October is the tenth month of the year but it derives its name from the Latin "octo" meaning "eight" since, on the calendar originally created by the Romans, October was the eighth month of the year. October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in the Northern hemisphere. The birthstone for this month is the opal which is thought by some to have the power to predict illness. This is because the opal responds to heat and if you are sick your temperature increases before signs of illness appear. This increased body heat may cause the opal to lose its shine, leaving it dull and lacking color. An old tale states that an opal will crack if it is worn by someone who was not born in the month of October. The birth flower for this month is the calendula which is a type of merigold. October is an exciting month in China since it is the month of National Day on October 1 and this year it is also the month of the Autumn Festival. Mid-Autumn Festival, 'Zhongqiu Jie' in Chinese, is one of China's most important traditional festivals. This festival dates back over 3,000 years and falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar which this year is on Saturday, October 3. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in October and in North American towns and cities, on October 31^st, Halloween Day, children will skip from house to house, dressed in costumes, to collect treats.

60^th Birthday Celebrations in China

　　  October brought a month of excitement to all Beijingers since the days leading up to this month were filled with preparations for the 60^th anniversary of the founding of The People's Republic of China on October 1^st. To beautify the city, about 40 million potted plants were placed along the streets and about 2 million national flags were manufactured by the Beijing Jinggong Red Flag Factory. Security throughout the city was at a very high level and many parts of the city were closed to traffic. Each neighborhood had their own security group outside their neighborhood dressed in new 60^th anniversary, yellow and red shirts and red arm bands. The taxi drivers throughout Beijing sported new yellow dress shirts similar to those worn during the Olympics. As a foreign expert in the city, I was very excited to be invited to several anniversary events which were planned by the Foreign Expert Office of the Beijing Foreign Affairs Department. One event was an special, 60^th Anniversary Exhibition held at the Beijing Exhibition Hall where I viewed room after room of gigantic displays related to history and accomplishment of the past 60 years in China. I marveled at these huge displays from many fields such as environmental, architectural and military sources. On another evening I received a beautiful, red engraved invitation to a large reception at The Great Hall of the People. Since this enormous building is located right on Tiananmen Square and the event was held just previous to October 1, as I walked through the decorated square I was able to see the lovely flowers and other birthday displays. I had often passed the large building of The Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen and I had seen it in events on TV but I had never entered the building. It was very majestic in the interior and I felt like a dwarf as I entered the huge red and gold doorways and past the large articles of adornment displayed in the entrance foyer. The reception event was lovely with a band playing favorite Chinese songs such as "I love China". My fellow guests and I dined on several courses of delicious food while seated at round tables and served by hundreds of waiters. Several of the Chinese leaders gave speeches of welcome and toasts were held to celebrate the 60^th anniversary occasion. October 1, itself, was a day which included both a parade in the afternoon and a celebration pageant in the evening concluded by a gigantic fireworks display. (continued on next page)

The parade featured thousands of soldiers and military personal and 180,000 civilian participants. School children numbering 80,000 were part of the celebration as they held flash cards with messages which changed every few minutes. It was a day of celebration which seemed to outshine even the opening of the Olympics. The parade and the evening ceremony were world class and provided a day of pride for all the Chinese people and special warmth in all the foreigners as they shared this special day. This anniversary day was followed quickly by the Autumn Festival a few days later on October 3^rd. In the days leading up to this festival day, people crowded into the stores to buy their favorite selection of moon cakes. My friends, Alyssa and Mandy, presented me with a beautiful, large box of moon cakes which were the most delicious of all of the ones which I have tasted since living in China.

Muxiyuan Material Market

　　　  Muxiyuan is a fabric market which has the largest selection of materials that I have found in Beijing. It has a collection of fabric which far exceeds that of Yashow or the Silk Market. It is very difficult to find this location and I find it easiest to go there by taxi by telling the driver to go to the Muxiyuan Qiao since the market is very close to this bridge. During the past month I have returned to this market since I go there every few months to buy pieces of material which my tailor miraculously turns into clothing fit for a fashion runway. Muxiyuan fabric market has rows and rows of vendors at stalls in a covered setting and here shoppers may find every type of material such as: silk, cashmere, wool, embroidery, linen, sequined fabrics, fur and many others and also accessories such as zippers and buttons. The price of the fabric must be bartered and the stall owner will cut to size the required amount. Although stalls are arranged in rows, visitors must be prepared to get lost. The market rows are enormous and the surrounding streets also have their own hidden bargains. The down-side of the market is that it is difficult to get to this location and that the vendors often change their locations. I have gone to this market particularly to get a specific kind of fabric which I had purchased on an earlier trip and spent hours trying to find the vendor only to conclude that they had moved to a new location or perhaps out of the market completely. I have learned that if I see a fabric I like, I always buy it on that visit since I know it may not be available on my next trip to this fabric market.

Buying a Pet

　　 In the past month I accompanied a friend to buy a pet dog. Since she is also a foreigner in the city, we needed to research the various laws related to keeping pets in Beijing. My friend wanted a small dog and was not looking for an expensive type such as was reported in the newspaper lately which told of a Chinese lady millionaire who paid four million yuan (600,000 dollars) for a dog and ordered 30 luxury cars to come to the airport to greet her and the animal. The woman and her new pet -- a black Tibetan Mastiff -- flew into Xi'an.  A convoy of 30 black Mercedes-Benz cars, led by two sports utility vehicles, drove to the airport to pick up the pair, who had arrived from the Tibetan-populated province of Qinghai in China's northwest. When my friend and I went in search of a dog to buy as a pet we were not in this "millionaire category" and only wanted a small, (continued on next page)

"non-luxury" dog, so we investigated the regulations for buying and keeping dogs in Beijing. As we searched the rules and regulations regarding dog ownership, we found that the website of the International Centre for Veterinary Services was a valuable resource. The main rules (there are many other factors to consider) we found which dictated our approach to "dog-buying" were:

1. The PBS regulates the dog registrations in each local neighborhood and all dogs must be registered. This license must be renewed from May to early June each year. 

2.  Dogs registered within the 8 major districts of Beijing Municipality (e.g., Chaoyang, Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Haidian, Fengtai, and Shijingshan) must not be taller than 35 cm from the ground to their shoulder.

3. Only one dog may be registered per household address.

4. The law requires all dogs to be rabies vaccinated each year

　　　  Happily, my friend and I were able to find a cute little dog and I hope to share in the enjoyment of happy times and long walks with her new little pet which has been named 'Xiao Bao' (little treasure).

Restaurant Treats

　  A favorite place for lunch or dinner for me is TGIF Fridays. This chain restaurant has 3 branches in Beijing. My favorite branch is the one which is located on the south side of the Friendship Hotel. It is a favorite spot to indulge in great steaks and also this restaurant has fabulous racks of ribs and succulent starters such as potato skins. TJIF is the perfect place, as its name suggests, to celebrate the end of a work week.

　  Another great place for steaks and other wonderful dinner selections is The Hard Rock Cafe. This restaurant, which is one of a famous world chain, is located near The Great Wall Hotel and is a fun place to take visitors, especially young 'rock-and-rollers'. Around the restaurant walls are a collection of rock items such as guitars used by famous band members and the souvenir shop has many  items such as T-shirts and rock and roll items which are stamped with the logo of the Beijing Hard Rock Cafe. The menu items are quite varied and all the food is delicious, especially the steaks.

I will enjoy the rest of October with the beautiful fall weather and I look forward to visiting many of the parks around Beijing especially the Fragrant Hills Park area which I always visit at this time of year. This park is the number one location in Beijing to view the autumn trees in their beautiful fall colors. (continued on next page)

"Indian Summer" Along the line of smoky hills The crimson forest stands, And all the day the blue-jay calls Throughout the autumn lands.   Now by the brook the maple leans, With all his glory spread; And all the sumachs on the hills Have turned their green to red. Now, by great marshes wrapt in mist, Or past some river's mouth, Throughout the long still autumn day Wild birds are flying south. --William Wilfred Campbell (1860-1919) Born at Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Campbell was known as the poet of the Great Lakes.