Sounds of Beijing
2008-Sep-26 13:09:44 PM
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It is nearing the end of September now, Beijing's best season. The air is cool and crisp - and everything feels fresher than the summer months.
A man is walking through the neighborhood announcing his visit with a deep resonating voice. "Yeeooooooaa...... Yeeooooooaa.....", he repeats in a long chant. When I first heard this sound, I thought it belonged to someone deeply religious who was meditating. I've since learned that he is simply saying "pijiu" (beer)... and wishes to refill empty beer bottles.
From sunrise until late night a constant chatter of voices can be heard from my apartment window. Unlike the States where everyone keeps their affairs as private as possible, here everything is done in the open. New mothers of the neighborhood gather together with their babies at the same spot each day to share latest developments. The click-clack of grandmas and grandpas playing mahjong on an old wooden table is a distinct sound and can be heard from long distances. They play from afternoon until late at night. (You can tell who the dedicated mahjong players are from the numerous mosquito welts on their limbs.) The local bike repairman can be heard tapping away at a piece of scrap metal. Here the equivalent to an auto-body shop is a stool, a cardboard box of old tools and a few spare bicycle parts set on the sidewalk. No sign required. In the middle of everyone's activities, young boys are giggling and chasing each other in the pursuit of a soccer ball. The remnants of a ping pong table lay in the middle of their field.
I noticed that China's cities have very little graffiti. At least not in the traditional form of gang names, love notes and ubiquitous obscenities. Instead you'll find phone numbers. Someone trying to sell fake IDs, diplomas or other such documents helpful in getting a job.
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