Exploring the nooks and crannies of Beijing's Panjiayuan

A red handkerchief hung around the neck of a bronze statue on the second story of a building in the middle of the antique market in Beijing's Panjiayuan area.

The eyes stared off into the distance, unperturbed, as posters fluttered around in the mildly cool air pushed by humming air conditioners.

One could see a gigantic portrait of Karl Marx on one side, and a smaller one of Josef Stalin waving slightly.