Beijing, Winter '23, Day 3 - We needed warm clothes

Published: 2023-12-18

We had one goal today, and that was to get warm clothes. After a couple of days in these temperatures we are starting to know what clothes work and what don’t. One of the largest malls in this part of Beijing is a 35 minute walk away, but with a baby to carry, we took the subway.

A snow covered garden in a residential compound in Beijing. — Heading out into the compound, still covered in snow.

Three people walk along a snow covered road between parked cars. The person in front is pushing a buggy. — It always amazes me how many cars are here. You’d never know there was a vast underground carpark that was also full.

I made an offhand comment that the Subway felt like it took longer than it used to. It turns out it was taking longer. There are speed restrictions in place after a crash earlier in the week. Two subway trains collided after snow and ice made it difficult for one of them to stop. I don’t know why I picked up on the subway taking longer than normal. Have I now developed a sense of what “normal” is here?

A photo inside a Beijing subway car. Most passengers are wearing face masks. A person stnds looking to the left of the image wearing sunglasses. — A journey on the Beijing Metro.

A photo looking along a covered subway platform in Beijing China. The bright sunlight from the opening at the far end of the platform silhouettes two passengers standing on the platform. — A look back along the platform. Early on a weekday afternoon it isn’t busy.

I’m always surprised at how many bikes and scooters get left outside the malls and the stations. The storage racks are always full day and night. Many of the bikes look as though they haven’t seen use in a while. I can’t imagine using my bike that way, where I cycle somewhere and then forget about it.

A photo taken inside an underpass in Beijing China. It is winter and there is snow on the ground beside the road. — Bikes and scooters parked outside the mall are still covered in snow.

Inside the mall we found Christmas of sorts. We didn’t get a tree this year and we notice these displays more than we would otherwise. My son asked where we’d put the presents if we didn’t have a tree. This is our first Christmas away since we had children and we didn’t plan anything. I expect we are going to have to make more of an effort next time we do this.

A photo of a Christmas scene iside a shopping mall in Beijing, China. — Christmas at Livat, Beijing