Beijing: the final instalment

Well, I have a few more hours left in Beijing and frankly atm, that's a few hours too many. This place is ok, but the pollution and the general grey of the area is rather depressing.
Beijing is the good daughter of China, the one who stayed home to look after her parents. She is obedient and guarded. Shanghai, on the other hand, is the whore. She is free, liberated and has let many wander her streets. I think that is the best analogy I can come up with to compare these two cities. I do prefer Shanghai, if not for the quality of the air alone.
I am living in a district full of shops selling musical instruments and trophies, an odd combination. They have many clarinets, badged 'made in England/ France' and selling for around A$100-150. They are, however, all made in China and the shop assistants are only too pleased to reveal this. The remainder of the district is half hutong, half modernised. the hutongs mainly lay in ruins, but you can certainly imagine the charm they once held. Many Western Chinese inhabit this area, resulting in some absolutely fabulous cuisine. I have been having gourmet meals for A$2 at this local place which offers amongst its menu ' chicken seeking refuge'...mmmm I let that one pass. Again, dog features on the menu.
This morning I observed a man smoking meat with a blow torch. I didnt have my camera handy, but it did make for a fascinating sight.
Now to a fashion highlight. In Beijing I have seen many young ladies sporting a mullet of sorts. They are two distinct lengths in their hair, with the upper shorter layer crimped 80s style, and the longer layer remaining dead straight. When I first saw this, I thought it was a horrible mistake, particularly as the shorter layer was of a different colour than the other. Alas, I have seen this repeated many times since and believe it be a definite Beijing trend.
I was going to see the Summer Palace, but it is under renovation and I have decided to skip it for now. Today is a rest day, of sorts. I head to Xi'an on the overnight train and will do the Terracotta Warriors tomorrow, and if I am lucky enough I will be heading on another o'night train to Chengdu the following evening. From then, it's Kumming, Dali, Shenzhen and onto HK.
I have made many travelling buddies along the way and that has kept my sanity in check. It's been much easier than anticipated, and the Lonely Planet ('THE bible') has been great!
Thank you all for your comments and emails, they are much appreciated.