Beijing China, Day 21 - Becca is leaving today :(

I decided to stay home with her and go to our last lunch together. I felt so sad 😭 I got attached to her in just 20 days, which rarely happens when you are a ‘grow up’.

Although, the more I hung out with her, the less I understood her Australian accent :) She kept saying she doesn’t have an accent.

We went to lunch to a place so nearby that I always avoid it because it is too nearby. About one minute walk :) We met with Tiange, our residency coordinator too. The place was OK. I will keep avoiding it.

After lunch we got coffee and set on the steps of the square in front of the museum. It is sad to think I will probably never see Becca again.

After coffee I headed out on a long trip to an art studio of a couple of guys, I met at the dumpling party on Friday. The studio was almost an hour ride with a Didi and even longer on the way back. I am not sure 🤔 it was worth the RMBs I spent for the ride but I would probably always have regretted it if I didn't go.

On the way to the studio:

Still on the way, note the change in scenery:

However, the gated area was beautiful in a way that it reminded me of a remote Bulgarian village. With a lake in the middle, art studios which continued beyond the lake into an art complex, Red Brick. Red Brick offers artist residencies and was founded my Kira, an American girl I met at the Dumpling party!

I was only able to see one other art studio and they told me to not tell anyone I saw it. There were a few assistant artists who were frantically working on the background of maybe 10 really large canvases. So large, that the assistant artists had climbed up on a constructed support and ladders. They told me this artist was getting ready for a show, but I didn’t catch his name.

I met another American family with a couple of really cute little girls with really unique names - Jinway and Rayun. The father told me he made up the names.

I also saw 2 white foxes 🦊 kept in a cage as pets.

And a pregnant cat:

So weird the pets Chinese have. Pigs, puppies, now foxes. I rarely see adult dog but so many puppies everywhere. Where do they go when they grow up?

The complex was made up of lots of short buildings, and in order to get from one to the other you need to cut through the building through a very long dark corridor, I am not sure why wouldn’t there be another access. They also told me that they were excepted to be demolished, as the whole complex was illegally built back in the days, and all artists would need to relocate. Maybe that’s why?

This is really sad and is happening a lot throughout Beijing. It is a hot topic.

I got 3 magazines on this topic and started reading about how the government tries to relocate people by giving them apartments and compensation, but some of them have refused the compensation. I am not sure what happens then…

I was going to get something to eat before heading home but it looked so run down, and my phone battery was very low, so I got a Didi.

I watched the sunset on the way home.

Stopped by Meizhu and had dinner,

and then walked to the grocery store, and bought my last groceries in Beijing to cook my last meal! Dramatic stuff :)