Saying Goodbye to Beijing
When it is light at 5:00 A.M. it is difficult to not get up to begin the day here in Beijing. By six, people are out walking their very small dogs, doing Tai Chi, and guards are performing drills. All of this is accompanied by sounds that are a bit foreign to us as visitors to Beijing.
Today we will visit Embassy Row and later Silk Street. We've been amazed at all of the sights and sounds in Beijing--from split pants on young children to the immense structures that are part of the Forbidden City. We are also moved by the history that surrounds the buildings and practices in Beijing. Traditions of the past continue to inform current practices even as China moves into a position of being a world power.
This afternoon we will travel by train to Jinan. Our time in Jinan will be a bit different than Beijing with its 17 million people and 5 million cars. Everything in Beijing is fast paced. Watch out when you are walking on the streets here!
This year I've observed many changes in this city, including more cars on the streets and expressways, fewer bicycles and carts in and amongst the cars, more flowers and plants, and completed restorations of temples and other historic buildings. There is a huge increase in the number of uniformed guards we see everywhere. Talk of the games is on everyone's lips, though we wonder how many of the locals will be able to attend the celebrations. The theme, "One world, one dream" stood out clearly to us as we climbed the Great Wall. It's truly a sign of all that is going on in Beijing and in China--mixing the old and the new--combining traditions and transformations in 2008.
We'll miss Beiijing and the wonderful people we have met here. We'll leave seeking to learn more about what we've observed and experienced in this capital city of China.