Beijing is a  very modern city of over 20 million people, almost as populated as Shanghai but zoned very differently.  The tall buildings are only 15-20 stories high as compared to Shanghai’s 75-100 storied ones.  Even though Beijing’s perimeter is wide, it has the feel of a smaller city — more like a combination of Boston and Washington, DC.

We spent part of the afternoon around Hou Hai (Back Lakes), a cluster of three linked lakes north of the Forbidden City.  They are right in the heart of a district of hutongs (labyrinths of alley ways — the ancient neighborhoods — where many people still live amid incredibly crowded and poor conditions).  See my previous story about black market shopping in Shanghai’s hutongs.

After we walked about the pretty lake area and strolled by the little boutiques, renovated from the old homes of privileged government workers, John got to see the hutongs up close and personal. Unlike the Shanghai 2–stored hutong buildings, these are only one level.  They didn’t seem as cramped to me.  But they are very old, very dirty, very dilapidated — and they are quite narrow.  When a rickshaw would pass us, we’d have to move to the side.  And actually we were just walking in the main alleys, we could see the side alleys, but they are private.  It would be like walking up someone’s driveway or sidewalk or front yard.

Drove completely around the Beijing Olympic complex.  The Bird’s Nest is aptly named.  The Water Cube looks like giant sized bubbles are all over it.  There are many other buildings and the area is  nicely landscaped.  Lots of visitors stopping to take pictures.

To celebrate our first day in Beijing, we ate Peking Duck or Beijing Duck as it is also called.  We went to the famous and elegant Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant.

One of the chefs carves the duck at your table — into exactly 90 thinly sliced pieces.  You are given bamboo baskets filled with thin pancakes (crepes) and small bowls of paper thin onion slices and special plum sauce.  On your small dinner plate, you unfold a pancake, fill it with duck slices, onion slices, and sauce and then roll it tortilla style. Yum!  You are also served the duck head with brains intact — a real delicacy and slices of hot duck skin.  (When in Rome….)

Remember, in China you don’t order just one thing.  We also ordered "fried pumpkin and cheese slices, bamboo and asparagus, spicy Szchuen beef,dates, and sticky rice cakes.