New Year's Eve

I can't imagine I'll get much sleep tonight because all around it sounds like a war is going on. You could invade China on New Year's Eve and I'm sure no one would notice until it was all over. There are huge explosions like artillery rounds going off and 5 or 6 metre long strips of small fireworks that sound like machineguns. People just roll them out on the footpath and light one end. Every so often there is a whistle as some airborne device flies overhead. I went for a walk and watched some people letting their fireworks off. The women huddled in anticipation while one of the men sauntered over and lit it with his cigarette. When it all started, one of the women, in her early twenties I suppose but it's so hard to judge, clapped her hands together and started jumping up and down in excitement. Cynical and obviously far too jaded, I looked at her and thought, grow up woman, it's fireworks. OK, way better than any I've ever had in New Zealand, but just fireworks nontheless. Then I thought, "Listen to yourself. Who's having the better time here, me or her?" She was getting an enormous amount of pleasure from this display, and when a guy with his young (maybe 8 year old) son came along, she engaged with him straight away, even though I'm sure they didn't know each other. I laughed to myself and carried on watching the display.

In Hong Kong and other places in the south, big New Year parades happen, with dragons and stuff, but here in Beijing, it seems more of a massively overscale Guy Fawkes Day, as they were when I was a kid, when every family bought a bag of fireworks and set them off in the yard or somewhere. Like that only on a much larger scale and with way cooler fireworks.

Other than that, New Year in China is about family, so families go out to dinner at a restaurant for a big meal. I thought I can look like a sad bastard sitting in a restaurant eating alone surrounded by big family groups having a great time, or I can go to McDonalds and sit there amongst a bunch of other solitary types. So I did that. I knew the food would be crap and it didn't disappoint on that score. It did in terms of being even worse than I expected though. It's only maybe the second time I've ever sat down and eaten McDonalds. The other time was when Yashmin and I went to Wellington zoo. That could have been before we were even married; it was when Mirla was at Library School there, so 1987? The burger was bland and synthetic looking, feeling and tasting, the chips, sorry - fries - were cold and the drink was flat and too sweet. Why did I bother? Well you may ask, but it eludes me how a chain that sells such an overpriced and tasteless excuse for food could ever make it outside the USA. Surely marketing isn't that all-powerful? And yes, I am going to eat something else later . . .

I was in no hurry to go out this morning but mooched about until about midday. I then headed out to finish what I had started yesterday, going to look at the drum and bell towers. I'm half expecting to learn that there's some Chinese band somewhere playing drum and bell, claiming it to be a Chinese fusion of traditional instruments and contemporary drum and bass. Maybe there is someone already. The Chinese rock, pop and punk music scenes seem to be thriving - in Beijing at least. Anyway, you get a great panoramic view of the city from the bell tower, which used to be used to anounce the opening and closing of the gates amongst other things, and the drum tower includes a display of replica and original equipment, including a reconstruction of the lost water clock that used to be used for official time keeping, and a whole array of drums, since only one original has survived. They were worth looking at but I'm surprised to admit it; I think I'm a bit Minged out. I'm looking forward to Xi'an, where the stuff is more varied, not just the buried army (Qin, c. 3rd Century BC) but also T'ang and other period stuff. I'm not complaining about Beijing though, I've really enjoyed getting to see a bit of it, and I'll enjoy the next three days too I'm sure, especially as the forecast seems to suggest a bit of heat wave for the city - it's going to be six degrees, and only zero overnight. It was zero today when I left the apartment about midday and scheduled to reach three. I went out without my warm hat and was quite OK. Amelia was worred that I might die over here in the cold; I'm more worried that I might die of heat stroke when I get back, or worse still, decide I like the cold!!! It was suddeny really cold up in the bell tower though. About 30m up and the wind chill must have put it well into the negatives again.

I meandered back along the path recommended on the card, through a series of Hutongs, and ended up at an area where gentrification is seriously taking place. The "Hutong" was full of VISA signs outside trendy bars, and there were loads of tourists lurking around. I know I'm a tourist, but the last thing I'd want to do is go and find a bar full of Western people to hang out with on my trip to China. I know, I could have gone to McDonalds in Christchurch and eaten crap served to me by a young Asian worker too, but I don't make a habit of that. The area was pretty heavily populated with rickshaw operators too. When one started hounding me, I said no thank you, I was quite happy to walk. He quickly turned over his laminated sheet to show me the rates for a walking tour. Aaarrgghhh. I had to explain that I was quite happy walking by myself.

It was about 5 o'clock when I finally got inside, so stilll a reasonable outing.

I've thought of a last possible plan to maybe get in touch with the Beijing students Robyn and I taught a few years back, so I'll be putting that into effect tomorrow. I'm not going to hold my breath though.