My neighborhood is to the Northwest of the Forbidden City (which is at the center of the city.) There are 5 'ring roads' which circle around the Forbidden City, the 2nd ring road used to be the old city walls. The main subway line goes in a circle around Beijing, roughly following the 2nd ring road. My neighborhood is just to the Northwest of the second ring road, next the jishuitan subway stop. My neighborhood is called Xiaoxitian, a great, little neighborhood with bustling streets full of street vendors.
Canal Near Jishuitan Subway Stop. My place is near the bldgs. in the distance.
Small, narrow streets nearby. Some are the remnants of Beijing's old Hutong.
The main street near my Apt.
My street. . .
. . . full of fruit stands. . .
. . . nut stands. . .
. . .and other baozi (stuffed bread) and xiaochi (snacks) stands.
Local duck restaurant. . . the colder it gets, the better it looks!
I live on the 15th Floor of an an 'older style' Chinese apartment building. This doesn't mean Ming Dynasty old, more like 1970's old. There are no finished corridors or lobby in the building, just ugly concrete, unheated and never cleaned. My apartment is renovated and very nice, but probably not many of the units are renovated like mine. In Beijing, there are apartments that are "International Style" which means they are what we would expect to find in the US or Europe. This points out the vastly different array of living conditions that still exist in Beijing, and in China. It's still a developing country. My apt. is ideal because it is a renovated semi-western style apartment (the bathroom is not), but it is in the middle of an authentic Beijing neighborhood. There are other sections of Beijing that are primarily expatriate neighborhoods. Living there, you don't feel you are in China. But walking through my neighborhood - talking with street vendors, getting to know people at the local restaurants, etc. - it's a real pleasure.
My apartment building complex at the entrance.
Kitchen, bright, with flowers left over from the Thanksgiving feast
Kitchen again...
Living Room (came furnished except the desk)
Living Room (featuring my 800RMB guitar)
Bedroom
View of Western mountains on a clear day (which is rare)
Another view of the Western mountians