Buses are numerous, crowded and cheap. A few are double-deckers, as shown here. A ride on a bus typically costs the equivalent of 12 cents USD and, if a transfer is necessary, a second payment of 12 cents.

Inexpensive restaurants surround the hotels. A good lunch costs less than a dollar.  Two young women stand before the door of such a restaurant near the Sheraton Hotel. Craftsmen ply their trades along the street as illustrated by the outdoor shop under the parasol.

There are many "computer bars" in cities throughout China, but Beijing has attempted to decrease their number and regulate their operation. Each such bar contains a dozen or more computers with access to the Internet. Only a very few have a scanner for sending photographs over the 'net.

Here we see seven people peering intently as a Chinese expert scans these very pictures into a message destined for StickYourNeckOut. I have alerted them to the site in part because of its special connections to China and because it publishes articles by Chinese authors.

Last, we see Lu Xiaofang, a charming young woman who helped me to communicate both within China and home to America by providing access to a computer and a scanner. In this picture she is at Yantai, a northern beach on the ocean. For me, she is a symbol of the welcoming kindness of this magic country.