The People’s Daily (of all places) recently put up a story on the Top Ten Most Beautiful Churches in China. Interestingly they are all Catholic Churches. I was most surprised to find a Catholic Church in Tibet listed because I wasn’t aware that there were any churches in Tibet (Catholic or Protestant). I decided to […]
A Few Wedding Photos
Two of my dear friends got married today. I met her when she was a university freshman back in 2001. After she graduated, she started working in a travel agency about the same time as he did. Now they own their own travel business. They were married at the Beijing Gangwashi Christian Church, where they […]
Temple of Heaven
Last week I hosted some visitors from the USA for 8 days. One of them is a semi-professional photographer, so one of the added benefits of being their tour guide was learning some photography tips, both in shooting and editing (something I didn’t know anything about before). On a single day last week we climbed […]
Don’t Sleep in the Shade
Last week the staff of the organization that I work with decamped for a couple of days for a “qiu-you” (fall trip) to Qing Long Gorge, a gorgeous reservoir/tourist area just north of Beijing. One of the great things about this place is that there a few un-restored sections of the Great Wall. It makes […]
King of Masks
On Tuesday afternoon I went with a friend to the Changdian Temple Fair. Temple fairs are a traditional feature of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Now, rather than have them in the temples (which are far too small), certain city streets are blocked off for the first five days of the new year, and are […]
Cabbage
Last weekend I spent some time exploring the old neighborhoods of Beijing. These neighborhoods are called “hutong” neighborhoods. Hutong is a Mongolian that is leftover from the time when the Mongols ruled China. Today it has come to refer to the alleys and lanes that make up the old city of Beijing. I like taking […]
