the art of living in China

Ken, our artist friend, picked us up with his friend’s car after church on Sunday in Beijing, and we began our two-night stay in the city. It quickly became apparent that the intensity of being chauffeured through the city’s traffic nightmare in a taxi was nothing compared to the adventure of a personal vehicle.

Making our way down the highway toward our lunch destination, we passed the Water Cube and the Bird’s Nest, monstrously idle without the Olympics, and said goodbye to having any idea of where we were. We were rocked giddy by the jerky motion of the car and quickly realized we should not distract the driver in any way.

As we were also stalking a package that needed to be picked up in town, we were pleased to receive a message from the Chinese woman we hoped to meet-up with. The package had arrived earlier with a teammate’s father from the U.S. It was once assumed lost; but had been resurrected. And now it was idling among his local associates. We told her we’d figure something out during our stay.

We were treated to a delicious meal at Ken’s favorite restaurant that featured great food and a ceiling covered in thousands of light bulbs and unique bathrooms, as the restaurant is owned and was designed by an artist. We spent the afternoon touring Factory 798, an erstwhile electronics factory area that is now the hub of the city’s art community. It is a sprawling area of contemporary art galleries, public art and food. The area’s immensity and architecture demand a return visit.

Then the highlight was a visit to Ken’s studio, located north of Factory 798. We were greatly impressed by his oil paintings. The average size of each work is about 8 by 10 feet and his studio accommodates several works in progress with room enough for display and storage.

It was well after 8 p.m. and dark by the time we made it to the subway for the hour-long trip toward our hostel. After a couple of false starts and several phone calls for directions, we were stepping out of the cold, convoluted alleyways of a hutong just behind Tian’anmen Square into the warmth of our hostel.

We spent the next day roaming the city and hiking uphill through Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills) Park. Most of the leaves were gone from the trees but we vowed to return to see the mountainsides covered with snow or spring wildflowers. We returned to the opposite side of Beijing to meet up with a former student for dinner. En route, we made loose arrangements to meet the woman with the package at a subway stop - meaning we sent a text message to meet us at a subway station ticket booth at a time we thought we would be there.

Arriving at the subway station and with no response to the text, we called instead to learn that the package had been handed off to “a man” who would call us at some point. Somewhat perplexed, but understanding “this is China” we took off for dinner.

Then the man, Legion, called, revealing that he was actually the woman’s son, which seemed less ominous. As we were headed out, he agreed to meet us at our final subway station within the half hour. Again, “this is China.”

PTL, we managed to meet up with both the former student, Frances, and the package at the subway station. We felt like seasoned Beijingers having orchestrated the complex rendezvous. We ate at a wonderful restaurant and were only slightly nonplussed when the student insisted that the three of us dine in a private room suitable for a dozen or more.

The next day we explored the shops and alleyways of the hutong around the hostel. It was cold enough to convince Preston to take advantage of a good deal on a real winter coat. Krista negotiated for an affordable pashmina and a few Christmas gifts. We braved a new bus and place to board for the trip back to Changping and consequently got to take a couple other new buses once in town. You can ever have to many travel options in the repertoire. (View the photos.)

Guests for the retreat we are hosting on campus over the next few days have begun trickling in. There is a lot of cooking and baking in progress and much anticipation for the time of fellowship ahead. Please pray for harmony in close quarters and that the maintenance crew finds its way back to our kitchen to reassemble the second sink sooner rather than later. Tx for continuing to remember us and our students in your prayers. God is doing great works and we are humbled by His awesome power.