No threat of rain but it is hot. The air is humid-hazy but the sun beats down. I did not count, but I'm sure everyone in Beijing is in Tienimen Square and The Forbidden City today. Actually, maybe more than that due to the hundreds of tour buses that have brought visitors from out of town. Umbrellas of all colors and shapes shade the harsh sun. For a short while we take refuge from the heat in The Great Hall of the People which is monumental, overscale, and time-frozen in the 1960's.
In the park later everyone is busy - playing cards, ballroom dancing, playing music, even an older gentlemen reciting what sounded like Chinese rap. But the highpoint is a group of 50 or so singing patriotic songs with much enthusiasm and nostalgic tenderness. Mao would be proud, but this is not his China anymore.
Going back, we pay about two dollars for a 25 minute taxi ride but much of the time is spent standing still. Our hotel is a traditional courtyard home - hundreds of years old - in a neighborhood that avoided the urbanization craze that destroyed much of old Beijing. Now buildings are being renovated for shops and bars, but funky charm is the norm. To the Great Wall tomorrow.
