Beijing

Birds of a feather sing together.

Strolling along the narrow streets of Beijing, looking into backyard one can always see and hear birds. Not so much in the trees but mostly in cages. Some are myna birds other thrushes, all in metal or bamboo cages suspended from a gutter or a tree. 

In the heart of Beijing on some street corners or a park, the ageing bird-men meet every morning.

With an early rise, the Birdman unhooks the cage and takes it for a walk to the nearest gathering point. Their proud possession, the birds, get to swing on their perch till they reach the familiar sounds of the other birds. Among the tweets, the covers from the cages get unzipped and the cages join the others suspended on lines or hooks in the trees. The birds seem to know one another and a chatter follows.

Below the cages the birdmen gather to play cards, smoke, chat, catch up on gossip and local news, relax and talk about birds, after all, birds of a feather stick together.

In the time of the Qing dynasty, around the 19th century, royals were entertaining themselves by raising fish, watch cricket fights and bird watching. Bird raising considered a civilised hobby and it soon caught on by the commoners.

Added to the skyline of Beijing, for the Olympic Games, is The Birds Nest Stadium.  At a cost of $423 million US Dollars and was built by a Swiss architecture firm for its opening on 28 June 2008.  It structure certainly is intriguing and altogether different from any of the architecture in the area. Bird nests are lucky in Chinese folklore and there is an ongoing debate about the future of the Birds Nest Stadium.