Beijing is a city that seems to live in every single period of its history. A half million years of history, sure But especially everything from the 1400s forward. From the calligraphic characters of the alphabet, based on warriors and myths, to little glimpses at ancient practices and foods (uh, yes, bugs) right along with the most modern buildings and shops. One of the things I love most is that the commercial streets are lined with these old painted doorways that offer real access to living history. You can be walking past an electronics store or an ice cream shop and catch one of these doors open, and actually see the ancient village surrounding the forbidden city, still inhabited by people living in the most modest, traditional way, operating behind the modern facade. Personally I like the idea of keeping a little of the past inside everything you do as you move forward…collecting…snowballing…rather than shedding.
