He’s a self-employed tourist guide. He’s had no proper training, no official certificates of any kind.

He spoke randomly to tourists and tried very hard to find someone to hire him as a guide.

He spent 10 minutes telling him the story behind the gate as a test drive. The badge on his chest was probably self-made.

The man finally walked away, not interested, not impressed, or simply didn’t want to spend money on some stories.

He was still smiling but a slice of disappointment can be found on his face.

He started to look around again,

trying to find someone that can appreciate his stories and buy him dinner.

This was taken a month ago while the Spring wind was still strong. But the fresh air and the river were good reasons for the elders to have a couple hours of Mahjong sessions outdoors.

The residential community I live in was established in the late 80s. So 90% of the residents are elders. There is a recreation center adjacent to the community, but it’s only for senior government officials and employees who have authorizations. But anyway, it’s better off here.

Gambling is strictly prohibited in China. But I guess it doesn’t hurt for the elderly to play just to kill time.

To know more about Mahjong, click here.

Born in 1932 in Beijing, Mr. Zang worked as a newspaper boy when he was 9 and ran a small business before the liberation war. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Zang worked in the railway department and later became a full time Xiangsheng (cross talk) performer at the art group of the department. During his work, he collected more than 170 types of traditional Beijing Yaohe, and is being called the King of Yaohe.

Mr. Zang has worked as a dubber for many TV dramas, and is viewed as a national treasure because like many other traditional art forms, yaohe is diminishing from the life of Beijingers.

Mr. Zang is so famous that a kind of traditional Beijing food is using his image as trademark.

Click here for some sound clips of Mr. Zang’s yaohe.

Housing price across the nation gone wild in the past several years, especially in 2006 and early 2007 when the Olympics concept was being used by nearly all developers as a marketing hype. Lots of the rich coal mine owners in Shanxi province and business owners in Wenzhou, as well as average middle-class commuters in the major cities had joined the army of house buying in hope of getting huge returns (that’s when the bubbles were created). Some did get rich over night, but some also broke when the prices were too high and no one was willing to become the next victim.

Thanks to Zou Tao’s campaign, housing price in Shenzhen dropped around 40% from the record high in July 2007. The other major cities like Wuhan, Chongqing, and Shanghai soon followed. The last holding place of the developers, Beijing, is also giving up.

But surprisingly, still 1 year before his “3 Years” campaign ends, Zou is now calling home buyers to unite and negotiate deals with the developers. Although Zou insists that the 2 campaigns share the same goal of helping home buyers to get the real value for their investments, some ridicules him for being capricious and suspects him taking money from the “dying” developers.

In the world of recession and the era of decline, not a single type of investment can guarantee return. Houses, gold, expensive collectibles, paintings, and the used to be super hot and mysterious Puerh Tea and the Tibetan Caterpillar Fungus, everything is dropping in price and value. The mankind is now paying back for their greed.

Nomatter if Zou has really got some hidden motives, what he’s doing is definitely beneficial for the low-earning mass including me who are dying for an apartment of their own (if you come from other cities and don’t have your own housing in Beijing, you are being viewed as one of the “floating population” that receive special care from the police). We already have too many scammers around us, like the greedy developers, what harm does it make if there’s one more, especially when he has got the potential to be a real hero?

Check out their performance at the 1st day of 2008 Modern Sky Festival and stay tuned for their new album Music Concert.

1. Food – Douzhir, Jiao Quan, and Mung Tofu

Douzhir (Fermented Bean Drink) is probably the most notorious traditional Beijing food. It is the single most important and easiest factor to determine if you are a real Beijinger. If you can bear the smell and drink it up without twitching your nose, you are half way to success. Made from mung beans, Douzhir has a history of almost 2,500 years. Most Beijingers have Douzhir as breakfast, accompanied with traditional snacks. Douzhir is no doubt healthy. Rich in Protein, Vitamin C, Coarse Fibre, and Sugar, it helps to reduce blood pressure and improve your appetite. It is said that if you hold your breath and try 2 bowls, you’ll become addicted to it.

Jiao Quan (Deepfried Snack) is a must have when drinking Douzhir. Made from flour, salt, alkali, and a little alum, Jiao Quan tastes crispy outside and soft inside, and can be preserved for 10 to 15 days. Due to high level of fat and heat it contains, it is not recommended to have Jiao Quan for more than 2 times a week, and better be accompanied with organic drinks such as Douzhir.

Mung Tofu, made from remains of mung bean starch, is another true Beijingers’ favourite food. It became popular in ancient China when the poor had no better choices. But surprisingly, the rich also became addicted to it for its special taste. Most big restaurants in Beijing now offer Mung Tofu, but the taste differs from the original for the oil used has been changed from caproic oil to vegetable oil.

The best places to test your bravery are:

Huguosi Snack Bar

93#, Huguosi Street, Xicheng District

6618 1705

Laociqikou Soybean Milk Bar Tiantan Branch

Opposite to North Gate of Tiantan, Chongwen District

6703 5725

Haiwanju Restaurant (Headquarters)

11#, Zengguan Road, Haidian District

8837 4993

2. Sports – Kong Zhu and Yang Ge

Kong Zhu (Diabolo) was originated in Song Dynasty and became popular in acrobatic performances in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Made from a wooden stick with single or double wooden plates on one or both sides, Kong Zhu is played using a long cord in the middle where it balances. Because of the holes on the plates and the way it is played, Kong Zhu makes sounds similar to whistles, which make it more fun to play with. In order to play it well, you need to utilize every part of your body to throw, catch, twist, stretch, and jump. If you want to lose weight and have fun at the same time, walk into a park in the morning and learn from the elders. Or, go to www.kongzhu.com and watch the videos.

Yang Ge (Harvest Dance) is one of the most popular sports in north China. People dress up in fancy outfits, holding colorful fans and dance in groups. During festivals, people from different residential communities gathter and dance as a form of performance. Some elderly used to dance everyday as a form of morning exercise, but it’s becoming rare due to the noise. Yang Ge is much easier to learn compared with Kong Zhu, just join the group and follow the rhythm.

3. Pets – Birds, Fish, and Jing Ba

Pets are essential to live like the real Beijingers. Walk around on streets and in parks during 5 to 8 o’clock in the morning, the elderly you meet carries birdcages or walks Jing Ba (a local breed of dog, also called Shih Tzu) are true native Beijingers. All of the most common kinds of pet fish and birds can be found in morning markets and corners of old residential areas. These places are also where Beijingers, especially the elderly gather and discuss international affairs and happenings around the neighborhood. Jing Ba used to be pets for the royalties in ancient China. They are small, quiet, and sometimes sensitive little doggies, which are deeply loved by all Beijingers. These most common local pets are living a worry free, leisureful, and healthy life, just like their owners.

4. Residence – Hutongs and Siheyuans

Living in Hutongs and Siheyuans is becoming a trend for the wealthy and the powerful in Beijing. Siheyuans are being sold for millions and even tens of millions for its traditional architecture, cultural richness, and increasing scarcity. Hutongs are narrow lanes between Siheyuans, and Siheyuans are courtyards with living rooms at all 4 sides. Architecture beauty and cultural uniqueness can be found in every corner of Hutongs and Siheyuans. Proliferated during the Yuan Dynasty, Hutongs and Siheyuans used to be the most common housing for native Beijingers, until they moved to modern skyscrapers due to massive renovations inside the city. Life style in Hutongs and Siheyuans used to be close, quiet, and secure. Everyone knows each other well, and the atmosphere of having a big family can be found nowhere else. If you can afford it, buy a Siheyuan and live among the true Beijingers. If you can’t, walk into a bar or cafeteria at Nanluogu Lane, where most shops and stores were renovated from Siheyuans, and have a taste of the old Beijing.

5. Recreation – Xiangsheng

Xiangsheng (Cross-Talk) is a must have for true Beijingers. Some even listen to it every morning before having breakfast and going to work. During the Ming Dynasty, Xiangsheng originated as a form of ventriloquism imitating and mocking other people’s tone and dialogue, and telling jokes. It was well received by the mass and became an art form that can be performed by single, double, and several performers. There are 4 basic skills that any qualified performers must grasp. Dialogue, impersonating, teasing, and singing. Famous performers like Ma Sanli, Ma Ji, and Guo Degang are being loved across the whole nation. The best place to go for quality performances is Tian Qiao Theater where Guo Degang and his partners and students perform regularly. If you are a foreigner, learning good Xiangsheng can definitely give you an unfair advantage in becoming popular in Beijing and even the whole country. It is also one of the easiest ways for you to appear in TV shows.

Beijingers are being described as proud by people from other parts of the nation. Rich cultural heritage, unparalleled cultural and political status, and openness of the city give it no reason that Beijingers should not be proud. But, the most important factors lie inside the Beijingers themselves. Optimism, wholeheartedness, friendly, honest, and fun, these are the true ingredients that make a Beijinger a Beijinger.

Check out their recent episode in which Sufei tries to find answers to that ultimate question: “Why is it that good girls like such bad boys?”

Her first published sound recording “Patio” created quite a buzz during the early years of Chinese Rock n’ Roll in the 90′s, during which time I was in high school. Unfortunately she failed to continue cooperate with Red Star Records (the company that published “Patio” in a mix album) for her inability to deal with complex interpersonal relations. Her first and only solo album “Out of Body” was published in 2002, which established her status as the most amazing female alternative singer in China. The album did not sold well (not surprising), but indeed attracted a great number of diehard fans (like me). In 2003, I met her during one of my documentary productions about underground artists in Beijing, and became close friends ever since. I don’t know if it was lucky for me to be there to witness and record her fierce struggle against the outside world and her inner self, even until today.

Since no major record company and agents were willing to represent her because of her age and her strong rejection of commercial exploitation, she continued to live a severely fragmented life, living on loans from friends and random small performances. Disagreements between her and a small, unqualified record company led to serious physical conflicts which caused her left hand injured. Her boyfriend left her because his band split in fear of her taking control of the band… However, she continued to write songs and books, and experiment with painting and various art forms, even during the time she had no income and was going to be driven out of the small shabby rented room in the labyrinth of Hutongs. I still remember vividly the shocking experience I had when listening to her unpublished songs stored in her extremely old computer running Windows 3.2!

I had no contact with her for half a year and it is good to know that her first album has recently been republished by a renowned alternative record company Koudai Records. And I heard she’s also making progress on the recording of her second album. Thanks to the recent thriving of Chinese Rock n’ Roll industry (yes, we can call it that), we have several rock festivals every year now, Roger Waters, NIN, Placebo, Super Grass… are frequent visitors, new native bands are getting extremely skilled to spot the newest international trend and create pleasing sound in a second. They never have to go through all kinds of struggles, contradictions, doubts, fear, hopelessness, and misunderstanding, they no longer worry about empty wallet, angry landlords, and the next supper. They never lack adoration, crazy audience, cutting-edge equipments, and sex partners. But I rarely sense any gravity, serious thinking, and the feel of real. The identical poses, dresses and make up, hair style, so-called attitude, and even that strawhat make me sick (I still wonder why they are ALL wearing it). Sometimes the names are similar, too (Carsick Cars, Ourself Beside Me, Girl Kill Girl… not accusing the bands, but do you see the pattern here?). However, it is always nice to know that an “old-fashioned”, 40 years old female rock singer with a heavy north western accent can still be picked up by the money-chasing producers. It is my most sincere hope that the value of Zhang Qianqian’s art can be recognized by more audience around the world. I think that is for good… or is it?

Listen to one of my favorite: Another Emotion

(Copyright to the pictures used in this post and a million thanks belong to the original photographer)