Beauty in the Midst of Concrete

“For as the earth puts forth her blossom or bushes in the garden burst forth into flower, so shall the Lord God make righteousness and praise blossom before all the nations.”  Isaiah 61:11

Strategic randomness of art and beauty not only in the cities but also along highways seemingly in the middle of nowhere captivated my senses.

Bright, colorful gardens tucked behind concrete walls & steel buildings. Floral art galleries inserted into major freeway medians. Fruit groves dancing around magnificent sculptures. Picturesque canals along highways weaved like spider webs in rings upon rings. Lush ivy smothered overpasses and hung down intermingling with Magnolia trees. Row upon endless row of high rises neighbored small farms laced with electrical high wires connecting industrial zones like preschoolers in a line holding fast to a rope.

“Made in China” is a familiar phrase in America so I expected to see countless factories here. What a surprise to view them in the distance, often concealed by stair-step layers of giant evergreens and weeping willow, blooming shrubs, and flower beds. Brings new meaning to the term “industrial PARK”.

Despite the fact that I was in cities of 17 million (Beijing) & 14 million (Shanghai) residents, I was impressed with a permeating sense of pride among the Chinese.  Where is the litter?  And for that matter, where are the homeless?