M4 metrobeijing THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010 CHINA DAILY Beijingers hitchhike to Berlin Pair’s journey through 13 countries can be seen in documentary series on Travel Channel
By WANG WEI e lm series is possibly ing a picture of his girlfriend gystan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, to convince passing drivers CHINA DAILY China’s first ever television in Berlin to help plead his Turkey, Iraq and Romania to stop. road trip documentary. case. are offset by the rewards, he e most interesting part of Gu Yue and Liu Chang hitch- e series, and trip, began Gu is a self-styled profes- added. the trip was in northern Iraq, hiked from Beijing to Berlin on drizzly day last June at sional backpacker. “I feel I am addicted to according to Gu. last year in order to visit Gu’s Houhai. In what Gu calls He said his first travel hitchhiking,” said Liu in the He and Liu ended up on a German girlfriend. e pair the most difficult part of the adventure was walking alone Beijing Evening News. “e tractor headed to a burning caught 88 rides in 13 coun- journey, they struggled to nd from Deshengmen, on north best part is you get to meet so village, where they watched tries in the more than 100 a li out of Beijing into Hebei side of the second ring road, many different people.” locals battle the ames. days they spent on the road province. to Tianqiao, on the south side In the documentary the After the fire was extin- and, as they went, made a 16- They eventually made on the second ring road, when pair met a driver in Shanxi guished, a crowd gathered episode documentary series, their way to the expressway he was just 6 years old. province determined to work around the two Chinese men, To Berlin By umb, which is entrance, where the clouds He quit a steady job with tirelessly until he can buy and they were soon invited to currently airing on the Travel open and they stood, getting General Electric Co when he both his sons a house, lonely dinner. Channel. drenched in the pouring rain, was 24 years old to take a two drivers in the Xinjiang Uygur The documentary ends “If you really want to do ignored by passing vehicles. year trip to 42 countries, set- Autonomous Region happy to when, after weeks hauling something, the whole world At one point they struck up a ting foot on ve continents. give free rides and a drunken around heavy backpacks will help you,” the pair, both conversation with a tollbooth But being a “professional” driver in Georgia, whose filled with clothes, sleeping in their thirties, say in series, officer, who ridiculed their backpacker doesn’t bring in erratic speeding scared the bags, laptops and video and a message that rings true as plan. much of a salary (or even any hitchikers. camera equipment, the two they experience hospitality Just getting the trip under kind of salary) and Gu and The two occasionally nally arrived in Berlin. across Central Asia and the way was almost as tough, Liu funded their documen- resorted to the same tactics Gu was so excited to nally Middle East. said Gu. tary by spending almost all they used at embassies in see his girlfriend and recited a Liu acts as the cameraman It took the pair two and half their savings. Beijing, using Gu’s girlfriend poem he wrote for her. while Gu is the series’ protag- months just to get visas from “We don’t own any property as an emotional appeal for “In the past three months, onist. Netizens described the most of the countries they or vehicles – it is necessary to rides. I walked toward the sunset journey as the “most romantic planned to visit. sacrice for the pursuit of our In the former Soviet Cen- where Berlin lies, because hitchhiking trip ever,” but Gu ey had to make multiple passion,” said Gu. “People tral Asian republics they held my beloved girl is there,” he COURTESY OF GU YUE said he was inspired by Amer- visits, outlining their route in should live for themselves.” a sign on which they wrote, told her. Starting from Houhai in Beijing, backpacker Gu Yue took 88 ican writer Jack Kerouac’s On the utmost detail, he said. But the costs of hitchhiking “hitchhiking to visit my girl- “Next time just take a plane rides in 13 countries in three and a half months to visit his e Road. He even resorted to bring- across countries such as Kyr- friend in Berlin” in Russian to see me,” she replied. girlfriend in Berlin. Slip into a fun time at Houhai
By JOSEPH CHRISTAN CHINA DAILY
Many are drawn to the Houhai area because it offers a more comfortable environment than its seedy San- litun cousin. Occupying ancient hutong the bars and shops offer a unique ambiance and artsy feel that have made it popular. Nearly all agree that sitting on couches by Hou- hai Lake while talking with your friends or slowly strolling through the hutong shops is very nice ... in the summer! With the freezing temperatures that have pushed their way into Beijing this year, such activities could make you loose a toe or nger to frostbite if you are not careful. But don’t let the Siberian cold fronts stop you because they create a whole different Houhai expe- rience that can only be enjoyed when things get a little bit nippy. Houhai Lake is now well frozen, so it’s high time you put down your hot coco or coffee, throw an extra layer on and head downtown. Don’t just go aer work for a nice dinner and a beer at a pub because you will miss the whole winter experience. e best time to get a feel of Houhai’s winter fun is in the late morning or early afternoon on the weekend. e frozen lake bursts into life with ice skaters, Wang Bingren, 22, Clown No. 01003 for Clown Fresh Flowers, smiles as he carries a delivery for a wedding on Jan 24. JONAH M. KESSEL / CHINA DAILY hockey lessons, ice sleds and even a local polar bear club. In an admirable effort to bring sanity to the crowds, the icy lake is divided into various sections according to the chosen activity. e chatter, laugh- ter and motion add a certain excitement. It’s such a mix of interesting people. Clowning around with flowers Lovers embrace as they peck each other’s frozen lips at the edge of the lake while families with little By CHRISTINE LASKOWSKI There’s a Chinese proverb that says: When you give receive the owers, denitely,” he said. children slip and slide with laughter in the middle. AND DU JUAN roses to people the fragrance stays with you. It’s hard “There’s a Chinese proverb that says: To round things out, near a small island in the CHINA DAILY When you give roses to people the fra- middle of the lake vendors have set up small booths to explain the happiness I feel when I do this job. All I grance stays with you,” he said, adding. where you can play games like throwing darts at bal- For those who have spotted a clown know is that it’s infectious.” “It’s hard to explain the happiness I feel loons or even buy snacks and drinks. riding a motorbike through Beijing WANG BINGREN, FLOWER DELIVERY CLOWN when I do this job. All I know is that it’s But easily the strangest thing on the ice has to be recently, we assure you that you were not infectious.” an oversized goat wearing little leather booties. imagining things. Currently, Song is the proud owner of For a small fee, you can rent the goat to pull you The clown was just doing his job a little girl failing to sell roses to a couple But Song did not hire someone to three Clown Fresh Flowers franchises in around the ice on a sled. Quite bizarre and pointless —making ower deliveries for Clown passing by. dress as a clown to make deliveries until Beijing with locations also in Haidian given the immeasurably more fun ice sleds, but it’s Fresh Flowers. “My immediate thought was: ‘If I were he moved the shop to its second Jiugulou District and Guomao. there nonetheless. This innovative flower shop merges that little girl, how would I convince that location. Apparently, not everyone’s cut He has a total of 18 employees, seven It costs 10 yuan to get onto the frozen lake and 20 the pleasant surprise of a ower delivery ‘man‘ to buy his girlfriend that rose?’ And out for the job, and Song knows exactly of which are delivery clowns. to rent an ice sled (other things are more expensive), with the humor and curiosity of hav- for some reason, I thought of clowns.” what he’s looking for. Delivery is free if the cost of owers but the fun you can have with your family, friends or ing them presented personally — by a Song sat on the idea for three years, “I’d found a student who had just gradu- is over 80 yuan, within the Fourth Ring lover is well worth it. clown. and even opened a small restaurant ated from university who was looking to Road. e best plan in my opinion is to head there earlier e gag initially sounds silly, but for in the interim, until nally in 2006 he do something different,” Song said about Flowers (namely roses, lilies, and dai- in the morning spend an hour or two playing on the owner Song Feifan, it is much more than decided to experiment selling owers to his very rst clown delivery employee. “I sies) are approximately ve yuan a piece, ice and then enjoy a nice lunch in one of the many a business. In 1997, at the age of 19, Song tourists at Houhai. needed someone who was outgoing, not and bouquets and arrangements range restaurants or bars that line the lake. Feifan came to Beijing from Lingyi, a So Song paid a tailor a visit and asked shy of speaking and acting in public, and from 200-400 yuan for 20-33 flowers, Aer lunch, if it is not too cold, you can enjoy a rural, mountain village in Shandong them to t him with a clown suit; well, really a very open person.” and 700-1,000 yuan for 99 owers. nice walk through the hutong shops or even enjoy a province. several suits. Wang Bingren, Clown No. 01003, is On bad or stressful days, Song says he hot drink at a local cafe. He had learned a lot about Beijing “ey didn’t understand what I was 22 years old and has been working as a suits up and makes deliveries because it Just watch out for those annoying bike taxi/tour from textbooks, which fueled a strong asking,” he told METRO, laughing. “So delivery clown for Clown Fresh owers makes him feel better. guides that assault you with requests of patronage desire to see it for himself. But the tran- I told them what I wanted, brought for six months. “Because I’m the boss, I don’t have to,” every two seconds. sition was not easy. photos and told them to make a few He had just returned from a delivery to he said, “But there’s something magi- It’s much nicer to go exploring yourself. “It was a really hard time,” the slender, different suits, so I could pick the best a wedding when METRO got the oppor- cal about wearing that costume. Once It’s well worth your time, so what are you wait- unassuming 32 year-old admitted, “I out of them.” tunity to speak with him, dressed in full I’m out there delivering, I’m talking to ing for, get out there and enjoy some winter fun at worked for six months, earning only Knowing that his idea truly had busi- clown garb, from the bulbous red nose to people and I’m bringing a little happiness Houhai Lake. 300 yuan a month.” ness merit, Song opened his rst store the baggy, rainbow jumper. to their day.” Once the spring comes around, you will have to But in 2003, Song found himself wan- right before Mother’s Day in 2006 on Wang’s favorite part of the job? “And this is what I want,” he contin- wait through the hot muggy Beijing summer before dering around Wangfujing where he saw Jiugulou Street. “When the customer smiles aer they ued,” to be a bridge between people.” you can enjoy its wintry delights again.