The Early Morning Park Scene



Zen Ballet

Tradition prevails



The 92 year old practitioner

The herbal team

A new friend in old Beijing.

Two guys from Peking.

Back in Philadelphia after the long march.
( Sixteen hours with United Airlines)

Just a few thousnad images to sort.

The big event yesterday was the visit to the Silk Market,
a supermarket,department store and shopping mall in
one six story square city block building. Each transaction
requires extended bargaining so it takes a very long time
to shop. Fun but exhausting...they are professionals.

Today I revisited the big scene at the Square. You
have to be there to understand it.

Tonight we say goodbye to all of our new friends from
Peking University at a banquet.

Tomorrow we begin the treck across the planet.

Yesterday was ART day. We gave our individual presentations
at the art school. This was followed by presentations by the
Chinese students.

In the evening we went to the 789 art center which consists of
a huge number of studios and galleries.

At lunch we were joined by one of the contemporary artists. In
the art scene everyone knows everyone since they all come from
the same school and were students and/or teachers.

At dinner two professors joined us. One was American from Penn
and one was Chinese.

Yesterday was Temple day. We visited two of the major temples
Lama and Tanzhe. They are beautifully maintained. Each had
large crowds of visitors and worshippers.

Today was a personal photography day. I went to a popular park
at 8 AM. There were Tai Chi areas, dancing, rope jumping, games
and card playing. One of the most popular games is a version of
racketball but you don't hit the ball. You catch the ball on a special
paddle and throw it. I bought a set. They also played badmitten
without a net.
I went to the Oriental Mall. It is several King of Prussia's size with stores
equal to 5th Avenue and Rodeo Drive combined. I also went to the largest
medical book store I have ever seen with texts in Chinese, English, Russian,
French and German.

This evening we are having a lecture at the art school and will be
presenting our work.

Yesterday was the Forbidden City. The size.the crowds
the place................! Much of the site is look only. In 1992
you could wander into the buildings and see the stuff
close-up.

Last night we attended the Chinese Acrobats. An old
fashioned show but great fun.

We have made the big move from Beida to Downtown thru
LA level traffic. The hotel is grand and just accross from
Tiananmen Square.

We visited the Hutongs (Old Town) this afternoon.

The Great Wall (Simatai)...a really great wall. Perfect
day clear and cold. The climb was daunting for those
who attempted it.

The final dinner at Beida was Pizza at an American
owned place. Just like home_almost.

Tommorow the move is to downtown in the
Tiananmen Square area.

Marco Polo Bridge (Wednesday) is still an extraordinary structure.
No internet 24 hrs.
The Peking Man. Still interesting after 500,000 years.
Lunch today was the Hot Pot experience. Much like the Korean.

Visited what must be the worlds largest photographic equipment
emporium. There were at least 50 Nikon dealers

Olympic site....what else is there to say. We saw it all on TV
but we did not get the size or ambience. The Birdsnest is
bigger than a football or baseball stadium by a large margin.
The public spaces are filled with shops selling food to jewelery.

The city is fututistic New York or LA crisscrossed with
highways in a constant state of gridlock.

The Summer Palace. Just as beautiful as the last visit in 1992.
The Marble Boat was not open to visitors but just as unbelievable.

Afternoon was spent at a medical clinic with the accupuncturist
and the herbal medicine group. My guide was a Beida law student
Elina who is from southern China.

The Great Wall and the Ming Tombs (some).
This was the clearest day in a very long time
affording an extraordinary opportunity for
photographs. The climbs were daunting.

Resident in Beijing at Beida.
The campus is awesome.
Trecking starts today.