china
mao winces at all the colours

i didn't spend as much time in china as i wish i had. beijing on day one proved to be what all cities tend to be on day one -- oppressive. later, by about day five, it became what all cities tend to become on day five -- enigmatic.

never having thought of china as a place with a lot of space, it's surprising to find beijing, where roads are wide, divided into motor and bicycle lanes by meridians of grass and trees. everything is organized, and flows smoothly along grids. not that the city is particularly modern, but the grid system was in place even in the ancient hutong alley-districts.

things here are not as industrially bleak as the great chairman might have wished (or somehow wishes still) -- though the air's bad, the city is bright, full of good cheap food. the red flags do fly, but all the old 'forbidden' imperial monuments have become very public places. not just boiled-clean 'heritage ministry' tourist relays, but places where actual beijingers go to hang out, fly kites, and make-out on benches. ohh!!!

photos below are from here and north through the gobi desert and nei mongol.