A poetic post on Wang Xiaofeng’s blog sends up a recent street fair held in one of Beijing’s few protected hutong (alleyways). Translated by CDT and illustrated with photos from redheart:
Today passing by Nanluogu Xiang(南锣鼓巷),
I discovered the hutong has become a flea market.
Peddlers piled stalls on both sides of the street.
Everything was for sale:
All manner of handicrafts to fool foreigners,
Plus CDs, paintings and clothing.
There were also people hugging guitars and singing.
People strolling around were four times as many as in the past.
I found that,
There were many artistic beauties (the short way of saying beautiful girls with artistic appearances),
And foreigners.
However, a banner hanging across the street reads,
NO STALLS ON THE STREET.
Because the street is narrow, the car traffic here is only one-way.
In fact, I think this is a good idea:
Every weekend for two days, motor vehicles are banned.
Change the Hutong into a bazaar,
Selling various fake goods rich with cultural significance,
This is also good.
This reflects a certain character,
Beijing long ago lost its character.
If Paul Simon were here,
He could write a song called “Scarborough Fair of Nanluogu Xiang.”
