Beijing X : Journey to the West

No worries, I haven't decided on a perilous trek through demons, deities and deserts to retrieve obscure Buddhist scriptures for the grateful masses. Certainly wouldn't risk such a trip without the wily Monkey God around.

And though Charming Calvin might be born in the year of the monkey, I doubt he'd have that many tricks up his sleeve :)

So that's actually heading west figuratively since I'm in the Chaoyang District. Journey west and I hit the city proper where I take a long, long march down to the Temple of Heaven. Ancient twisting cypresses, shaded park trails and the arresting monument known to all as an eternal symbol of Beijing. Reason enough that we had endless hordes of tourists eager to share in the appreciation of the park. Hardly any echoes to be heard in the Echo Wall with the throngs milling about obstructing the sound waves.

Noise didn't seem to be the problem in the rest of the park though. In the Long Corridor ( once used to ferry sacrificial offerings for religious ceremonies of the past ), locals sing, dance and gamble away to the amusement of the milling tourists. Taichi chuan, western opera and even chinese shuttlecock.

Even watched a particularly intriguing game of Chinese Chess where both masters stared each other down for ten minutes before making a move.


Don't they ever go home?
As the day turned to dusk and the light started fading, the Beijingers continued to participate in their recreation activities without fear of the petty crime usually associated with parks at night. Me, I'd be sprinting home - while keeping a suspicious eye out for muggers - to relative safety but it seems that such crimes are rare in the city itself.

A fact that puzzled me till I figured out the answer.

i) The pragmatic Chinese wouldn't be caught dead doing something as petty as street muggings. Why steal a handbag for a few bucks ( probably shaming family name and ancestors forever ) when you can rob a bank for a million?

ii) Inevitably captured by the all-seeing omnipotent Chinese police... after beating the perp to a pulp, the government would probably toss him in front of a firing squad - with the rest of his family members.