) mentions the Beijing district of Dazhalan prior to discussing Chinese hopes for the Obama administration. Dazhalan has been one of my favorite places to wander since my first trip to Beijing in 1989. I've known about its imminent demise for some time. It has been sad to witness its "modernization" bit by bit over the years. One of my fondest memories of the place is from a balmy July evening in 2000, when a brawny six-foot-eight administrative colleague from my university and I sauntered through the district's serpentine alleys for a couple hours. As you might imagine, the people--especially the children--were fascinated by my colleague's stature. My friend's warm disposition, combined with his impressive height and my ability to speak Chinese, provided for a number of pleasant exchanges with the denizens of Dazhalan.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Dazhalan and China's Hope for Obama
In this blog post at the New York Times website, Michael Meyer (author of The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed) mentions the Beijing district of Dazhalan prior to discussing Chinese hopes for the Obama administration. Dazhalan has been one of my favorite places to wander since my first trip to Beijing in 1989. I've known about its imminent demise for some time. It has been sad to witness its "modernization" bit by bit over the years. One of my fondest memories of the place is from a balmy July evening in 2000, when a brawny six-foot-eight administrative colleague from my university and I sauntered through the district's serpentine alleys for a couple hours. As you might imagine, the people--especially the children--were fascinated by my colleague's stature. My friend's warm disposition, combined with his impressive height and my ability to speak Chinese, provided for a number of pleasant exchanges with the denizens of Dazhalan.
) mentions the Beijing district of Dazhalan prior to discussing Chinese hopes for the Obama administration. Dazhalan has been one of my favorite places to wander since my first trip to Beijing in 1989. I've known about its imminent demise for some time. It has been sad to witness its "modernization" bit by bit over the years. One of my fondest memories of the place is from a balmy July evening in 2000, when a brawny six-foot-eight administrative colleague from my university and I sauntered through the district's serpentine alleys for a couple hours. As you might imagine, the people--especially the children--were fascinated by my colleague's stature. My friend's warm disposition, combined with his impressive height and my ability to speak Chinese, provided for a number of pleasant exchanges with the denizens of Dazhalan.
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