Exploring

On a clear, blue-sky day (apparently a rarity), we go in search of shoes. Instead of our local Westernized enclave, we take the subway to Wangfujing Street, Beijing’s equivalent of Oxford Street I suppose, a couple of blocks east of Tiananmen Square. It’s hot, crowded and still has the feintest air of pre-Capitalism.

Shoes are bought in Beijing Department Store, the city’s first, opened in 1955, but now gutted, revamped and full of international brands. A hundred yards further up is the Foreign Language Bookstore where zealous young staff fall over themselves to practice their English. “Do your children want to learn Chinese? We have many books and audio visual aids”. One taps me on the shoulder while I’m reading the back cover blurb of a novel. “Can I help you? Your girls look like princes”. I suggest “princesses” and she’s quite put out. Our purchases are wrapped in used paper & twine.

Across the road is St Joseph’s Church which has been there in one form or another for 350 years. Its latest incarnation dates from 1905. Several couples in wedding attire are having their photographs taken on one corner, though they weren't married within. The doors are locked -apparently you can only get in during mass times which are very early in the morning, all in Chinese, except for one in Latin. After that we find, hidden up a hutong (narrow lane), the former residence of novelist & dramatist Lao She. He was born in Beijing in 1899 but spent much of the 20s in London teaching Chinese at SOAS and absorbing English literature. Here we are at the entrance.

N said the strangest thing: "Is this all a dream?"