buddhist temple, beijing

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i have rarely wandered in a park so full of beauty, even in late autumn, where it lacks the sensation of blossoming flowers. the temples we had reached only late in the afternoon, but neither me nor my colleague wanted to give in, even after 5 hours of walk.

only the sunset forced us to go on and find our way towards the exit, not knowing that leaving the park was possible throughout the night. but the golden light of this time of day we fully savoured.

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buddhist temple, beijing

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that christmas hiatus was not planned (not to self: better write holiday posts in advance...), so ex post my best christmas wishes, alternatively seasons greetings to you all. there is a small number of china pictures left which i would like to share, starting with this view of the buddhist temple in the summer residence of the emperor together with the 21. century skyline of beijing.

walking and sightseeing in the middle of the crowd sometimes offers the opportunity to profit from posing meant for others, and this way i got the picture to the right. A lot of joy is in this pose, that's why i like it.

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lotos stem calligraphy

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found in the pond in the emperors summer residence. one of the empty, dried capsules of the lotos flower i picked up an brought as a material reminder of this place.

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imperial patterns in nature

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there are many aspects on which to judge a government ruling 100 years ago. the cultural revolution in china found resonance among the millions who suffered under a violent regime that in many ways abused human workforce just for the aggrandissement and luxury of the ruling class (and just a flash of thought: what will history books write about current governments and administrations).

still there are achievements, others but in a different way valuable from the revolutions results. a heritage of art forms that still lives today and articulates valid statements, not only in the field of gardening.

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the perfect bridge

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i've rarely seen such perfection in form as here, embedded in a perfect landscape, in the summer residence of the emperor in beijing. for me this is form brought back to the principle of absolute simplicity, stripped of all unnecessities, and in this way nearing perfection.

noise, smog and dust of beijing, all was left behind.

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towered bridge

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the weather on this my last day in china was as good as it could get: moderate warm (for november) and a nice mist in the air that did avert that summer-like steel blue sky. it created an extremely fine balance with the red painted wood and the still mostly green leaves.

the whole way around the lake in the emperors summer residence was a feasting in new vistas, new visual highlights. and, due to november, it was not too crowded, so i really could enjoy my time.

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three generations

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as I was quite often ask to pose for a photo together with chinese people (i guess a european man with a ponytail is regarded as even more interesting than a "normal" foreigner) i pretty soon lost my shyness and asked people to allow me make a picture of them. this way the group portrait of the three generations was realized.

... and sometimes of course i didn't ask but tried my best to "steal" a shot. i just couldn't resist this one.

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two bridges

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the last day in beijing pampered us with blue sky and warm sunshine, ideal for a visit to the summer residence of the emperors. the place was busy with locals, and their exercising with the ribbons made up for a wonderful double arc with one of the most harmonious bridges i have ever seen.

so the very first meters in this park promised a wonderful restorative day after the cold marathon through the forbidden city from the day before.

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