facet of 'capital living' back to me with a full-frontal nature applied. Keeping it moving, I headed towards my next destination. 我们走吧!
The local government had officially closed all scenic spots and main tourist attractions up until August 1st 2023, I consulted my go-to APP to switch things up from the outside in. '点评' recommended that I head to '东交民巷/Dong Jiao Min Alley' so I could capture a slice of French culture along that 3km long alley setting. I loved the fact that I had so far defied the inclement weather by doing the most, I loved capturing those 'Qing Dynasty' buildings just as much as the Chinese tourists also did, undeniably they loved finding a spot of 'Colonial' culture. 'St. Michael's Church' might have been closed from the outside but this didn't stop the droves of domestic tourists from taking their photos excitedly! Even though the architecture served a French vibe, I was very much there for the 'European' presence that stood before me. Forgive me because I wasn't paying attention to the names of the buildings along that alley. What would I see next? Sure, I went to great lengths to find that domed building, I even consulted the police! Oh, I did!
Known as Beijing's former 'Foreign Legion Quarter' I had done my reading, this part of Beijing had been fashioned by foreign 'forces' with over eleven former embassies present. During my time living in Beijing I never knew that this place existed, although I did bike past some seriously interesting looking streets, it was meant to be that 2023 would guide me there. Those APP photos had me focusing on one red domed western looking building, I just didn't know what its name was? After asking for directions from the nearest police station I was able to find '中国法院博物馆/China Court Museum'. The closures didn't bother me because I was simply judging the buildings upon their aesthetic charm, how vain of me? Yes! I felt pretty accomplished, taking those photos cemented that I didn't need Beijing's top landmarks on my list for me to experience a lot in one day! That alley had helped me regain some control over the weather, my original plans had to be binned but I loved these makeshift ones much more! OK?
After I had snapped my photos of 'Dong Jiao Ming Alley's' own 'China Court Museum', I unknowingly stumbled upon a 'European-looking' park. I loved walking through that park because it oozed something that I connected with, honestly. Beijing had really tried to try me, I proudly told the rain to 'do one' as I was able to walk without using my hotel umbrella. For me that park reminded me of Harbin's own 'Stalin Park' because that 'Heilongjiang' located green-space adopted the same 'through' walk and had the same benches placed in a similar style. Beijing knew deep down that I needed to find something new, I had trusted my APP to show me something that would work with the closures due to the weather. Yes, that park also reminded me of those Paris green parks, I remembered the small park situation that overlooked my hostel near the 'Seine River'. That unplanned injection of European culture had lifted my mood for certain! So, Beijing City had been placed on the 'naughty step' but those minutes had expired.
Previous to those 'French' discoveries, I had felt so tired, I had done the most and if truth be told I wasn't having a good time after I had exited at '崇文门/Chong Wen Men'. The one thing that picked me up and shook me out of my state was what a passerby said to me, he said on the lines of; 'foreigners, making our city beautiful everyday'. Like, I had to take that random sentence to heart in the best way because that had been the most positive card dealt to me, sure! Those 'down to earth' Hutong sections served up some seriously good snacks, sure they tasted delicious with kindness bestowed to me from the vendors who sold them to me. They appreciated my use of Chinese, I appreciated their hard work! That coffee shop lost my custom, my WeChat RMB would be spent elsewhere! All in all, the trials of the day had fared to become triumphs because I had turned one serious negative into several positive outcomes. Beijing knew to keep the rain away from my final day in the city, I had no time for more showers! Beijing, you kept it 100%!
Beijing Could Be The One...
Desperately Seeking Adventure
