Beijing

October 11-14, 2015


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Summer Palace (cont.)





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Singing

Out by the lake, under the awning, there was a group of about 16 elderly people singing. There was a leader, who selected the songs and offered encouragement and/or instruction to the others. Everyone was over 50, some looked to be in their 80's. I wondered what songs these were, why they were singing them here, and why there were no young people with them.

Although the words were beyond me, I joined in the melody. It reminded me of the Lakota Sioux Inipi sweat lodge where, like here, I could only imagine what the song represented through its melodic wanderings.

Listen to a sample here.





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Strapping Willow

Notorious for falling limbs, this willow was strapped, in hopes of keeping the rapidly growing branches from breaking away. I wonder what straps will keep China together as regions grow heavy with success, longing for their own roots.





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Unknown Tree

Smooth, red, paper-layered bark, not unlike a cherry or birch. There were many trees I had never seen before, evidence that globalization had not yet bleached the world of diversity.





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Water Ink

With a large brush and a handle that allowed the calligrapher to stand, he drew pictures and text on the sidewalk using water as ink, and then they were gone.





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Demanding Attention

I asked why the buck had his head turned away from us. "He is looking at the Empress as she comes out the door," I was told. It is just a matter of perspective.

Walking through the ancient palaces, I remind myself to spend time thinking of the people who built these places, not just the people for whom they were built.




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