3. In the Park

“Her name is Jing Jing,” Alice, my interpreter says.  “It means Crystal in English.  Her grandfather told me that he brings her here, to the park, every day.  They sit under these trees while she plays.”  I look at the little girl while Alice and the man continue their conversation.  I walk slowly toward Jing Jing in an attempt to take some photographs of her as she’s happily digging in the dirt.  She’s beautiful…  Click.  I take a few images and then sit and watch her play.  My thoughts drift back to the conversation I had with Alice yesterday about China’s one-child policy.  The policy was implemented as a means of population control by the People’s Republic of China.  Officials hoped it would help minimize economic, environmental and social problems within the country.  Alice and I also talked about China’s heavily populated orphanages, which are filled with unwanted little girls.  Many parents want a boy who can carry on the family name and provide income for his aging parents one day.  “Little girls can’t do that,” Alice said, “so they are given up to the orphanages.”  “What about people from foreign countries who want to come here and adopt?”  “China has very stringent laws on adoption.”  Having been adopted, I felt a big tug on my heart.  Even now, when I replay the conversation in my mind, I still feel the tug.  “Lisa, are you ready?”  “I’m sorry.  What?”  “I said are you ready to go?”  I nod my head “yes” and wave goodbye to Jing Jing and her grandfather.  We continue walking through the park to the historical Temple of Heaven.  Along the way, we walk through areas where people are spending time with friends and family playing board games and musical instruments, and dancing in groups designated by dance style.  So far we have walked by tango, salsa, waltz and one dance I’ve never seen.  It looked fun, though.  Then we stroll through a quiet area where people are doing martial arts.  We also pass a group of people reading.  “This place is like one large community center,” I say.  “I love it.”  “Yes.  Because Beijing is so crowded, a lot of people come here to get away.  It’s nice.”  We continue walking and come across a group of women knitting.  Hats and sweaters are being created to my left and scarves to my right.  As they knit, the women chatter away, and I wish I understood Chinese so I could eavesdrop on their conversations.  We continue our leisurely walk.  Men playing board games and dominos grab my attention, and I get out my camera to photograph them as they huddle in groups around the players.  When someone makes a play, the men burst out and then quickly get quiet as they wait for the next play.  I watch this cycle repeat itself many times as I photograph the groups of men.  Then an aroma catches my attention.  As I try to determine where the smell is coming from, I notice a sign posted on a pillar that reads, “No Naked Flames.”  I keep scanning the area and finally find the source.  There is a man sitting on a banister who looks very relaxed as he smokes a long pipe.  I slowly bring my camera to my eye and he looks right at me, knowing that I’m taking his photograph.  Click.  I capture the image and smile.  In return, he offers me a small grin and then continues smoking his pipe.  Alice and I continue our walk in the park…