A final post from Beijing

Good morning (well, at least it should be morning for you when you read this)!

We've learned over the last few days that Kiyomi is definitely a morning person. She's in her best mood of the day throughout the morning, and will often wake with a great big smile on her face. Evenings, however, she can be a little cranky, especially if she hasn't gotten a proper afternoon nap. She also has no compulsion to temper her annoyance if you try to put her down when she has decided it's not bed time! The cute "umbas" of the first couple days are a distant memory, overshadowed by the more constant wail when she decides she is not happy with the situation. Luckily, those type of episodes are not regular occurences and sometimes all it takes is a hand off because she's decided she's had enough of you, and wants the other. Two weeks and this child already has us trained!

Our last day in Beijing was certainly interesting. As promied, we went on a rickshaw tour of a hutong. "Hutong" - a Mongolian work for "water well" - refers to a district of alleyways which form the older parts of Beijing. The name is derived from the fact that the hutongs were designed around a well at the end of every alleyway. In many ways these alleyways are exactly like your basic city street, lined with shops, restautant, bars and homes. There used to be many such districts in Beijing, but over the years they have been bulldozed to make room for high rises. The few ramaining are now apparently protected from destruction (although the other day, we did see what suspiciously looked like a hutong that was being bulldozed with a few stubborn residents still living in lonely standing homes surrounded by rubble).

While rickshaws are fairly commong sights in Beijing, the army of rickshaws that operate in the hutong district was more than a little surprising. Ours was also not the only hutong tour underway, as we passed a number of other groups clinging to their own rather precarious carriages. The drivers weave through the alleys expertly, peddlaling a bike carrying two bodies, plus baggage with a single gear. At times, they even race each other - our driver seemed to prefer being at the front, and there was some excitement when he pulled out to pass along narrow little alleyways - well peopled with residents going about their daily business. Once again, we were a bit of a spectacle with the babies in tow. We were also magnets for people selling trinkets and tokens such as stamps, Mao books, fans, etc. In one case, a woman road her bike along the various carriages looking to sell fans or purses.

The tour made two stops - the first at Opium Alley, a rather famous street from the late 19th century and a visit to one of the homes. Opium Alley, according to Marui, was made famous by the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, the woman responsible for picking the last two Emperors of China. It was indeed, as the name suggests, a street lined with opium dens frequented by the Empress. Today, it is mainly small tourist shops, a number of which interestingly, sell mainly Tibetan paraphenalia. There are also small street vendors which line the street in front of the stores.
There was a fair bit of excitement at one point when we stumbled on an argument between two of the vendors, who were yelling at each other in Tibetan!
The 2nd stop was to the home of the Qing family - an older couple whose sons have grown and who open their home to these tours. Their house is effectively a courtyard surrounded by 3 rooms. There was a feng shui reason for the placement of the rooms, with the parents being on the south side, the son to the east and the daughters to the west (I think). Mrs Qing told us that her husband's family were part of the royal family, and that their home had been taken away during the communist revolution and only returned to the family in the 1980s.


All in all, daily life goes on in a hutong in the same way it does anywhere else in Beijing. I was reminded of being in downtown Ottawa, wandering around at lunch time, and passing a bunch of tourists, realizing that you are part of their tourist experience.

For our last night in Beijing, the entire group went out for a traditional Peiking duck dinner - although it would seem that duck was only a small part of the menu. The food just seemed to keep coming - dish after dish. I should note that while there are some dishes that are similar to the dishes we are familiar with from Chinese restaurants back home, the scope of Chinese cuisine is far greater than anything we'd ever see in Canada. And even those dishes that are familar to us - such as sweet and sour pork - are world's apart in smell, texture and taste. Not sure what the difference is, but the food is way better over here.

After dinner, we tried for a group picture of the babies. Wow, what an experience that was. Let me start by showing you the parents' picture:




Now, let me show you the picture of the babies:


Yup, every single one of the girls in this photo are wailing to beat the banshees. It was really impossible to tell which one had the loudest wail (although, Kiyomi does seem to have the most pained expression on her face). Despite the chaos, and the tears, I couldn't help kill myself laughing.

While I'm eager to be home, there is also a certain sadness in leaving China. I feel like I've only just been introduced, and there is so much to learn about her history, customs and people. I'm also a little sad to be taking Kiyomi away from her birthplace. No matter where she goes in life, this place will always be a part of who she is and what she will become. As such, it will always be a special place for our family.

The parting shots tonight (and there are a few as I feel it's warranted) are a farewell to this country, and her people, who make up her most precious spirit. A final good night from Beijing.