the airport and super saturday
Posted by wangbo in beijing public transport, random on August 17, 2008
Just got back from picking up Roubaozi at the airport. I decided I’d take the opportunity to check out the new airport train, so at some awful hour so early it should be illegal, I stumbled down to the street, got on the 801 and rode that round to Jinsong, off the bus and on to the subway Line 10 up to Sanyuan Qiao, then the airport train.
First impression was good. The interchange is one of those very well designed ones that involves only a very short walk. The screens had a countdown to the next train- I had ten minutes to wait. No extra security check getting from Line 10 to the airport line, although of course I had to swipe out of the Line 10, put enough money on my card, and swipe in to the airport line.
The train arrived before the countdown had finished. It doesn’t look like anything special from the outside, but that’s ok. The seats looked nice and comfy, but full (my fault for getting on at Sanyuan Qiao instead of Dongzhimen). Got on the train, looked around, it’s all very swish, but standing-room only. That’s ok, it’s a pretty short trip out to the airport. Then we got moving.
At first it was all “wah!!” The train took off pretty fast and was speeding through the tunnel. We popped up above ground and had passed Siyuan Qiao much, much earlier than I would’ve expected. It was a pretty quick ride out to the airport, although once we were above ground we didn’t seem to be going very fast- a matter of perspective, of course. The train wasn’t as smooth as I would’ve expected, though. Nothing uncomfortable, just not quite so smooth. But that’s ok. The only thing I found irritating was the noise. The train makes a high-pitched whirring sound as it moves, which was not so comfortable. Still, a minor issue, really.
Overall it was pretty good- fast, efficient, comfortable.
So yesterday was Super Saturday when, if you believed the pundits (ugh, sports journalists) New Zealand was going to clean up the medals. Reality didn’t quite turn out as Hollywood spectacular as all that, but still, our athletes did pretty well. Five boats in the rowing and three got medals: Gold (but only just barely) for the Evers-Swindell twins in women’s double sculls, and bronze for Mahe Drysdale in men’s single sculls and Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater in men’s pairs. Then on the velodrome, silver for Hayden Roulston in men’s individual pursuit. And gold for Valerie Vili in the women’s shotput- now she was impressive. Not one shot did she put under 20 metres, while only one of her rivals managed to break 20.
But I think performance of the day was Drysdale’s: He got a really nasty stomach bug and only just scraped through the semi final in third place. He was supposed to be over the illness (but come on, this wasn’t just your regular, oh, ate something bad run for the toilet- he had vomitting and diarrhoea for days and vomitted again after his semi final), but had only two days to recover for the final, so I don’t believe he had any way to get back up to full fitness. To make it into the final is, I think, worthy of a gold in and of itself under those circumstances, and to manage to claim bronze is phenomenal.
what the hell?
What the hell is going on with Qantas?!?!?!?!? Wasn’t so long ago it had the best safety record of any airline, now it seems like it’s planes are quite literally held together by their cobwebs.
an afternoon on my bike
Posted by wangbo in life in Beijing on August 16, 2008
Like Jeremiah, I saw the beautiful blue sky yesterday and had to get out and enjoy it. I wasn’t urban hiking, though. About half past one I jumped on my bike and took off. I was gone so long I got a concerned phone call from lzh. I got back just before five. Yup, the better part of 3 hours on a bike cruising the streets of Beijing under a bright blue sky.
(Oh, and Jeremiah has a cool little quiz, but allow me to sum it up my way: In 1913 there were 13 foreign embassies in Beijing, in the old legation quarter around Dongjiao Minxiang just east of the Square. The USA, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, the Austro-Hungarian empire, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal all had embassies. Which was the 13th? Answer is at Jeremiah’s blog.)
Anyway, so I headed northwards up through the CBD then a slight zigzag through Tuanjiehu to Changhong Qiao, then straight west past Sanlitun and the Workers’ Stadium and over Dongsi Shitiao into the Old City. Then I kinda lost track of where I was and was powering down the nice, smooth, newly-asphalted road- well, dodging traffic through the dregs of the intersection then powering up for the beautiful, smooth, straight road. Then I looked up and
WAH!
The Western Hills were there looming in the distance. No, I don’t mean that I’d got up so much speed I was suddenly in Shijingshan. I’m not that good a cyclist and my bike would need a fair bit of maintenance before I could comfortably take it that kind of distance. No, I looked up and was blown away by the view. Long, straight road leading into the west, hills rising in the distance…. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had that kind of visibility. Well, then I decided I’d better get my bearings back and remind myself exactly where I was.
So the death of the hutong has been greatly exaggerated. Well, yes, the hutongs, and more importantly the communities they house and the history and culture they embody, are in danger, but there are still plenty of hutongs left, and every time I go wander through them I see old houses and buildings being renovated and others with plaques indicating their protected status as cultural relics. But yes, they are in danger. So, having reminded myself that I was in Dongsi, I promptly hung a right onto Zhang Zizhong Lu, then ducked down the first hutong to my right, and just randomly zigzagged through with no particular plan beyond avoiding main roads as much as possible.
Speaking of which: What is that old European-looking building on the corner of Zhang Zizhong Lu? I’ve always wondered about that, never quite gotten around to actually finding out.
Anyways, so the hutongs in that area make for some very pleasant, slow, calm cycling- and I’d say they’re just as good for walking. I noticed, though, that a lot of the buildings had gotten at least a new coat of grey paint and some looked to have been properly cleaned up. One public toilet had a new garden outside that did a very good job of hiding the fact there was a public toilet there- great for the locals, perhaps not so convenient for visitors. So I kept zigzagging and following random hutongs, occasionally taking a main road only so far as it was necessary. I found myself towards the western end of 府学胡同 and came across what looked like a temple. Couldn’t see any signs to indicate what it actually was, though. Then I kept going and, not for the first time, found myself at Nanluogu Xiang. Funny, the only times I’ve been there have been purely by accident. Only two things I noticed about the place: There’s a lot of foreigners, and many of them looked like tourists (y’know, maps and/or guidebooks at the ready, silly clothes that suggest they consider a stroll through downtown Beijing to be roughly equivalent to a trip through the Serengeti in the late 19th century…. ); there was a long line of Chinese-looking people outside one shop. I didn’t see why. Well, I got out of there pretty quick, and took a loop round the north side of the Bell and Drum Towers, then down the west side of Houhai and Qianhai (crowds of people, many foreigners, and again, a lot of them looked like tourists), past the Shishahai Sport School and Guo Moruo’s former residence and on to Di’anmen West…. Then I made sure to get my sense of direction back, because that transition has screwed me up before. From there, zigzagged southwestwards, ducking through more hutongs to avoid the chaos of Xidan, then down to Xuanwumen and thence eastwards to Qianmen.
Well, I was curious to see how the new renovations look. Unfortunately, the friendly, if somewhat brainless, security guard assured me that I could not take my bike in to Qianmen Dajie even if I was only walking, so I just saw what I could see from the northern end, then took the new road down the side and had a quick peek from the Zhushikou end, then headed home.
Well, the trams looked like museum pieces. Didn’t really inspire much confidence in their ability to transport people- especially considering the lack of power lines.
(once again, all photos taken on my cellphone)
(and damn, this is taking me a long time to write! Constant interruptions! The latest of which was the Evers-Swindell twins nail-biter of a race in women’s double sculls, coming from behind to just barely pip Germany in a photo finish that had to be decided by the judges. That’s now 1 gold and 2 bronzes for NZ (Mahe Drysdale in men’s single sculls and Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater in men’s pairs. Phenomenal performance from Drysdale considering he beat a huge stomach bug to only just scrape through the semis.)
So where was I? Qianmen. Right. Now there’s been a lot of talk about the Disneyfication of the area. I’m not going to pass judgement until I’ve had a proper look, and being unwilling to park my bike and walk yesterday, I didn’t get a proper look. From the northern end it looks pretty good, although very new (naturally) and crowded:
So not so bad. Vaguely reminiscent of Liulichang, Nanluogu Xiang (stretching, I know), Nanchizi and parts of the Houhai area But I’d have to be willing to park the bike and get in with the crowds to judge properly. And yes, that northern end was very crowded.
Also, there were plenty of cops, several of whom were carrying what looked like handheld metal detectors, but security did not feel overwhelming or oppressive. It looked like what you’d expect in a major tourist destination in the middle of a big international sporting event. There and visible, but not uncalled for.
So, as I think I said, I got back on my bike and took the new road down the western side then around to the Zhushikou end of the newly-renovated stretch of Qianmen. It’s very clear there is still a hell of a lot of reconstruction work to be done. Many of the buildings on the western side of the street looked partially demolished, missing windows or large sections of wall, and to my right was the usual large steel fence blocking off what was clearly still mostly a construction site. And then heading along to the Zhushikou intersection:
Notice the construction workers’ hut to the left? Anyway, that’s the newly redone buildings along Qianmen Dajie seen from the rear. They don’t look like much special from that angle. Reminds me of the newly-built parts Tianjin’s Ancient Culture Street, actually: Modern buildings designed to recall traditional China, but not quite succeeding. Perhaps not so good. Still, it’s unfair to judge under the circumstances. A closer look when all the construction is complete will show us just how successful the renovation has been.
Anyway, the southern end of the street is narrower and much less crowded than the northern end:
Again, it doesn’t look hugely promising- walls hiding empty space to left and right. But still, let’s see how it looks when work is finished.
Well, then I got back on the bike and headed home. Nothing to report from that final leg of the trip. And after all this afternoon’s distractions, I can’t remember anything else I was going to write….
excuse me while I rant a little
Posted by wangbo in ranting, tilting at windmills on August 15, 2008
I’ve actually been enjoying the Olympics really, even though I haven’t really gotten out much, have made no attempt to see any of the games live, and have spent most of the last week sitting around at home. CCTV’s coverage has been occasionally frustrating, and the commentators…. Well, it’s good to know that New Zealand is not the only country blighted by brainless twits given prominence by their ability to blether on inanely about sport. I just zone them out. Indeed, some of the best rugby games I’ve ever watched were at a friends place in Sunshine 100 when Star Sports apparently didn’t have the right to broadcast rugby commentary into the mainland. Pictures, but no sound. That was good.
But there’s been a few things surrounding the Olympics that have been bugging me. I’ve been trying not to blog about these things, but they’re irritating me, so I’d like to get them off my chest. And once this is done I’m going to slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat, and slip my bike out the door and take off to enjoy the beautiful blue sky, sun, and clean air. So here goes:
Dear Western Media,
Beijing has some mole hills. We would like them to be made into mountains. You’ve proven yourself so good at that, especially when it comes to Chinese mole hills, that we think you are the best crew for the job. Please bring your own tools.
Now, I’m not trying to deny China’s real problems. I simply mean that certain issues surrounding the opening ceremony, for example, have been blown up so much that you’d think these issues are somehow equivalent to the Georgia/Abkhazia/South Ossetia/Russia conflict. They are not. All this kerfuffle about the opening ceremony is a non-story. Really. Utterly meaningless and completely unimportant.
As for the Chinese women’s gymnastics team: Well, if they are cheating and you can prove it, it’s a story. But isn’t it funny how suddenly Xinhua and China Daily are now ‘reliable’ sources? I dunno, I haven’t seen much in the way of solid evidence yet. But I guess “innocent until proven guilty” doesn’t apply to Chinese teams.
As for this self-congratulatory, self-righteous load of tripe: Congratulations Western Media, you’ve shown a brilliant ability to bark up the wrong tree as you harp on and on about your obssessions. Might I suggest that BOCOG and IOC press conferences are the places to talk about sports in general and these games in particular? Or that other concerns are best taken to the relevant branch of the Chinese government?
Oh, and speaking of self-righteous: Westerners who come here specifically to cause a scene for their “cause” are not newsworthy. They’re dicks. Self-righteous dicks. That’s all. They don’t actually care about their cause, that’s all a charade, and if they stuck by the principles they claimed, they’d climb down off their streetlamps, roll up their banners, and start talking to people with some basic respect and courtesy. But they don’t do that, because that would mean actually having to acknowleged that other people have equally valid points of view. To sum up: They are dicks. That’s all. Dicks are not newsworthy.
But the more I’ve read of the non-sports reporting on China over the last week, the more my suspicion that China would simply not be allowed to win has been confirmed. I could see this building up way back in March. Doesn’t matter what China does, the Western Media is going to whip out the old China bashing sticks and get stuck in. If we go back to the opening ceremony molehill, reading the reports on the subject it’s pretty clear that the journalists in question showed up with the story already written, all they needed was a few useful examples to fill in the blanks. Same could be said of many of the other stories filed over the last week.
Indeed, almost everything I have read, be it blog posts, comments, newspaper articles, whatever about the opening ceremony has only served to confirm that we only see what we want to see.
Alright, now that I have gotten that off my chest:
I loathe the term “Western” and the term the “Western Media” is about as useful as the term the “Eastern Media”. Not in the least bit useful at all, in other words. However, there do seem to be common threads running through the coverage of the media in countries that are usually lumped together as the “West”, especially when the coverage turns to China (or Russia or the Caucasus….)
And now I’m going out to get some exercise.
huh?
Posted by wangbo in random, tilting at windmills on August 14, 2008
I try to open 新京报/The Beijing News, the newspaper loads, and then I’m suddenly redirected for a brand of laptop computer I’ve never heard of before…. Has 新京报 been hacked? And no, I’m not providing a link to this computer company’s ads, I see no reason why I should reward such behaviour.
S1
Posted by wangbo in beijing public transport, news on August 13, 2008
And in further proof that the numbering of Beijing’s subway, light rail and suburban rail lines has nothing to do with the order in which they were constructed (as if such proof were necessary), 新京报/The Beijing News’ Yang Huayun reports that line S1 from the central city to Mentougou will begin construction next year.
I will refrain from marking a snarky remark on the state of New Zealand journalism. Let’s just say that those Kiwi journalists in China right now really should just stick to the sports lest some halfway intelligent non-Kiwi stumbles across their other articles (and blogs so dire you wonder where journalists grow the gall to sneer at us mere bloggers) and the world pisses itself laughing. I mention this because that Beijing News report seems to stem from the same press junket that produced a marginally less awful than normal article in the New Zealand press.
Anyway, here it is:
市郊铁路S1线明年开工
Work on city’s suburban S1 Line to start next year
继北京至延庆的市郊铁路S2线通车之后，北京市第二条市郊铁路———由城区通往门头沟的S1线计划于明年开工建设。昨日，北京市交通委副主任周正宇在组织中外记者参观采访S2线时，透露了上述内容。
Following the Beijing to Yanqing S2 suburban rail line’s opening, Beijing Municipality’s secong suburban rail line- S1 Line from the city area to Mentougou- is planned to begin construction next year. Yesterday, vice chairman of the Beijing Municipal Transport Committee Zhou Zhengyu divulged this information on the visit to the S2 line organised for local and foreign reporters yesterday.
周正宇介绍，根据计划，S1线起点将设在西四环定慧桥北五路，与地铁六号线衔接，终点则直达门头沟中心区，初步计划设在石门营。由于沿线涉及的拆迁较少，S1线开工后，有望在40个月内完工。对于沿线站点设置和位置等更为具体的问题，周正宇则表示尚在研究中。
Zhou Zhengyu said that according to the plan, the S1 would start at the West Fourth Ring Road’s Dinghui Qiao North 5th Road, where it would join the subway Line 6, and its terminus would be in Mentougou’s central district, initially planned to be at Shimenying. As demolitions and relocations along the line would be relatively few, S1 Line would hopefully be completed within 40 months. In response to more specific questions as to the location and construction of stations along the line, Zhou Zhengyu said such matters were still being considered.
对于已开通的S2线，昨日，周正宇称，S2线在奥运会后，还会进一步提速并启动二期改造工程，时速将由目前的120Km/小时提高到160Km/小时，全线车站增至14个。
Regarding the S2 Line already opened, yesterday Zhou Zhengyu said that after the Olympics S2 Line would take one more step in raising speeds and begin a second phase of the renovation project. The speed would be raised from the current 120 km/h to 160 km/h, and the number of stations along the line would be raised to 14.
关于S2线的票价，周正宇坦言对于延庆居民而言偏高。他表示，正在研究针对延庆居民的票价优惠方案，以降低居住于延庆却在市区上班居民的交通成本。至于将采取什么样的优惠方式和价位，周正宇称目前尚未确定，但推出月票或者打折都在考虑之中。
Regarding the price of S2 Line tickets, Zhou Zhengyu admitted that the price was a bit high for Yanqing residents. He said they were considering a programme of favourable treatment for Yanqing residents to lower the transport costs of those residents of Yanqing who worked in the downtown area. As for what kind of beneficial methods and prices would be adopted, Zhou Zhengyu said that it had not yet been decided, but monthly tickets and discounts were being considered.
周正宇还透露，为方便市郊铁路与轨道交通的换乘，北京将调研市政交通一卡通在市郊铁路使用的可行性。
Zhou Zhengyu also revealed that in order to facilitate changing between suburban rail and light rail, Beijing would research the feasibility of using the municipal transport Yikatong on suburban rail lines.
And looking over that, I’m thinking I should stay off the 海岛黑啤 while translating….
Anyways, that’s all good news, but I can’t help but think- isn’t the subway Line 1 terminus at Pingguoyuan awfully close to Mentougou? Shouldn’t it be as simple as either extending Line 1 westwards or adding a Batong Line-style light rail extension? And when is Line 6 scheduled to open begin construction, anyway?
I’m glad, though, that they’re reviewing the prices of S2 tickets. I mean, at twice the cost of the bus, why would anyone bother? Apart from to avoid traffic on the Badaling Expressway, of course…. But once they’ve finished the renovation/reconstruction/building of the new truck ‘lane’ on the G110, the traffic should be back to something reasonable. And if they can link it up with light rail- Line 13, I presume- then that will make S2 far, far more attractive and convenient to people who don’t live or work in northern Haidian.
skimming the news…
Because I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on the men’s gymnastics team final for lzh who’s at work…. Oh, look, live results.
Oh, and I’m also getting hungry, too. So no translations, just quick summaries of what’s grabbing my interest. And both these articles are from 新京报/The Beijing News.
First up: No kites please. Actually, when I first heard this rumour I thought it was, at best, still more creative reinterpretation of what was really ordered. But this article does state:
以免影响奥运期间航拍直升机的正常飞行。
And no translations because my brain isn’t working. They’re concerned that kites (and balloons and lanterns and other flying things) will interfere with the operations of helicopters filming the Olympics. Safety issue, in other words, and that makes sense. Reminds me of when we lived in Tongzhou at the southern end of the flight path into Beijing airport. Some of those planes came in so low I was waiting for the bang, and some of those kites were flying so high I wondered just how many met an untimely end in a jet engine.
But there are a couple of bits that have me wondering:
航空俱乐部、协会等，必须坚决停止一些飞行活动；小型航空器生产销售单位要严格落实登记制度，对购买人的基本情况、购买数量及时登记备案。
and:
一旦发现空中有可疑飞行物或发现有人操纵小型航空器准备起飞，市民要及时拨打110报警。
Flying clubs and organistations have to resolutely stop their flying activities, makers and sellers of “small flying equipment” (microlights?) must strictly implement a registration system and promptly record the basic situation of buyers and the amount they buy.
and:
Citizens should promptly dial 110 [the emergency Police number] as soon as they discover suspicious flying objects or people operating small flying equipment about to take off.
Aha. Different kind of safety issue here, methinks.
Anyway, the other thing, just before I run off for lunch: Line 10 and the Olympic Branch Line now have China Mobile and Unicom cellphone signals to match their Xiaolingtong. Apparently 3G is in the works, too- and last time I was in the subway there were endless posters for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA. The odd thing is nobody in the subway company or the cellphone operators will reveal whether a deal over the access fees was done. When suspicious-minded cellphone users suggested this may be just a show for the Olympics, however, spokesman for the subway company Gu Peng insisted that once the cellphone signal was turned on, it would not lightly be cut off again. We shall see.
Right, I’m hungry.
a gripe
Posted by wangbo in ranting, tilting at windmills on August 11, 2008
Y’know, it’s tempting to complain about CCTV’s Olympic coverage. They’re continuing that fine old tradition from the last Olympics of making really bizarre decisions that suggest those in charge know nothing of sports or sporting culture. Take this morning, for example: For the 3rd day in a row CCTV 2 has had live coverage of the equestrian three day event in Hong Kong starting some time after 8. Except that the competition has began at 8 each morning. Turn on CCTV 2 at 8am and instead of Mark Todd on a horse you have two talking empty heads blethering on inanely in a studio, followed by ads that seem interminable, and then eventually equestrian. Need I point out that this is Mark Todd’s sixth Olympics (Andrew Nicholson’s sixth, too), and that he won gold in LA ’84 and Seoul ’88? The first ever rider to win consecutive Olympic individual three day event golds in 60 years? And he did that on the same horse, Charisma- a horse that, in my childhood, was just as famous as Mark Todd. And at 8am when he’s riding you subject us to two inane twits in a studio?!
But odd broadcasting decisions aside, actually, CCTV is providing quite passable coverage. Expecially when you compare it to New Zealand’s media. CCTV is showing a lot of China’s sports, which is cool, I mean, we are in China and Chinese people want to see their athletes. That is as it should be. But they’re also broadcasting a variety of other sports, sports and/or matches in which China is not necessarily involved. It can be frustrating for a Kiwi in China with no international TV trying to keep up with Kiwi athletes, but with what is making it onto CCTV and the internet, I’m doing alright.
No, actually, I don’t want to complain about CCTV’s coverage. Their decisions are sometimes a bit odd, and their commentary is sadly no better than what you’d get in New Zealand (during this morning’s equestrian coverage we were treated to the astounding observation that equestrian is the only Olympic sport where men and women compete together- and actually, the only Olympic sport in which humans and animals compete together (but I thought they’d included modern pentathlon which involves horse riding- bizarre sport that one, with a legend behind it which just reeks of horse shit)), but they’re doing a good job and we’ve managed to catch a variety of sports. I mean, we may not have seen much of NZ in the cross country this morning, but we did get to see a fair slice of the action (and perhaps it’s better they stopped in the middle of Andrew Nicholson’s apparently disastrous run), we caught the second half of NZ vs Spain women’s basketball, and today we’ve managed to see Emma Twigg and Mahe Drysdale advance to the semis in single sculls. We’ve also managed to see the ends of both road cycling races over the weekend- pity the Kiwi riders weren’t up to it, but nevermind, there’s still time trials and track, and we just caught a small slice of white water canoe. Oh, and a small bit of women’s boardsailing, but that was so dreadfully boring with the lack of wind that we zoned out pretty quick. We’ve also seen, naturally, plenty of Chinese sport- gymnastics, weightlifting, shooting, archery, men’s and women’s football and basketball, women’s volleyball, and more. And there’s been plenty of other random stuff not involving either China or New Zealand.
Judging by their websites, if I had to rely on the New Zealand media, I’d probably find myself wondering if the rest of the world was only showing up to provide an opponent where the particular sport in question required it. Where, for example, is Stuff’s article on last night’s China vs Belgium men’s football game? Even if we’re going to take a narrow-minded Aotearoa is the centre of the world approach, this is important because China and Belgium are in our group and our next match is against Belgium. If we beat Belgium we have a chance at the next round (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). China, who scored a face-saver in the 88th minute to draw us 1-1, lost 2-0. And they got two red cards. Where is Stuff’s coverage?!?!?!?!?
And the rest of Stuff’s Olympic page is at best only marginally better. There are articles about things that don’t immediately involve New Zealand teams or athletes, but they’re few and far between. TVNZ seems only marginally better- and that is a very recent development. Last time I checked it was all NZ all the time. The Auckland Tabloid New Zealand Herald does manage a Kiwi Athletes/Around the Olympic Games divide, but forgive me for finding that Around the Olympic Games section rather distressingly empty. And to go back to that football example- I still haven’t seen any Kiwi coverage of the China-Belgium game even though those two teams are in NZ’s group and we play Belgium next.
Still, the Herald does manage to include this little piece, in excellent English that betrays only a couple of hints of the author’s Chinese origin. It’s well worth a look.
Oh, and now that CCTV 3 (and judging by what was advertised this afternoon, 12 as well) has joined the Olympic fray, we got to see the men’s hockey NZ vs South Korea (alright, it was still a Kiwi team, but hey, it’s Chinese TV, and CCTV doesn’t care about the needs of expat Kiwis, but even so, they’re broadcasting live a match which does not involve even one single Chinese person), which NZ just won 3-1- and those were three perfect goals from NZ. Brilliant match.
Well, Jing Jing Wei’s article suggests that TVNZ’s broadcast in Aotearoa might be more inclusive than their website. I hope so. I remember seeing a hell of a lot of Olympics on TV as a kid, all kinds of stuff, whether it included Kiwis or not. But the NZ media’s internet coverage this time round is so far beyond pathetic I’m going to have to go shopping for several new dictionaries and thesauruseseses and go searching for a new adjective.
So, minor gripes about odd broadcasting choices aside, I’m liking what CCTV’s doing this Olympiad- especially now that we’re up to five channels offering live coverage. New Zealand media? Shit, you’ve got a long ways to go before you even come close. “Lift your game” is hopelessly inadequate. And actually, I have not linked to the worst of the NZ media’s excuse for coverage. I can only hope that what is being broadcast and printed in NZ at least approaches what I remember from my childhood. What I’m seeing online does not give me cause for hope.
just a short ride
Posted by wangbo in life in Beijing, random on August 11, 2008
I’ve been sitting at home for too many days in a row. Well, the crappy air the last several days hasn’t really inspired me to get out. Anyway, I took advantage of the relatively clean air thanks to those heavy rainfalls yesterday afternoon and all through last night and got out on the bike for a bit.
Yeah, rains which broke our phone. When the heavy rain finally made it down here the wind was coming from the south and blew the rain through the window, soaking the phone. The wind was actually blowing rain onto me even though I was two metres in from the window. Anyway, with such wind blowing so much water inside I thought it better to shut the window, but I was a little too late for the phone. Something went wrong and it was ringing continuously and all we could do was unplug it, leave it to dry out and hope that once it was dry it would go back to normal. It did.
But how could the wind be coming from the south when the rain seems to have slowly moved southeastwards from the Yanqing area, over the Jundushan (man, I pity the poor women in the cycling road race- still, it was obviously better than the oppressive, suffocating humidity the men had to race through the day before yesterday, if the much lower drop-out rate is anything to go by), across Changping and Haidian (we saw heavy rain falling on the archery competition before it had started raining here) then eventually down our way. And yet the wind was a southerly.
Anyway, the phone dried out, lzh plugged it back in this morning, and it works again.
So, I jumped on my bike and rode off for a bit of much-needed exercise. I went along the road that runs along the north side of BeiGongDa, round the northeast corner, then meets the Fourth Ring. Then I followed the Ring Road south towards the badminton gymnasium, thinking I might just have a quick peek, see what was happening. Well, the side road from the Fourth Ring leading along the south side of the campus was blocked. Anybody wanting to head west from there had to detour further to the south. Well, cars, anyway. I thought of asking the cop if bicycles were allowed to pass, but I didn’t want to stop, I had a good rhythm going at a comfortable speed, and I wanted to talk to people even less than I wanted to stop. So I cruised around and turned west at the next intersection, then took the next right to head back up towards the campus. The side road on the southern side of the street opposite the gymnasium was blocked, too. I’m sure I saw a bus coming through when I passed that road on the other side- but maybe that’s just it, public transport and authorised vehicles only. They’d have to let buses through, though, there’s a bus terminal under the western end of Sifang Qiao.
Well, I went a little further west then crossed the road at the south gate of BeiGongDa and had a quick peek back at the badminton gym. Didn’t see much happening, and didn’t really feel like going any closer. It was, after all, half past one in the afternoon, when sane people are at home enjoying their siesta. So I took off westwards and crossed Huawei Qiao, went up past the fancy hotels and “antique markets”, past the dormant construction sites, then northwards up through the Panjiayuan and Jinsong to Shuangjing, thence eastwards across Shuangjing Qiao and past the Shuangjing branch of Carrefour which is actually at Jiulongshan to Xidawang Lu, thence home. Nothing to report. Apart from all the Olympic volunteers, banners, and flags- including one IOC flag and one Beijing 2008 flag, which made a nice break from the endless rows of five-star red flags- it was Beijing as per normal.
Maybe that’s a strange statement, but that’s what I saw. Ordinary, everyday middle Beijing as she always is. Tarted up in her Olympic clothes, for sure, but still, the same old Beijing I know and love.
Oh, and lzh is happy that I finally found the branch of 老诚一锅 we’ve known for ages was somewhere nearby, but which we’d somehow never managed to find. So, dinner tonight is going to involve a bike ride back over to Huawei Xili.
pleasepleaseplease
I hope that is a storm about to hit, dump a huge amount of rain, and clear the air out. We so desperately need it. Actually, lzh just surfed through an archery competition at (I assume) the Olympic green, and the rain was fairly bucketing down up there. Hopefully the storm moves southeast towards us.
I just got back from a superfast bike ride down to the supermarket and it felt good to be out, despite the murky air, with that cool breeze blowing and thunder off in the distance.
Well, the sky is getting pretty dark and there is some rain falling now. Not heavy, but much better than this morning’s pathetic sprinkle. Here’s hoping it continues.