Islands of Authenticity in a Sea of Tourism

Here, one can easily take a cab or taxi to one of the city’s bar districts, where there’s no shortage of trendy bars or glitzy nightclubs with blaring music, flashing neon signs glowing brightly with all the colors of the rainbow, and a seemingly endless variety of alcoholic beverages to choose from. These may be the perfect location for all those who are simply willing to have a good time. However, can such places actually be considered a fair representation of Beijing?

Perish the very notion!

But what of the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and all those wonders that dot the city and proudly testify to the glory and might that was Imperial China? True, there is absolutely no denying the beauty and majesty of the old palaces and temples, but one mustn’t forget that it has been nearly a century since an emperor has ruled China. Thus, all the great ancient structure, all of whom are surrounded by clusters of souvenir shops, speak only for an era that has long since passed.

So where can one go to find what may be possibly considered authentic Beijing? If one travels anywhere in the city where you’re approached by vendors, pedal-powered “rickshaw” drivers, store owners, bar workers, or anything of that sort, then it should quickly become quite obvious that it’s not the right place. While wherever one may be of course may certainly have its merits, if one merely experiences Beijing by visiting its top tourist attractions, its nightlife, the brand-new malls, then one can easily develop the misconception that all Beijing residents merely view foreigners as walking wallets where there’s profit to be had. After all, how can one not arrive at such an erroneous conclusion after walking through one of the “Culture Streets” where almost every shopkeeper will ask for one to come in and take a look at their overpriced wares?

That’s why I thank the heavens that a fine array of parks dot the city, for it is here that one can find Beijing residents at their most casual and most natural, allowing for one to see but makes them both so different yet also so alike the foreign visitors. If I walk into any park on a weekend morning, I’ll find packs of locals engaging in Tai-chi, group dancing, even groups of old friends gathering together to play their traditional Chinese instruments as someone belts out a folk song. Yet, right alongside the myriad of sights I’ll find only in China, I can find scenes that can easily be found back in a park back home on any given day – couples of all ages strolling hand in hand or sitting contently side by side, new parents photographing every movement of their children, families and friends alike at play or enjoying a picnic meal together….the list goes on and on. If you’ve seen it in Central Park, then chances are that I’ve seen it in Ritan Park or Chaoyang Park.

I’m convinced – the parks are the place to be if you want to see the locals at their truest. That, and they’re by no means one of the all-too-many places that go a tad overboard catering none-too-subtly to the tourists (from abroad and elsewhere in China alike), or where there’s always a concerted effort to separate visitors from their money as much as possible.

How have I come to this decision? Simple – in some areas, especially the places that usually experience heavy tourist traffic, I can’t walk fifty feet without someone asking me if I’d like to have a free sample of tea from their tea shop, or if I’d like to take a gander at their souvenirs. Meanwhile, just a few days ago, I paid a visit to Yuyuantan Park.

It’s an absolutely beautiful place, full of folks even when I arrived shortly after 8:00 AM that crisp Sunday morning. Yet despite the crowds that were there, I literally didn’t see another foreigner of any sort there, making me one of a kind there. I stuck out like a sore thumb – yet the locals couldn’t have possibly cared less, even if you tried to bribe them to try and pay less attention to me. While walking around and talking photos, I rarely got so much as a second glance from everyone there who simply wanted nothing more than to enjoy their morning out, as any normal folks would. After all, it wasn’t as if my actions made me stand out, as there were plenty of city natives there with cameras in hand.

I was literally the only westerner there, but I’d be a filthy, filthy liar if I told you that anyone tried to bother me, or even paid me any heed. Out of the crowds there, only one person there approached me – not to make me buy something, or anything of that sort, but at first out of pure and simple curiosity if I spoke English or not.

Fu Lin, as the middle-aged woman introduced herself, then happily went on to tell me how she was studying English under a teacher from the UK, and then immediately asked me whether I was enjoying the group of amateur musicians I had been watching. Thus started a conversation that must have stretched on for at least a half-hour, where we touched upon a wide variety of topics. After explaining to her why I was in Beijing, she in turn went on and on about her sixteen-year-old son who was studying at a high school in Ohio, how Beijing’s parks were an absolutely wonderful place to experience real Chinese culture in the city, her trip to Boston a year before, among other things. I was certainly quite surprised when while talking about how safe Beijing seemed to be, she objected and argued with a smile that she thought American cities were safer, as she had never been robbed while visiting America as opposed to an unfortunate experience in her home city. However, what wasn’t quite so surprising was the comments she made about how important it was to know to drive in America once I told her I still didn’t have my license.

It wasn’t very long before I was caught off guard again when she tried to blunt my praise for her country by listing off a few of China’s problems – too many people, pollution, and a growing gap between rich and poor. However, the shock didn’t come from learning about the national woes she named, for I was already quite familiar with issues. What was so unbelievable was the simple fact was that I was even having such an honest, genuine conversation with a native Beijing resident to begin with. But hopefully, that highlights what makes the city parks such wondrous places, for there locals and foreigners can freely interact with one another as only average people can.

As of now, I don’t think I can sing enough praise for the city’s parks. They are without a down the perfect places to retreat to when I grow exhausted of being treated as nothing more than a stereotypical foreign traveler, or being able to see Beijing only as the tourist industry wants me to view it. It is here where I feel I can see the city’s residents at their most authentic on a personal and up-close level like no place other.

(Now that I'm done blathering, you can all finally enjoy the pictures I took at the park that fine Sunday morning.)