Beijing Diary: Part 8

Monday 18 April

Today was a slightly less energetic day. We arranged to meet Gordon near his Gallery, which is close to the 798 Art District. Gordon had thoughtfully printed out a map to hand to the taxi driver, which we did, and he nodded his approval, an indication that he knew where he was going. The general direction was fine, but when we turned off the main Aiport Expressway, the fine detail was lacking. Fortunately, when the driver stopped to consult the map, once again, there was Gordon! He was on his way to the meeting point, not far from where we stopped.

He took us first to his gallery, which also contains his and Jing’s living quarters, as well as a small appartment for visiting artists. The main gallery space does not have a large floor area, but the ceiling is high and the light, of course, good. Down a short flight of stairs is a small kitchen where reception food can be served. And on the other side of the central stairwell is a small area that is used as an office and storage area. The back wall is largely glass with a very tall glass door leading out to a very narrow, one metre wide strip limited by a broken-down wall, beyond which is a waste land that is used, by its owners, as an occasional garden.

And there, lying in the sun, was a cat – dead! At first it seemed to be sleeping in the sun, but by the number of flies buzzing around it soon became clear that it was an ex-cat. Gordon seemed a little perturbed since it was not clear how he could dispose of it. There is no agency for clearing up dead animals. Those that are killed on the roads are simply pulled to one side and other animals, including rats, rapidly dispose of the carcass.

We then visited the rest of the gallery’s amenities. G & J’s quarters are at the top of the building. They consist of one large room sub-divided into a bedroom (and shower, free-standing behind a screen), and a living area with a “kitchen” (microwave and two hotplates), an “office” (desk with laptop computer), and a “studio” for Jing. On the floor below, where the guest quarters are, there is a small loft, accessible only by a steep companionway (ship-style) which is Gordon’s space (Jing is fearful of tackling the steep stairs). Since galleries are closed on Mondays (and some also on Tuesdays) we were limited in the number we could go into. Several were in the process of installing new exhibitions, so we could peek inside; at others, Gordon knew the owners well enough to get in. This area of galleries has been built within the last 7-10 years; some are a going concern, others last a year or so before running out of money. The gallery next door to Gordon’s has recently been refurbished as a coffee house and is set to open this week.

We wandered around Gordon’s village, looking at the various food stalls on the street. Many people recognised him and waved or said hello. There is a large illegal immigrant population there, mainly young people who are looking for any kind of work. We saw several groups walking around carrying their bedding, buckets, and whatever few personal belongings they might have. Beijing has an estimated illegal population of about 4 million!

It was time for lunch, so Gordon chose a good restaurant that he had visited before. The choices we made were soon served, starting with a plate of peanuts and greens sprinkled with vinegar. Picking up one peanut with chopsticks tested the limits of my chopstick technique! The dishes were a little spicy, spicier than Gordon remembered, but it was good, nourishing food.

After lunch we did a little more wandering, before taking a taxi back to the hotel. The afternoon doesn’t sound like much, but I find that there is so much to see and take in, that after a few hours, combined with the walking, I am mentally and physically tired.

We had not finished lunch until 3 pm, so did not feel like going out for a meal. Instead we took advantage of the containers of noodles in the hotel room. They are simple to prepare: open the container, open the spice sachet inside, and, in some brands, open out the fork that is provided. Then add boiling water up to the mark on the inside of the container, wait ten minutes, stir in the spices, and it’s ready!