**Pics can be clicked for larger images**

 

Junk food in China.  There are some products here familiar to most Americans.   These mild-mannered fuwuyuan (restaurant attendants) were dressed like this for some sort of training.  Anyone hoping to attack China better watch out!
     
Here's one of the eyesores of China.  Many of the sidewalks have these advertisement stickers stuck on them.  Here, you see how one competitor puts his label on top of another which had previously been stuck on top of yet another.  Cheap advertising that, in my opinion, is sickening.  By the way, all these appear to be advertisements for drugs/pharmaceuticals.  

A typical street side news stand.  There must be thousands of these all around Beijing.  To bad they don't carry English magazines!

**Take a closer look at the large version of the pic and to the right you can see another all too common eyesore in China:  Spray-painted cell phone numbers.  You see them all over the place, and they too are sickening.
     
Like Yin Yang represents opposing forces and balance, I feel I must balance out some of the ugliness of the last two pics.  There are plenty of beautiful things all over the city.  You just need to look beyond the crud.  :)   More balance.  A pleasant scene as Beijingers skate and have fun on the ice at Hou Hai.  Might be hard to see, but note that many people are sitting on chairs with runners.  Different!
     
Bikes are still an important means of transportation in China.  It is amazing how many are adapted like this with carts to move just about anything.  I could spend a whole day just watching and observing the various things these bikes are hauling around.  

Here a bike used to haul around...parts for other bikes!

**Sadly, as more and more Chinese purchase cars, bikes are getting squeezed off many of the roadways.  In fact, they have begun being banned on some streets.  Who can blame anyone for wanting a car?  I would....but with China traffic and driving styles.....no thanks!

     
One of my all time favorite pics.  This gentleman sells nuts and other little edibles along the roadside.  I bought a big bag of roasted peanuts from him and they were delicious.  Anyway, I like buying things from the people selling along the streets....many of them are extremely nice and fun to chat with despite my poor Chinese.   You can find people selling just about anything!  I forget the price of these beautiful goldfish, but like many things, the people selling like to bargain a little and the prices are often very cheap.
     
Behold the giant foreign retailer.  While I find it convenient to shop at Carrefour (A French retailer), I have become increasingly hateful of the way they maintain their facilities.  Every Carrefour I have ever been in (Beijing, Chengdu) has lacked decent climate control.  The result often being sweating and total discomfort.  Keep in mind that stores are absolutely packed with people...to a level you will not see in the USA.  I have a right mind to write to Carrefour and complain about the discomfort.  Shameful that they get away with it here in China, but people in France would never put up with it!   Construction is everywhere you look!  Crane manufacturers must be giddy at the number dotting the skyline, and the many more need for hundreds if not thousands more construction sites.  It is incredible how quickly things are built and repaired here.  Probably the result of an endless supply of labor and no unions mandating working condition requirements.  Streets are repaired seemingly overnight, and your favorite restaurant may disappear between lunch and dinner!
     
My friends Karl and Bing.  Great people!   A lucky shot with no cars or bikes!