Coalman on his round along the hutongs of Beijing. Click image for more photographs of Beijing. Two tricycles approach each other along the valley, neither giving way. One carries a mound of flattened cardboard, the other a cartload of coal. At the last minute the recycler rings her bell and swerves just in time to … Continue reading The Home Show
Chirps from China
A dowager’s secret
Heralding Spring Pavilion As I walk through the gardens of the Summer Palace, 12 kilometres northwest of Beijing, skeletal trees bend towards the pavilion jutting into Kunming Lake. The sun catches the gold-fringed branches swaying in tune with the reeds below, with all the delicacy of a Chinese brush painting. This is my first view … Continue reading A dowager’s secret
High Times – early morning tai chi in Jingshan Park
A group photograph in Tiananmen square. Click on image to see other photographs of Beijing. Dodging swarms of bicycles and breathing in the traffic-polluted air of Beijing is not my idea of a good time. But this is how to best take in the sights of China's capital. I visit Tiananmen Square, where groups … Continue reading High Times – early morning tai chi in Jingshan Park
Eithne Nightingale 