Week one: Beijing

Arriving in Beijing

ATL--------(14.5 hrs in flight)-------Seoul, Incheon [2.5 hrs layover]
Seoul, Incheon International Airport-------(2.5 hrs in flight)—PEK
Total approx 20 hrs in transit for love

After about 15 hours Atlanta to Seoul, flying west to go east over the Alaskan tundra, a 2 and half layover in Incheon, the international airport outside of Seoul, which is 14 hrs ahead of New York time and another 2 hours to Beijing, which is only 13 hrs ahead of New York, my body had knocked its immune system down to almost zero. I arrived on a level 5 night in Beijing. The air was thick inside the airport, as well as outside, reducing visibility to about 30 ft (that’s an estimate from my old scuba days). Level 5 is the worst rating of air quality as put forth by the Chinese government. The next day remained a level 5, keeping me indoors for most of the day, inside my protected glass tower, over looking a hotel with a Chinese flag that lay almost frozen on the rooftop flag pole. I prayed for wind, as that is the only chance of blowing this thick particle filled air and dispersing it to allow for more clarity. The 2nd day came and brought some wind, which is something that the geography in this place naturally discourages with mountains and arid desert surrounding the city. I could all of a sudden see the Twin Towers where Henry works, which is only a 5 min walk from here. The air felt colder, but clearer and breathable. This is my 3rd day and it is being call the 245th clear day of the calendar year. This is a city goal of 245, working towards the Olympic year of 2008. Beijing has hit its target! I love these arbitrary measures of success. Goals are good. They help move toward progress, so arbitrary or not, I am grateful for the clear day.



My first impressions of Beijing


Though I have been trying to lay low and let my body recover from its initial shock, I have with gracious guidance been introduced to a few lovely places. Acknowledging that feeling sick colors how receptive one might feel, I have been pleasantly surprised by the availability of the “comforts of home.”

Managing My Expectations

Air
Knowing air quality in Beijing is the worst it has ever been and the worst I will have ever experienced, I arrived without a big shock, but was surprised how the outside air infiltrates interiors.

Seriously, these were my first days in Beijing.


Food
I have only been told how great the food is here. So far, no tummy transition issues and the quality and variety of cuisine are only being confirmed with every meal. I have so far eaten at the Chinese equivalent of chain fast food, a great noodle place, a fancy Japanese place with an extensive menu, Yunnan cuisine at Middle 8 Restaurant, and western food at an ex-pat owned and operated, Vineyard Café, located off a hutong, tucked away for travelers to seek out and discover.

Massage
Massage has also been recommended whenever mentioning my travel plans. Henry had raved about a place called Dragon Fly in a very ex-pat friendly area called Sanlitun. It is fancy, meeting all western standards for an indulgent spa experience. I have been warned about the massage parlors with neon out front and what is referred to as the “Hong Kong” massage. I am not sure what a Western woman’s experience would be in such an establishment, but maybe I should wander in and see. When in Beijing, right!?

Henry asked me yesterday, what my impression of Beijing would be so far if I were here as a visitor to see the Olympics. As I began to answer, saying I am actually very impressed at how modern and…I hocked up a lugee (spelling suggested by urbandictionary.com), prematurely finishing my answer, as I searched in my big New Yorker purse for my travel pack of Kleenex. By the time I sorted that out, the cab ride was over and we were distracted by our next activity. So, with some time to think about it and my handy laptop to help coax out the words, here it goes…

Beijing has an amazing skyline, what I have seen of it. Filled with towering modern buildings and new ones being erected everyday. The labor force is cheap and works insane hours. On our way to dinner, I gazed out the taxi window at the falling sparks from the new CCTV bridge connecting two towers at some crazy height in the air. It feels a bit Sci-Fi here. I am reminded of Blade Runner, the mix of advanced technology and the brutal streets that remind us of our human history, filled with dingy, dark ally ways, vermin and the unfortunate, living in the dark. It's not quite that dim but Beijing’s traditional hutongs are disappearing. The new hyper-urban landscape can’t disappear the life that has existed in these ally ways as quickly. The Chinese symbol for destroy is stamped on buildings off the main through fares. In the five minute walk to Henry’s work, I see small shops offering shoes, film developing, fruit, and sex stuffs (this is a mystery to me still), restaurants low and high, and towering steel and glass buildings that raise the ceiling from 2 stories high to numbers in the 20’s and 30’s. The surface for most of this distance is dirt and rocks, some concrete and sidewalk. One is very aware of the feeling of transition and all the difficulties that come along with change at such a rapid pace.

So, as a tourist, here to see China perform on the world stage, as host of the Olympic Games 2008, I perceive the city to be very modern at quick glance. If I were wealthy enough to be here to watch the games, I imagine I’d have booked a room in one of the new premier 7 star hotels, where every modern convenience will be made available to me, blurring the reality of real life in Beijing. As an official visitor, I imagine I will be ushered from one prepared venue to another, with a tailor made experience to only show the best aspects of what a modern Beijing can offer. I am lucky though, to be limited by my means. I am definitely not roughing it, but I am through choice and by limitations, experiencing Beijing on a more down to earth reality. Staying with a resident of the city, means having the fast track to the cool and desirable venues the city has to offer. I am fortunate to have Henry to guide me through this immense city. He lives here now and had spent a year studying here a few years back and has a good command of the language, which makes a huge difference. This means not only does he have access to what exists on an ex-pats radar, but also a wider scope of what a metropolitan Beijinger may know about. It is definitely not a man on the street view of the city, but it is more real than a government curated experience that I expect the Olympic visitors will be outfitted, due mostly to their lack of connection to the local community. So braver visitors will want to stray off the beaten track and will employ some Mandarin speaking ex-pats to show them the way, bridging the language gap, if not the cultural. But more and more I am experiencing a sort of “universal” set of ideals shaping the fashion and culture of this city. Commerce and media’s impact on the city’s youth and privileged growing middle class is very apparent in the local fashion and pop culture. Its like we’ve all been watching the same television with the same stars wearing the same clothes and listening to the same music. I guess I thought I might stick out, as a New Yorker, even if I am Asian. But in reality, I waited my turn in a local bank, and as I looked across the room, I was humbled. A couple of women sit in front of me holding their Starbucks coffee cups and one dons a MuiMui purse. To my left a local Chinese woman wearing a cute shawl sweater with a belt, not unlike sweaters I had been eyeing in New York before coming here. And of course there are those little disconnects, if you look a bit closer. The brands may be different, the technology may seem simpler, the cultural codes may seem less civilized, but on the whole, I can understand after only being here for 3 days, why everyone spits on the streets and doesn’t skip a beat. If you were here, you’d be hocking up lugees too and maybe like me choose to hunt down a travel Kleenex or just find immediate relief by joining the masses and just spitting onto the street. It is something that to a Westerner may at first seem offensive and that the government is trying hard to change in the way of peoples habits, but if it is anything like trying to get a certain someone to put the toilet seat down, I imagine the Westerners may end up adapting to their hosts, rather than waiting for the locals to adopt new standards for their visitors.

All in all, it is an amazing city. Bright lights, big city with about anything you might be looking for in terms of Art, architecture, food, entertainment, and modern comforts. And even with a weak dollar, your dollar goes a long way.