Saturday, September 11, 2010

Lakeside tango

Glorious weather, so out we go to explore Beijing’s nooks and crannies – today Bei Hai Park, near the Forbidden City. It’s centred around a lake and an island, both artificial but very scenic. On the island is the White Dagoba, a Tibetan style stupa which was built to honour the visit of the fifth Dalai Lama in 1651, and the famous Fangshan Restaurant which serves court cuisine. Elsewhere, elderly couples practise their ballroom dancing in the dappled shade of trees and nearby we try our luck at calligraphy on the pavements with large water brushes. Liz does a pretty good 明 (“bright”) and the girls do 三 (“three”). A bit of boating on the lake rounds off a very pleasant morning.

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