Xuanwu Lake 3: Electric Boogapee
- Riley Smith
- Sep 27, 2019
- 5 min read
This guys is at Xuanwu Lake? How is this guy still here?
Believe me, I was asking the same question. I was ready to go, but I was in middle of the first island. And there was a part of the perimeter I hadn't seen yet that I felt I had to go look at so I could say I visited the whole park. I think there may be something wrong with me.
Back on the first island, I found walked through more hoards of cold meat on a stick vendors to a temple on the island. It had a small tower, which at first I thought was the temple, but turned out to just be decoration. The temple itself was a small room with two golden Buddha statues and some kneeling pillows. The area was surrounded by old men and women, sweeping and sputtering around. As I entered the temple, I noticed it was filled with trash. Old cereal boxes, empty bags, peppa pig toys. Other than the restrooms, I would say this was probably the dirtiest room I have seen so far. I look to my right and see an open door and inside is an old man standing in his underwear, staring at me. I wave and he turns his back towards me. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable this trash temple, I decide to attempt to pray. I feel like this it's at least good manners to show respect to the Buddha for the man in his underwear. I try to kneel on the pillows but I fall with a thud. I close my eyes and put my hands together. That feels wrong so I rest my hands on my legs. And I sit for thirty seconds, then I peek back towards the man in his underwear. He is gone. I stand up and brush my legs off. I feel as if I have done something wrong, but at least I tried. I slink my way out of the temple and continue my journey.
I walked back through a newly planted cherry orchard. The sun was starting to set, and the park was taking on a wholly new character. I'm sure this park is beautiful in the spring. I walk back past the shitty rose garden, back past the shit styled ice cream, back though island 2 where Zinc Land now has some truly terrifying costume performers out front (two reindeer and white Aladdin with a giant head), back through island 3 where the sleeping vendors have disappeared and now there are empty store fronts, and up to the gate to leave Xuanwu park.
I stop at the gate to check my phone. There is a nearby temple I wanted to check out, but it is now 5:00 pm and I want to see if it is still open. It is not. I had planned on ending my day at Confucius Temple (not a real temple) now that Salma had cancelled our plans (someone kills me now) and I had read it is much more beautiful at night, so, even though these dogs were barking, I decided to walk the other perimeter to the subway station and to see the sunset from the park.
As the Sun starts to go down, the runners come out and fill the park with their colorful outfits. In some ways, people are the same everywhere. I guess avoiding the heat to exercise is one of those ways.
Lots of construction is being done throughout the park. They really do a ton to upkeep this place and constantly update everything. I guess one of the upsides of communism is good public parks.
I also notice a sailing club (which is sadly closed) called Whispers of the Wind. You have to be a weird sort of person to want to sail in a park. You can't go anywhere. Most of these boats are too big to fit under any of the bridges, you can't even go all the way around the lake. I think it's probably a status thing more than for actual sailors.
I walk past a gated community within the park. People live here? How bizarre. I wonder if this is free housing for people who work here. One of the apartment complexes I walk past has a gym and a cafeteria in it. The rent has got to be insane. But you also can't drive in the park, so how do these people get to work if they don't work here? Another question I will never find the answer too. Most of the time, I don't even know what I'm eating.
A gang of Rollerbladers rolls past me, blasting Chinese hip hop. All the music I've heard blasting from peoples little speakers falls into 2 categories. Category one, it has a hip hop beat. Even if its not a hip hop song or there is no rapping, a hip hop style drum beat is played underneath it. Category two, who ever is listening to it is singing along at full volume. As of yet, I have heard no one listen to music any other way.
The park is filled with signs that say no fishing but people are fishing everywhere. I thought China was strict, but I guess fishing laws aren't really a big deal. I'm sure if I fished I would get arrested right away. It's weird I can say stuff like that now, but as long as I'm here, I'm a minority. I still have white privilege, but I also have not Chinese in China racism.
As I finally came to the other side of the park, it was a little after 6. I cam across a building called the sun palace. With a name like that, I had to take a peek inside. The building was basically an indoor mall for very fancy restaurants. One restaurant had two very attractive hostess out front who were staring at me and giggling. As I walked past them, I decided to do that sort of sway walk that makes your ass look really good. I wanted to give them a show, although I don't know if they noticed.
While walking down what I thought would be a cool alley, I came across a group of chefs, complete with the big hats, smoking cigarettes and spitting on the ground. When eating really good food, it's sometimes hard to remember that real people cook it.
Next to sun palace was a subway station, so I hopped on. As I got on my train, I realized I had got on my train early and missed a part of the park. Dammit! That was all for naught? Am I gonna have to come back to see that other part? Probably not. I'm pretty sure I had done Xuanwu justice. Plus, I was pretty exhausted. Have I mentioned these dogs were barking?
Where the subways had been fairly empty this morning, they were now fairly packed. I wanted nothing more than to sit, but, sadly, that was not an option. I also was starting to get hungry again. I guess the cake had worn off. But the sun was setting, I was on to my next destination.
On the ride over, I read some more poetry from Gitanjali. I found it soothing and relatable. I too am happy in the presence of my old friend and angry and sad when I don't understand his (or her/their) ways. But I will try to continue to sing him (her/their) my praises.
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