A government run lacquer factory and shop:

To earn some commission drivers dropped us off here. Again Maya took to their hearts and she was brought a free cake after our meal.

The Great Wall re-visited:

Two good places to visit the Wall are JinShanLing and Simatai. The cable car is a treat in itself, and here the Wall of China is beautiful.

Chinese Temples:

The three great "Ways of Life" of China are Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.

Then Communism came along and thinking it was better crushed them all. Old Chinese communism is now losing its grip and an "official" Tibetan temple is now open to the pious and the tourist - called Yonghegong:  Incense and prayer drums abound. It was nice to see. After this visit we walked through a massive book store in Ditan Park.

Transport:

Taxi is the way. They are cheap (if you get the yellow ones). Busses are crowded. Cycling is good (need some confidence). The Tube is great; crowded but clean and quick and simple. Walking of course is great, but not for miles.

Juliet's flat:

In the smart Jianwai SOHO area set apart from the dirt and what crime might exist. It still gets the same air pollution. From here we saw window cleaners climbing down an adjacent skyscraper on tossed over ropes. Good luck to them.

The Summer Palace:

The nicest large place to go in Beijing, even in the rain, but better in the sun.