Category — Beijing - Pekin

In October of 2004, I closed my eyes and pointed somewhere on a map. My finger landed on Beijing and off I went. My first day in Beijing was spent wandering around in awe and wonder at all the many sites, sounds and smells of this sometimes overwhelming city. I was hungry and tired but had no idea of how to buy anything or of what it was I was looking at in the first place. That evening, a little frightened and with very sore feet, I met a charming Frenchman…

4 Years Later

I’ve heard rumours that things were changing in Beijing, but nothing could prepare me for what it is that I am seeing today. Entire sections of the Hutong in which we stayed in 2004 have disappeared. There is a new 4 lane road carving our district in two and the whole place looks like on giant construction site. Old shops and restaurants have gone, only to be replaced with “Disneyland” China. Prefabricated wooden doors and a facade of grey bricks from uniform concrete shells that seem to appear from one day to the next and the beggars have been relocated elsewhere. Streets once full of screeching bicycles have been replaced by silent electric scooters with battery-operated horns (though the sound of a hacking couch and the spitting persists).

Despite all of the “progression”, Beijing still fascinates and excites me. Life happens on the street here and gives new sense to the word communal. Men playing checkers, women preparing food and doing the laundry, a young man washing his hair and toddlers chasing each other with sticks laughing hysterically. The people, shy at first, stare at us in curiosity, the bold few yelling “Hello!” amongst peels of laughter - some going as far as to request a photo. The odd stern and unsmiling official offset by a generally kind and warm people.

After a unsuccessful shopping expedition to Beijing’s Pearl Market, we were happily surprised to discover where the Chinese escape to on a Saturday afternoon…



Tiantan Park - Beijing from Red February on Vimeo.

On a largement entendu parle dans la presse de la destruction des hutongs. ces quartiers anciens demolis pour faire place nette avant les jeux. Quand ils ne sont pas detruits, les chinois les “rehabilitent”. Partout autour de notre hotel, il y a des travaux. Jour et nuit, des ouvriers retapent les maisons et les boutiques. Je devrais plutot dire qu’ils les maquillent, car en verite ils collent des carreaux gris a l’apparence de brique sur les facades.

Ils construisent un decor. Vu le travail qu’il reste a accomplir on peut se demander s’ils seront prets dans les temps. Mais une chose est certaine, c’est fait a la va-vite et ca va se degrader rapidement. J’ai lu que plus de deux millions d’ouvriers sont arrives a Pekin pour preparer la ville pour les jeux. Partout on tape, on scie, on perce et on cimente. Les ouvriers vivent sur les chantiers. Ils possedent juste leurs vetements de travail et un casque de chantier en plastique qu’ils remplissent d’eau le soir pour se laver.

Ils oeuvrent pour que la ville fasse peau neuve. Les anciens guichets de vente des tickets de metro sont remplaces par des nouveaux , plus beaux, mais fabriques dans un contreplaque leger. Les jeux olympiques risque bien de ne montrer qu’une facade de la Chine.

We’ve finally found a connection fast enough to upload some of our photos onto our Flickr page!

Go here to view the Beijing set.

For those who don’t read French - I’ll recap what Pierrick wrote earlier… for those that do - go directly to part II

Part I

Everyday, Pierrick and I eat at a restaurant we discovered in a crowded hutong not far from our hostel. Frequented mostly my Chinese - it’s loud, often crowded, and the food is both delicious and cheap. The walls are lined with wonderful images of everyday life in the alleys and backstreets of Beijing shot by the very proud owner of the restaurant. Over the shouts of both the patrons and the wait staff, Beijing opera and various Chinese history documentaries are screened on repeat.

Our favourite waiter, always happy to see us, leads us up the rickety stairway to the low-roofed mezzanine and brings us “sterilised” plates and chopsticks shrink-wrapped in plastic and a large pile of serviettes (most likely in anticipation of the mess we always seem to make). Sometimes, when he isn’t run off his feet, he comes up to see us during the meal and shyly says “hello” and then hurries back down the stairs.

This morning, after many failed attempts at conversation, we thought it might be nice to have our photo taken together which we would later give to him as a way of saying thank you. The owner, dressed in his usual Nikon Professional vest, sees our camera and springs into action. He takes the photo for us and proceeds to examine the camera from all angles. Motioning for us to follow. He leads us out the back and up a perilous staircase into a small photo studio and darkroom complete with 3 colour enlargers, photographic chemicals, papers, pro lighting and 2 climate-controlled safes full of Leicas, Hasselblads and top of the line Canon gear.

After many ooh’s and ah’s, we offer our thanks and cross the road to the photo lab to have our picture for the waiter printed. Whilst waiting for the prints, the restauranteur enters the shop and we discover that he owns the photo lab as well! We are treated once more to a behind-the-scenes tour of the shop in which we understand a total of three words and utter the appropriate ooh’s and ah’s once more.

Part II

When we return to the restaurant for dinner, we find that our waiter is waiting for us armed with a phrasebook. He slowly pronounces the few phrases he has practiced: where are we from and that he is pleased to meet us. We give him the photo on which we have written our contact details. Overwhelmed with joy and clearly touched, he shows it to everyone within proximity and promptly runs out of the door. He returns 15 minutes later with two laminated self-portraits complete with vignettes of motorcars and guitars. Inscribed into the plastic of the photographs are his name and phone numbers and the phrases: “Glad to see you,” and “Good luck to you”. We too are overjoyed and touched…