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Editor's Note

It’s a Monday, not our favourite day of the week most of the time, but after a weekend of gadding about the city trying unfamiliar restaurants, viewing new art exhibitions and cycling in the countryside, it’s nice to be inside, where an air-conditioner is quietly churning the cool air our sun-drenched skin craves. Having to work seems a small price to pay for the cool air.

Among the things we noticed in our jaunts: the quality of art in the exhibitions we saw over the weekend seems very good, thought-filled. A new generation of artists is emerging, and those artists are finally breaking down some of the barriers to thought that constrained a generation scarred by the Cultural Revolution (1966–76) and questionable ideological constraints. Is this a sign that more innovation and daring can be expected? And, will this overflow into everyday life and other occupations?

When bicycling, we also appreciated Beijing’s tree-lined boulevards, especially those with bicycle lanes in addition to car parking lanes. This made it possible to get from one place to another in relative comfort despite a burning sun. Of course, we got lost and misdirected at times, but this just allowed us to discover some shaded communities in niches of the city we had been unaware of, where some adventurous expatriates have also found a new way to live in Beijing. See their stories beginning on page 12.

In the suburbs, we also found almost vacant roadways lining rivers in eastern Beijing where we rode for long periods at a time without encountering a single motorized vehicle; and we enjoyed sharing a moment with a couple, elderly farmers, who were taking their lunch break under a riverside shade tree as their horses nibbled on green grass nearby. The scene was straight out of a French or Russian realist painting.

There are many small delights in Beijing in the late spring and early summer, and you only have to take a walk or bike in any direction to enjoy them.

But this is also an excellent time to visit some of Beijing’s World Cultural Heritage List sites, such as the Forbidden City or other famous ancient sites such as the Confucian Temple or the Fire God Temple (see at complete listing on page 20). The reason? Most of these ancient structures were renovated prior to the 2008 Olympic Games so they could withstand the onslaught of thousands of additional tourists that attended the Games. But not only that: people can now see more things in many of these famous sites as well. Having been authentically and lovingly restored to their former glory, it may be time to take a second look at these historical structures if you haven’t seen them recently.

The Spanish photographer José Luis Mejías is no stranger to BTM. He joined us in May 2007 to photograph Beijing as it prepared to host the 2008 Olympics. But he has just finished another assignment in China during which he travelled with some of the remaining nomadic herdsmen of Xinjiang. We are grateful that Mejías was willing to share his interesting account with our readers beginning on page 26.

Any time is a good time to be in Beijing, but June is among the best. Good luck in all you do.