A sunny day at the Summer Palace on the northwestern outskirts of the city (not far from Peking Univ). We came across a group sing-along ("Heart to Heart chorus") ... not just tourists here, many local people come to the park grounds, where the temperature is a bit cooler and the air is a bit less polluted, to hang out, have a little picnic, and sing. (That's why the Dowager Empress built it, to escape summer heat of Beijing center). In China there is mandatory retirement at 55 for men, 50 for women (five years older for university professors and a few others)--to make way for younger workers--so there are a lot people who are not working but still very active. Later we met a flautist who had a concession in the park's Suzhou Street area. We bought his CD--we think it's perfect for the lanai.
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| Suzhou Street (notice the blue sky!) |
We had Peking duck with my cousin and his family (he is my first cousin on my father's side, a retired heart surgeon at Xuanwu hospital in Beijing). We went to Quanjude（全聚德 烤鴨店), where roast duck is served in classic style, not like the nouveau roast duck which has less fat (seems like a bad idea, it's so lean anyway, and the little bit of fat on it seems absolutely essential). Dinner came with a certificate of duck authenticity including its number.. Then we went to his place for whiskey and DVD on his 60-inch screen... The next day we climbed the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Rode the cable car up, in a car memorialized as having carried Bill Clinton in 1998 (whatever). Sun was out, but very hot. I had been feeling guilty about not exercising but this was a real workout.
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| Everywhere in Beijing are traffic signs with cartoon-y police |
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| We love Peking Duck! |
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| MN & JGN on the wall |
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