I've spent the past 24 hours saying farewell to Beijing and China as a
whole. Last night, fitting the occasion of mid-autumn moon festival, I
watched a red, full moon rising over Tianamen Square. A saturated
image, to be sure, but I find myself somehow reluctant to wring it for
metaphorical content. Perhaps because I just want to hold these last
impressions of this place, complex and uninterpreted, in the hopes
that they'll last a little longer. An impossible wish, but there you
have it.
Sampling moon cakes on this special night was memorable, but did not
feel especially Chinese, shared as it was with a couple of dozen
Western tourists. Of course, I am not surprised that my experience of
the occasion was one of being outside looking in; that is inevitable
to some extent. Much as the performance Daniel and I took in on
Tuesday morning: a celebration for mid-autumn moon festival involving
music, theater and dance at the Beijing Folk Museum, which we
literally watched from the wings, and whose twists and nuances we did
not follow (but enjoyed nonetheless).
Today, my last day in Beijing, I biked through thick (and thickening)
smog up to the Olympic Park that will be getting so much attention 10
months from now. As with many cities that host the Olympics, most of
Beijing's facilities are brand new. In this case, the elegant, modern
"Bird's Nest" stadium is surrounded by a formidable construction
wasteland, including some of the largest hotel complexes I have ever
seen that are being constructed adjacent to the Olympic park.
I have two brief stops remaining in Beijing before starting my rather
convoluted journey home tonight, which involves a night train to
Shanghai (12 hours), a lay-over there (8 hours), a flight to Chicago
(13 hours), a lay-over there (7 hours), a flight to Minneapolis (1
hour) and the cab ride home.
I anticipate getting home late Thursday (Minneapolis time; mid-day
Friday in China) exhausted, happy to be home, already nostalgic for my
time here, and changed by the remarkable people I have met in this
amazing place.
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