i will add this to my collection of signage.
i confess i photographed this as we were exiting this “no entering” area as well.

we spent one afternoon in an artsy section of beijing – the 798 art zone.  i am always refreshed and inspired to be around different forms of creativity.  and there definitely seems to be a creative community in this city.  at 798, we liked walking around and seeing the different spaces…

… fun figures…

and becoming one with the art. =)

but i confess the highlight of the day may not have been the art, but rather drinking coffee at the 798 art cafe from the coolest coffeemaker contraption ever!

how this works:
1) glass container on the left contains coffee grounds.  metal container on the right is filled with water. the oil lamp is lit to heat up the water.
2) as the water begins to boil, it travels over to the glass container side and mixes with the coffee grounds.  as the water empties from the metal container, the metal container becomes lighter in weight, and eventually shifts upward, due to the connected weighted metal ball (on the opposite side) that tips downward.  when the metal container shifts upward, the lid to the oil lamp (that was originally resting on the metal container) flips down and puts out the flame.
3) as the air cools, a vacuum is formed within the metal container and it sucks the coffee back over from the glass side.
4) freshly brewed coffee ready to serve.

aside from it brewing a good cup of coffee, i admit this contraption probably appeals to our techie minds too.  when we ordered the coffee, we had no idea it would be brewed this way right at our table.  but as you can see, we thoroughly analyzed how this mechanism works. perhaps not everyone would get quite as excited?

The Community Center is located on the outskirts of the city in the heart of a migrant community (we were impressed we could even give the taxi driver accurate directions!). While we went through narrow alleys to find it, the center is bright and welcoming.

On that particular day, they were offering free medical check-ups for all the kids in the community.

Although we only got a small glimpse and understanding of what CMC does, I can see they are doing a good work and many people have been encouraged by it.  I enjoyed walking around and photographing the kids.  Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to photograph their lovely faces again.

a couple weeks ago, we took a family vacation to Beijing.  the trip was part of our goal to travel around China a little more this year, and it felt like quite an achievement to finally get ourselves beyond the greater Shanghai area.  the week was spent doing a good mix of connecting with friends and playing tourist.

we took one day to go to the MuTianYu 慕田峪 section of the Great Wall.  the whole setting just felt really beautiful, being out among nature, seeing the Great Wall curve and stretch across the green mountains.  loved the textures and lines of the Wall as well.  kind of amazing how a relatively simple construction concept can be breathtaking.

we took a cable car up (note the special significance of our particular car).  you can toboggan slide down, but we opted not to despite the ticket office’s insistence that it would be safe with a kid and infant.  and hannah had a great time climbing the Wall.

And at the same time, we saw and experienced those things that are only unique to still being in China.

1. Couples in cutie matchy matchy outfits
2. The 1.2 billion other people out enjoying nature with you
3. Group bridal shoots.
i may save more elaboration for another blog entry, but basically wedding photography in china is typically *not* done on your actual wedding day *nor* in your actual wedding gown.  instead, the photography studio will provide hair, makeup, gown – and take you out for a day-long photoshoot – and you may have a few other engaged couples along for the ride.
4. And now the reason for my blog entry title.
first, walking around, i heard 20+ comments about kaylah as people passed by.  i’d say 37% were cuteness-related, and 63% was the fact she was barefoot and wearing just one layer of clothing.  babies are typically very heavily bundled up here, even when its 75 degree F outside.  well, back to the cuteness factor.  we were taking a family picture when this woman passed by and thought kaylah was so cute that she wanted a picture with her too.  before i could totally process or question it, she took kaylah from my arms and had her friend take a picture of her.  i could only (closely) standby and tell luke to snap a picture of the whole occurrence. at least kaylah didn’t seem phased.
and then as we stopped to take a few more pictures of just the girls, a small crowd of people gathered behind me and proceeded to use their cameras on them as well.  (do you see that glazed over look in their eyes as they stare past me, dumbfounded, at these strangers clicking away?  and then in that last one, i think they’re whispering to each other “can we hurry and get this over with? why is mom putting us through this? and why do all these people like to photograph us so much?”)  such is the different experiences of being in China… maybe next time i will at least put out a collection hat for each photo taken.  =)

we ventured out with some of hannah’s classmates to the surrounding countryside to go strawberry-picking.  me and hannah were both excited as we have never picked strawberries before and hannah *loves* strawberries.  and it was a chance to get to know her classmates a little more.
the countryside really is beautiful this time of the year.  the yellow flowers you see are *everywhere*, even in random empty lots and roadsides within the city.  they are from a chinese vegetable called 油菜 (literally translated “oil vegetable”)  how convenient that a staple food also blooms such wonderful yellow flowers.  i soo want to find someone(s) willing to do a photo shoot in one of those fields.  =)
after driving around for 1 1/2 hours (should’ve only taken 20 minutes), stopping literally 15 times to ask for directions, winding along seemingly random unmarked roads that the locals told us to follow… we finally found the place to pick strawberries.  but i did enjoy taking in the scenery along the way. the strawberry picking place was basically just at someone’s home and farmland (no big signs saying “U-pick”).  their house and property had a lot of character and photo-potential, and if i wasn’t toting 2 kids by myself, trying to keep up with 15 other people, i would’ve taken more pictures around their property.   oh wells… if only i could find my way back there, i’d find me a few more someone(s) for another photo shoot.  =)
oh and yes, the strawberries were delish.  i liked how they made my whole car smell of strawberries.

which one do you like the most?  and how many little topiaries do you think they have to maintain to be able to spell out the day of the week and date every single day in the last image?

and who is humming ace of base in their heads right now?

and with a continual stream of customers, they have the place well organized.  first you must pay and get a token.  then you patiently wait until your number is called. meanwhile, you can see them methodically alternate between filling the 10+ griddles with batter, checking them on occasion, and seeming to know exactly when they are ready.

mmm… fresh off the griddle.  they are crispy on the outside, airy and soft on the inside.  warm and lightly sweet goodness.

we arrived to find out it was actually a New Year FAIR.  the guys seemed much more relieved and excited once they saw that we were not just going to see flowers.  we were also told to avoid going at night or on Chinese New Year’s Eve, lest we be trampled by the extraordinary crowds going for last minute purchases and bargains.  So we went during the day, one day before CNY Eve… but as you can see, there were still plenty of people to squeeze alongside with.

It was a feast for the senses.  rows and rows of tents and vendors, selling anything and everything to celebrate this CNY, the Year of the Tiger.

So aside from seeing a huge selection of flowers, there was also the festive…

the novel…

(notes: upper left is a McD’s “tiger pie” dispenser.  and those stuffed animals are actually hand mufflers)

and all things Tiger…

and finally, what is a fair without food?   you could find fresh sugar cane juice, stinky tofu, butter cuttle, egg waffles, candy-coated fruits, stir-fried noodles, and so much more – sometimes unusual, usually tasty, always interesting