On Olympic nights, Houhai lake has become like a carnival. Tourists and Beijinger mix on the sidewalks and fill the lakeside cafes. Stall set up along the road sell cotton candy, fruit, Beijing snacks, souvenirs and cigarettes.

Tourists and Beijingers


Communist souvenirs for sale

Adjacent bars pump competing music out into the night. Many places have live performances from local rock bands or sequined starlets.

A man stops to watch a singer performing inside a Houhai bar.

In the southernmost part of Houhai large stone courtyard. At night it is taken over for dancing. The older generation in Beijing gathers to ballroom dance. Older married couples are often experienced dancers, stepping through stately waltzes to a time signature they keep in their head. Women often partner with friends, taking turns leading each other. People come for the exercise and dance unselfconsciously.

Dancers on the south shore of Houhai Lake

In a darker corner of the lake, men strip down to bathing suits or underwear to swim in the lake. The night is hot and wet, and though we know the lake must be far from clean, we still watch the swimmers with a shadow of envy.

The darkness lends some privacy to the swimmers, though they do not seem concerned with the gazes of passerbys