Things you do when you're two again

Ceiling in the Ancient Architecture Museum  

We're almost halfway through the first month of the new year, and three months since the most recent bidding cycle ended, and, you guessed it, I still haven't a clue as to where we're headed next, even though we're just seven months or so out from leaving Beijing 北京. And that's enough whining on the subject for this blog post. Hopefully there will be something to report the next time I opt to upload (though breathing will not be paused). 

So it's been almost two weeks since our daughter returned to school in the drizzly state of Oregon, and the house feels empty again. But the missus and I have been finding ways to keep ourselves occupied in the time since, which is what this post will concern itself with. 

New Year's Eve (the day Amber flew back to the States) was quiet...for us. Shu-E went to bed early soon after we returned from the airport, so I contented myself with watching the fireworks display at Taipei 101 on YouTube:

Following the pyrotechnics I considered going outside to see if there was anything going on at the nearby SOLANA shopping mall. But considering it was both cold and quiet outside (no fireworks or sounds of blaring car horns etc.), I decided to remain warm indoors. It wasn't until a few days later that I learned the mall had been packed with people despite the fact nothing was going on there - no countdown, no fireworks extravaganza, just traffic jams on the surrounding roads lasting up to two hours in duration. I've come to regret not taking advantage of our close proximity by heading outside to have a look for myself, especially after my wife shared this image from Chinese social media:

The first craft beer of the New Year was this Lucky You "Japanese Style Rice Lager", courtesy of the good people of San Diego's Belching Beaver: 

What happens to the cat when the wife is bored:

Inspired, Shu-E started getting ideas from videos she found on WeChat. Fortunately for Timi none of these have come to fruition...yet:

The view from a pedestrian bridge crossing the East 3rd Ring North Side Road 东三环北路辅路 on a late Saturday afternoon when I had run out of things at home to keep me occupied and decided to go for a stroll:

Continuing my walk I passed by this statue next to the pedestrian path running alongside the Liangma River 亮马河. Behind the artwork stands the five-star Hotel Kunlun 昆仑饭店:

I'm not sure what is located on top of the hotel as I couldn't find a floor guide in the lobby to indicate what is up there. The abode of a mad industrialist plotting to take over the world?:

What I did see in the interior was an expensive looking Japanese restaurant called "Dongxu" 東煦, which hadn't yet opened for dinner. Either that, or it was permanently closed, though everything on the inside and out still looked pristine: 

Further along the river stood another five-star hotel. In the lobby of the Bulgari Hotel was a photography exhibit called "Hundred Bites for the World" that beckoned me as I passed by. It turned out I had misunderstood - not of the world, not for, which explained why almost all the photos were of Chinese cuisines and locations and not a gastronomic tour of the planet: 

I had to take this photo of a photographer taking a picture: 

I really wanted to know what was going on here but the caption was only in Mandarin, and Google Translate was of little help in conveying the action:

According to Google Maps there are at least 9 five-star hotels within walking distance of our duplex. We stayed in one (the Westin) on our first visit to Beijing in late 2013. It was, in fact, the first time for me to stay in such a luxurious accommodation, though it was mostly at government expense as I was doing consultations at the embassy while posted at the consulate in Shanghai 上海 at the time (my first tour upon joining the Foreign Service). 

All this five-star luxury might suggest the Chinese economy is doing well - my wife sometimes complains we're poor in comparison to the glitz surrounding us (hotels, restaurants, shopping etc.). She doesn't seem to realize the vast majority of Chinese don't enjoy such a lifestyle. Most Beijingers live in dreary utilitarian concrete apartment blocks, while if you leave China's urban areas you'll come across sometimes shocking scenes of developing country-type poverty. The superficial prosperity of the area where we've been housed (Chaoyang 朝阳) also isn't trickling down for many Chinese young people, as this recent article points out. 

Timi warily eyes the neighbor's cat who appears to be making herself at home. Another local feline came in earlier but turned around and left when our Siamese came downstairs to investigate: 

Lunch at a malatang 麻辣烫 restaurant. I much prefer this style to hot pot dining as there's no having to poke around the communal pot looking for something edible. In malatang establishments you only eat those ingredients you choose beforehand: 

After lunch the two us went to check out the Lunar New Year market currently being held at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center 全国农业展览馆, just a short walk from the malatang restaurant. Last year we went to a similar market that was staged outside the Beijing Worker's Stadium. That one was relatively new on the scene - the market at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in contrast is now in its 29th year.

 

Back in December 2023 I rode my bike to the site to visit a museum on the history of Chinese agriculture. At that time there were very few people inside the 1950's Soviet-style building with its Socialist Realist statuary in the parking lot:

This time the parking lot was full to the brim and the first exhibition hall we entered was packed to the gills.

As expected there were lots of pushing and shoving - some say manners disappeared as a result of the Cultural Revolution 文化大革命 in the 1960's, though I think it has largely been like this throughout Chinese history, the result of having too many people chasing after too few resources. Actually, though, things do seem more civil these days, at least in the capital: 

Though food was the main draw, there was also a lot of clothing for sale:

But the food vendors were clearly the stars of the show:

Shu-E emerges from the scrum with a free gift bag of a snack made of sesame and Chinese yams: 

Freebies aside our only purchase was of Vietnamese cat poop coffee. According to Google's AI overview:

""Vietnamese cat poop coffee" refers to a type of coffee called "Kopi Luwak" which is made from coffee beans that have been eaten and partially digested by the Asian palm civet, an animal sometimes mistakenly called a "cat" due to its appearance, and then collected from its droppings; in Vietnam, this coffee is often called "weasel coffee" as well."

This is China so I'm not sure of the coffee's authenticity but the sweetened version tasted pretty good so I ended up purchasing a box of 20 packets. It was only RMB 25 ($3.40) so what the hell:

Hours later at home. 猫屎咖啡, the literal translation of which is "cat poop coffee": 

This stall claimed to be purveying Taipei-style stinky tofu 臭豆腐. Though the dish is a favorite of the wife's she didn't buy any at the market because she had doubts about its taste:

We soon moved into the second, more massive airplane hangar-like building with even more people making their way through the many aisles:

We needn't have had lunch earlier because of all the sampling opportunities. Our taste buds received a full range of flavors:

This vendor was pulling long strands of Chinese yams out of a machine:

The market was a vegan/vegetarian nightmare, and so a definite plus if deciding whether or not to visit:

The several booths selling Russian products were an indication of warm relations between China and Russia. The chocolate looked enticing but I don't feel right buying Russian products while its forces still occupy parts of Ukraine. On this day I only saw four other obvious foreigners, and two of them were working stalls: 

Lunar New Year decorations for sale. The holiday falls at the end of January this year:

Mass producing art on the spot:

Back home and drinking a Löwen beer, a Chinese brew. The drink I imbibed was called Black Lion Rose-red 黑狮玫瑰红, and closely resembled a Belgian-style lambic beer:

Sora-Iro Cola ソライロコーラ with "Setouchi Salty Taste". There isn't much online about the drink other than this short blurb as well as this video.  It was purchased based on a colleague's recommendation at an international foods grocery store near the embassy. The promised "Setouchi Salty Taste" wasn't that salty but was actually refreshing, though better suited for a warmer spring or summer day, and not when the wind chill factor was -3°C/27°F and the wind was stinging my face:

Thursday the 9th of January was a national day of mourning for the 39th president, Jimmy Carter. I'm old enough to remember clearly how his administration started with a great deal of optimism after the Gerald Ford years (which saw the conclusion of Watergate, the pardon of Richard Nixon and the fall of Saigon). Despite the success of the Camp David accords, a sense of malaise eventually set in due to the state of the economy, and the Iran hostage crisis (including the disastrous failure of the rescue attempt) and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan condemned Carter to being a single-term president. As my dad once observed, Carter was a decent man, but too decent to have been an effective president. He's still held in high regard in China for being the U.S. leader who recognized the People's Republic of China (at the expense of the Republic of China dictatorship on Taiwan), alongside Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. If there is a hell then at least two of these three are currently being tormented in eternal agony. 

The day was a federal holiday so at Shu-E's suggestion we visited the Ancient Architecture Museum 中国古代建筑博物馆 located in Xiannong Temple (Temple of Agriculture) 先农坛, where the emperors would visit to offer sacrifices to deities during the Ming 明朝 and Qing 清朝 dynasties: 

After parking our car but before entering the museum grounds we had lunch at a Xinjiang restaurant:

Once relatively little-visited among the sights of Beijing despite being close to the famous Temple of Heaven, the museum is now popular for...fridge magnets. More on that later. 

My wife stands in front of the entrance:

Inside was a display of dwellings going back to the beginning of Chinese civilization on up to the Qin 秦朝 and Han 汉朝 dynasties and eventually to the Ming/Qing times. 

The rear hall, the Taisuidian 太岁殿 (Hall of Jupiter), is a  magnificent building. Inside were displays on building construction methods used over the centuries in China: 

The highlight here serves as the model for the aforementioned popular fridge magnet - the Ming dynasty umbrella-shaped caisson in the ceiling attracts the crowds and their cell phones:

At its center is a horoscope map: 

A quartet of gods holds up the structure, one in each corner:

The displays included these roof tiles, with yellow reserved as the color of the emperors: 

A replica of a corner joist:

This matchstick model of a temple building under construction showed the complexity of its inner structure:

A diorama covering much of the floor. The white circle showed the location of the temple in relation to the Forbidden City at the top:

Three women in Qing clothing were involved in a professional photo shoot while we were there:

Modeling ourselves:

Some of the side buildings also had exhibits such as this replica of a residential entranceway:

Buildings in Yunnan appear surprisingly similar to those seen in Thailand:

Impressive structures built into the sides of hills:

In the Temple of Agriculture the emperor would offer animal sacrifices. Afterward his exalted highness would plough the first furrow of the year then sit back and watch the rest of the ceremonies from a viewing platform:

The altar where animals were sacrificed: 

On the way home from the museum. In China one is always being watched:

Approaching the central business district on our way back:

The refrigerator magnet Shu-E had to work hard to reserve online (supplies are limited on a daily basis) was very heavy: 

Fridge magnets are quite the rage these days for some odd reason - this one on our refrigerator comes from an arts and crafts museum my wife and daughter visited last month:

We had dinner with friends that evening at Baoyuan Dumplings Restaurant 宝源交子屋. The shop's colorful meat dumplings (vegetarian options only come in plain white) are popular with foreigners though Shu-E grumbles about the price 外国人 are willing to pay:

Lunch delivered from a local Taiwanese restaurant called Dapaiwang 大排王. The wife proclaimed the paigu 排骨 and luroufan 卤肉饭 to be authentically Taiwanese in taste. High praise indeed: 

This past Saturday Shu-E suggested going to an art museum, which turned out to be the Phoenix International Media Center, a Möbius strip of a building I've passed by many times on my bike. This would be the first time to go inside, where an exhibition called Bernar Venet: Beyond Concept and Matter was being held to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and the PRC. I admittedly wasn't familiar with French conceptual artist Bernar Venet, but was interested in seeing what he has created; the wife doesn't care for modern art but wanted to see building, and besides tickets were comparatively cheap compared to other exhibits that have been staged there: 

Scrap (1961). Cardboard covered in industrial paint:

As with the tubes above I'll let the explanations do the explaining here:

Many of the artist's works have been influenced by math and science - we were sure Amber would've liked to have come as she is majoring in chemistry, and taking courses this quarter such as vector calculus:

One interesting exhibit was 1968's Relativity's Track, a performance of three physicists giving three different lectures simultaneously. Unfortunately there was only a single still photo to look at and the recording to listen to so I didn't take any photos or make a recording myself. 

Stock Market TV Piece (1969) more blogger friendly - the 12:30 daily broadcast of the New York Stock Exchange was here paired with visuals from Chinese TV financial reporting, thereby allowing the exhibit to continue on through to the present:

The first half of the retrospective was in the basement. Once finished there we took an escalator up to the inner courtyard. Random Combination of Indeterminate Lines (1990) was one of several corten steel sculptures in the exhibition:

Heading up to the second floor: 

Position of Three Indeterminate Lines (1983):

Shu-E taking a photo of the late afternoon sun in a hallway lined with works under the collective heading of Reliefs:

The shot in question:

A room off to the side was devoted to Phoenix Television, a Hong Kong-based TV station that built the media center. Inside was an animated version of what my wife believes to be a Song dynasty 宋朝 period scroll, similar to something we saw years ago on display in Taichung 台中:

Also inside was the taping of a show that in English was described as a "host hunt", perhaps a talent show looking for future TV announcers - on the other side of the scroll we could look into a room and see contestants doing "reports" in front of a green screen:

The two of us would head up the ramp later:

Some of the artist's more recent works include Pearl Oval Diptych with "Bew" (2013)…:

…and Round Saturation with "(x²-2)" (2021), both done in acrylic on canvas:  

A video of Venet setting up and then knocking down beams. I recorded only the most exciting part: 

Me and my bro Bernar: 

Interior lighting started to come on as evening approached (the museum was open until 1900 hours):

Seen through the glass while walking up the aforementioned ramp. The exhibit description referred to a large steel sculpture donated by the artist to the museum. Could it be this?:

The view from the upper levels of the ramp. I'm not sure what the ominous looking black building is but at night its upper floors were almost completely dark with lights on in only a couple of windows, suggesting low occupancy:

The final section had two works created on the spot by the artist last year:

Performance with steel arc and acrylic paint (2024):

Venet's handprint:

A room at the back dedicated to the building itself: 

Darkness had descended following a coffee break so it was time to go home: 

Shu-E has still not converted to modern art but did express a wish to venture out and see some more interesting buildings (of which Beijing has many). 

The cat exhausted after a long day of doing fuck all. Whatever he did in a past life must have been good to deserve this life of comfort. Though he is missing his masculinity, so...:

A photo from Corvallis, Oregon shared via WeChat by Amber, whom we speak to at least once a week:

Yesterdays lunch for me was "Rice with Hokkaido Meat Sauce":

The Workers' Cultural Palace 劳动人民文化宫 was originally the Imperial Ancestral Temple, built in 1420 to serve as a venue for national rites performed during Ming and Ching dynasties. Mao Zedong 毛泽东 in 1950 had it converted to a public recreation spot and renamed it the Workers' Cultural Palace.

We entered the grounds from the rear, with the first building being the Ancestral Shrine 祧庙. Erected in 1491 it houses sacrificial tablets of imperial ancestors but isn't open to visitors:

The rear of the Resting Hall 寝殿 (1420) also houses sacrificial tablets of imperial ancestors and likewise is not open to the public:

Notice the pair of young women wearing period costumes. One of them augmented her wardrobe with a most traditional Hello Kitty handbag:

Approaching the Sacrificial Hall 太庙, the most magnificent of the three halls in the palace:

 

The rear door of the Sacrificial Hall: 

The English description of the Sacrificial Hall:

There was a separate charge to enter the hall, RMB 10 ($1.40) with no age discount for me, unlike the general admission fee to the palace grounds, which was an outrageous RMB 2 (30¢) for Shu-E! The extra charge to go inside was worth it (not that it was expensive to begin with!) as the interior was as magnificent as any imperial building in Beijing, including those in the Forbidden City located almost next door (and explaining all the security checkpoints we had to go through between the metro station and the palace): 

 

A replica of a traditional musical instrument:

A replica of a Hui 麾, a distinctive banner of an army commander:

Shu-E faces the front of the Sacrificial Hall:

The Halberd Gate 戟门 (1420):

After finishing up at the palace the two of us rode the metro to Guomao Station 国贸站 to take a break at the Beersmith Gastropub. The wife ordered a Nitro Oatmeal Stout (4.8% ABV)…:

…while your humble scribe opted for a South German Weiss (5% ABV). Shu-E didn't care much for her libation so we ended up switching drinks after the first couple of sips: 

Like I did last month we went to the 6th floor observation balcony of the China World shopping mall to have a gander at the CCTV Headquarters building 中央电视台总部大楼 across the way:

The wife's burst of recent activity since we had Amber with us last month has been much welcomed on my part, though I had to persuade her to have those beers before going home. As we will be leaving China eventually (and never to return, though I said the same thing when we departed Shanghai in 2015), I'd like to see as much of Beijing and elsewhere as possible as time winds down. Next weekend will be a three-day break due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so we'll be going to Qingdao 青岛 (aka Tsingtao). 

Be sure to check these pages next week! Until then...