South of Tiananmen Square is the Emperor's Avenue-- Quianmen street. It is one of the oldest shopping streets in Beijing and completely revamped since the days of the Cultural Revolution and before. A renovation of more than a year occurred before the street was reopened in time for the 2008 Olympics. On the street are traditional Chinese shops as well as international brands, like Starbucks, where we grabbed a cup of tea (and a Western toilet--a welcome break from squatting) and KFC (which I only photographed). After walking down the street, where you can see how hazy it is with the smog and pollution in the area, we wondered into the hutongs again. These hutongs were more a collection of artists and calligraphers instead of retail shops. After that walk, we returned to our hotel and finally decided that it was time to walk up to the Bird's Nest. We were staying right next to it, after all.
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| an entrance into the hutongs |
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| candies at one of the shops |
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| looking north towards Tiananman Square-- and one of the original gates of Beijing |
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| KFC |
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| A trolley going up and down the avenue |
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| traditional children's slippers for sale at the shoe shop |
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| A hotel with copper pots for a hot pot meal |
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| a nearly empty metro train-- a rare occurrance in Beijing. |
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| The Bird's Nest |
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| The Bubble |
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| Our last dinner in Beijing: a hot pot meal |
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