2019-03 Monthly Selected Photos

Wang, Guansong

2019-10-25 5 min read Monthly Selected Photos

Life is made of surprises. When I was in college, I’ve never guessed that I would come back and live near the campus after staying on the other side of the earth for 7 years. While just as I am growing more and more comfortable with my life here, I will go living in Shenzhen in the foreseeing years. When we look back our lifes, those choices we thought we made carefully are probably caused by sudden sparks in our minds. Fate usually changes its course without warning.

In March, I had two round trips between Beijing and Shenyang, moved from Beijing to Shenzhen, and had a round trip between Shenzhen and Shenyang, before I finally settled down. Fortunately everything works out just fine.

I left Beijing in her most beautiful season, which is probably the best arrangement.

Yuanmingyuan

Yuanmingyuan is the Ditan Park for me. The monthly ticket of the park costs 15 RMB, which has my photo attached on it just like the old time bus passes.

Even though the park is huge all the tourists are attracted by the European Palaces Ruin area. It is perfect for me: I can find a quiet corner to hide even during the crowded holidays; while I also know where to watch people from all over the world when I feel like to.

During weekends, especially when the flowers blossom in the spring, there are almost certainly some girls in traditional clothes taking photos. Sometimes they come with professional staff carrying cases of equipment.

A girl is guarding the equipments of a photographer team. The shadow exposes my usual shooting trick.

Two girls work on a outline photo of the sunset. She is holding the sun in her hands.

I will miss the time of reading my kindle while eating snacks under the peach tree beside the pond. Occasionally few people pass by. Sometimes there are staff cleaning the overgrown weeds floating on the water. It is a comfort to see there are other people to enjoy the leisure.

A girl hides on top of the hill by the side of Fuhai lake. Sunset renders a warm tone of the scene.

Enjoy the sunset by the Fuhai lake once more.

Budding willow trees swing with the wind.

Outside the back of Zhengjue Temple, a group of people work on classical clothing photo shooting.

Cats in Yuanmingyuan

I used to see few cat here and there, and the beauty of the cat with a white tip on the tail still haunts me. Recently I found an area where lots of cats gather around.

I met a lady who also came to exercise and feed the cat along the way. She introduced several other cat gethering areas of the park. The cats here does not have the same attention as the cats in the Forbidden City have. There is no guarantee for food and shelters, especially in the winter, which is hard to endure in the city of Beijing. And some unfortunate ones were killed by wild dogs.

The lady who came nearly everyday to exercise and feed cats. Even the shiest cats are looking at her with expectation.

This is a magnificant scene with so many cats dining, making a loud cracking sound. Those are the high-end cat foods that Eva doesn't like.

A long-haird white cat checking its left and right.

An odd-eyed white cat is very handsome (it looks like a male cat to me).

A good looking odd-eyed white cat is assessing any danger around.

There are a really large variety of cats: a calico cat sitting like a buddha, a mighty looking black cat, a soft-voiced long hair who must be a female, a simple-headed Jianzhou cat, and a black and white cat who I’d like to call chubby tiger.

Black cats look witch-like, while this one looks like a warrior.

This one reminds me of Eva. She also has a gentle meowing voice.

This cat likes to sit at high point, like a sentry.

For some unknown reason, I feel his name should be chubby tiger.

Birds in Yuanmingyuan

There is an information board of the birds in the park, while the three below are the most seen around here. Every year the black swans give birth to a new pack of baby black swans. Unlike in the fairy tale, baby swans are not ugly at all.

From Outside the Pass to Outside the Pass

Growing up outside Shanhaiguan Pass, I moved over two thousands kilometers and realized I was still outside a Pass, Meilinguan. Even though the city is identified as one of the first class cities, the company locates at the suburb area. The districts are packed with self-built residences, there is a mess on the street due to the subway construction sites. There is barely any smooth walking path. I had a hard time dragging my heavy luggages around, since there was no way to use the wheels.

Soon enough I got used to the earthy neighborhood. I prefer walking through the narrow passages between the self-build residences than through the main street besides the subway construction sites.

A streetside shop plays movies in the evening. Many people and kids just got off the school stay and watch.

$The leeks from the north are called \Beijing leek\ here.$

Cats of Mine

I came home fairly frequently this month so it didn’t mean anything that Eva could still recognize me. But I doubt if she would hide away the next time I came back home.

Even though the White has been sterilized, Eva still disliked him.

Eva takes the high advantage point, looking down at the White.

Eva doesn't bother to respond to the White, but the White still wants to play.

I think cats has their verion of “personality”. Eva is shy and gentle like a little girl, however she is quite cold toward the White like a haughty lady.

Eva comes out of the curtain like a classic chinese lady.

The White is like a careless boy who can always make himself happy.

This is how my arms are full of scratches every time I visit home.

Butters’ Craps

There is an old chinese saying “even poor households can cost a fortune”. I like nothing about it. My stuffs are not poor or broken, neither do they cost a fortune. In fact there are only a tiny portion of all my stuff that I cannot leave behind. Most of things are just things, however they are cheaper to mail away than to shop for new ones.

In the end there were 18 pieces of packages overall. Things with personal signifigance were already moved back to home by myself via trains. Out of 18 pieces there were 3 boxes of books that I cared the most. Even though I can buy new replacement easily, I feel connected with the books that I flipped over and over.