On the streets of Beijing

The streets of Beijing, full of people, cars, trucks, and a million or two bicycles. Much construction; new offices, street-work, men sleeping on the building-sites to wake up at work; families of one child, so precious it shines as they hold hands in the street

	Tiannamon Square, no kites today
Bikes	and cars
	Houses and streets and shops
Strange fruit
	I once had a book of round-the-world fairy tales, with a story of magic gourds growing on a roof. Now I've seen them... waited and waited for them to open and reveal the silk and golden treasures and the army of fighting men, but I guess it was too early, the gourds haven't ripened yet
	50 percent of Beijing's population still live in the traditional Hutong houses; one-floor homes built around a central courtyard; doorways from the streets and alleys of a traditional form
	Anything and everything can and is transported by bicycle
Choose a can, any can...
	The yellow-and-green wastebins have replaced baskets, but only in the business areas... Coca-Cola is worldwide... signs and notices, some recognisable, some not One side is for recycling, one is not. Which?
Yellow is the colour of the Emperor, so who is this?
	A street map in Chinese and English, and sign language, banknotes and smiles and grimaces... you can get by... No the whole world does not speak English. Didn't you know?