I woke up early and took the subway (I had to transfer twice) and a cab to the Temple of Heaven. The park was full of people practicing tai chi and qi gong. I found a group that just finished practicing long tassel sword and was tempted to ask if I could join them next time, but I don't think I can deal with the commute. I shot some video of a man practicing walking qi gong. It was mesmerizing.
When I left the park I took a cab to Tiananmen Square (this time it was half the price?!) and walked through the Forbidden City. The garden was spectacular, old trees and unusual rocks. I was intrigued by this persimmon tree.
To the east of the Forbidden City are ancient alleys, called hutongs. They are lined with courtyard houses, built with their backs turned on the outside world and their main entrance set in blank walls. I started a walking tour from one of my guide books and was just into it when I was approached by a pedicab guide. I decided to go with him. He showed me some beautiful doorways including this one.
The alleyways are very narrow and as we turned into one we almost ran into a car. Unfortunately it was the gong an (police). After much questionning of the driver and me (?) and showing of IDs and papers, I was told to leave. As I walked away the driver was still trying to get out of the situation. I think the police officer was writing him a ticket. I'm not sure what the problem was other than he was in the way of the police car. But I kept on going and didn't look back. 