Ok, so 2 things.

I know this was a huge gap from day 2.. I got some minor food poisoning and did nothing worth noting for a few days. Mainly being a potato.

Also I’m now posting this about 2 months late. I’ve just been too caught up between moving across the country and playing PUBG, sorry guys. Now, onto the really important stuff.

This is where Beijing is.

A lot of people come to Beijing to go to the tourist attractions like the great wall or go shopping in the giant shopping centers around the city. But what really makes Beijing unique are these Hutongs (alleys) and old heritage sites leftover from the various dynasties that came before us.

I took a trip down to Nan Luo Gu Xiang (南锣鼓巷), which is a very touristy alley as is. It’s stuffed full with shops, cafes, bars and lots of people. I only came here because I wanted to check to see if the Takoyaki shop I visited previously (~5 years ag0) was still around, so I told Roger I’d meet him here.

Unfortunately that shop is nowhere to be found, but I did get some interesting shots. The Chinese hipster community (read: Cafes) seems to have this notion that Leon the Professional is the most revolutionary movie produced in the last century, and almost every film-related cafe or shops will have posters and decorations based on it.

I don’t blame them, that movie was fantastic.

Moving on from there, we went to Houhai, which is a lake right behind the Forbidden Palace. This is also a very popular touristy spot, but I was hoping to get into some of the Hutongs nearby that are less crowded.

This is the best yogurt on this Earth, I’m not biased, you’re biased.

From the shots of people on the street to the cinematic post processing of the guy getting a haircut. This alley I found just off the course of the main area is exactly what I was looking for. It’s so hard to capture what Beijing is sometimes because of how big it is. However, to express exactly what embodies the Beijing spirit, it’s to take a walk in one of these alleys, and you’ll find that underneath all the noise of industrialization, there remains some elements of the traditional humbleness that the modern society had already forgotten.

Street vendors, small entryways, short transactions, insignificant greetings.

There’s something so refreshing about seeing the traditional Chinese architecture hiding away from all the noise, and for me, it’s what the picture definition of “home” is.

Of course we’d have to go to a westernized craft brewery next, can’t have that much wholesomeness in a day right?

Jing-A was the name of the place, and I had one of their coffee stouts. Absolutely fantastic pint of beer if it weren’t for the price (~13 CAD). The flavors were rich but light, and you can distinctly taste the coffee. It also packs quite a punch at 6% alcohol, so drinkers beware!

In the end I just have a couple more shots of what I see on my way home in Beijing, which is a lot of weird stuff.

 

Next post is going to jump forward in time too. LOL.

-Tao