Winter in Beijing

Winter is here - it's cold outside but Chinese traditions are oh so warm. There's no better way to spend a cold winter Sunday than by taking part in chair skating...yes, chair skating. We heard about this uniquely Beijing winter event from a few friends who visited years earlier. The basic idea is simple - get a chair, bolt some rails to it, place on ice and go!















People wanting to take the sport a step further decided to re-jig a bike for ice biking. While we didn't try that one - it did look rather fun.



















The most festive part of the year is almost here - Chinese New Year (CNY). Already we can hear people lighting fireworks all around our building. 6am, 11pm - time of day doesn't matter - all times are fare game when it comes to fireworks. Even though it's very urban, Beijing allows fireworks during the during the Spring Festival (15 days after CNY). Mind you, these aren't those fountains and sparklers you might find back home - some of the fireworks we see on the street are full on professional. It's a it crazy, but people will light 2" morter shells on the side of street. CNY and Spring Festival is looking to be a bit crazy.