Hello again. I just returned from a grueling afternoon at Tian Tan (Temple of Heaven) with some visitors from HK. It wasn't too crowded because we snuck in just before they stopped selling tickets, but boy are my feet tired! (My hat's off to all of you that manage to do more than one of these attractions per day.)

Anyway, I just picked up the current issue of That's Beijing and there is an article -- Eight Ways to Fall in Love with Beijing -- that I am in agreement with for the most part. First, they support my biking idea, but encourage doing so at night because the city is very quiet then and there is much less traffic. Second, they also advocate Huanghuacheng, in addition to two other semi-remote great wall sites (Liangyunling and Jinshangling). You can also rent mountain bikes up there if that floats your boat. Third, they are hutong walkers/bikers themselves.

Their remaining five pieces of advice: 1) engage actual Chinese people in conversation/beer; 2) check out Ghost Street; 3) go to a modern play/performance; 4) take in a punk show; and 5) look for hidden treasures.

Point 5 is explained in more detail, of course, but nothing too exciting there. Regarding points 3 and 4, I guess I forgot to mention that the art scene here is pretty impressive. To quote the article, "Art loves adversity, and with its foul weather, censorious authorities, tough markets and tougher critics, Beijing has nurtured quite an art scene."