The park around the Temple of Heaven is a wonderful place to be, especially on a bright spring day when the trees are Karen Christensen at the Temple of Heaven, Beijingbeginning to bud. There were many Western tourists but also a lot of Chinese tourists, too, in groups with matching hats and a leader with a flag. There are vendors with postcards and books and crocheted items, but also a lot of people simply enjoying the sunshine and companionship, playing traditional instruments singly or in groups, and playing cards on the wall of a lovely covered walkway.

Temple of Heaven–musicians and dancers, BeijingMy camera was almost out of power, but Tom managed to snag a tourist shot of me with the Temple of Heaven itself, and some of the crowds, in the background.

I’m posting some thoughts about what Beijing needs to do to get ready for the Olympics at the Guanxi Blog. It’s quite simple:

  1. Make it easier for foreigners to spend money.
  2. Improve English signage.

For details, and some amusing examples, click to Guanxionline.com/blog.