China, the epilogue

This should just about do it for the trip that now ended nearly a month ago (wow, that makes me feel lazy). Soon, I can write about all the things we've done since then, including a hike up Mt. Tsukuba and our annual 4th of July BBQ, which this year took place yesterday (on the 7th, I know).

Anyway, after the Great Wall, Jingsong drove us all back to Beijing.

Sam and I nodded off a bit, since the last three days had been so thoroughly exhausting.

When we got a little closer to the city, Jingsong took a slight detour, taking the 6th Ring Road out to the spot where his new house was being finished.

Jingsong seemed justifiably quite proud of his soon-to-be residence (he should be living there by now, actually). He paid for the house about two years ago at the equivalent of $250,000 or so (Might sound like a lot for China, but it's in Beijing. How much does a single-family dwelling go for in LA?), and then last year, the municipal government outlawed any further building of single-family units, in favor of denser condominiums and apartments. This increased the value of Jingsongs property to somewhere in the $700,000 range, before he had even moved in. As my dad said, "Jingsong's not stupid."

Sam and I got the grand tour, and the house seriously wouldn't be out of place in an upscale development anywhere on the west coast of the States. It's actually part of a larger subdivision, intentionally modelled after those in California. The name of the place actually referenced the Napa Valley specifically, but I forget exactly what it was. Anyway, aside from the houses there were ameneties like a cafe, grocery store, preschool, gym, pool, conference hall, and private pond.


After visiting the house, we went to a nice restaraunt nearby. Again, Jingsong ordered enough food to feed ten people, and again, Sam and I did our best to eat it all. A dish I found particularly tasty was strips of beef that appeared to have been breaded and seasoned with pepper, then lightly fried and covered in a black bean sauce. Very tasty. And the whole meal, with drinks, came to something like 200 yuan. Head over to XE.com and check to see how much that's worth.

After dinner, Jingsong took us back to our hotel. Along the way, we spotted the new stadium being built for the 2008 Games.

Sorry for the quality, but I snapped this from a moving vehicle on the highway. It's nickname is "the bird's nest stadium."

Anyway, as this was our last night in town, Jingsong offered to take us out to a bar district near the center city. We naturally accepted. The district where we went was just inside the 2nd Ring Road, in an area formerly occupied by lower-level princes and court officials, and later on by party functionaries. It surrounds one of the only lakes inside the city limits, which certainly explains the appeal for the old wealthy men who made it home, and the people who get drunk there now.

There were boats that groups could hire to take them out for a drunken cruise on the lake.

The lakeshore was crowded with bars, all of which had set couches and tables (and in some cases, hukkas) out into the street. Traffic was a nightmare. Luckily we took a cab.

Tsing-tao (pronounced more like "ching-dao") is one of the tastier local beers available. And cheap, at around 2 RMB per pint in the store (though drinks cost considerably more in this area).

The view from our table, where Sam and I enjoyed a couple gin and tonics, and snacked on tasty Chinese bar food with Jingsong.

This finally concludes my account of our trip to Beijing. Jingsong was truly an amazing host. With any luck, my father will be spending a year or so in Beijing with him in the near future, so we'll all get to go back.