Beijing- First Impressions

We arrived at the Beijing airport on a sunny but incredibly hazy afternoon. After going through all the usual airport stuff we were greeted by our tour guide, a forty-something Beijinger with a distinguished look and a kind face. We got onto our bus and headed for the city, and our guide welcomed us in near-perfect English. He explained that his name was Chen, but that his English name was Wally. I liked him immediately, and I began to suspect that his sense of humor and extensive knowledge would make for a fantastic trip.

The drive into the city was unlike anything I had expected. The expressway was lined with thousands of poplar trees, their leaves shimmering in the bright afternoon sunlight. Apparently the trees were planted to try to offset the massive pollution in the city. There are 3 million cars in Beijing, and with the "new" market economy, that number is going up all the time. The further we got into the city, the more surprised I became. It was beautiful! The city was once surrounded by a moat, and today large tree-lined canals flow throughout the city. There is so much life in Beijing- trees, parks, grass, and pots of brightly colored flowers everywhere. In newer areas, modern skyscrapers rise up to give the feeling of a very modern city, a place of importance where things are really happening. Like many cities with an extensive history, Beijing is walking the fine line between the past and the future.

And the city was so clean! Beijing seems to be working very hard on its image (I suspect the upcoming summer Olympics have something to do with this), with a bit of help from Chinese lawmakers. For example, spitting (which used to be very common in public) is now a punishable offence (the fine is 80 CNY, or about 10 U.S. dollars). They are also working to discourage men from going shirtless in the city. The punishment for this is printing the offender's picture in the newspaper. Apparently public shame is a more effective deterrent than a monetary fine.

As we made our way through the city, any previous impressions I had had about the city slowly melted away, and I began to love Beijing. Soon we arrived at our first destination: the Temple of Heaven.