Hong Kong Museum of Art - Art Square

This was a surprising find - it was not on my list of things to do, but since we were staying opposite the museum, a visit was in order. The theme was: Heaven, Earth and Man.

Directly outside the Museum is the Art Square at Salisbury Garden where a number of sculptures were displayed.

Happy Folks by Rosanna Li

Happy Folks by Rosanna Li

Water drop by Danny Li

Big Apple by Kum Chi-keung

Sculpture by Ju Ming
I nickname this "Grey Men in Suits".
They reminded me of John Major, former British Prime Minister

Sculpture by Ju Ming
A disturbing line up of soldiers

Sculpture by Ju King
I nickname this Parachute into Paradise

An exquisite piece of jade
on display in the Museum

An eye catching piece of glass sculpture
seen against the Victoria Harbour

Sculpture by Ju Ming

Beijing Series - More Street Scenes

A butcher selling from 4 meat hooks

Deep in thought
An usual sight in a busy city in the western world

The shop sign says "Level Price Hundred Merchandise"

The shop sign says "City Beauty"
The shop sells pyjamas

Beijing Series - 798 District

A collection of graffiti at the 798 Art District, Beijing. The last time I saw such interesting graffiti was along the Danube on its approach to Vienna.

Beijing Series - Yonghe Temple 雍和宮

An exceptional temple well worth a visit. 

Within the temple complex, there were riveting roofs, magnificent decorative arches, beautiful silk tapestries, exquisite carpentry, Tibetan prayer wheels, a fabulous collection of Tibetan Buddhist statues in one of the side halls, and an impressive collection of Tibetan Buddhist ornaments in another side hall. It was a treasure trove.

The street outside the temple entrance heaves with shops piled high with statues of Buddha, talismans, Buddhist charms, incense and keepsakes. And nearby, one can find hutongs that have been partially gentrified.

The entire temple complex was shrouded in incense smoke.

A pair of marble lions sit astride the front of one of the Temples

Magnificent Buddhas in one of the Temples

The prayer room

Within the Lamasery complex.
Wisps of incense smoke rising from the burners

One of the series of Temples

Beijing Series - Behai Park

My stay in Beijing was coming to an end, so I was determined to see a little bit more of the city with the limited time available. The smog had lifted and it was relatively safe to go outdoors. 

I had seen Chinese gardens in Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai and I find these places, when not packed with tourists or locals, a wonderful environment to unwind, relax and admire the richness of traditional Chinese garden art. What little I saw of Behai Park did not disappoint.

It was late winter - the temperature was above freezing, there was no wind, and it was perfect weather to explore this huge park - some 67 hectares, half of which is occupied by a lake. I asked the taxi driver to drop me off at the East Gate but he insisted that he only knew of the South Gate. It turned out that he was right - the South Gate was indeed the main gate. The entrance fee was 5 CNY, really thumping good value for a park of this size and with such architectural treasures. Entrance to the Jade Flower Garden was an extra 10 CNY, but that's also worth it. I only wish I had set aside a whole day to explore the place... 

The White Dagoba, rising magnificently above the Jade Flower Island.
What a wonderful view that greeted me on entering Behai Park from the south gate.

I imagine these two young ladies were part of some entertainment.
The umbrella is purely decorative because the sun was not strong enough to warrant it

One of the temples on the Jade Flower Island
The red signs hanging off the marble stand are small placards
for worshipers to make their wishes to the Buddha

Richly decorated walkway in the Circular City

The Five Dragon Pavilion, seen at dusk.
These are five connected pavilions and from a distance, they appear
together like a huge dragon. The girders and pillars of the pavilions
are covered in exquisite carvings and paintings.

The magnificent Five Dragon Screen built in the 18th century.
There are altogether 424 seven-colour glazed tiles and 9 huge
coiling dragons on each side of the screen. 

The boats on Behai Park. It was off season so no boat was available for hire.

More boats. One can imagine the traffic on the lake at spring and summer time.

Sunset at Behai Park. This brings my stay in Beijing to a close.

Beijing Series - Street Scenes

Away from the glitzy shopping malls and high end apartments, I observed the locals living a life that is full of variety and local flavour.

I start off with this brand at Shin Kong Place because when I first saw it,
I was amazed by the size. Look at the number of customers!

Bikes available for hire. First time I saw such bikes in Beijing -
they remind me of Boris Bikes in London.

A cake loaded, ready to be delivered.
I saw quite a lot of people sitting around in Beijing, chatting.

An old man studying some kind of leaflet.
Judging from his tanned complexion, he is likely to be from the countryside.

A woman selling trinkets. She was very reluctant to be photographed.
There are many street traders in Beijing selling from the pavement.

Some elaborately decorated wedding cakes in Beijing.
These are best described as mid range. Some high end cakes are spectacular.

Making a living by selling a few pieces of vegetables.

A vegetable stall inside a covered market.

A butcher inside a covered market.
The red lights remind me of my childhood days in Hong Kong -
the butchers all used red lights to enhance the look of the meat.

A cobbler at work. 

A bicycle repair shop next to the cobbler.
It really is just a stall rather than a shop.

A local supermarket. Next to it is a mobile phone shop.
Mobile phone ownership is very high in Beijing.
Samsung is by far the most popular brand.

A shop that sells cosmetics and toiletries.
From here I bought a "miniLab" eyebrow pencil for 38 CNY (less than £4)

The shop sign says: Cigarettes, Alcohol and Fruits

Wind dried meat and duck wings.
They may not look appealing but if in good hands, they can be quite tasty.

A woman selling house plants from a cart.
It's quite common for street vendors to sell house plants from the pavement.

A motorbike showroom being operated from the pavement.