The Autumn In Beijing

It is getting cooler and cooler these days, and we are welcoming a few days of rain again. The heat in the hot summer is being driven away by the cool air, and I realize the autumn is waving to us. The autumn in Beijing is like a graceful lady fondling a hot-tempered boy, the scorching and muggy summer.  Now the boy is calming down and falling asleep.  He is saving energy for the next summer.
 
The autumn in Beijing is nice and cool. If you go to the suburbs, you will breathe the pure and fresh air, and see the mountains covered with leaves of motley colors: red, yellow, brown, and dark green. The sky is so high that your eye cannot reach, feather-like clouds float elegantly above your head, a road snakes far into the mountains.
 
An overnight stay in a farmer’s couryard would be a lot of fun. Sitting in a chair in the yard, bathed in the moonlight, you feel so relaxed and contented.  Far away from the bustles and dins of the city, it is your own paradise. The whole family sit together, chatting and playing cards.  My son likes it most because he can stay up late and do what he likes in the yard.
 
Autumn is also a season of fruit.  Many fruit are in season now: grapes, pears, peaches, plums, apricots… I like grapes very much. Now, you can have various kinds of grapes in Beijing, even the ones from Xinjiang.  The juicy fruit always whet my appetite.

Of course, Beijing is a good place for sightseeing. But, have you been to the Summer Palace at dusk? It is more beautiful than in the day. Most of the tourists have left and the park becomes quiet. The trees are lustred by the setting sun, and the lotus flowers are whispering on the water.  The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is right ahead and you can vaguely see the carved stone lions.       I also remember our visit to a small forest park nearby our home last year. It is called Baiwangshan and also a good place to enjoy red leaves in Beijing if you cannot make a trip to Xiang Shan ( It is always crowded at that time). It was late autumn and the leaves had turned red completely. We were amazed at the red everywhere when we climbed up to the top.       Autumn is the best season in Beijing.  Everything is so nice at this time. Maybe you may pay a visit here, from now till mid October. And I strongly recommend you to go to the suburbs, which are much better than the city.

Nanking, Nanking!

Yesterday evening, I went to see the movie, Nanking. So many movies or documentares I’ve seen, I was shocked again at the bloody scenes. Waht a crime those damned Japanese militaries had committed during those darkest days! And how I admire those fearless foreigners that had saved so many Chinese civilians in the storms of bombs and bullets! Let’s keep their names in our memory forever: John H.D. Rabe George Fitch John Magee Lewis Smythe Bob Wilson Minnie Vautrin Mills McCallum Miner Searle Bates ……….

Do remember:

More than 300,000 innocent Chinese civilians or soldiers were massacred during those days;
 
August 15th, 1945 was the day when Japanese surrendered.  Japan admitted its defeat!

The Killer Game

We played Killer Game at our English Pub at noon. Honestly speaking, I am still a greenhand for this game ( It was my second time, though..).  But I found it quite interesting!
 
Twelve buddies sat around a table and each was assigned with a card. ( Accroding to the rules, A for judge,  K for  killer, J for policeman, and the remaining for civilians.)  We had a judge, two killers, two policemen and seven civilians.
 
A: It’s getting dark.  Please close your eyes.
( So we did.)

A: Killers, please open your eyes.
(The killers opened their eyes, killed one person and then closed their eyes.)

A: The policemen, please open your eyes.
( Then they did, pointed out the killers they suspected and closed their eyes.)
………

A: It’s morning now. Everybody, please open your eyes.
(Everyone followed the instructions.)
 
A: XXX, you are killed by the killers.

Then came a hot debate. The killed person gave his/her last words and told us the suspected ones.  All were trying to point out who were the killers and presented their reasons.  The suspected ones did their best to defend themselves by giving a lot of facts and reasons and tried to clear the doubts in others’s minds. Some even quarreled with each other . What a mess!Haahaa.  Finally, everybody voted and the one who got the most votes died.  However, the killers won the first game because they masked themselves so well. Sometimes it was so confusing that you couldn’t tell who was the killers and you didn’t know when you would be killed, maybe the next round…
 
We only had one hour for the game and we did it twice.  Unfortunately the killers won.
 
BTW, I was a civilian and could do nothing but wait to be killed by the killer..:)

Trip To Beidaihe: Lianfengshan Park

It was around half past four when we left the beach. After putting everything in order again at the hotel, we went to Lianfengshan Park by taxi. The park was only 15 minutes’ ride from the hotel and the road was almost clear (This reminded me of the ever-jammed roads in Beijing), so we arrived there fairly quickly.
 
The took its name after the mountains in it. Actually the park was built on the mountains. We bought the tickets and entered the park. It was almost the closing time of the park and the setting sun was flaunting its last flamboyance above the horizon not far away. A winding path led us up into the dark-green exuberance of trees. The path was well-paved with flagstones carved with beautiful patterns, and was stretching far into the mountains covered with various unknown trees. As we were going deeper into the woods, the path became bumpy and steep,some part of which only consisted of stairs of huge boulders. And it went up and down with the mountains. Along the path were thick grass dotted with old trees, and from time to time you could also see beautiful flowers in the grass. The sun was casting its shining golden rays on the trees, some penetrating the thick leaves and spreading on the thick grass or ground. Gradually the gold lustre began to fade away and we realized that the evening was coming.

There was a steel tower on the top of a mountain, we climbed up and had a birdview of the city. Matchboxes of buildings were built along the coast, beyond which was the immense sea. Misty fog was drifting like a thin veil among the nearby mountains. On the tower, I was delighted to find a small tower that echoed with this one on another mountaintop. What a view!
 
Almost one and a half hour past before we reached the exit. The path was always going up and down, some part was so narrow that we had to be very careful when passing it. As we were going forward, a small creek was accompanying us, the gurgling water was singing happily. When the darkness finally reigned the park, we could only hear its murmurs. Then the beautiful lanterns along the path were lit up. They were swaying among the trees just like lovely fireflies.

We went out of the exit and took a taxi back to the hotel. The quiet streets in the day suddenly became a bustling market. The small restaurants by the roadside were full of people, and delicious seafood was served. We suddenly felt very hungry, so we came to one of them and enjoyed a nice feast of seafood.

What an exciting and relaxing day!

A Family Trip To Beidaihe

It is really a pity I just cannot spare too much time writing something on my vacation trip to Beidaihe these days. The entry suspended several time and I’ve decided to finish it today. I will share some of the pictures I took with you later.
 
The three-day stay in the city is an exciting experience for me. More importantly, it was one of the few trips the whole family have had together. I failed to join some of the trips during the past several years one reason or another. I felt exhilarated just thinking of this.
 
We took an express train to Beidaihe in the early morning. Since it was still one day ahead of the weekend (Thursday), there weren’t too many people on the train. Around noon, we arrived at the Beidaihe Railway Station. After going out of the station, we headed for our hotel by taxi. The air was neat and cool, and we had left the extreme heat in Beijing behind.

The hotel we stayed was a three star and we had a brief lunch at the canteen. After lunch, Frank, my son, got so excited that he wanted to see the beach immediately although this was not the first time he saw the seaside. So we put on our swimsuits and walked to the beach. The nearest beach from our hotel was no more than 10 minutes’ walking distance, and we didn’t forget to rent two life bouys—none of us could swim well. The sun was shining above, and the trees spreading their shades along the streets, beautiful flowers were clustering and blooming. We could see people in swimsuits, either walking in groups or in twos or threes.  Sandals on their feet and towels and life bouys across their shoulder, they were strolling to the same place.

Here we were at the beach! There were stunning number of people there and we could barely manage a place. There must be several thousand people there, white or colorful sunshades were strewn along the sandy beach like bright dots. Some people were lying prostrate on the sand to get the sunburn, and some were playing with the sand. There were more people in the water. Some were swimming with their bouys, while others were wading in the shallow water. Something funny was a man swimming in the deep water and dragging a small plastic boat behind. A small dog was crouching in it, trembling with fright. Curious people would swim near the boat and said hello to the poor little dog.
 
Wearing the life buoys, Frank and I walked into the water. The sunshine had made the water warm and it was very comfortable wading in it. The wind was blowing, the waves rushing to the shore. Sometimes you could barely keep your legs when they came, but when we swam further, we found them losing their mighty power. We were like some small boats poppling in the roaring sea.
 
Something funny was that my wife lost her glasses when she was trying to swim in the sea. She was so frightened at the waves that she could not keep her balance in the water. And she couldn’t recollect when the glasses were gone. She spent the left time there in mistiness because she was near-sighted like me.

We stayed at the beach for about two hours and left there reluctantly later.  What a day! And something else was waiting for us. I will tell you about it next time.

Something in the waste book

We went to a Sichuan Restaurant nearby at noon to celebrate the birthdays of some colleagues who were born during June and July. It was a chain restaurant famous for its original Sichuan cuisine( It is called YUXIN, 渝信，and you can try it when you come to Beijing). It has been a rule for years that the buddies who were born in the month have to invite others to dinner. It is fun indeed.
 
Asked for annual leave for two days. Tomorrow, my family will be in Beidaihe for a long weekend. The funny part is that it is my first time there though I’ve been in Beijing, a place so close to it for years. Anyway, hope we’ll have fun there.
 
We’ll go to the beach there. Though I’ve been to some of the best beaches in the world, I’m still curious about it.  Just leave it to my imagination now and it will come clear when I’m there.

A Letter To Feather

First, I’d like to thank you for your visit to my place these days. I was delighted when you told me you had read through most of the entries in my blog. An English blog attracts fewer visitors due to some difficulties in understanding what I am writing here, and that was why I told you “my sofa is so easy to get..” Heehee. I agree to what you said, I write
in English not to arrest more eyes, but to go on with my old habbit formed many years ago. But, in any case, I always appreciate your support. I am impressed by your English, particularly when I learned that you were a senior high school student that had just taken the national entrance exam in June. As a high school student, your English is fairly good: fluent, with very few mistakes in it. I do think you are qualified as an English major, and you will finally make it!

You also mentioned in your comments that you did not do very well in the exam and might not be enrolled by your ideal college. Sure, you are feeling frustrated. As far as I am concerned, however, college entrance exam is important, but it is not everything. Even if you fail to enter your ideal one, you can still learn what you like in another college. Keeping this in your mind, you will feel relieved and relaxed. You may come acrosss some transitory harships in your life,but it is not the Doomsday, not the end of the world. Just think this way: It took you 10 days to cover 1000 miles, now you need to spend a few more days reaching the destination. It’s just a matter of a bit more time and you can still achieve your goals. It isn’t a big deal, is it? Remember, all roads lead to Rome, right? If I can’t reach my destination through a shortcut, I still have other ways to take. Leave the stuff to yourself and I believe you can manage it well.
 
 
guess you also love English and writing in English, too.  I began to write English diaries in senior high school and went on with it for years. Sometimes I would find them out and read. I couldn’t help smiling when reading those “naive” pieces, some even full of mistakes. I know clearly it is they that have been supporting and pushing me forward through the years. Last June, I applied for this blog and resumed writing after so many years of suspension. I think it a good way of sharpening my writing skills while recording something happening in my life. Maybe you can also start doing so. It will surely do much good to your English learning.
 
After two days of rain, we will have some muggy days again. The sweltering weather is beginning to show its teeth now. Nevertheless, to enjoy the coolness we have to endure the heat first. To see the most beautiful rainbow we have to undergo thunderstorms. Life is always beautiful.
 
 
BTW, I recommend you a movie, Pursuit of Happiness, by Will Smith. I am sure you will like it. And you will learn something from it, too.

The Storm And The Hot Day

The highest temperature today will be 37 celsius degrees, close to the record high..as the forecast says. Jesus… We have to suffer from several days’ hot weather again.
 
Yesterday evening, a thunderstorm with hails swept down the city .  It lasted only about a quarter but with uncontrollable violence. The strong winds blasted across our neighbourhood and the rain began to pour down.  Just in a few minutes, some streams were seen flowing on the ground.  Something was tapping the window. We saw hails falling down in the rain!
Soon, the ground was peppered with thousands of tiny prills that melted away when they reached the ground. The trees were being shaken violently from side to side by the wind, and I was worrying whether they could stand the powerful force of the wind.
 
The storm stopped as quickly as it came.  About 15 minutes later, it was gone and everything became quiet outside.  The clouds were still hanging overhead, but the wind had stopped. We walked outside to feel the cool air.  The leaves were scattered on the ground, as a result of the storm.  The streams disappeared, the ground was wet, patches of water could be seen here and there.  Inhaling the cool air, you could taste its freshness.

Yet the coolness will soon be driven away by the heat today.  What a pity! From the heaven, then to the hell..My goodness..

A Game Relay: My Answers to Some Questions

This Friday, my friend Anne asked me to answer some questions she raised in her blog, as is part of the game. I received similar requests before but I didn’t accept them coz I found some of them were either privacy-probing or too meaningless to answer.  Partly also due to my laziness. This time, there are only 5 questions, which is not beyond my patience.  Now, here come the answers:
 
1.  Will you still love her if you cannot be together due to one reason or another?
 
Answer:  The love will stay, but in another form.
 
2. What were you thinking about and doing before you were reaching thirty?
 
Answer: I was struggling my way out in a state-owned company and thinking about doing sth to get closer to my dream, though I am still struggling for it.
3. How will you spend it if tomorrow is the doomsday?
Answer: I will do nothing about it as I already know my fate.
 
4. Which will you choose, ones that have blood ties with you or your lover?
 
Answer: The former.
 
5.What kind of rainy day do you like?
 
Answer: I like walking in a drizzle that slowly wets my hair, but doesn’t s make me soaked through.
 
And, let the game stop here, not being a burden of others.

Smoky Days!

The weather in Beijing is so terrible that I really can’t bear it any longer. Humid and sultry, I keep sweating when I go outside the door ( I’m not that fat yet!).  The sky is filled with grey clouds but not a single drop of rain falls from the sky. The clouds seem to be descending slowly from the sky and driving you out of breath.
 
The air smells more peculiar in the evening. And it is foggy. The weather is generally fine in this season in Beijing, but it seems different this year.
 
Several days ago, I read a newspaper and learned the reason. Some peasants in the nearby Hebei Province burnt the stalks and the smoke was so heavy that it floated to Beijing. This reminds me a similar news several years ago. The peasants in Shuangliu county, Chengdu,the capital of Sichuan province, burnt the stalks after harvest and the heavy smoke had caused the airport nearby to be closed for several days: The airplanes simply couldn’t find their routes to land and take off!

We all know the environmental problems are deterioating in China, and we still we have a long way to go in educating our people to pay more attention to it. However, a hungry man’s first need is to fill up his stomach, so we have to develop our economy and make our people rich. An old Chinese saying goes like this,” People behave well when they are well off.” You can’t count on a hungry man to pay attention to the environmental factors. Only at that time, can we help them build up their awareness of environmental protection. And I do hope it will not be too faraway from us.