A Bike Ride to Where?

I've been teaching 30 classes a week, summer sessions are intense so it is given me a regular 8 to 5 schedule. It's been rather exhausting, but my new students are fantastic. With all the work, the weekends take on a higher significance, I must do something special. Yesterday, I headed out on my bike with no particular destination, at least no cities in mind, no expectations of what I would find. But I knew I would find something beyond the mountains around ShiJing Shan. So I headed north through the frustrating city streets, riding kind of grumpily because of all the traffic. About an hour later, finally out of the city I was at the foot of Fragrant Hills. I found a pretty road and went up and gloriusly over (My first chance to coast down a hill since being in monotonously flat Beijing). On the other side I found a blue sky and green hill paradise, as far as Chinese mildy-populated countrysides go.

I have noticed that a few Chinese factories can be some of the more lovelier places around town. Highly manicured gardens and gates surround some complexes. I think this has something to do with the pride of industry. The streets around some of these more successful factories tend to be really clean and beautified with landscaping.