One of the best times to walk around Beijing is just after it snows. With a fresh coat of white powder covering the mud, grime, pollution, and concrete, the city almost looks wholesome. The key is, of course, to walk. Beijing motorists–not known for their safety and skill under the best of weather conditions–have a tendency to come completely unglued at the first sign of the white stuff.
Yesterday afternoon I played a little hooky from research to walk around the Houhai area. The lakes are frozen but there are still patches of open water to accommodate resident ducks and the Shichahai chapter of the polar bear club. (Speedos only, dive right in. I’ll spare you the photos.) A small crowd of people were milling about the frozen surface of the lake. The ice was pretty solid, though there were definitely spots on the lake that sounded “iffy” underfoot, and that’s probably why local officials had posted signs warning people to not go out on the ice. Nobody paid them very much attention, though, including your correspondent.———————-Image: Drum Tower, Beijing, taken January 17, 2008.