A Visit to the Beijing Zoo
When trav
eling anywhere, whether in the US or abroad, if there is a zoo I try to see it. While here in Beijing we had the chance to stop for half an hour at the Beijing Zoo. When I go to zoos I try to photograph their front entrances. That is what invites a person in and tells you a lot about what you can expect when you are inside.
We arrived in our bus, disembarked and I looked around for the entrance. We were in a parking lot, buses and cars all around us. No real entrance in sight, we were already inside the zoo. It is free to those visiting. 
We proceeded to the panda exhibit, about a one-minute walk, and had to pay to get into that exhibit. But the rest of the zoo was available to see with no charge. It is early spring and most of the deciduous trees, like the Koelreuteria, Liriodendron, etc. are just budding out. The Salix around the central lake created a spectacular feel and softened the overall scene. Briefly seeing the work being done there with bamboo rakes and brooms, bicycle wheel push carts, and all the watering being done by very long hoses, it was extremely neat and tidy, although the exhibits and infrastructure needed work. A little paint and concrete work would go a long way.
Being in an area that does not get a lot of rain, similar to Southern California, the interior of the outside exhibits was quite in need of upgrading. 
Compaction is always a problem in those cases. The interior panda area including the public spaces was unique in design and had a nice quality, but was a bit rustic overall with the way the concrete was poured and finished.
