Tipping point for love comes at night

As a single-never-married guy, I can now say there comes a tipping point in your relationship with, well, your hometown when you decide "that's it" - you'll no longer whine or whinge about its shortcomings or dark side but accept it for what it is with complete resignation or wisdom.

You even discover, and take delight in, its positives or simple pleasures. If you are married to, or irretrievably in love with, a Homo sapiens, you probably know that might-as-well-get-on-with-it feeling.

That feeling dawned over several nights in Beijing, my home for the last two years. Let me propound a theory: If you want to fall in love with your hometown, check it out at night.

You'll forget and forgive the blemishes and the rough edges, or smog or crowded motorways, that the day's light highlights and the night's neon beautifies. Much like...well, you know what I mean.

So, here's my little list of "all you wanted to love about Beijing but didn't know how".

Street food: Three guys in the 35-50 age-group are hungry around 2 am, after a weekend evening that was a throwback to university days. No problem. Summer's the time to enjoy scrumptious, freshly made, piping hot street food at intersections and on sidewalks. The ubiquitous mobile stalls on three-wheelers and carts are an explosion of flavors: noodles, dumplings, pancakes, omelets, breads and assorted local delicacies that are cooked, stir-fried or steamed. Savor them all without bothering about their names and recipes.

Barbecue: Oh yes, Beijingers love grilled food. The suppliers take care not to violate municipal regulations on burning coal outdoors. The food stalls install the equipment, hobs, chimneys indoors. The veg and nonveg food is served outdoors. Celebrations start after dusk and continue till dawn presumably.

Hardworking guys: I am yet to figure what, exactly, this army of e-bike-riders in sleeveless jackets does after midnight. They zip past you with receipt book in pocket, and seem to zero-in on wrongly parked vehicles. They display enormous enthusiasm for their work, and are an inspiration.

Roads: In size, they are as large as, or perhaps larger than, an airport's tarmac, but these days (rather nights), they get transformed in a jiffy, much like girls who grow up too fast and turn into lovely brides right before your eyes. This ability to upgrade key infrastructure overnight is amazing.

Designer lighting: The after-dusk Beijing skyline is a sexy beast. Familiar skyscrapers are draped in glitzy, sophisticated lights that conjure dynamic colors, wavy patterns and sleek shapes. Not exactly a novelty, but they still take your breath away. The best views can be had from a moving vehicle on an overpass.

Cranes: Hectic construction means gigantic cranes, and aluminum ladders are suspended at impossible heights and angles. The background of night sky and artificial light create a weird geometry that can produce Zen moments.

Taxicabs: Convenient, reliable; available always. Didi rocks.

Always-on city: Seriously. Streets, arteries and ring roads throb. Even between midnight and dawn, you'll feel reassured you're never alone in Beijing.

Contact the writer at siva@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/25/2017 page2)