Spot the Temple

Grimsters

Ex- Temple- see the base of the temple pillar?

  Huguosi Street (护国寺街)is a 600m-long ancient commercial street named after the former Huguosi Temple, which was located there. It has a history of over 800 years when it was first formed in the Yuan Dynasty. I went to see the old hutongs there, with someone associated with the archaeological department of a Beijing university. We had fun spotting the bits of the temple, which was scattered around the hutong. The hutong was built on top of bits of the old temple!

Had a casual chat with a doctor from a major international embassy in Beijing (just a social chit chat, not a consultation!),  and I was relieved to learn that the tiredness that I feel here from the pollution, is normal. She said that she too finds it necessary to get much more sleep, because of the stress that the heavy pollution causes to the body. Her recommendation was to wear a good face mask, and also to make sure to take plenty of Vitamin D, which I do. The lack of sunshine in the winter, plus pollution smog, which cuts down on the available sunlight even further, can cause additional health issues. Hydration is also very important, but she says humidifiers are not recommended. They need to be cleaned regularly and thoroughly, to be effective. Otherwise you’re just created a nice, humid environment for the bugs to multiply. Best to just drink plenty of water, because the hydration needs to be inside.

Even by Beijing standards, the pollution yesterday and today is absolutely appalling- “Hazardous” according to the index. I’m turning in early tonight!