Tao-n-Dan's Photos from China 2002 : Volume 2

(updated 2002-06-06 @ 03:00 Beijing time)

First in (hopefully) many installations...

This is BeiHai Park, home to "one of the world's oldest imperial gardens" (or so says my guidebook). These three photos are of

• Dan simulating the famous scene in Ghostbusters where the statue comes alive
• Dan and Tao looking like a very sun-and-humidity- (35C, 90%) drenched loving couple in front of the lake
• Dan in front of the famed Nine-dragon-screen, a beautiful work of art in which there are 9 dragons, each very different.

• KFC is one of the fastest growing US chains over here -- they are on many tourist-area street corners. I wonder how many mom-and-pop fried chicken places they are displacing...
• While inside visiting with Tao's friends, they played a cheesy English "Happy birthday to you" song over and over at least 40 times. It was almost unbearable after a while; perhaps it was an effort from the folks in the back of the store to get us to leave?
• There is a young unarmed guard in front of the store dressed in rather official garb. These guards are typically 16-20 years old (some look like they're just past puberty) and they are everywhere. The strange thing is how prevalent they are even in places where there isn't really anything to protect (e.g., money or lots of foot traffic), like at the entrance to a parking structure, for example.
• The gentleman (and Tao) squatting -- just a way to relax without standing. My ankle tendons are nowhere as flexible enough to do this comfortably, but virtually everyone here has no problem with it. You often see many people squatting at bus stops, for example.

What would a scrapbook of China be without a snapshot of some of the food and delicacies we've been treated to? Here is lovely Tao with straw in hand and a smile on her face as she sucks the juice and soft marrow out of a Pig's foot. Yum!