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Back in Houston safely. Here are the pictures:

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Signing Off

Apologies for the brevity of this post, but I am now sitting at my departure gate and only have limited access via the iPhone. Yesterday was a great visit to Forbidden City and Beijing's most scenic view of the city.

To be completely trite, it is with mixed emotions I leave behind so many good friends and such a wonderful experience. However, Im definitely ready to be back home for some fajitas and football. See you on the flip side and I will post a link to all of my pictures next week.

Wed, Sept 23rd - Summer Palace and Chinese Opera

One more day to go. My time in Beijing is waning too quickly! Yesterday afternoon, following lunch in Zhongcheng's office building cafeteria, we spent some time at the Ching Dynasty's summer palace. See it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_palace.

The serenity of the palace really came through. I felt like a Chinese emperor strolling around the lake on an autumn afternoon. The temperature was cool by the water and in the shade, and comfortably warm in the sun. What impressed me was the space of this place. We spent over two hours walking around and still didn't see everything. The most interesting experience was the large-brush water caligrapher we came across just before departing the palace. He asked if I was American and wrote a message of peace and friendship to the American people on the sidewalk using large brushes and a bucket of water for ink. He also gave me a small gift with the same message, which he had written upon a piece of red paper. I wondered why he thought I looked American rather than Canadian. In any event, it was a nice gesture and I was pleased to accept the gift.

Following a quick dinner, we experienced traditional Chinese opera in the theater of a local hotel.




Very different, but interesting. I was most impressed with the fighting and dancing in the second act of the show. Read more about Chinese opera her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_opera






http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Sichuan_Opera_in_Chengdu.jpg
Picture courtesy of cyclechina.com.

This afternoon Ma Qiang and I will visit Forbidden City after lunch and work. I will then head back to the hotel to get organized and pack for tomorrow's long 18-hour day of travel. Hopefully Mad Men will make the flight go by quickly!



Have a great Thursday!

Tuesday, Sept 22nd - Flying Acrobats Galore

So I'm developing a pretty good routine. Wake up at 6:30 am and workout. Shower, dress and then go to the Executive Lounge for a made-to-order omelette, fruit, and roasted potatoes. Read China Daily News, the official English-language newspaper of China. Get picked up around 9 am to go to work. Eat lunch at an amazing Beijing restaurant. In a private room no less! Return to office and work for a few more hours and then head out for afternoon sightseeing, dinner, and show. It's a great routine, but I'm very exhausted by the end of the day. Yesterday was no exception.

For sightseeing yesterday afternoon, we were on a mission to find a local UPS store, which we located in the Central Business District, known locally as "CBD". The UPS employees thought it was funny we wanted to take pictures by the signs, but graciously assisted. After our investigatory adventure success, I headed back to the hotel to drop off my brief case and get ready for dinner. Zhongcheng picked me up from the hotel and we dined on Hunan-style Chinese food, which is the closest to what you will find back in the states. We had stir-friend pork and also some beef and green peppers with rice. Following dinner, we went to a Chinese acrobat show. The performers danced, balanced, tumbled and bounded their way through hoops. Some of the more amazing tricks were the balancing act of nearly ten girls all on one bicycle and the three boys who all balanced on top of each other with the top person using only one hand! Very impressive. Tonight we will go to the Chinese opera. I'm very curious about what that will be like.

Only two days left until I leave! Can't believe how fast the time has passed.

Beijing UPS Store (click images to enlarge)

Lucerne in Beijing

My description of yesterday's events will be anachronistic because I have to begin with the highlight of the day, which was attending a musical performance at the Chinese National Performing Arts Center on Monday night. The building, completed just prior to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 is another architectural giant. The way the creators brought together wood, steel, glass and marble is breathtaking. Listeners were seated 360 degrees around the concert hall, which was quite unique in my opinion. See it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Centre_for_the_Performing_Arts_%28China%29.

However, the most memorable portion of the evening was the musical treat I experienced. We attended a concert called "Lucerne in Beijing." Some of our more "seasoned" blogger readers may be more familiar with the Lucerne Musical Festival than I am. It's a festival in Switzerland held annually, with an orchestra comprised of some of the best hand-picked classical musicians in the world, often featuring instrumental soloists. This night, the Lucerne Orchestra featured a 22-year-old local piano soloist named Yuja Wang. The performances by Yuja and the orchestra in a word were, in a word, breathtaking. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The conductor guided the myriad of moving parts as if he had his own thread connected to each instrument. It was unbelievable how well the group was able to change tempo and volume in a single beat. it's so difficult to describe the performance, but being a kid from the live music capital of the world, it had to rank as one of the best I've ever witnessed in person. Here's a picture of the flyer and some addition shots of my own:

In the morning, I worked out of Unitalen's office and dined on some traditional szechwan-style food for lunch, including oil-boiled long snout catfish and steamed spicy crab. The crab was so spicy it seared the top of my tongue! After lunch, we went to the silk market for shopping, where the sellers spoke the best English of anyone I've encountered so far. They must have quite a bit of practice with all the tourists passing through. Lucky for me, I had my friend Ma Qiang there to negotiate for me. The initial price was 8 times what we ended up paying for the goods. For dinner that evening, prior to the concert, my host brought me to a Thai restaurant. It was actually his first time to try Thai food, which surprised me given his proximity to the country. The hot spring rolls were the best!

This morning I'm back in Unitalen's office and working. The managing partner is taking us to lunch today, so that should be a real treat to hear his perspective on the Chinese legal market

today.

Cheers,

C.Stone

Sunday - Sept 20th

Yesterday was a nice day of rest after so many busy days. I awoke on Sunday morning and watched Texas eek a win out in a dog fight. It was ugly, but I will take it. Would anyone have traded last year's loss for a ten point victory? I would in a heartbeat. I hear Colt had the flu so that might explain the slow start offensively. After the game, I excercised and then worked in the executive lounge for the rest of the day. I feel very rested and ready for another exciting week in Beijing.

It's Monday morning here now and Qiang, another attorney I work with here in China, picked me up at my hotel. I am now working out of their guest office. Coca-Cola Light (Diet Coke for you Yankees) is plentiful and the internet connection is fast. This afternoon after lunch and some more work, we will visit Beijing's silk market. I'm told this market has both counterfeit and legitimate goods so it will be interesting to the see this peculiar microcosm.

Have a great week!

Hook'em,
Craig