Bei Jing 2008

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  Beijing, China
Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Beijing is incredible, ridiculous, amazing, shocking, and very very ready for the Olympics. Walking out of the airport, I was shocked to see blue sky. 8 Years ago I was hit in the face with a wall of humidity and pollution. This time, while it was hot, Im pretty sure we saw blue sky. The new airport at which we arrived is new and designed like a dragon. All international flights exit the rear end...while the domestic flights depart from the head. A subtle commentary on Chinas use of feng shui.

The new highway from the airport into Beijing was lined with green and red potted plants and the landscaping job was remarkable. I write about this simply to being the observations on how far this city has come in preparation for the Olympics and how much time and effort they have put into preparing their grand entrance into the international stage. All highway and road signs were in English or phonetic chinese and traffic was almost nonexistent. With only 50% of the cars in Beijing allowed on the road on any given day...and 1/3 of the Beijing population (the migrant worker)forced to go home, and several new subway lines, Beijing felt like a vast sprawling city too big for the small number of people wandering its streets.

The Olympic buildings are stunning. Especially at night. We happened to wander down to the area at night and apparently on a night when they were rehearsing their opening ceremony fireworks over the birds nest and the natatorium. Along with tens of thousands of people wandering down the streets, climbing fences, and trampling flower beds, we made our way to within a few hundred meters of the stadium and watched in awe as fireworks exploded above the graceful structures that also changed colors on their exteriors. I think I took about 100 pictures attempting to capture the feeling of being there on film...but it just doesnt match the feeling of seeing the place and feeling the excitment on the street.

Every billboard had an Olympic advertisement or pictures of Yao or their 110m Gold medal hurdler...or the Olympic mascots called the Fewa who are absolutely adorable. Though they look like nothing in particular and do nothing special, I have definitely jumped on board the cuteness craze over the Fewa. Dangling from cell phones, rear view mirrors, backpacks, wall hangings, ear lobes are Fewa paraphanalia.

Its easy to forget about the controversial politics that surround China while youre in China and everything else pales in comparison the excitement of the arrival of the worlds olympians. I did not write in this blog because apparently it is blocked in China and so I thought Id wait until safely out of the country to recount my adventure in the home land.

I spent much of my time wandering in the hu tongs - the local neighborhoods with traditional courtyard housing where many real Beijing-ers live. They were old, decayed, and used. Really lived in. And a huge contrast to the new sprawling areas of the city with wide streets, glass buildings and structures that literally defy architectural safety precautions (the CCTV Tower shaped like a weird 3-d tetris piece). It was in these hutong where I found my favorite deserts sesame on fried mochi like bread, boiled corn. Yummmmy. We also ran into a crow like bird that greeted us in chinese - Ni Hao - and bid us goodbye as well - Zi gien! A crow speaking Chinese. That absolutely topped all of my experiences wandering in Beijing. I also practiced my bartering skills per the recommendations of Christine (Tsang) with whom we met up with and wandered the city. It was nice having someone to guide us around and take us to yummy restaurants, cool parks, and the Bellagio desert place which was quite supreme!

Sorry if this writing is slightly disjointed. I am currently in japan and trying to piece back memories of Beijing and its not completely streamlined.

But in sum, Beijing is definitely an impressive city and its even more impressive knowing the state of the city just 7 years ago. There is a definitive modern feel to many areas of the city, but I think the real meat on the bones is the small neighborhoods, the local restaurants, the people who make it tick. I think its so sad that China felt the need to kick out its labor force and build these skyscapers in record time (many of which still remain unfinished on the inside) and build cement walls in front of unappealing storefronts. But at the same time, I am very much hoping that this Olympics does bring more credibility for the country than it gets on the international scene. To some degree the way theyve shaped this city is the only way that the public would want to see it, the only way the western world would understand it. China cant fight the majority by forcing its culture upon visitors, so it has made so many sacrifices and incredible costly efforts to understand how NBC, how Americans, and Europeans, and olympians would want a city to be. Their preparations have been amazing and I know that they will make a wonderful impression on viewers. But I am torn as to whether what the world wants to see is really what is the best parts of Beijing and of China.

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