I personally didn’t like the festivities around China’s 60th anniversary that much.

The TV broadcast of Beijing’s military parade seemed like Kim’s wet dream of “North Korea goes ROTC” – endless rows of pre-ejaculatory smiles and anticipating handclaps included. Stomp-stomp-stomp. This was somehow not the China that I had fallen in love with…

I resorted to being cynical, drinking tea and keeping myself busy with a thesis paper for school. When night broke, I decided to go outside and look for some peace of mind.

…it was just a ride in the elevator away:

…out there, hidden in the dead of night, lay a world without people:

…or rather, there were some people in it, but it was a quiet world nonetheless:

…the city seemed asleep:

…spread out like a drunk girl on a chaise longue:

…but wait! ”小心你上当受骗“ – “Beware of being taken in and cheated”:

…maybe things were not quite the way they seemed?

Something seemed to tell me that sleep would always remain an illusion for this place:

…no matter how dark the night.

Maybe, I thought, maybe all the soldiers, tanks and airplanes on the tele have been illusions too?

Soundtrack: The Who – “Behind Blue Eyes”