beijing

6. The watchful gaze of history

The day feels different - louder, somehow - like the air has thickened in the hours before I leave Beijing.

Feb 15 •

5. Beijing ghosts

I have the afternoon to myself, the first real stretch of time since arriving in Beijing. The guidebook I’ve been flipping through mentions the hutong …

Feb 8 •

4. A city unlocked

By the time we arrive at the Forbidden City, Beijing has begun to feel like a grand theatre.

Feb 1 •

3. Badaling, ba da boom

The next morning, the bus carries us through a landscape that is still, as though the earth outside the city had held its breath.

Jan 25 •

2. Under the red flag

The next morning, I wake to the muffled hum of the city outside my window, a sound that doesn’t stop.

Jan 19 •

1. A first breath of China

The plane dips through the haze of a foreign sky , its engines humming with a muted insistence.

Jan 15 •

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