ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 22
Still with a lengthy list of unseen places in Beijing despite a month in the city, on my last day I returned to Beihai Park to be outside in a garden. The northwest section contains temples, pavilions, memorials, and a large lake-front walkway. Restoration produces a deceptive blend of ancient and contemporary sensibilities. Real people sing and dance in antique pavilions. The Buddhist Temples are active sites of worship. The lake is full of boats even on a Monday at midday.
dragons, lions, gate — red, yellow, green — repeat
high-roofed dark interiors are comfortably cool despite temperatures outside in the mid-90s F
giant bronze urns with paper money and rain water
Nine Dragon Screen, 1756, 635 dragons total, one of three glazed tile walls of this type in China — defense system against evil spirits
Screen of Iron Shadow, Yuan Dynasty, intermediate volcanic conglomerate, clouds and chimera patterns
Five Dragon Pavilion, 1602, with yellow duck boats
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