The whole world in a park

Last weekend, I visited Beijing World Park (北京世界公园 Běijīng shìjiè gōngyuán). 

Not since my students introduced me to Baigoogledu (a dual search engine simultaneously displaying the results from Baidu and Google; and more importantly sounding like a funky cockerel) had I felt so excited about a new and unknown China experience.

The park boasts replicas of famous landmarks and buildings from around the world. “What better way could you spend your weekend?” I hear you ask…I may need some more time to answer this question.

From the moment Liz and I arrived outside the park, an eager lady wielding a camera greeted us. “Hello! Photo!” she beamed, as she purposefully placed us together and individually for a number of shots. Then she disappeared while we bought our entry tickets. As soon as we made our way to the gate, we noticed the lady sprinting back in our direction. She was on a mission. Once she caught her breath, she hastily and proudly revealed two small photo keyrings. After our wonderful tacky souvenir from the Watermelon Museum, Liz and I knew we had unwittingly already gained our memento for our latest adventure.

Stepping into the park, I was more than happy to see that the usual drove of people appeared to be occupied elsewhere. The park was (by Beijing standards) very peaceful!

Eat your heart out, Phileas Fogg! Eighty days to travel the world?! Pah! I managed it in an afternoon. Following a brief stop in Moscow, I was stunned and distracted by a rather humorous sign. English errors are a common occurrence here; however this one is certainly a favourite of mine.

It seems that some of the landmarks are more impressive and preserved better than others. Of course, the replica of The Great Wall was quite striking.  
Travelling through Europe and the Americas, we passed by the pyramids in Egypt and finally took a welcome break in Africa. I sat down on an elephant while contemplating where to go next.

The White House!

The journey then took us on a trek through Asia and down to Australasia. 

Taj Mahal

Angkor Wat

It was only when we got closer to the exit that we realised we had not been to Rome and Italy. Thankfully we rectified this blunder. It may be a cliché, but this photo with the leaning tower of Pisa was a necessity.

Had to be done!

It was definitely an enjoyable day and each replica came with a short description of the landmark and location. I was happy to see a famous landmark from Hanoi and made sure to have my photograph taken next to the One Pillar Pagoda.

Leaving the park, Liz and I waved by to the camera lady who was still loitering and hoping for further victims. We walked towards the subway station and grabbed a couple of roasted sweet potatoes from a street vendor. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon! It was made even better when we managed to get seats on the long subway journey home! Score!

Om nom nom!

YES! Seat on the subway!

Tacky souvenir? YES!

Cuối tuần qua, tôi đã đi Công viên thế giới Bắc Kinh. Hay quá nhỉ! Tôi có thể đến thăm những cảnh đẹp nổi tiếng trên toàn thế giới, ở một công viên! Bạn có nhận nơi này không? =))

Shortumn and Kimcheese

I have always liked Autumn. So it is unfortunate that Beijing has long hot summers and cold dry winters, with a very brief Spring and Autumn. Autumn in Beijing, or “Shortumn” as I have now decided to call it, offers comfortable temperatures in which I don’t end up a hot sweaty mess or a cold shivering wreck.

Luckily, this year, Shortumn seems to be lasting a while longer which is a welcome surprise because the central heating in Beijing will not get turned on until November 15^th. When the air quality was good, I managed to take some photographs of the leaves changing colours. Beijing’s many parks are a beautiful place to be at this time of the year. With APEC preparations underway, people in Beijing can hopefully expect a short but happy period of clear blue skies.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a craving for kimchi (fermented cabbage dish), which I had not enjoyed since visiting South Korea during the summer holiday. So I was overjoyed to see that my local supermarket sells a kind of kimchi. I decided to pair it with something else I had been craving…cheese on toast! I feel that I may have created something quite wonderful here. I have dubbed this culinary masterpiece kimcheese on toast. Not one to brag, but the spicy and sour kimchi formed a happy partnership with the cooling properties of the melted cheese. There will be another story in a similar vein to this exciting development in a short while, but for now please view my delectable dish…

More recently, I visited Glasses City in Panjiayuan. I felt it was time to update my specs. There were so many glasses to look at, including some suspicious brands that could be referred to as “Calvin Clones”. Some shopkeepers were a little too pushy and there wasn’t much English spoken; however, if you take your glasses prescription or a pair of your own glasses, they will provide you with the correct lenses. I am now a proud owner of a new pair of glasses! Woohoo!

Later that day, some friends and I went to Palms LA Kitchen and Bar which is situated in Zhangwang Hutong. This restaurant specialises in…Mexican and Korean fusion food! Yes, my kimchi craving would be satisfied once more. The food was so tasty that I was unable to take any photographs because I was too busy eating. Perhaps it was a subconscious decision so that I will have to return in order to get evidence of the experience! The kimchi quesadillas were possibly even better than kimcheese on toast. My kimchi senses are tingling and telling me that a return visit is on the cards soon.

Công việc của tôi gần đây hoàn toàn rất khó...

Vào giờ này tháng sau, tôi đang đi du lịch ở Seoul để chúc mừng sinh nhật thứ 30 của bạn tôi.. Tôi thích các món ăn Hàn Quốc ☺Tôi yêu mùa thu!

Air a grievance and an art attack

I have been back in Beijing a month. The summer holiday already seems like a distant memory. It is good to get into the routine of work, but it has been rather hectic in preparation for the new school year.

I have no regrets about my decision to move to Beijing. I could begin writing an endless list of reasons why I enjoy my life here and why I would love to continue living in the capital of China. However, there is currently one reason why I know I will not continue living in Beijing long-term and that reason often eclipses all the positive features of this gargantuan city full of culture, history and adventures. That reason is air pollution.

The CCTV Tower through a veil of smog.

When I was in Britain, I took breathing fresh air for granted. I now have an application on my mobile phone which tells me the quality of the air outside. If the air pollution levels are too high on the weekend, it will usually result in cancelling my plans and staying indoors. I have also purchased an air purifier, which cleans the air in my apartment.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution can seriously affect our health due to the small, harmful particles floating around. The smaller particles are most harmful as they can penetrate the lungs when breathed in. After moving to Beijing, I soon developed the habit of checking pm2.5 levels. This is particle matter measuring 2.5 microns in diameter. The pm2.5 levels are monitored and can be viewed online. WHO suggests that people should not be exposed to pm2.5 levels greater than 25 micrograms per cubic metre in a 24-hour period. This is extremely rare in Beijing.

When the pm2.5 levels are less than 100, the air appears “clean” and we would have what appears to be a “clear” day. Last weekend, we had pm2.5 levels of over 200. The air appeared “foggy” although on these days, you can taste and smell the pollution. This is not just weather. It is pollution.

I can still recall the winter in 2013, when Beijing made international news for pm2.5 levels of greater than 800. Not only does the pollution cause health problems, it really affects people’s moods and attitudes.

Schools in the United Kingdom often have indoor play time when the weather is too bad for children to play outside. This seldom occurs here in Beijing, however we frequently have indoor play time due to the pollution. Sadly, for the students here, many of them are now accustomed to this lifestyle.

On the weekend, Liz and I conducted some research to find a place in Beijing which could shelter us from the poisonous particles outside while keeping the ‘pollution blues’ and boredom at bay.

We ended up going to the Today Art Museum （今日美术馆）which is a non-profit, contemporary art museum. I am not an art enthusiast, but whenever I visit museums such as this, I enjoy and appreciate the modern art. The lady at the reception was incredibly friendly, enthusiastic about her job, plus we got a discount for being teachers.

There are three buildings belonging to the museum and the exhibits are regularly changed and updated so there will always be something new to see. I would definitely recommend this museum to anybody looking for an activity when the air pollution is bad.

Afterwards, we headed to Sanlitun and feasted on sweet and sour prawns, lemon chicken and pan fried dumplings. It was the perfect remedy to a grotty weekend.

The Government has made plans to lower the pollution levels here in Beijing. However, on heavily polluted days, I can’t help but dream about my next place of residence and those days are far too frequent for me to wait for promises of improved air quality to reach fruition. For now, I will try to relish my time in this ancient metropolis, as I want to make sure I have enjoyable experiences before I leave.

Gần đây ở Bắc Kinh, không khí bị ô nhiễm nặng. Tôi đã mua một cái máy lọc không khí. Tôi nghĩ chất lượng không khí đối với tôi là quan trọng nhất. Bây giờ, không khí trong lành là một điều xa xỉ với tôi. Cuối tuần qua, tôi đã đi thăm một bảo tàng nghệ thuật hiện đại.

Back in Beijing

Firstly, I wanted to celebrate. I spent the summer holiday writing this blog on my mobile phone. Now that I am back in China, I can graduate to my laptop. Hurrah!

I do have another reason to celebrate. It is about two years since I first arrived here in Beijing. It feels good to return to “normality”. If a noisy, heavily polluted yet interesting and exciting city can be described as normal. For me, it is coming back to what I know and it is therefore normal for me now.

What has changed in these two years? I have gained a lot of experiences which have taught me how to deal with many professional, social and cultural situations. I can now communicate adequately (to a certain degree) with Chinese locals, although often get to the point of a conversation where I can’t understand or say exactly how I feel and therefore feel frustrated with myself. Continuing my Mandarin lessons will hopefully build on my skills.

I also like to think I have become more Beijing-wise. I now know when someone is trying to overcharge me with “foreigner tax”. I am still nowhere near amazing at navigating around this huge city, but the feeling of disorientation and being lost occurs much less now. If I ever do find myself in a strange place, I can now ask for directions to the underground or explain where I would like to be to taxi drivers. This definitely makes life more comfortable (and less stressful) when compared with two years ago.

Mother nature can sometimes be a cruel mistress. Beijing is usually a super dry city. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times it rained in my first year residing in Beijing. But on my first full-day back in Beijing, there is indeed a shower of acidic rain merrily dancing through the sky and dampening the streets below. Another perk of living here for two years is knowing that if is does rain (or more often the case – if the pollution levels are too high) and you don’t want to leave the house, you can order in food very easily.

Fast food chains do deliver to your home here in Beijing. However, I prefer to use companies like Sherpa’s Food Delivery Service. You log on to their website, choose a restaurant in the city, select what meal you would like and then the delivery man will hop on a scooter, go to the restaurant, collect your order and bring it straight to your door. The delivery costs depend on the distance to your place.

Tipping is unheard of in Beijing, but this is a service I have really valued since living here, so I regularly tip the deliverymen - especially on a smoggy day. To celebrate my Beijing two-year anniversary, I ordered bacon and chicken fusilli (NOT easy to find good bacon here), a zucchini carrot cake and a peach, banana, passionfruit, oat, honey and yoghurt smoothie. Happy Two Years, Bejing, here’s to having a great new year together!

Tôi sống ở Bắc Kinh được hai năm rồi. Tôi thích cuộc sống ở Bắc Kinh, nhưng không khí ô nhiễm đến nỗi không thể thở được. Sự khác biệt trong ngôn ngữ và văn hóa xuất hiện như sự thử thách thật sự. Văn hóa Trung Quốc vừa độc đáo vừa hấp dẫn.
Tôi không biết tại sao nhưng tôi luôn nghĩ nền văn hóa của các nơi khác thú vị hơn nền văn hóa của nước tôi.