Walk on Beijing 2006

• by 2006 Walk to Beijing

I remember my first trip to China.

Began the distant 2006, about China, I had a standard set of myths - communism, Wall, cheap goods, and, for some reason, barbecues with skewers of dogs, which I imagined must be on every corner.

Immediately the dogs - I knew in that trip: dogs do not eat there. And in one of the following recognized that still eat, but in rare restaurants, to which not every tourist and dogulyaet. But, back to the trip ...

And so, I was in Beijing in February 2006, knowing absolutely nothing about either country or of the city, so all the impressions and perceptions were "pure", not tainted in advance someone else's opinion or advice. It was a unique Beijing, Beijing pre-Olympic: the city lived in anticipation of the holiday, all the people were taught English, the streets were clean, the taxi drivers are polite, courteous dealers; and all this against the background of almost complete absence of tourists.

It started with the journey of the new Beijing airport terminal architecture of Norman Foster. But nothing about Norman Foster, nor about the fact that this airport will occupy the first place in my personal ranking of airports, I had not guessed.

First impressions of the hotel began. Views are amazing and pressed his thoroughness.

The next strongest impression was the bicycle - but not funny strolling cyclists Amsterdam style, and very kolortinye traders and workers, for whom the bicycle is not just a means of transportation, but also a basis for all of their activities, and some local meaning of life.

Wide allocated velopolosy along major highways.

Everywhere huge veloparkovki. Something rust and gradually grows into the asphalt, but on what is already going to work. I never understood how owners find their bikes in such chaos.

Bored bicycle rickshaws. Events took place two and a half before the Olympics, so the city has not been spoiled by tourists, and lived his life closed not a tourist.

The first impression of number three: the police, or rather the people's armed police - they are everywhere. For example, can be built on an area of strolling among schoolchildren

may stand at the entrance to the private lane

A can watch the bench in the yard

And, of course, help to catch a taxi and explain to the taxi driver where you want to go

Taxi - a separate big topic. It was obscenely cheap, and there were a lot of cars - all new and clean. But after the Olympics, all taxi drivers seemed to have changed: in 2009, and to catch the car, and go on the counter - has become a problem.

Own Beijing winter charm - lack of tourists

Even in places of worship such as the Forbidden City, was deserted, and the few groups of tourists - and those were not the Europeans and the Chinese province. Full immersion in the atmosphere.

The famous Tiananmen Square - very boring, windswept space. And after a lap of honor on the perimeter of the area that lasted for a good hour, the only entertainment there were questions to our guide, the Chinese about the events of the 89th year, in response to which he poltikorrektno cleared his throat and said, "Indeed, there were small problems"

There was a standard kultprogramma like performances of masters of kung fu

On the second day of the trip, I masterfully mastered chopsticks

A very beautiful tree branches

In the summer of leafy twigs is not visible, and lost some share of drama older areas of Beijing

What a beauty. almost Carvalho

All of someone's life in a single frame

But back to the new areas. In terms of modern architecture, and if Beijing can than a surprise, it is clearly not the grace of forms, but rather the scale and massive buildings

Even the skyscrapers look heavily and hard

Although, 8 years ago, I was dizzy from such species

Meanwhile, in Beijing fell fell for the first winter snow

And this coincided with the Chinese New Year celebration

Certainly impressions from that trip would not be complete without shopping. But against the backdrop of the city life, culture and modern, but a completely different world, stores do not even moved on the second and on the third or fourth plan. And the only thing for them to remember - the number of sellers, much higher than the number of buyers.