Beijing Impressions, Day 6

Today I took it pretty easy, relatively speaking. Headed over to the Temple of Heaven, one of four that surrounds the city (Heaven, Earth, Sun, and Moon).

It was filled to the brim with people... well, doing things. Singing. Dancing. Tennis. Badminton. Judo. Tai chi. Poker. Dominos. Even hacky-sack - and in China, it's apparently a sport for the elderly. The place was also incredibly loud, and every twenty paces you'd walk into some new sound zone. Still, it was pretty cool, and made me feel like I was actually meeting the people, rather than just their tourist traps.

Have I mentioned water calligraphy? It's this cool thing I've seen a few times now; these guys move down the pavement, writing what I assume to be poetry with a sponge on a stick. It evaporates after a few minutes, of course, but still. It reminds me of the Buddhists, who create incredibly elaborate mandalas out of sand - then destroy them when they're done.

As for the temple itself, you'll have to see the pictures. Uniquely for China, they were all circular - apparently the circle represents heaven, and the square earth. Some of them were also suspiciously minimalist, and put me in a Zelda frame of mind. Maybe if I play the flute, it'll create a teleporter or summon a boss...

Went to lunch at Bookworm, which was a combination of bookstore, restaurant, cafe, and bar - except all together, not in sections. I thought it was pretty neat, and it's apparently a gathering place for local, English-speaking expats. Spotted a BBC reporter huddled in a corner with some sound editing equipment, probably preparing a report.

Got a massage in the afternoon, and I have to say, this part of the world deserves its reputation for doing them well. And no, there were no happy endings, you pervs.

Although: There was a sign on the wall which said: "Due to the new regulation before the 2008 Olympic Games, all guests must wear underwear, please." That raises a number of questions, but I'll leave them to your imagination.

More to come...