It's Spring In Beijing!

Spring in Beijing! It is finally here! That wicked Beijing wind has died down and it actually feels ... warm.

We are not experiencing the early spring like in Minnesota, but there is a warmer current in the breeze and a sense of Spring cleaning. Window washers on the high rises and street cleaners with the big branch brooms are two examples of this. I wondered why these are types of old fashioned brooms are used, but am told they are much more useful for the dust and debris than the Western-fashioned ones.

I awoke the last day of school before Spring Break to sunshine and a clear view of the mountains from our 21^st floor. I felt inspired so I donned my light jacket and backpack and decided to take the 5K walk to work. This is one of the things that I appreciate about living in a city; you can walk places. (Our home in Minnesota is 9 miles from the nearest town.) So, there I was powerwalking my way to work along the 3^rd Ring Road with a spring in my step. Nearly everyone I pass, walk toward or who is behind me is doing the same thing. It happens all winter, but I think there is some additional body “spring cleaning” going on. Yes, it is pleasant sound of someone preparing for a really good spit. I mean a really good uptake, mouth preparation and then the propulsion. You pass by these massive piles of green and yellow goo wherever you walk. It reminds you to avoid looking down and to watch where you step. I just can’t get used to it. 

Another sign of spring here are the building projects in the most interesting places; namely our school. We have been given the charge to find “square meters” to accommodate our increased enrollment.  Throwing out old books, materials, cleaning storage rooms. The strangest of the spring cleaning occurred in our courtyard. First of all, the ayis (maids) started scrubbing the basketball courts and track with a shampooer of some kind. It is tedious and hard work. Amazingly, things do seem a bit brighter, but Dan is wondering why not invest in a big power washer? In addition, the trees in our courtyard at school were cut back to 4 meter stubs. They say the trees are fast growing Poplars and will have new growth by fall. We shall see. All I see now is the building behind our school. And I feel some concern about the lack of shade we will have in another month.

Spring also brings Tomb Sweeping Day. This is celebrated during the first days of April and involves mourning deceased ancestors and apparently is serious business. I saw this article in the China Daily that reported you could hire people to mourn on your behalf. Perhaps this is why my husband opted to say in Beijing while Anna and I flew to Illinois for Spring Break. Is he trying to make some extra money?

In other spring news, there is operation “Spring Breeze” which is a big crackdown on bloggers in China. We have also noted a large increase of security/police officers on the streets. This is a big party changeover year (I hesitate to call it an election year) and I will probably have even more challenges to get on some websites that I normally view. Fortunately I am two months from a reprieve to good ol’ Minnesota.