Seesawing wildly between burning summers and frostbitten winters while scoured by spring sandstorms, arid Běijīng is host city to the 2008 Olympics and emblematic of a nation undergoing a gut-wrenching transformation.
A city of neatly ordered design accentuated by sporadic authoritarian statements (Tiananmen Sq, the Great Hall of the People), Běijīng still stumps first-time visitors who arrive expecting a ragged tableau of communist China, only to be bowled over by its modernity and immensity and struck by Běijīng’s optimistic verve and sheer commercial vibrancy.
The colossal flyovers and multilane boulevards heave with two million cars as the must-have commodity – once a TV or washing machine – is now a VW Passat or a Buick. Yet ample pockets of historical charm survive, especially along Běijīng’s characteristic hútòng, the maze of narrow alleys that shelters the city’s delightful courtyard architecture. The city has also managed to sustain an epic grandeur from its Imperial days, laying claim to some of China’s superlative sights, including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven Park and the Summer Palace.
Winers and diners are spoiled for choice in Běijīng’s inventive bar and restaurant world. Peking duck – an oft-copied national institution – is really only true to form in the capital.
Frank and uncomplicated, Běijīng’s denizens chat in Běijīnghuà – the gold standard of Mandarin – and marvel at their good fortune for occupying the centre of the known world. And for all its diligence and gusto, Běijīng dispenses with the persistent pace of Shànghǎi or Hong Kong, and locals instead find time to sit out front, play chess and watch the world go by.
Last updated: Nov 4, 2008
