Another one at Qian Men Da Jie...wow...this is just beijing, you'll feel that it's really awesome..the place where emperors lived...haha...cool..this one shutterspeed longer and higher ISO, i think it's 250
fireworks, i took it the day on 8/8/08 haha...i left birdnest towards the end, and catched the nice fireworks...this is near the Tiananmen...well..inside the stadium...u wont get to see the full view of the fireworks..at least..and i think it's even more diff to capture on lens unless i've got a fisheye which i dun have...-_-''' so...hahaha...coolllll...china's fireworks rocks my socks man!
hahaha...it really feels like home here in Beijing. You wont believe the fantastic lightings in this ancient city. I really do have a mixed feeling while standing in this 'brand new' city. I
know I really miss the good old days in Beijing when you get to see many people walking and playing along the streets...especially the qianmen da jie where people used to sell some 传统小吃 along the way...last time, you get to feel the spirit of beijing more clearly, closely and warmly. The 小吃might not appear to be very hygienic but people are glad to have something to fill their stomaches while walking on the street...everything's in harmony...it's the little tiny details and the less than orderly-like part that made up the what used to be a bustling city. May be my wording's abit wrong, because even as now, beijing is still a vibrant and thriving city...but the feeling is different.
Just like the qianmen da jie, it used to be so crowded, a little dirty and squeeze but that's the nature of it. Now, thanks or no thanks to the olympics, the street was completly cleared, no more small shops, no more 街边小吃 no more crowds...it has became a 'show street' where the authority decorated the place, making it look as if if has returned to the early 1930s period, the new 仿古 buildings, the beautiful lightings and everything all contributed to impress the foreigners in Beijing. But the local Beijing citizens, though thankful of the high-tech advancements that enhanced their lives greatly, are reminiscing the past, they do, feel a sense of loss in their hearts. No matter how clean, how beautifully lit up the city is now, they all knew that they have lost something precious in exchange for these...
Nah...but we understand the need to move on, haiz...but there really needs a balance...the authorities have to understand that, when you demolish something that carries historical significance, then you can't replace it..it's importance, it's meaning was created by the 100s of years of experience...a city like beijing, you can easily come across a piece of stone or a tree that's been there for 1000s of years...they stand as the testimonies of the transformations that this wonderful city has gone through...so...arhh...i duno...but of course, the new things did help to make people see a different side of beijing. Like i went to qianmen da jie last night with my parents, Whatever it is, the nice lightings allowed me to capture quite a few good shots..i simply love my hometown...i can't stop snapping...everywhere's so spectacularly decorated! haha..
The Olympics...is both a good and a bad thing for Beijingers..but whatever it is, we've learnt to accept what's thrusted upon us and we are a city, a country, a race that was and is and will never be defeated...we are always...willing to move on yet, holding tightly to what precious gifts we possessed thousands of years ago...with such spirits, we will go far.
