Peking China | Beijing - City of Contrasts

Beijing On The Move

Beijing is a city of startling contrasts and contradictions. Part "Communist" and part Uber-Capitalist, Beijing has a schizophrenic personality that is hard for the Westerner to fathom. The city is crushingly poor, yet staggeringly wealthy; very old, yet very modern; and it is large - very large.

Beijing's current population is estimated at 15 million, but there is a massive migration of rural farmers flooding into China's capitalist-like cities for a better life. Many hope to become "gloriously rich," thereby fulfilling the promise made by Deng Xiaoping in 1980 when the Communist nation embarked on its second "great leap forward." This surge of humanity is simultaneously straining Beijing's infrastructure, and fueling the economic engine of progress.

Although I am a native of Los Angeles and my wife lived in Manhattan, we were both stunned at how massive the city is. Downtown-like skyscrapers stretch as far as the eye can see. When crossing Beijing by car there seems to be no central downtown. There is just an endless succession of downtowns, all with Tokyo-like neon signage and Mercedes, Bentley, and Ferrari dealers, as well as a plethora of luxury retailers from Cartier and Harry Winston to Chanel and Versace.

China has yet to designate a national bird, but the obvious choice would be the crane because it is steeped in Chinese history and a perfect metaphor for China's future. Looking in any direction one can see hundreds of cranes that are erecting hundreds of skyscrapers to compete with the existing tsunami of tall buildings. China is actually considering the red-crowned crane (Grus japonicus) as its avian symbol.

"America is the past, China is the future" is a popular refrain in China. To any American that is skeptical of China's rising star status in the developed world, I suggest a trip to China soon. Bicycles are still in abundance, but you will see many cyclists with cell phones to their ears (above, left). Many government officials have benefitted greatly from the presence of big business, as evidenced by the hundreds of black Audi A8 sedans cruising the streets with an "A or "B" prefix government license plate. In 1986, Audi was the first premium car manufacturer to begin domestic production in China, at its Changchun plant in Jilin province.

Sightseeing in Beijing

Although China is moving at break-neck speed to shrug off its image as a third world country, there is still plenty of the "Old China" to see. Many of the historical sites are now designated as "World Heritage Sites" and are protected from alteration. Unfortunately, the traditional Hutongs are not being preserved, but are being systematically demolished to make way for modern development, or, even more disturbingly - "imitation" Hutongs.

All of the high-value tourist attractions and temples have been, or are being, restored in preparation for the impending Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Beijingers are exceedingly proud to be hosting the Olympics, and as of March, 2007, there were "Beijing 2008 Olympics" signs and logos everywhere.

The Beijing flower market is an interesting place that is not touristed, and the flower selection is amazing. Another good bet is to watch the locals practice the ancient art of Tai Chi at Jing Shan Park just north of the Forbidden City early in the morning.

At the famous national monuments there are trinket and knock-off street vendors everywhere, and the pressure can become tirsome. It will be interesting to see if the Chinese government curbs some of this activity before the world is watching it during the Olympics.

When my wife first visited Beijing in 1990, the locals at Tiananmen Square had not seen many westerners and blond hair was a major curiosity. This is still true, as several times we were asked to pose for a photograph. But beware: friendliness can be an excuse to pick your pocket.

Getting Around in Beijing

Getting around Beijing on your own is very easy. Taxis are readily available, and taxi service is inexpensive. With a "cheat sheet" written in Chinese by the concierge in your hotel, you can go anywhere. Hiring a private car with a driver who speaks some English for the entire day will cost about $80.00 USD. There is no need for a tour, as you can get to all of the sights faster by taxi than by tour bus. Another advantage of being on your own is that you can explore these marvelous treasures for as long as you want.

We were on our own for the first few days; then we joined a Chamber of Commerce tour from our home town. Our Chinese tour guides were very well educated and professional, they provided a wealth of historical and cultural information, and they were very fluent in English. However, we were very happy to have seen many of the monuments on our own, as the tours all seem to go to the monuments at the same time and are therefore very crowded, and the time spent at the monuments was so limited that the group did not even see important sights such as the marble boat at the Summer Palace.

If you are on your own, you can go the temples and palaces early in the morning when you will have them all to yourself. You can also stay until closing when the crowds have dispersed. You will have an entirely different impression when you see these wonderful monuments in total solitude - as the emperors enjoyed them.

A roasted Peking duck dinner is another must when in Beijing, and it is available just about anywhere. After dinner you could go to the Sanlitun bar street in Beijing's Chaoyang District, or the Hou Hai Bar Area along the lake in Beihai Park.

Currency and Tipping in Beijing

The currency in China is the yuan (abbreviated as RMB or CNY) which runs about 8 yuan to one US dollar. You can't buy RMB in America, but you can convert your currency at the airport or your hotel. Tipping is not customary in China, and restaurant service is included in the bill.

Weather in Beijing

Summer is very hot in Beijing, and winter is very cold. Fall and spring would be the best time to travel to Beijing, but there are dust storms that blow in off of the Alashan Desert and the plains of Mongolia in early spring.

The Chinese government estimates that roughly one million tons of dust and sand blow into the city Beijing each year. When we arrived in late March there was a dust storm and the entire city had a reddish-brown color cast to it. At the hotel, employees were constantly mopping the fine dust off of the marble floors. The weather was beautiful for the next few days, which were followed by some spring rain.