6/8/25
We had an exceedingly lazy morning at last. Without any solid plans there wasn’t any need to leave promptly. Trying to plan our mini train tour of China was fairly occupying and overwhelming. Breakfast would have been a pointless escapade.
Whimsically, we decided to visit the Temple of Heaven, only a couple of metro stops away. We had been enticed by its distinctive circular building. Our park walk began with a covered walkway that linked the ‘sacrificial animal killing room’, ‘divine warehouse’ and the ‘sweet water well’ from the temple itself. The latter being named for exactly that.
Built in 1420, the temple complex was built to accommodate annual ceremonies of prayer to Tian (Chinese heaven) for a good harvest. Its layout has influenced design in the Far East for centuries.
The Echo Wall didn’t seem to have an echo, not that we could see. Perhaps we were distracted by the woman who had kicked her child in the leg, then began screaming at the small boy once he, predictably, started crying. Last in the complex was the Circular Mound. More than just tamped earth, 9 sets of stairs, each with 9 steps let to a mid point where one’s voice became particularly sonorous. Too many people were crammed into the middle for us to try it out.
Having become far too hot to be outside in the insane humidity, we sat on the ground under a tree to find a hotel. As we were leaving, a man carrying two large black bags full of plastic bottles, missing his front teeth and looking rather bedraggled approached us. Surprising us with his excellent English he told us of his extrication from public life. Wei had written three books about navy seals and was now no longer an English teacher. Instead he collected bottles for ¥1.5 a kilogram. Happily. No desire to change his life. He refused our offers of assistance with anything and told us he was entering a triathlon. Jonathan went to shake his hand and bid him farewell, when he pulled away and told us that he was being attacked by “worms”. They could jump across. His skin was covered in welts and scars, his teeth corroded.
Humbled by our meeting with a Chinese person who’d been removed from society, we headed to our hotel. Having no idea of districts in Beijing we found ourselves at Sanlitun. Trendy and snazzy. People walking around were clearly affluent. Towering glass buildings surrounded the outdoor shopping area. The hotel was hidden away and attached to a Tim Horton’s.
Vegespot was inside one of the slightly rundown shopping malls we’d walked past earlier. Beyond meat adverts were displayed everywhere. Hawaiian and ‘steak and egg’ burgers ordered, we stood outside for 20 minutes waiting for them to be ready. Leaving the well dressed folk behind, we went back to our room and watched TV for the first time in days.
After dinner we spent an hour trying, and eventually managing, to register for the 12306.cn app. The train booking service. Our next stop was to be Shanghai, so we booked a sleeper service for a few days time. There were still a couple of things to do in Beijing.
Surly They Won't Make It 