Back to Beijing: Rickshaw Tour, Market, Awards

(Click on photos once to enlarge. Click on enlargement to see photo full size.) 

Like all of our days in China, our final day in China was a full one. We said goodbye to our friends in Zhengzhou this morning and took the high speed train back to Beijing. We went straight from the train station by bus to Old Beijing, an area with the last privately owned, one story homes in the city. The houses, made of stone, cement, or brick, are mostly facing interior courtyards, with business storefronts on the street side. It’s not apparent as you are driving through the neighborhood that these are homes.

First we split up into two’s and took a “rickshaw” (pedicab) tour of the area. This was a lot of fun, and a great way to really see what life is like in Old Beijing.

Afterwards, we split up into two groups of 21 and each group went to a private home where we were fed a home-cooked lunch. This was a real treat. Our group got to meet the husband and wife who owned the home. The man cooked for us and his wife served the food. The parts of the house we could see included a little kitchen that was kind of like an added covered porch area, a skinny courtyard/patio area, and two rooms big enough for 3 round tables. Our group of 21 easily fit for a sit-down meal. The man said their house was set up that way because his home served as a gathering place for the neighborhood and people liked to come over and play games around the tables. Surprising to us, the house did not have its own toilet – like many in the neighborhood, the residents used a community toilet and wash room at the end of the block.

Eating dinner in a private home in Old Beijing

After we finished eating, our host (with an interpreter) told us that he is a retired chef (thus the wonderful food!) and that the house had been in his family for generations. His grandfather had been a cook for the Emperor. He served us a treat that, he said, his grandfather had originally created for the Emperor, but that he himself had perfected over the years. It was a  little treat that tasted like deep fried carrot cake coated in a honey glaze.Very yummy!

After lunch we left Old Beijing and went to the Xiushui Market, a four or five story building of shops where you can buy everything from “Rolex” and “Gucci,” to small souvenirs like chopsticks and fans. This is a big tourist attraction and the prices here are supposed to be much better than at other souvenir stands, however, negotiating a lower price is an expected part of the process of shopping here, and that, for some of our singers, is not something they are comfortable with. Others accepted it as a challenge and had fun seeing just how low the sellers were willing to go.

We were at the market for quite awhile, but it was still a little early for dinner, so we decided to go to the restaurant early and have something to drink and hold the choir’s tour awards presentation – an OSU Chamber Choir tradition. Certificates were handed out for a variety of things – mostly related to funny things that had happened on our trip, particular talents, inside jokes, etc. It was an evening of laughter, fun, and happy tears.

After a final delicious Chinese dinner, we arrived at our hotel early enough to have much of the evening left to enjoy unscheduled. Some of the students explored the area near the hotel on foot; some went shopping for snacks, beverages and last minute souvenirs; some celebrated together at the hotel, some took advantage of the evening to pack and get organized for the long flight home.