Midi take two

The Midi festival is one of China's greatest music events, pulling in local and International talent alike. For four days Beijing's Haidian park is filled with tens of thousands of music fans excited as the scene explodes in so many directions. Punks, goths, rockers, emo fans, hip-hop junkies and techno heads get together to dance and jump to their rythm of choice. I hadn't expected to see either heavy metal or contemporary art as big things here before I got to China but in all their rebelliousness they are, at least from the outside, thriving - I'm not enough 'in the scene' to know what is and isn't allowed.

Anyway, I have to admit that though I enjoy the local music scene here I don't go to Midi for the music, but for the atmosphere and the diversity of people there. Yesterday was a perfectly sunny day with temperatures around 30 and necks and backs crisping up nicely. I was caked in enough sun block to keep me going completely pink.

So, we sat around, saw a few bands, wondered the parks watching people sat reading in the sun. A few snaps from the day:

My personal favourite, as the sun was setting:

Skateboarders doing what skateboarders seem to do best - falling over:

Rockers rocking:

Punks punking:

Another silhouette:

and all manner of crazy hair on display:

Post festival we celebrated the holiday with a night of Korean soju, rather like sake and far too easy to drink! Some didn't relish the bright sunshine the next day but I seem to have escaped lightly.

Tomorrow I have to get back to work though it will be relaxed, in a cafe which is certainly my favourite way of working.