Books, Arts & Manners: Dingling & Evil Spirits

Our commission has been working hard at meetings, briefings, luncheons, dinners for ten days, and this is to be our one break, a day of sightseeing around Peking. But in no way a day of rest. It is 6:00 a.m., and we find ourselves in a small touring bus. That we find ourselves in a small touring bus at 6:00 a.m. is proof positive that our friend Bob Wallach is one of the great American trial lawyers. He has convinced weary us that to see the Great Wall we should be there early, ahead of the crowds.

Lynn and Elizabeth Noah and Leon Slawecki of the embassy have joined us. greatly enhancing the enterprise, since in addition to being bright, witty. brave, true, noble, and strong, they speak Chinese. We travel north, into tie rugged hills that form a hundredmile-wide barrier protecting the great northern plain from Mongolia. As we ascend, the bleak grey-green-brown hills become dotted with wild apricot trees, scattered in flighty disarray up and down the mountainside.

Our commission has been working hard at meetings, briefings, luncheons, dinners for ten days, and this is to be our one break, a day of sightseeing around Peking. But in no way a day of rest. It is 6:00 a.m., and we find ourselves in a small touring bus. That we find ourselves in a small touring bus at 6:00 a.m. is proof positive that our friend Bob Wallach is one of the great American trial lawyers. He has convinced weary us that to see the Great Wall we should be there early, ahead of the crowds.

Lynn and Elizabeth Noah and Leon Slawecki of the embassy have joined us. greatly enhancing the enterprise, since in addition to being bright, witty. brave, true, noble, and strong, they speak Chinese. We travel north, into tie rugged hills that form a hundredmile-wide barrier protecting the great northern plain from Mongolia. As we ascend, the bleak grey-green-brown hills become dotted with wild apricot trees, scattered in flighty disarray up and down the mountainside.