Beijing, day two. We woke up reasonably early (for us) and headed off to check out the Beijing Underground City. After getting our hotelier to ring ahead to make sure it was open (no answer, but she was sure it was) we bundled into a taxi and made our way there.
After getting slightly lost and wandering around an old, decrepit neighbourhood we finally found the entrance. It didn’t impress from the outside, with the paint peeling off the sign, but we were keen to check out Mao’s folly, a tribute to Cold War era paranoia. Unfortunately, we never made it in. A lady grunted at us as we walked past and directed us to a tiny, inkjet printed sign. “The Beijing Underground City is closed”. Under that, someone had handwritten “Permanently”. Ah, crap.
So, that was the end of that. We instead spent the morning checking out the last remaining section of Beijing’s old wall. The walls used to encompass the whole city, and stood for hundreds of years until Mao dismantled them during the Cultural Revolution. What did he do with all those bricks, you ask? Why, he created a vast network of tunnels under the city to house 7 million people in case of nuclear war! That sounds like an awesome place to visit! Oh right. Damn.
After checking out the wall we headed out to the 798 art district. This is an old factory complex that has been converted (against the owner’s wishes) into an artist community. The Beijing art scene is thriving these days, and there was a lot of amazing and inspirational art to see. Michelle was like a kid in a candy shop, running left and right trying to take it all in. It was a fascinating blend of original artwork, (not so) cheap knock-offs and touristy crap. We even had lunch at a New Zealand Cafe. We had the nachos, very kiwi.
