Home » China » China 1998 - Part Three: Xian & Beijing

I love steamed buns and was always on the lookout for vendors that looked hygienic. The place I found in Xian looked great and they had four different kinds, each with a different filling.

China 1998 - Part Three: Xian & Beijing

Dougburnett
2003-11-22 16:39:38

Displayed times (last time: )

the morning.

Monday, April 20, 1998

I planned to spend the day picking up some gifts, so I headed over to large shopping area to the south of Tiananmen Square - an area called Qianmen. From there I headed west looking for a street I had read contained a lot of antique shops. What I found was a grubby little lane where a lot of construction was going on. Among the piles of sand and building debris were small shops selling all sorts of stuff - intricately carved walnut shells, bamboo cricket cages, old glasses and watches. Some were new, some old and some of questionable age. I wandered from shop to shop until I had satisfied my gift needs and then headed back to the hotel where I took the rest of the day off.

To tell the truth, I was tired of Beijing: it's way too big to walk and the taxis always got snarled in traffic making getting anywhere a task. Also I had come down with a hacking cough which put me in a foul mood. Everyone around me seemed to be hacking and spitting too.

Spitting - yes, something has to be said about the spitting. One of my most enduring images is of someone coming out of a shop loudly clearing their throat. Then they spit a great pearly glob on the sidewalk and stroll nonchalantly back into the shop. It happened all the time: it was a sight I never got used to.

Tuesday, April 21, 1998

I was planning to take a local bus out to Badaling to visit the Great Wall. I found the bus south of Tiananmen Square just like the guidebook said. I boarded and sat waiting as the bus filled up. After all the seats were taken, they started putting people in little jump seats in the isle. Now I am mildly claustrophobic - I hate crowded places - so this did not sit well with me. Then the guy next to me started blowing his nose. When I looked over I noticed he was using just his hand - I didn't have the stomach to look ...